Consumer protection advocate Ralph Nader said spineless US legislators fell to their knees when talking to oil company executives . Darwin’s media seems to adopt a golly, gosh attitude to energy and petrochemical company executives when they are in town. Take the recent announcement that Inpex and its “ joint venture partner” Total E & P Australia plan to spend $3 million on the Larrakia Trade Development Centre. The official launch was at the Medina Vibe Hotel and the subject of “ saturation media coverage” and fab social photos , according to a gushing article by Peter Murphy who is on the Larrakia Development Corporation payroll. The signing was attended by Inpex president Naoki Kurodi,from Tokyo, Federal Resources and Energy Minister , Martin Ferguson, Chief Minister , Paul Henderson. Very little mention was made of any Total representatives at the function and it is obvious that the company's global CEO, Christopher de Margerie, was not present . Total seems to be very much a silent and low profile partner in the Inpex proposed project.
While it was good to see Territorians offered this trade training boost, did any of the reporters saturating the bunfight ask what Total , a giant French energy company, the world’s 10th largest , 2008 profits $21 billion , is doing for the oppressed populace of Burma where the company and the US Chevron , with Burmese energy firms , pumps gas from the Andaman Sea across Burma in a pipeline said to have been built with forced labour?
The brutal Burmese military regime reportedly receives " billions'' in revenue . French president Nicolas Sarkosy has expressed concern about Total’s involvement with the Burmese crooks. Time Magazine of January 25 this year said ,” Nothing has caused a bigger public relations headache for Total than its dealings with Burma , where a bloody 2007 military crackdown sparked global outrage .” There is certainly no PR problem here in Darwin where the media‘s attitude to energy companies verges on blind adoration.
Then there is the criminal junta’s treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi , declaring she cannot contest the rigged possible election because she is a criminal!!!! Aung’s political party has announced it will not contest the election.
Did any local reporters notice that our PM’s wife - Therese Rein, Hillary Clinton and other female political leaders staged a rally to draw world attention to the plight of Aung and the outrages in Burma? Apparently not.
Just this morning there was an ABC report that Total has confirmed it has been charged with corruption, complicity to deal in stolen property and influence peddling connected with the UN oil for food regulations during the Saddam Hussein reign in Iraq . Remember the Australian Wheat Board saga? Total has rejected the French charges . Nevertheless ,the fact that a joint venture partner in the “Inpex “ LNG project allegedly dealt with another crazed regime should be hot local news. There are surely grounds for many questions to ask of Total and Inpex. Like : How much is Total contributing to the Darwin project, half , more? Is Burmese blood money contributing to the Darwin project ? How much money has Total donated to projects which train, help , feed average Burmese and what are the details ? Is Total satisfied the money does not go straight into the pockets of the corrupt generals? What does Total think about the treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi ?
Oil and gas journals reported that Total stitched up a deal with about 20 tribes in the Yemen, almost a failed state, an area of growing concern for the US and Saudi Arabia, for a $4.8 billion project to open a gas pipeline and export port last November. The terrorist who failed to blow up the Delta jet over Detroit at Xmas had been trained in Yemen. The Saudis recently intercepted more than 100 armed insurgents , said to include al-Qaeda followers , from across the Yemeni border intent on killing and causing as much damage as possible.
Down in South America where , like just about everywhere else in the world, including the NT, there is a mad rush by mineral , energy, petrochemical companies and speculators , to grab as many properties as possible . There have been reports of indigenous occupants being driven off their land and even shot by corrupt regimes . Companies listed in the rush are well known , including one already in Darwin.
While it was good to see Territorians offered this trade training boost, did any of the reporters saturating the bunfight ask what Total , a giant French energy company, the world’s 10th largest , 2008 profits $21 billion , is doing for the oppressed populace of Burma where the company and the US Chevron , with Burmese energy firms , pumps gas from the Andaman Sea across Burma in a pipeline said to have been built with forced labour?
The brutal Burmese military regime reportedly receives " billions'' in revenue . French president Nicolas Sarkosy has expressed concern about Total’s involvement with the Burmese crooks. Time Magazine of January 25 this year said ,” Nothing has caused a bigger public relations headache for Total than its dealings with Burma , where a bloody 2007 military crackdown sparked global outrage .” There is certainly no PR problem here in Darwin where the media‘s attitude to energy companies verges on blind adoration.
Then there is the criminal junta’s treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi , declaring she cannot contest the rigged possible election because she is a criminal!!!! Aung’s political party has announced it will not contest the election.
Did any local reporters notice that our PM’s wife - Therese Rein, Hillary Clinton and other female political leaders staged a rally to draw world attention to the plight of Aung and the outrages in Burma? Apparently not.
Just this morning there was an ABC report that Total has confirmed it has been charged with corruption, complicity to deal in stolen property and influence peddling connected with the UN oil for food regulations during the Saddam Hussein reign in Iraq . Remember the Australian Wheat Board saga? Total has rejected the French charges . Nevertheless ,the fact that a joint venture partner in the “Inpex “ LNG project allegedly dealt with another crazed regime should be hot local news. There are surely grounds for many questions to ask of Total and Inpex. Like : How much is Total contributing to the Darwin project, half , more? Is Burmese blood money contributing to the Darwin project ? How much money has Total donated to projects which train, help , feed average Burmese and what are the details ? Is Total satisfied the money does not go straight into the pockets of the corrupt generals? What does Total think about the treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi ?
Oil and gas journals reported that Total stitched up a deal with about 20 tribes in the Yemen, almost a failed state, an area of growing concern for the US and Saudi Arabia, for a $4.8 billion project to open a gas pipeline and export port last November. The terrorist who failed to blow up the Delta jet over Detroit at Xmas had been trained in Yemen. The Saudis recently intercepted more than 100 armed insurgents , said to include al-Qaeda followers , from across the Yemeni border intent on killing and causing as much damage as possible.
Down in South America where , like just about everywhere else in the world, including the NT, there is a mad rush by mineral , energy, petrochemical companies and speculators , to grab as many properties as possible . There have been reports of indigenous occupants being driven off their land and even shot by corrupt regimes . Companies listed in the rush are well known , including one already in Darwin.
