Tan Sri Dato
Sri Mohd. Hassan Marican
President & Chief Executive Officer
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)
Tower1 PETRONAS Twin Towers
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd. Hassan Marican
Acting Chairman, President & Chief Executive
Officer
January 1st 2008
Mr President,
The Somali people in the Ogaden didn’t
choose to be a part of the empire-state of
Ethiopia, but Ethiopia annexed their land
without their consent in collusion with
European colonial powers. The last portion
of the Ogaden was handed over to Ethiopia in
1954 by the British Government. Since then
the Ogaden people are fighting for their
basic human rights including their
inalienable right to self-determination.
In order to quench national resistance in
the Ogaden successive Ethiopian imperial,
military and civilian regimes including the
current regime of Dictator Meles Zenawi has
committed unspeakable atrocities against
civilian population.
Without the knowledge and consent of the
Somali people in the Ogaden, the Ethiopian
government signed agreements and gave
concessions to foreign oil companies to
explore oil, natural gas and other minerals
in the Ogaden. As a result of the illegal
and shady deals between the Ethiopian
government and overseas companies such as
Petronas; the Ethiopian government forces
evicted a large number of nomads from their
ancestral grazing lands. Around the
exploration sites the poor vegetation, which
is essential for the nomads and their
livestock was burned or removed.
Petronas financial assistance to the
Ethiopian Government aggravates an already
precarious humanitarian situation and
contributes the deterioration of human
rights situation in the Ogaden. The
Ethiopian armed forces are killing
civilians, gang- raping women, torching
villages and hamlets, starving out the
civilian population and displacing them to
satisfy your company.
Since April 2007, when ONLF fighters
attacked an oil exploration field run by a
Chinese company, the Ethiopian government
forces stepped up its human rights
violations in the Ogaden by committing
terrifying atrocities against the civilian
population.
In an attempt to restrict people's
movements, terrorize the civilian population
and stop trade movements, the Ethiopian
government has blocked up all
commercial roads leading to the Ogaden. And
confiscated lorries carrying food supplies
in order to starve out the civilian
population. It also depopulated and razed
entirely to the ground many villages and
hamlets.
Until the protracted struggle for
self-determination in the Ogaden is resolved
and lasting peace is negotiated, the Ogaden
Communities in Europe call for the immediate
cessation of all oil and other mineral
exploration activities in the Ogaden, and
urge Petronas to evacuate all its staffs
from the Ogaden for their safety and well
being and stop dealing with the current
Ethiopian government, which violates the
basic human rights of the Somali people in
the Ogaden.
Mr President,
The United Nations fact-finding mission,
which visited the Ogaden between 30 August
and 5 September of last year, received
reports of serious violations of human
rights abuses, and recommended an
independent United Nations fact-finding
mission to be sent to the Ogaden.
We the Ogaden communities in diaspora
request you kindly to:
- Stop
oil exploration in the Ogaden and
financial assistance to the current
Ethiopian government.
-
Immediate withdraw of your staff and
equipment from Ogaden
We are
hopeful that our request will get your full
attention and consideration.
Thank you very much in advance
Your’s sincerely,
Ogaden Communities in Europe
Copy sent to:
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Malaysian Prime Minister
Prime Minister's Office
Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia |
