|
Wednesday June 14 7:08 PM ET
UN Approves Action Against Myanmar By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer GENEVA (AP) - A U.N. labor organization on Wednesday approved measures
against Myanmar in response to widespread use of forced labor, but gave the
country four months to prove its willingness to change.
In a 257-41 vote with 31 abstentions, International Labor Organization
delegates agreed to invoke a special article in ILO rules against Myanmar, also
known as Burma.
The resolution recommends that ILO members - governments, workers and
employers - ``review their links with Myanmar and take appropriate measures'' to
ensure the country cannot use the links to extend its system of forced labor. It
also refers the issue to a high-level U.N. committee and agrees it will be
discussed at every future ILO conference until Myanmar is shown to have stopped
using forced labor.
Several Asian nations opposed the measure. Myanmar denounced it as ``most
unfair, most unreasonable and most unjust,'' and Japan, China, Malaysia, India
and other nations spoke out against it.
In a compromise, the resolution put off action until the ILO governing body
meets in November to review whether Myanmar is making serious efforts to stamp
out forced labor.
U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman welcomed the decision.
``The ILO and the world community have sent a loud and clear message that
we will no longer tolerate horrific forms of forced labor,'' she said in a
statement.
But Myanmar Ambassador Than Mya insisted his country was the victim of an
``arbitrary judgment based on misinformation.''
Last year, the ILO barred Myanmar from receiving assistance after a
commission reported on the widespread use of forced labor for infrastructure
projects in the country. Myanmar claimed workers offered their labor freely for
the development of the nation.
Thursday, June 15 6:06 PM SGT
EU, Myanmar to hold "critical dialogue" in LisbonBANGKOK, June 15 (AFP) -The European Union and Myanmar, who have been at loggerheads for nearly four years, will hold a "critical dialogue" in Lisbon this month, EU officials said here Thursday. "The meeting will take place in Lisbon on June 26 and will involve senior EU and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials," said Jose Tadau Soares, Portugal's ambassador to Thailand. "In Lisbon, the EU and Myanmar will have a critical dialogue which will deal with political and security issues ... (The meeting) will be frank and very honest, with no conditions on the dialogue." Under the terms of the talks, Myanmar and the EU would try to find common ground but the European body would still feel free to criticize Myanmar and uphold strict visa restrictions on its officials, he said. The meeting is the latest in a series of tentative steps aimed at ending a silence that began in October 1996 when the EU broke off ministerial-level contact. Under the sanctions adopted then as a protest against Myanmar's reported human rights abuses, the EU bans its member nations from giving visas to high-level officials of the Yangon military regime. The EU will make an exception on the visa ban for the Lisbon meeting, and expects senior members of Myanmar's foreign ministry to be in Portugal, Soares said. Soares said the EU and Myanmar have "a lot of common interests, including drugs and human rights," which could be brought up in Lisbon. Portugal currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the European Union. Lisbon is expected to lay the groundwork for a landmark EU-ASEAN meeting to be held in Laos later this year. Ministerial meetings between the European Union and ASEAN have been suspended since 1997, when the Southeast Asian group accepted Myanmar as a member against the EU's strong objections. The EU has frequently criticized Myanmar for alleged human rights abuses including the use of forced labor, repression of ethnic minorities and iron control over media outlets. Myanmar's military regime recently promised its ASEAN partners that it would never become an obstacle to the bloc's relations with other regional groupings. ASEAN secretary-general Rodolfo Severino has said the prospects for an renewed EU-ASEAN dialogue were "improving". The two groups have expressed concern about the damage that the freezing of regular contact has done in terms of the development of their political and economic relations. ASEAN groups all ten countries in the region: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Burma Oil Mills handed over to
private party
BUSINESS RECORDER REPORT KARACHI (June 15) : Zafar Ali Khan, Secretary, Privatisation Commission has
said that the privatisation process is slow because it does not involve the
Commission alone but several other Government departments.
