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Globalism in the dock: Burmese villagers sue Unocal in an L.A. courtroom. (Gazette).

Article Excerpt
RANGOON, THE CAPITAL OF Burma (now officially called Myanmar), is normally one of the most depressing cities in Asia. It usually exudes the desperate air of a decaying totalitarian metropolis: Beggars wander the central market, queuing for handouts of the worthless local currency, while paramilitary police block access to universities, political party offices and any other potential centers of opposition to the state. But in recent months, some signs of change have emerged. In May, pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition to Burma's totalitarian junta, was released from house arrest. Suu Kyi vowed to continue her fight to liberate the Burmese from the ruling generals, who have impoverished the country.

Southeast of the capital, in areas abutting Thailand and refugee camps inside that neighboring nation, a group of poor Burmese villagers also are attempting to foment momentous global change. The villagers are suing American oil giant Unocal in a California state court, charging that Unocal is responsible for human-rights abuses committed by the Burmese military along the company's $1.2 billion Yadana gas pipeline, which stretches across eastern Burma and into Thailand. And for the first time, an American judge has refused to dismiss such a suit, guaranteeing the plaintiffs a trial. The state suit will open before a Los Angeles jury next February. If the landmark case brings exploitative behavior to light or results in a ruling against Unocal, legal scholars say, similar suits against other...

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