Sulak to expose PTT's 'lies'

Prominent social critic Sulak Sivaraksa vowed yesterday he would expose in the court how the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) lied about the content of a gas supply contract with the Burmese government.

Mr Sulak, who was arrested with 40 other protesters for allegedly obstructing the laying of the gas pipeline, was granted bail after he was taken to the provincial court to hear the charges of breaching the PTT Act. The campaigner for human rights protection in Burma denied all the charges, claiming that he was merely protecting national environment.

The first hearing of the case was set for May 13.

Mr Sulak spent the night at Thong Pha Phum police station. About 100 supporters, including Forum of the Poor leader Bamrung Kayotha and Phipob Thongchai, a key opponent of the pipeline project, went to the district to give him moral support.

He refused to get in a police car which would have taken him to the court. Instead, he chose to walk for a distance of two kilometres, claiming that he wanted an exercise.

Mr Sulak also heavily criticised Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai for allowing the project to go ahead and for complete ignorance of human rights abuses in Burma.

He threatened to fly to the United States "to tell the world" about how the government had defied the constitution about human rights.

Meanwhile, about 20 villagers and student activists were yesterday temporarily detained by police in Dan Makham Tai district for allegedly obstructing the construction work.

No formal charges were lodged against them.

In a separate development, the University of Minnesota administration announced its decision to offload its last remaining shares, valued at US$1.2 million, in French oil company, Total, which is operating the gas pipeline project on the Burmese side with Unocal, an American oil giant.

The decision to dump the stock holdings came hours before the administration's investment advisory body, the Social Concerns Committee, was to pass a resolution calling for complete investment withdrawal from Total following pressure from students and human rights groups.

The university's preemptive decision surprised the SCC board and student activists since it undercut the need for a resolution.

However, SCC has redrafted the resolution to ensure that no new investment in Total is possible.

In addition, SCC has been drafting a separate measure to guide the university away from investing in other companies still operating in Burma or financing the Rangoon military regime.

The divestment of Total at the University of Minnesota is an influential endorsement for a city ordinance in Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis city council is currently considering a "selective purchasing agreement" which would bar the city from contracting with any company operating in Burma.