Dutch Government to Look Into Sanct

[RANGOONP@xxxxxxx]

Dutch Government to Look Into Sanctions vs Myanmar, Paper Says

Amsterdam, Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- The Dutch government will investigate
whether there is European Union support for economic sanctions against
Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, Dutch daily Het Financieele
Dagblad reported. Junior economic affairs minister Gerrit Ybema and Foreign
Minister Jozias van Aartsen announced the exploratory step Friday in response
to questions in parliament about a contract in Myanmar recently won by marine-
construction company IHC Caland NV, the paper said. IHC Caland Chief Executive
Jan Bax, who has repeatedly refused to bow to protests by groups citing
Myanmar's poor human-rights record, was unavailable for comment Friday, the
paper said.   

IHC Caland NV, which reports first-half earnings Monday, last month won a
15-year contract worth ``hundreds of millions'' of guilders to supply a
floating oil-storage system to Premier Petroleum Myanmar Ltd.  

(Het Financieele Dagblad 8/22 1)