Total Denial

Great cultures have always been built on the backs of slaves. Unfortunately, some political strategies don't change, but nor does the will to oppose them. Ka Hsaw, a refugee from Burma now living in neighbouring Thailand, makes trips back into the jungle of his home country in search of villagers from the Karen tribe. Recording their stories and testimonies on camera, he collects evidence against the trans–national oil companies Unocal and Total. These two economic giants annually contribute fifteen million dollars to the Burmese government. Although the corporations' names and logos are posted above the door to every hospital and school, it is clear that the money goes elsewhere. The governing military junta is constantly arming its militia.

When we join Ka Hsaw and head for the green mountains, we see the other side of this 'humane' gesture made by the companies' wealthy shareholders. Heliports and mining equipment have replaced the original settlements of the jungle people, who only took enough from their beautiful and almost untouched natural surroundings to enable them to survive. Soldiers torched their houses and took them away to forced labour camps, turning them into modern slaves.

Ka Hsaw's courage in filing a lawsuit against one of the biggest global corporations on the planet has inspired people fighting for human rights in other countries, such as Indonesia and Nigeria, to do the same.