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Chevron CEO slams critics at meeting [USA]
Chevron Chief Executive Officer David O'Reilly slammed critics of the oil giant's human rights record at the annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, trading accusations with some of his company's most determined foes…. Inside the meeting, speakers from as far away as Africa told shareholders that Chevron has contaminated part of the Ecuadoran rain forest, subsidized the military regime in Burma and paid Nigerian soldiers who shot and killed protesters at a Chevron oil platform. Chevron's top executives rarely comment on these controversies, relying instead on lawyers and public relations specialists to present the company's views. But Wednesday's meeting was the scene of several blunt exchanges between the activists and O'Reilly. [also refers to Texaco, Petroecuador]