ILO er for sent ude - vi afskaffede tvangsarbejde i 1990

20. december 2006

Det burmesiske styre langer ud efter ILO, og siger, at det kun var før 1990, at Burma havde problemer med tvangsarbejde og at det derfor er mærkeligt, at ILO "råber op nu, hvor der praktisk talt ikke er tilfælde af tvangsarbejde"

ILO har besluttet at indbringe Burma for FN's Sikkerhedsråd og Den Internationale Domstol i Haag, på grund af militærstyrets uvilje til at gøre noget ved det omfattende forbrug af tvangsarbejdere, som ILO har konstateret.

Telegram fra nyhedsbureauet Kyodo News, 17. december 2006:

Myanmar slams ILO move to take forced labor issue to ICJ

Kyodo News - 17 December 2006

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar : Myanmar's military government on Sunday

rejected claims by the UN's labour agency that there was forced labour

in the country, saying the practice was wiped out 16 years ago.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) last month decided to bring

its concerns about forced labour here before the UN Security Council and

international courts in The Hague after years of frustration over the ruling

military's inaction.

But Myanmar's deputy labour minister Major General Aung Kyi told a rare

press conference that the practice had been practically wiped out after 1990.

Before then, he said, armed conflicts with ethnic insurgent groups had led

to "labour contribution" - meaning forced labour.

"What is unusual here is that ILO has never made any complaint before 1990

when a host of labour contributions were used," he said. "But now they are

crying out at a time when there is practically no forced labour."

Aung Kyi said there remained three points of disagreement with the ILO.

He said the ILO's request to meet and question in private those who had

complained of forced labour was "similar to semi-investigation" and thus "

seems to be beyond the existing laws of our country".

Secondly, he rejected the ILO's request to employ more international staff

in Myanmar, saying "the Liaison Officer can handle the complaints of forced

labour alone."

And finally, he said the ILO had requested a trial period of 18 months for

a mechanism to deal with complaints, but Myanmar wanted that reduced to

12 months.

Aung Kyi said the ILO's latest move is not in line with the ILO's charter.

"It is not the case for the ICJ to handle," Aung Kyi said, adding that the

organization should instead listen to China's advice to tackle the issue

within the ILO.

At the 297th Governing Body session of ILO last month, China said the

Myanmar issue should only be discussed within the organization.

China also suggested that the international community should assist

Myanmar to eradicate forced labor by helping the country develop

its economy.

"We think that it will be more practical if the ILO takes their (China's)

constructive advice into consideration," Aung Kyi said.

He said Myanmar has done "its best" to comply with the ILO's demands.

"As in the past, Myanmar will cooperate with ILO in the future," he said.

"But we will steadfastly carry out only the tasks which will be beneficial

to the country and the people."


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