Executive Summary: "This report documents Chevronâ�?„?s ongoing role in financing the military regime in Burma (Myanmar) and profiting from human rights abuses on the Yadana natural gas development project. It is based in part on over 70 formal interviews over the past five years, documenting conditions in the region of Burma affected by the Yadana gas pipeline, and corroborating information from ERIâ�?„?s network of contacts, as well as ERIâ�?„?s prior experience in documenting abuses on the Yadana Project dating back to 1994, and on documents that have become public through the groundbreaking human rights lawsuit Doe v. Unocal. ERI has published three previous reports on the Yadana Project, and filed Doe v. Unocal in U.S. courts on behalf of victims of the pipeline project who had suffered rape, murder, torture, and pervasive slave labor. Part 1 describes the background of the Yadana Project, which involves a pipeline constructed to carry gas from offshore fields, across Burma, and into Thailand. In 2005, Chevron became part of the Yadana Project through its acquisition of Unocal, one of the original developers of the project. The Burmese military junta, a brutal regime routinely condemned by the United Nations and the world community for its widespread violations of basic human rights, is one of Chevronâ�?„?s partners in the project through its military-run oil company, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise. Part 2 explains how the Yadana Project finances oppression. The project is the single largest source of income for the Burmese military; it was instrumental in bailing out the junta when it faced a severe financial crisis in the late 1990s, and it has enabled the regime to dramatically increase its military spending and continue its rule without popular support. Part 3 describes how Chevron was fully aware of the human rights abuses associated with the Yadana Project when it acquired Unocal in 2005, but nonetheless chose to stay involved with the project and the Burmese military. The Yadana pipeline is guarded by the Burmese army, and the human rights abuses committed by the army in the course of providing security have been widely reported and documented; victims of the project sued Unocal in U.S. courts in the landmark case Doe v. Unocal. Part 4 documents the continuing serious human rights abuses by the pipeline security forces, including torture, rape, murder, and forced labor. Seventeen years after abuses connected to the Yadana Project were first documented, and years after they were highlighted in Doe v. Unocal, these human rights abuses continue in the pipeline corridor. Residents and refugees fleeing the pipeline region report that they are still forced to work for the pipeline security forces, who continue to commit acts of violence and terrorize the local population. This forced labor occurs thousands of times each year. Part 5 debunks the oil companiesâ�?„? claims that life in the pipeline region has improved. While some villages have realized minimal benefits from the companiesâ�?„? socio-economic program, the benefits do not reach the entire population affected by the pipeline security forces. Even for the chosen â�œpipeline villagesâ�� life remains so difficult and dangerous that families continue to flee for the relative safety of the Thai-Burma border. Part 6 discusses Chevronâ�?„?s response to the 2007 demonstrations in Burma against the military regime and the regimeâ�?„?s crackdown. Despite its threefold status as the largest U.S. investor in Burma, the militaryâ�?„?s direct business partner, and a partner in the project that constitutes the largest source of income for the regime, Chevron has failed to take any noticeable steps to condemn the violent repression or to pressure the military to respect human rights. Finally, Part 7 describes Chevronâ�?„?s ongoing potential legal liability for its role in the Yadana Project. Although the Doe v. Unocal litigation resulted in a settlement in 2005, that settlement only covers the claims of the victims involved in that suit; Chevron remains responsible for compensating the thousands of other residents of the pipeline region who have suffered abuse by pipeline security forces. Two appendices offer additional detail on oil and gas investment in Burma. Appendix A details the Shwe Project, a new gas project which could dwarf Yadana both in revenues for the military and in the abusive impact on the local population. The project is being developed by South Koreaâ�?„?s Daewoo International along with other companies from Korea, India and China. Appendix B briefly outlines Chinaâ�?„?s growing involvement in Burma, especially in the oil and gas sector. The Yadana Project remains a serious problem both for the people of Burma and for Chevron itself. In light of this, EarthRights International makes the following recommendations:..."