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FORCED LABOUR IN MYANMAR STILL WIDE
- Subject: FORCED LABOUR IN MYANMAR STILL WIDE
- From: darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 01:57:00
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FORCED LABOUR IN MYANMAR STILL WIDESPREAD, SAYS ILO
Tuesday 25 May 1999
( ILO/99/12 )
GENEVA (ILO News) - In spite of the Government's formal statements to the
contrary, forced labour remains widespread in Myanmar, says Juan Somavia,
Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO) in a report[1]
dispatched to members of the ILO Governing Body on 21 May and made public
today.
The report "regarding measures which the Government of Myanmar has taken to
comply" with its obligations under international law, states that none of the
recommendations made last year by an ILO Commission of Inquiry "have yet been
followed".
Although barred by the authorities from entering Myanmar, the Commission of
Inquiry, appointed under the Constitution of the 174 member-State ILO,
interviewed more than 250 eye-witnesses in neighbouring countries and collected
more than 6000 pages of documents. In a report[2] issued in August 1998, it
concluded that "the obligation to suppress the use of forced or compulsory
labour is violated in Myanmar in national law as well as in actual practice in
a widespread and systematic manner, with total disregard for the human dignity,
safety and health and basic needs of the people".
Pointing to the Government's "flagrant and persistent failure to comply" with
the ILO's Forced Labour Convention (No. 29) to which Myanmar (then Burma)
adhered in 1955, the Commission called on the country to: a) bring its laws, in
particular its Village and Towns Acts, into line with the Forced Labour
Convention, as repeatedly promised by the Government over the past 30 years; b)
ensure that, in actual practice, no more forced labour be imposed by the
authorities, in particular the military; and c) enforce strictly the penalties
which may be imposed for the exaction of forced or compulsory labour in
conformity with Article 25 of the Convention.
Nearly one year later, little has changed, according to the ILO. An Order was
issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 14 May 1999 directing local
authorities "not to exercise the powers conferred on them" under the Village
and Towns Acts but, underlines the latest report, "by 18 May 1999, neither had
the Village Act nor the Town Act been amended, as requested in the
recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, nor had any draft law proposed or
under consideration for that purpose been brought to the attention of the ILO".
Furthermore, notes the report, "all information on actual practice ...)"
provided by member States, workers' and employers' organizations and other
reliable sources, points to "the continued widespread use of forced labour by
the authorities, in particular the military". Thousands of villagers continue
to perform forced labour as porters, messengers or as labourers on roads,
railways, bridges and farms. Among the evidence cited are hundreds of written,
official orders emanating from the army or civil administration. "As pointed
out by the ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions)," says the
report, "all these orders are quasi-identical in shape, style and contents to
the hundreds of forced labour orders which the Commission of Inquiry had
examined and found to be authentic".
Forced labour has both direct and indirect social and economic consequences.
As quoted in the report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) has "received information that, in order to reduce disruptions in
adults' income-earning activities, families have resorted to sending children
to perform labour in place of adult members of the families".
Finally, says the report, "no action seems to have been taken (...) to punish
those exacting forced labour". None of the evidence submitted by the Government
of the Union of Myanmar suggests that alleged instances of forced labour had
led to "thorough investigations, prosecutions and adequate punishment of those
found guilty" as stipulated under the terms of the Forced Labour Convention
(No. 29).
* * * * *
[1] Report of the Director-General to the members of the Governing Body on
Measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the recommendations of
the Commission of Inquiry established to examine its observance of the Forced
Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29).
International Labour Office, Geneva, 21 May 1999.
[2] Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma). Report of the Commission of Inquiry
appointed under Article 26 of the Constitution of the International Labour
Organization to examine the observance by Myanmar of the Forced Labour
Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Geneva, 2 July 1998.
For further information, please contact Bureau of Public Information (PRESSE)
at:
Tel: +41.22.799.7940 or Fax: +41.22.799.8577.
Copyright (c) 1998 International Labour Organization (ILO)
Disclaimer webinfo@xxxxxxx
This page was created by CL. It was approved by KMK. It was last updated on 25
May 1999.
Internet ProLink PC User
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FORCED LABOUR IN MYANMAR STILL WIDESPREAD, SAYS ILO <br>
<br>
</div>
Tuesday 25 May 1999<br>
( ILO/99/12 )<br>
<br>
GENEVA (ILO News) - In spite of the Government's formal statements to the
contrary, forced labour remains widespread in Myanmar, says Juan Somavia,
Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO) in a report[1]
dispatched to members of the ILO Governing Body on 21 May and made public
today.<br>
<br>
The report "regarding measures which the Government of Myanmar has
taken to comply" with its obligations under international law,
states that none of the recommendations made last year by an ILO
Commission of Inquiry "have yet been followed".<br>
<br>
Although barred by the authorities from entering Myanmar, the Commission
of Inquiry, appointed under the Constitution of the 174 member-State ILO,
interviewed more than 250 eye-witnesses in neighbouring countries and
collected more than 6000 pages of documents. In a report[2] issued in
August 1998, it concluded that "the obligation to suppress the use
of forced or compulsory labour is violated in Myanmar in national law as
well as in actual practice in a widespread and systematic manner, with
total disregard for the human dignity, safety and health and basic needs
of the people". <br>
<br>
Pointing to the Government's "flagrant and persistent failure to
comply" with the ILO's Forced Labour Convention (No. 29) to which
Myanmar (then Burma) adhered in 1955, the Commission called on the
country to: a) bring its laws, in particular its Village and Towns Acts,
into line with the Forced Labour Convention, as repeatedly promised by
the Government over the past 30 years; b) ensure that, in actual
practice, no more forced labour be imposed by the authorities, in
particular the military; and c) enforce strictly the penalties which may
be imposed for the exaction of forced or compulsory labour in conformity
with Article 25 of the Convention. <br>
<br>
Nearly one year later, little has changed, according to the ILO. An Order
was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 14 May 1999 directing local
authorities "not to exercise the powers conferred on them"
under the Village and Towns Acts but, underlines the latest report,
"by 18 May 1999, neither had the Village Act nor the Town Act been
amended, as requested in the recommendations of the Commission of
Inquiry, nor had any draft law proposed or under consideration for that
purpose been brought to the attention of the ILO".<br>
<br>
Furthermore, notes the report, "all information on actual practice
...)" provided by member States, workers' and employers'
organizations and other reliable sources, points to "the continued
widespread use of forced labour by the authorities, in particular the
military". Thousands of villagers continue to perform forced labour
as porters, messengers or as labourers on roads, railways, bridges and
farms. Among the evidence cited are hundreds of written, official orders
emanating from the army or civil administration. "As pointed out by
the ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions)," says
the report, "all these orders are quasi-identical in shape, style
and contents to the hundreds of forced labour orders which the Commission
of Inquiry had examined and found to be authentic".<br>
<br>
Forced labour has both direct and indirect social and economic
consequences. As quoted in the report, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has "received information that, in
order to reduce disruptions in adults' income-earning activities,
families have resorted to sending children to perform labour in place of
adult members of the families".<br>
<br>
Finally, says the report, "no action seems to have been taken (...)
to punish those exacting forced labour". None of the evidence
submitted by the Government of the Union of Myanmar suggests that alleged
instances of forced labour had led to "thorough investigations,
prosecutions and adequate punishment of those found guilty" as
stipulated under the terms of the Forced Labour Convention (No.
29).<br>
<br>
* * * * *<br>
<br>
[1] Report of the Director-General to the members of the Governing Body
on Measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the
recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine its
observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29).<br>
International Labour Office, Geneva, 21 May 1999.<br>
<br>
[2] Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma). Report of the Commission of Inquiry
appointed under Article 26 of the Constitution of the International
Labour Organization to examine the observance by Myanmar of the Forced
Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Geneva, 2 July 1998.<br>
<br>
<br>
For further information, please contact Bureau of Public Information
(PRESSE) at:<br>
Tel: +41.22.799.7940 or Fax: +41.22.799.8577. <br>
<br>
<br>
Copyright (c) 1998 International Labour Organization (ILO) <br>
Disclaimer webinfo@xxxxxxx <br>
<br>
This page was created by CL. It was approved by KMK. It was last updated
on 25 May 1999.<br>
</font><br>
<div>Internet ProLink PC User</div>
</html>
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