A Dutch campaign against British American Tobacco (BAT) was started today because of BAT’s investments in junta-controlled Burma. Some 30 campaigners from Burma Center Netherlands and Burmese refugees in Holland conducted campaigning activities at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, near the main office of BAT in The Netherlands. The campaigners had made a 2 by 2 by 2 metre packet of cigarettes, looking like a tank. A man dressedas a Burmese soldier accompanied it, to show the connection between BAT and the Burmese repressive military junta. Campaigners asked travellers to boycot BAT-made cigarettes like Lucky Strike, Marlboro and Pall Mall. Hundreds of protestcards were distributed. Afterwards, a petition was presented to BAT’s board of directors at the airport.
Burma Center Netherlands (BCN) plans to distribute thousands of protestcards against BAT, and plans several more campainging activities in The Netherlands. BCN protests against BAT’s continuing economic involvement in Burma. In reality, BAT supports the Burmese junta with its investments. The junta is well-known because of gross human rights violations. Burma’s democratically elected and ethnic opposition groups ask companies to stop investing in Burma. The Dutch and British Governments both discourage any economic contacts with the military junta.
BCN has contacted BAT-Netherlands several times since December 2002 and asked the company to withdraw from Burma. In Spring, BCN met the board of directors to discuss the matter. BCN hopes to contribute to the Europe-wide campaign against BAT.
In the last couple of years, BCN campaigned successfully against a number of Dutch and European companies with (former) investments in Burma, like Heineken and Triumph.
More information:
Burma Centrum Nederland (BCN)
Paulus Potterstraat 20
1071 DA Amsterdam
The Netherlands
tel: 31-20-671 6952
fax: 31-20-671 3513
e-mail: bcn@xs4all.nl