Former Total executive questioned<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Nanterre, France<\/p>\n
The former director of operations in Myanamar of French oil
\ncompany Total has been questioned about the alleged use of forced
\nlabour in Myanmar to build a pipeline in the 1990s, a source
\nclose to the matter said.<\/p>\n
The executive, Herve Madeo, who directed the Total subsidiary
\nin Myanmar from 1992-1999, was questioned on Thursday by an
\ninvestigating magistrate for about two hours at Nanterre in the
\nwestern suburbs of Paris, the source said.<\/p>\n
He was the first Total executive to be questioned by French
\nlegal officials investigating the allegations.<\/p>\n
Madeo had been questioned as a so-called \"assisted witness\"
\ngiving him a status between that of an ordinary witness and that
\nof someone who might be charged.<\/p>\n
A lawyer for Madeo, Jean Veil, told AFP that anonymous
\nplaintiffs had made \"unfounded\" allegations.<\/p>\n
He said: \"As is the case for non-governmental organizations,
\nindustrial and financial groups and notably Total do more for
\nlocal populations by being present in some countries such as
\nBurma (Myanmar) than do those who rant behind television
\ncameras.\"<\/p>\n
The questioning was the result of an investigation opened on
\nOctober 9, 2001 following a complaint by two Myanmar nationals
\nwho said that they had been forced to work on the Yadana gas
\npipeline.<\/p>\n
The pipeline, which carries liquefied gas from the Andaman sea
\noff the south east of Myanmar to Thailand, was built from 1994 by
\na consortium of which Total was a member.<\/p>\n
From the start of construction Total was accused by human
\nrights activists and by political opposition to the military
\nauthorities in Myanmar of having used forced labour.<\/p>\n
Total has consistently denied these allegations.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-total-executive-questioned-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }