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Reuters-Myanmar blames West, Britai



Subject: Reuters-Myanmar blames West, Britain for ILO action on it 

Myanmar blames West, Britain for ILO action on it
09:23 a.m. Jun 17, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, June 17 (Reuters) - Myanmar deplored a move on Thursday by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) to virtually expelled it from the
body by banning it from receiving aid or attending meetings until it halted
forced labour.

``It is most regrettable that such an august assembly like the ILO should
fall victim to the machinations and political tricks o fWestern nations,
particularly Britain,'' the foreign ministry said in a statement obtained by
Reuters.

``Myanmar finds it impossible to accept such deplorable and unscrupulous
action on the part of those nations who want to intefere and meddle in the
internal affairs of Myanmar,'' it said.

The U.N. agency's annual meeting, in which its 174 member states, as well as
workers and employers' representatives vote, adopted a resolution on the
action against Myanmar by an overwhelming majority.

``This is as isolated as a country can get in the ILO, which does not have
any mechanism for formal expulsion,'' spokesman John Doohan told Reuters.

The ILO resolution, adopted despite attempts by Cuba to remove the
sanctions, denounced Myanmar's military government for inflicting what it
called ``nothing but a contemporary form of slavery'' which included work on
infrastructure projects and as porters for the army.

Myanmar was guilty of ``flagrant and persistent failure'' to comply with a
1930 ILO treaty banning forced labour, which it has ratified. It ignored
recommendations made last August by an ILO inquiry commission, which called
for halting forced labour.

The resolution said Myanmar's attitude and behaviour were ``grossly
incompatible'' with the principles governing membership in ILO, founded in
1919 to promote social justice and workers' rights.

The Asian country would ``cease to benefit'' from any ILO technical aid and
would not be invited to attend meetings until it had implemented ILO's
recommendations, it added.

The ILO repeatedly blasted South Africa during the apartheid period, and
Pretoria's government eventually stopped takng part in the body, but the
move on Myanmar marks the first time ILO has put a member state in

``quarantine,'' ILO sources said.

Myanmar's foreign ministry said it had already brought local laws in line
with the ILO's Forced Labour Convention and Convention on the Freedom of
Association.

``Deliberately turning a blind eye to these positive developments, a number
of Western nations...pushed through the resolution accusing Myanmar of
widespread use of forced labour,'' it added.

``Myanmar finds it impossible to accept such deplorable and unscrupulous
action...Myanmar has therefore dissociated herself from this unfair and
biased resolution,'' the ministry said.

Yangon would cease participation in activities connected with the two
disputed ILO conventions. It would, however, continue to comply with other
conventions to which it is party.

Myanmar also vowed to retaliate by dissuading those nations who had not yet
signed the ILO core conventions from signing them.