Int'l Trade Unions'support for Burm (r)

[osolnick@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

ICFTU  CILS  IBFG  CIOSL 

Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B-i 210 Brussels, Belgium
Tel; (32-2)224.02.11 Fax; (32-2) 201.58.15 - 203.07.56
E-mail: internetpo@xxxxxxxx Web Site: http:lIwww.icftu.org


TELEFAX




     Date:                      17 July 1998
     To:                         To All Members of the Human and Trade
Union Rights Committee
     	             To Other Interested Organisations 
	                         In reply please quote HTUR 15/ 1998
Number of pages:  2
      

      Dear Colleagues,

Burma; continuous detention of trade unionists

              As you will recall, two prominent independent trade unionists
have been in jail in
Burma  since 13 June 1997. They are U Khin Kyaw (Seafarers' Union of
Burma)and U Myo Aung  Thant (All-Burma Petrol-Chemical Corporation Union).
They are affiliated to the Federation of Trade Unions-Burma (FTUB) and the
respective ITS.

              I would like also to relay serious concern expressed by the
FTUB and other organisations for the safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader
of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party and Nobel Peace
Prize laureate. You may have noted that Burma's junta has recently issued a
number of hostile statements against her, including veiled death threats,
after she called for the convening, next August 21st, of the parliament
which had been democratically elected in 1990 but never allowed to function.

              The purpose of my letter is thus to call on your organisation
to mark the first anniversary of our colleagues' arrest with a strong
protest message to the military junta and to support the democratic
movement at a particularly delicate moment. Please find enclosed the copy
of a fax sent today by the ICFTU to the junta's Prime Minister. I would
appreciate it if your organisation could send a similar message, with
copies to the Burmese Embassy nearest you, the ICFTU and the FTUB (fax:
++.1 .202.393.73.43).

Thank you for your co-operation.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
			




Senior General Than Shwe
Prime Minister
SPDC
Rangoon
The Union of Burma


By fax: +++.95.1 .22.950
           17th July 1998


Dear Prime Minister,

Continuous detention of Burmese trade union leaders

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), representing
over  125 million workers through its 195 affiliated national trade union
centres in 141 countries and territories, remains extremely concerned at
the continuing detention of U khin Kyaw and U Myo Aung Thant, leaders,
respectively, of the Seafarers' Union of Burma and of the All-Burma
Petrol-Chemical Corporation Union, both affiliated with the Federation of
Trade Unions - Burma (FTUB). U Myo Aung Thant was sentenced to 10 years in
jail in addition to life imprisonment for high treason while U Khin Kyaw is
still being detained without trial. The ICFTU has last year reported their
case to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Special Rapporteur on
Torture after receiving credible evidence that the two union officials had
been tortured and ill-treated in detention.

The ICFTU is also extremely concerned at repeated threats by governmental
sources against the leader of the National League for Democracy, Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and other senior NBLD officials. We strongly support the NLD
leaders call for the convening next August 21st  of the Parliament, which
was democratically elected in 1990.

The ICFTU once more calls for the unconditional release of U Myo Aung
Thant, U Khin Kyaw and their families as well as all other trade union or
pro-democracy activists currently detained in Burma, and the immediate
cessation of all acts of intimidation, threats and house arrest against
Burma's democracy and labour rights' activists.


Yours sincerely,
Bill Jordan
General Secretary