Secretive Corporate Deal Could Establish Special Closed Door Courts for Big Business

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/20686-secretive-corporate-deal-could-establish-special-closed-door-courts-for-big-business

In 2012, however, another leak uncovered what may be an even more dangerous aspect of the TPP. The proposed investment chapter of the deal revealed plans to expand the system of international investment tribunals that deal with what is called 'investor-state dispute settlement'. These are closed-door courts that take direct aim at the ability of governments across the world to enact environmental, public health and other protections for their citizens.

We don't need much help to imagine what a world under these provisions of the TPP would look like. We need look no further than some of the current investor-state dispute cases in which powerful international corporations are demanding millions - sometimes billions - of dollars in claims, against countries both poor and wealthy, for the sin of protecting their citizens.

This is the very same system that the Bechtel Corporation used to attempt to drain $50 million from the Bolivian public treasury after the corporation had been thrown out during the Cochabamba Water War.

This is the same system that Canadian mining firm Pacific Rim, recently taken over by Oceana Gold, is using to try to extract over $300 million from the people of El Salvador for having rejected mining operations that threaten to contaminate their drinking water.

And it's the same system that Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, is using against Uruguay and Australia to try to eliminate important public health regulations designed to reduce tobacco consumption.

[bbgrunt]

1. k and r

[JDPriestly]

2. K&R.

We need to watch this very closely. No more of these international courts. The ones we already have are up to no good, and we have no democratic control over the appointment of the judges. This is a terribly dangerous trend. It must be stopped.

[eridani]

3. Informational kick n/t