"In a recent investigation inside Burma, EarthRights International has detailed just how the systematic practice of forced labor operates and continues in the country. Using rare interviews with local village heads, the report, entitled Entrenched, provides an in-depth look into one small rural area, including the involvement of high-ranking military officers in the practice of forced labor. The rare testimonies illustrate how forced labor—a modern form of slavery—remains prevalent in an area of active military conflict in eastern Burma. Entrenched: an Investigative Report on the Systematic Use of Forced Labor in a Rural Area is based on extensive interviews with ten village heads from one small area that took place during the winter of 2002-2003. Recent interviews from the same area confirm the practice continues into May 2003. (See the Supplemental Report that also includes updates on the Yadana and Yetagun pipeline region, prisoner porter interviews, and other forms of forced labor). By providing an in-depth examination, the report documents the highly systematic and violent nature of labor abuse by the Burmese military..."