Kaladan News

Dated: Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Forced Labor Still Exist

Maungdaw, March 15: The villagers of Maungdaw south of Arakan State have been engaged in forced labor at Nakapa (Border Security Force) Camp.

According to an elder, the villagers of Alay Sankyaw and Myint Hlut village tracts of Maungdaw south have been engaged in forced labor at Nakapa camp since 27^th February 2005.

The villagers have to plough the farmland and to grow various vegetables, to construc buildings of the camps, to carry wood from the forest to bake bricks of building, to clean up the camp compounds everyday, and to repair the damaged roads and street nearby the camps, the elder man further added.

Since February 27, the aforesaid Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) Chairmen have to pay at least 50 laborers per village from nearby villages to the Nakapa camps everyday, till now.

Besides, since January 2, 2005, the said villagers have also to pay sentry guards for Nakapa along the rivers and seashore from 5:00 pm to 6:00 am everyday.

In recent years, the ILOB has increased pressure on Burma’s Military junta over the use of forced labor in the country. But, the SPDC allowed the ILO to open an office in Rangoon in 2002 to avoid sanction.

On 21^st February 2005, a 3-member delegation from ILO was on a 4-day visit to Burma to evaluate progress on ending forced labor in the country. But, the delegation left on 23^rd February because of bewildering circumstances between ILO delegation and SPDC. ##

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