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Sale of LEGO products in Burma

The following letter was sent 31. july to (the media and) the Chairman of the Danish Burma Committee which, during the Danish industrial summer-holiday period, urged us and other Danish companies to break off trading relations with Burma.

Q-U-O-T-E:

Sale of LEGO products in Burma

Thank you for your letter of 15th July 1996 in which, in your capacity as Chairman of the Danish Burma Committee, you urged the LEGO Group to "halt its involvement in Burma". Even though the Burmese market, both now and prospectively, is of insignificant importance to the LEGO Group, we wish to take this opportunity briefly to set our basic approach to the marketing of our products. In the view of the LEGO Group, it is for the Danish Government, not companies or interest groups, to conduct Danish policy in relation to trade and foreign affairs. If and when the Danish Government decides to introduce a boycott or other sanctions in trade relations with other countries, the LEGO Group will naturally always conform with such a decision. In our experience, however, international trade is today so liberalised and well-developed that it would in reality be impossible for an individual company or for just a few countries to implement an effective trade boycott of a given market. If the goods in question are demanded by consumers, they will always reach the boycotted market through other channels. The LEGO Group's products are, as you know, sold in Burma through our sole distributor, the Danish East-Asiatic Company (EAC). The first and, to date, sole delivery occurred in October 1995 and had the modest export value of approx. DKK 60,000. As far as we are aware, no further deliveries are currently in prospect. In conclusion, we wish to state that we share the Committee's view on the desirable course of events in Burma. However, as will be clear from the above, we do not agree with the means the Committee has chosen to achieve that objective.

Yours sincerely,
LEGO A/S
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
President & CEO

U-N-Q-U-O-T-E


© 1996 The LEGO Group
TM and ® Trademarks of the LEGO Group
Page updated August 9, 1996.
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