US Probes Data on Burma Slave Labo

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Subject: US Probes Data on Burma Slave  Labor 



                         US Probes Data on Burma Slave
                         Labor 

                         By Gene Kramer 
                         Associated Press Writer 
                         Friday, June 27, 1997; 11:57 p.m. EDT 

                         WASHINGTON (AP) -- Burma's military rulers have created
                         a slave labor system comparable to World War II
                         concentration camps, human and labor rights groups
told a
                         U.S. Labor Department panel Friday. 

                         ``Other countries have used forced labor but not
since the
                         concentration camp system of Nazi Germany has a nation
                         instituted such an extensive system,'' said Douglas
Steel of the
                         International Labor Rights Fund, a private advocacy
group. 

                         But ``unlike World War II where Americans fought
against a
                         slave labor system,'' Steel said, ``some Americans
are now
                         profiting from Burma's free-market, forced labor
economy.'' 

                         Specifically, he mentioned the Burma-Thailand
Yadana gas
                         pipeline project, a partnership of the two
countries' government
                         oil companies with two multinational companies,
U.S.-based
                         Unocal and Total S.A. of France. 

                         ``That's absolutely false regarding the project,''
said Barry
                         Lane, a Unocal spokesman in Los Angeles. 

                         ``First of all, we're not an operator of the
project; we're an
                         investor, but we monitor it,'' Lane said. ``There
are no
                         improper labor practices. All of the workers are
paid above
                         the going rate for the region. The State Department
has looked
                         into it and not found any labor violations.'' 

                         Burma's military junta -- the State Law and Order
Restoration
                         Council -- has also disputed the forced labor charges,
                         maintaining that voluntary work is party of the
country's cultural
                         tradition., 

                         Steel was several witnesses testifying Friday
before the U.S.
                         panel, which is gathering evidence as part of a U.N.
                         International Labor Organization probe of
allegations that
                         Burma is violating the 1930 Convention Against
Forced Labor.

                         The United States and other member governments have
been
                         asked to provide all available data on the issue
for the ILO's
                         ninth such formal inquiry since its founding 78
years ago, said
                         Andrew J. Samet, an acting deputy Labor Department
                         undersecretary. 

                         Bo Hla-tint of the Washington-based group claiming
to be a
                         Burmese exile government said unpaid forced labor
in Burma is
                         widespread and carried out on a national scale to
build roads,
                         railways, bridges and tourist facilities. 

                         ``Whole villages are ordered to send at least one
person per
                         household,'' Hla-tint told the Labor Department
panel. ``The
                         practice is for soldiers to suddenly appear at
public places and
                         drag people onto military trucks ... to carry arms and
                         ammunition and serve as minesweepers.... The old
and the
                         weak, slow on the move, are beaten and shot on the
spot.'' 

                         Amnesty International has repeatedly documented Burma's
                         forced use of civilians as porters and for other
hazardous work,
                         said T. Kumar, the organization's advocacy director
for Asia
                         and the Pacific. 

                         Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gare A. Smith said
                         ``credible allegations of forced labor'' in the
construction of the
                         pipeline, roads, railroads and hotels ``contributed
to the
                         decision'' by President Clinton in May to ban new U.S.
                         investments in Burma said 

                         Such information also contributed to the European Union
                         decision to join the United States in denying
certain trade
                         preferences to Burma, said Smith, who co-chaired
Friday's
                         hearing with Samet. 

                         The ban did not halt existing investments but after
it was
                         ordered, Unocal its was pulling out of m some planned
                         Burmese oil exploration ventures.