BURMA-BOYCOTT: CAMPAIGN AGAINST AUA-LAUDA AIR
Burma Campaign Austria - 30.01.2003 19:12
With the exception of Austrian Airlines (AUA) using the brand of its subsidiary Lauda Air no other European airline is connecting Rangoon/Yangon directly to Europe. Since Nov. 5th AUA offers flights from Vienna and some months longer from Italy to Rangoon. Therefore the campaign against the Burmese military dictatorship is extended now to AUA - Lauda Air.
BURMA-BOYCOTT: CAMPAIGN AGAINST AUA-LAUDA AIR
With the exception of Austrian Airlines (AUA) using the brand of its subsidiary Lauda Air no other European airline is connecting Rangoon/Yangon directly to Europe. Since Nov. 5th AUA offers flights to Rangoon from Vienna and some months longer from Milano in Italy to Rangoon. Therefore the ongoing boycott-campaign against the Burmese military dictatorship is extended now to AUA - Lauda Air.
AUA ignores resolutions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Council of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), as well as several exiled and opposition groups like the National Democratic League of the Nobel Peace Price winner Aung San Suu Kyi to stop new investment and to review existing economic contacts with Burma.
The aim of the campaign is the termination of all flights of AUA - Lauda Air to Burma.
THE SITUATION IN BURMA
Burma is ruled by a military dictatorship since decades. The last coup d'etat occurred in 1989. The army absorbs 50% of the national budget of one of the three poorest countries on earth. At the same time the health system has broken down. Minister for Hotels und Tourism, Maj.Gen. Saw Lwin, admitted in a recent statement that 12% of the earnings of private tourist enterprises fund the army. To make things worse the army is partial owner of companies in the tourist sector like hotels, shops, other services and both private airlines Air Mandalay and Yangon Airways, too.
An unknown number of persons were displaced by force as a result of tourist projects. Large-scale forced labour has been reported on several projects including the Golden Palace in Mandalay, the construction of a dam at Inle Lake, the laying of a railway line near Pagan's temple complex and the building or upgrading of airports. The efforts to attract tourists "is responsible for a lot of forced labour," Aung San Suu Kyi has observed. ILO-reports provide evidence of forced labour on tourism development projects.
THIS CAMPAIGN IS ADDRESSED TO ...
... the corporate executives of the AUA-group who have shown no understanding of the situation at all. Letters to the ICFTU and the Burma Center Nederland give evidence of the ignorance concerning the problem. Correspondence from the Burma Campaign Austria received no response.
The following persons, groups, companies and state bodies are encouraged to influence the management of AUA to break off contacts to Burma and cancel all flights.
1. The general public
Untill the ending of Burma-flights all travellers should review their decision to use AUA, Lauda Air or Tyrolean Airways and use any other airline.
2. Shareholders of AUA
Shareholders are requested to reconsider critically their investment in a company that ignores resolutions of international organizations und basic humanitarian ideas. It is encouraged that shareholders issue a statement of critique towards the management.
Shareholders are:
Credit Suisse First Boston (Europe) Ltd. (www.csfb.com, Fax: +44-20-7888 1600), ÖIAG (www.oiag.at,  p.michaelis@oiag.at); Austria Tabak (www.austriatabak.at, mediarelations@austriatabak.com), BAWAG (www.bawag.com, bawag@bawag.com), RZB - Raiffeisen Zentralbank (www.rzb.at, michael.palzer@rzb.at), Wr. Städtische Versicherung (www.staedtische.co.at, presseabteilung@staedtische.co.at), LVBG Luftverkehrsbeteil.GmbH; B & C Holding GmbH, Air France (www.airfrance.com), Wyser-Pratte Guy P.Management Co.Int. (New York).
3. Travel agencies
Travel agencies in Austria conduct an aggressive campaign to promote travels to Burma. We demand the cancellation of all offers and the termination of selling AUA-tickets to Rangoon.