Inaugurating the Burma Oil Mills plant on Wednesday, which was privatised in 1999, he said that the Commission wanted to hand over units in a transparent manner to the investors who had the entrepreneurship to run them profitably. He said that the process of privatisation was not liked by many people especially the employees, who feared that they would lose jobs. He admitted that there might be some retrenchment at the start but the process was in the best interest of the country as well as for the hard working employees. Zafar Ali said that the Commission had made six attempts to sell Burma Oil Mills to the private sector and the present owner finally succeeded in buying the unit. He praised the patience and endeavour of the present management in this regard. He said that the process of pre qualification was essential for the sale of big units so that right type of management could take over the units and could run the same profitably. Earlier, presenting the address of welcome Tariq Rangoonwala said that the unit was handed over to the present management in January this year and it had been able to revive production of vanspati ghee in a short span of six months. He said that the unit was set up by his late father Muhammad Ali Rangoonwala. It was nationalised in 1972 and after a lapse of 27 years it had been restored to the original owner. The company intended to market its famous brands of ghee shortly. The new plant of Burma Oil was due to be inaugurated by the Minister of Privatisation, Salim Altaf, who could not turn up due to some important engagement in Islamabad. Financial Times
ILO backs measures against Myanmar forced labour
15 Jun 2000 04:32GMT GENEVA, June 14 (Reuters) - The International Labour Organisation voted
overwhelmingly on Wednesday to adopt measures designed to force Myanmar to stop
using forced labour.
But the measures will not take effect until November 30 under a compromise
between Western powers demanding immediate action and Asian allies that closed
ranks around Myanmar.
Trade unions have estimated that more than 800,000 Burmese are conscripted
with little or no pay as army porters or workers in construction and agriculture
in slave-like conditions.
An ILO statement said that under the measures adopted, the U.N. body may
ask governments and employers to review their relations with Myanmar and appeal
to international institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary
Fund to ensure they do not help Myanmar perpetuate the use of forced labour.
But the resolution does not mention economic sanctions and the ILO's
governing body has no teeth to enforce such measures.
The full conference of the ILO, made up of all 174 member states, passed
the resolution against Myanmar by a vote of 257 to 41 with 31 abstentions.
The resolution called on Myanmar's ruling military junta to take concrete
action to comply with the demands of a 1998 ILO commission of inquiry that found
the country violated a 1930 treaty banning forced labour.
After more than a decade of debate on Myanmar, ILO member states last year
barred it from the Geneva-based agency.
The measures will go into force unless the ILO governing body is satisfied
that Myanmar comes up with "a framework of legislative, executive and
administrative measures that are sufficiently concrete and detailed," said the
ILO.
The motion was adopted over objections by Malaysia, India, China and Japan.
The United States and the European Union, led by Britain and Portugal, voted in
favour so as to further isolate Myanmar and push it into compliance, diplomats
said.
BBC-Thursday, 15 June, 2000, 02:30 GMT 03:30 UK
Burma condemned
over slave labour
A United Nations conference in Geneva has approved unprecedented measures against Burma over its use of forced labour. The International Labour Organisation gave the Burmese military government until 30 November to put an end to the practice, or face diplomatic sanctions. The resolution was approved by a large majority of 275 to 41 as Western states demanded immediate action, while Asian countries including China, Japan, India and Malaysia, opposed the move. Burma described the vote as unfair, unreasonable and unjust. But he indicated that his country would not like its international ties to be
severed.
"I should like to express our hope that the avenue of cooperation has not
been completely closed," he said.
Malaysia too called on the conference to deal with the issue "through
cooperation rather than resorting to drastic measures."
Slave labour
Trade Unions estimate that more than 800,000 Burmese are forced to work as
army porters or workers in construction and agriculture, with little or no pay
and in slave-like conditions.
Last year, Burma was denied ILO assistance after it was reported that forced
labor was widely used for infrastructure projects in the country.
Burma said the work was offered freely for the development of the nation.
The current resolution recommends that ILO members review their links with
Burma and make sure that it "cannot take advantage of such relations to
perpetuate or extend the system of forced or compulsory labor."
The ILO can also appeal to international institutions such as the World Bank
and International Monetary Fund to put pressure on Burma.
The issue will now be discussed at every future ILO conference until Burma is
shown to have stopped using forced labor.
The resolution does not mention economic sanctions and the ILO's governing
body has no teeth to enforce such measures. In its full plenary session, the ILO voted to call for diplomatic sanctions
against Myanmar's military regime if conditions do not improve by November 30.
There were 257 yes votes, to 41 against.
The countries which voted against were China, Japan, India and Malaysia.
The ILO call provoked sharp reaction from Myanmar's leaders.
Myanmar's ambassador, Mya Than, denounced the decision, calling it most
unfair, unreasonable and unjust.
He said Myanmar had indicated its willingness to cooperate in good faith and
he hoped that the opportunity for cooperation had not been completely closed.
Last month, an ILO delegation visited Myanmar and warned the authorities
about the use of forced labour by the military.
Myanmar's Labour Minister had promised to carry the necessary reforms.
Myanmar was condemned for widespread use of forced and compulsory labour by
an ILO commission of inquiry in 1998. |