Weekly Update - 6 January 2016

GlobalPost; AFP; Sydney Morning Herald

• estimates vary from 3 to 50 missing workers; more than 100 people were killed in a landslide in the same area in November
• jade industry dominated by Myanmar military & Chinese businesses
• workers said to be “in overdrive” before new govt. takes office & introduces anticipated regulations for the industry

(Photo: Jade pendants for sale in Hong Kong; credit: Global Witness)

Bobbie Sta. Maria, Southeast Asia Researcher & Representative, in Asian Correspondent

• see also: court dismisses villagers’ lawsuit against govt. agencies for impacts in Thailand of Laos' Xayaburi Dam; villagers vow to appeal
• summary profile of Xayaburi Dam lawsuit available

Mauricio Lazala, Deputy Director, in Human Rights at Sea

Irit Tamir, Politics of Poverty blog, Oxfam America

Guardian (UK)

• includes private pension fund KLP; cites commitments already made by Adobe, BMW, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Pearson, Starbucks
• see also: "How to help your company prepare for climate change in 2016"

John Bellinger, Arnold & Porter law firm, on Lawfare blog (USA)

Transnational Institute

Marianna Papadakis, Australian Financial Review

AFP

Sun; NAIJ; The News (Nigeria); New York Times; AFP

• death toll reports vary from 8 to over 100
• witnesses say company employees may have caused the explosion; company statement also included

Nyasa Times (Malawi)

Front Line Defenders

• we invited China Railway Construction (owner of Ecuacorriente) to respond - it did not

• we invited CommScope, Eaton, Foxconn & Lexmark to respond
• CommScope, Foxconn & Lexmark responses provided; we will indicate whether Eaton responds in a future update

Natl. Lawyers Guild Intl. Committee

Thomas Thomas, Mahdev Mohan & Jaya Anil Kumar, in Business Times (Singapore)

UN News Centre

Hindustan Times; Indian Express; Times of India; Economic Times; New Delhi Television (India); Wall Street Journal (USA)

Reuters

• among its concerns: obligation to monitor, report & censor terrorist-related content will hinder freedom of expression

Eli Friedman (Cornell Univ.), Aaron Halegua (New York Univ.) & Jerome A. Cohen (US-Asia Law Institute), in Washington Post (USA)

Crude Accountability

Guardian (UK)

Independent (UK)

Gulf Business

• changes will reportedly allow migrant workers to change jobs without employer's permission & increase fines for withholding workers' passports

Associated Press

Intl. Medical Travel Journal

• human rights law & the extractive industries (18-19 Feb, Panama City)
• course for businesses impacted by the Modern Slavery Act (1 Mar, London)
• Sedex 2016: "Simplifying Supply Chain Sustainability" (2-3 Mar, London)
• compliance lab on UN Guiding Principles (8 Mar, Copenhagen)
• forum: how to build supply security with smallholder farmers (22-23 Mar, London)

• Access to Medicine Foundation (Intern)
• CSR Europe (Senior Manager, Membership & Business Development)
• Global Witness (Campaigner, Land & Environmental Defenders)
• Profundo (4 posts: CSR & Policy Researcher; Financial Analyst; Sustainable Finance Advisor; Sustainability Internship) 
• Twinings (Ethical Sourcing Coordinator)