Some of the travel agencies as well as tour organizers are: Taipan (www.taipan.at, office@taipan.at), ÖAMTC (www.oeamtc.at/reisen, reisebuero@oeamtc.at), Jumbo (www.jumbo.at, office@jumbo.at, ATI (ati@ati,at), Verkehrsbüro (www.verkehrsbeuro.at, info@verkehrsbuero.at), TUI (www.tui.co.at, online@tui.co.at), Ruefa (www.ruefa.at, service@ruefa.at), Reisequelle (www.reisequelle.at, wien7@reisequelle.at), Kuoni (www.kuoni.at, kundenservice@kuoni.at), Geo Reisen (www.georeisen.at), Columbus (www.columbus-travel.com, office@columbus.co.at), Raiffeisen Reisen (www.raiffeisen-reisen.at, info@raiffeisen-reisen.at), Neckermann ( wien@neckermannreisen.at).
4. Media
Some Austrian media not only promote tourism to Burma and AUA-flights in a massive way but organize designated tours for readers as well. We urge these media to stop this and consider human rights aspects in their reporting. See Salzburger Nachrichten (www.salzburg.com/sn/, redakt@salzburg.com) and the Vienna radio branch of the Austrian broadcasting corporation ORF - Radio Wien (www.orf.at, 899953@radiowien.at)
5. Business flights, multinational companies
Already many companies, including PepsiCo, Heineken, Carlsberg, Levi's, Reebok, and others have pulled out of Burma or decided not to invest there because of consumer pressure.
We contacted all companies that participate in the boycott of Burma to stop using AUA for business connections.
Further we urge American Express (www.americanexpress.at, info@americanexpress.at) to end discounts for Lauda Air travels, among them those to Burma.
6. Trade unions
The International Council of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) is already conducting a campaign. It is now up to the Austrian Trade Union Federation (www.oegb.or.at, oegb@oegb.or.at) and its branches HTV and the works councils represented in the supervisory boards of AUA and the Austrian shareholders (ÖIAG, RZB, etc) to present the matter and to inform their members about the campaign of ICFTU.
This applies to the ÖGB-HTV group of flight personel at the HTV-federal branch traffic ( robert.hengster@htv.or.at), the works council of Lauda Air ( brb@laudaair.com) und the head office of ÖGB (President: fritz.verzetnitsch@oegb.or.at)
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
This is an international campaign. AUA is among the companies on the "black list" of ICFTU. Burma Center Nederland (www.xs4all.nl/%7Ebcn/, bcn@xs4all.nl) is campaigning in the Netherlands.
Forum Asia ( info@forumasia.org), a non-governmental-organization in Bangkok, stated according to BBC, 27 November, 2002:
"Anger at Austrian airline's Burma flights
The decision to fly to Burma - which is also known as Myanmar - ignores the "human rights crisis" there and is "based purely on commercial economic interests," according to Forum Asia. In particular, they have campaigned for a boycott of Burma by foreign firms, saying trade and investment help to support the military regime without benefiting ordinary Burmese."
FIRST RESULTS
After a short period of the campaign in Austria the travel agency Sotour in Vienna ended their promotion and selling of travels to Burma and will not sell AUA-tickets to Burma.
APPENDIX: CONTACTS AUA
Austrian Airlines Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG
Fontanastraße 1
1107 Wien
Homepage: www.aua.com
Vorstand: Vagn Soerensen
Johannes DAVORAS / Livia DANDREA-BÖHM / Johann JURCEKA - Communikation
Tel: +43 (0) 51766 1231
Fax: +43 (0) 1 688 65 26
johannes.davoras@aua.com
johann.jurceka@aua.com
Austrian Airlines Communications
Tel. + 43-1- 1766-1230
Fax + 43-1 688 65 26
email: public.relations@aua.com
Investor Relation:
Dr. Karl Knezourek
Tel.: 01 / 1766 - 3328
Fax: 01 / 1766 - 5 3328
e-mail: karl.knezourek@aua.com
Lauda Air Luftfahrt AG
P.O.Box 56, A-1300 Vienna Airport
Telephone: +43/1/70000
office@laudaair.com
FURTHER INFORMATIONS
www.icftu.org
www.burmacampaign.org.uk
If you have questions please feel free to contact us.
 E-Mail: burma_campaign_austria@yahoo.com
|
