EBO Burma News, 11 March 2003

News Summary:

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1. Myanmar plan to eliminate force labour not adequate: ILO

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Myanmar plan to eliminate force labour not adequate: ILO

BANGKOK, March 11 (AFP) - Plans by Myanmar's military government to end

forced labour are not yet adequate or credible, a Yangon-based International

Labour Organisation (ILO) officer said Tuesday during a visit to Thailand.

Myanmar is the only country in the world where forced labour is imposed by

authorities and is in talks with the ILO to draw up a plan to eliminate the

practice, ILO liaison officer Hong-Trang Perret-Nguyen told AFP.

"In spite of very serious and very constant discussion with the government

I have not been able to convince the authorities to take steps I consider

necessary for the plan to be a credible plan," Perret-Nguyen said.

A main sticking point was an ILO demand that Yangon agree to establish a

credible system to verify allegations of forced labour and prosecute offenders.

The ILO also wanted Myanmar to establish a pilot region where forced labour

would be stopped immediately and its prohibition strictly enforced. Yangon had

instead proposed an area where a public information campaign against forced

labour would be increased, she said.

Other government proposals included translating orders prohibiting forced

labour into ethnic languages and distributing pamphlets about the issue.

"I have to note there has not been enough progress in discussions with

government to enable me to present a joint text" of the plan to the ILO,

Perret-Nguyen added.

The ILO has offered to help implement an agreed plan which included

sourcing financial support for it. The organisation could also seek further

pressure on Myanmar if it does not take steps against forced labour.

The country has made some progress, admitted Perret-Nguyen, who has been in

Myanmar since October.

"They have come from a position of complete denial of the existence of

forced labour to recognition of forced labour and now have the presence of the

ILO in the country," she said.

Forced labour in Myanmar typically involves work as porters for soldiers or

in road and other construction projects. Most allegations of its use are

against the army.

The liaison officer said her impression after visits to various parts of

the country was that "the situation is really very serious and people continue

to suffer from practices of forced labour."

"The situation in areas near to the Thai border where there is continuing

insecurity and a heavy presence of the army, as well as in northern Rakhine

state, is particularly serious and appears to have changed little."

The manner in which forced labour was imposed had changed in some

instances, Perret-Nguyen found. For example, sources said military units

tended to verbally tell village heads to provide forced labour instead of

using written orders as before.

"Demands for labour appeared to have been substituted in some cases by

forced contributions (of materials, provisions or cash). It also appears that

the authorities are more commonly making payments to those whom they

requisition, although usually at well below prevailing rates," the report said.

Myanmar is widely condemned by the international community for its use of

forced labour. A 1998 ILO inquiry found the practice was "widespread and

systematic" and targeted ethnic minorities living in border regions.

A report written by Perret-Nguyen due to be discussed by the ILO's

governing body in Geneva this month said:

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