World Bank Humiliated by Helium Balloon Prank Protesting African Oil
Pipeline
7/26/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: World Bank Humiliated by Helium Balloon Prank Protesting
African Oil Pipeline
Source: Rainforest Action Network media release
http://www.ran.org
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: July 26, 1999
Byline: Erick Brownstein -- osani@ran.org
Mark Westlund -- ranmedia@ran.org
Telephone -- 415/398-4404
WASHINGTON, DC -- An unidentified rainforest activist today set free
a cluster of helium balloons into the thirteen-story-high atrium of
the World Bank building. Attached to the balloons was a 40' banner
reading: "Wolfensohn Stop the Pipeline." James Wolfensohn is the
President of the World Bank, and he alone has final call whether or
not the controversial Central African oil project gets funding.
"On behalf of our colleagues in Chad and Cameroon who have spoken out
against the pipeline project at great personal risk," said Erick
Brownstein, RAN's African Rainforest campaigner, "we sincerely hope
the World Bank will not contribute to serious violations of human
rights, and the further destruction of nature in central Africa."
The Chad/Cameroon Rainforest Pipeline project will slice through the
heart of pristine rainforests, and will put millions of dollars into
the pockets of two corrupt governments. Transparency International --
a business coalition that fights corruption world-wide -- recently
rated Cameroon the world's most corrupt government. Southern Chad is
so dangerous and politically unstable that neither Amnesty
International nor the US State Department were able to visit and
confirm the massacre of hundreds of people.
If the World Bank approves the loan, hundreds of millions of dollars
will also go to oil giants Exxon, Shell and Elf, which comprise the
Rainforest Pipeline consortium. In neighboring Nigeria, Shell has
contaminated local water supplies with petroleum hydrocarbons that
are 360 times higher than levels allowed in the European Community.
The project's proposed oil fields are in the heart of Chad's fertile
food-producing region, where even an incidental spill would be
devastating.
Rainforest Action Network works to protect the Earth's rainforests
and support the rights of their inhabitants through education,
grassroots organizing and non-violent direct action. RAN's Africa
Campaign is funded as part of a $1-million grant from the Richard and
Rhoda Goldman Fund.
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Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Stret #500
San Francisco, CA 94014
Telephone: 415/398-4404; fax: 415/398-2732 Website:
http://www.ran.org