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Date

Mr. Clifford M. James, President
TG World Energy
736 6th Avenue SW, Suite 2000
Calgary, AB T2P 3T7

Dear Mr. James:

We are writing to express our deep concern regarding your new oil investment in Burma which we understand is expected to double the country’s daily production. As you may be aware, foreign investment in Burma has serious ethical implications and is opposed by the Canadian government. We hope that you will join a growing list of companies that are publicly declaring their commitment not to do business with the military dictatorship of Burma and all of its affiliated companies and organizations.

It has come to our attention that TG World Energy entered into three production sharing contracts with the military regime’s national oil company, the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprises (MOGE) in November 2001. While Chinnery Assets Ltd., a joint venture set up by CNPC (Hong Kong) and CNPC International, owns a 70% interest in the oil contracts , TG World retains the remaining 30% interest which pertain to the exploration and production of crude oil, natural gas and other hydrocarbon products in the Bagan blocks north of one of the Chauk fields in central Burma.

Foreign companies that operate in Burma have no choice but to enter into business partnerships with Burma’s military regime and in so doing, help to prop up one of the world’s worst human rights abusers. Likewise, your Burmese partner is the MOGE, notorious for its role as a conduit for profits from Burma’s illicit drug trade. This is just one example among many of how Burma’s military regime profits from, protects and supporting the illicit drug industry.

A 1998 Commission of Inquiry by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) issued a report revealing the pervasive nature of forced labour in Burma, which is often accompanied by other severe abuses. Since then, the ILO has effectively expelled Burma and has issued an unprecedented resolution calling for all ILO members to review their relations with Burma to ensure that they are not contributing to the widespread system of forced labour in the country. …/2

Last June 2001, Canadian Labour Congress president, Ken Georgetti and Fred Higgs, General Secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions stated “It is the position of the global labour movement that it is impossible to do business with the Burmese government or in Burma without subsidizing forced labour and other human rights violations… foreign investment is directly propping up the regime.”

Not only is your company helping to perpetuate the suffering of the people of Burma, but your business in Burma goes against the express wishes of Aung San Suu Kyi and her democratically elected party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). As you know, the NLD won 82% of the seats in the 1990 elections but is still prevented by the junta from taking office. The NLD continues to assert that foreign business in effect contributes to propping up the military dictatorship and not the majority of Burma’s citizens.

By committing not to do business with Burma, you would not only avoid supporting a brutal military regime, you may also avoid further tarnishing your company’s reputation by becoming a target of consumer pressure in the future. Over the past year, more than 23 companies in North America have ceased operating in Burma due to citizens’ advocacy campaigns in Canada and the United States.

We respectfully urge you to cease your commercial operations in Burma until the democratically elected leaders of that country determine that foreign investment can actually benefit the people of Burma and not the country’s cruel regime.

We look forward to your prompt response on this important issue.

Sincerely,