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ABSDF: Burmese Army Forces Villager



Media Release
October 15, 1998

Burmese Army Forces Villagers to Work on Highway

The Burmese Army has forced hundreds of local villagers in
southern Burma to speed up the completion of a major section of a
highway linking Thailand and Burma.

On October 5 Burmese troops from Regiment 224 based in Bokepyin
in Tenasserim Division arrived at Metta village in Tavoy area.
The soldiers brought with them more than 400 villagers to work on
an unfinished section of the highway.

The villagers were drafted from Tavoy, Yephyu, Longlon and Thayet
Chaung townships and were all required to bring tools such as
hoes, shovels and choppers. Since October 5, they have been
forced to clear the road and move rocks that have fallen on it.

The Bontee-Tavoy Highway is the major section of the
Kachanaburi-Tavoy Highway. According to local villagers, the
latest use of forced labour arose from a demand by the two
companies with contracts to construct the highway - the
Kachanaburi Tavoy Development Company in Thailand and its
sub-contractor in Burma, the Kyaw Lin Naing Company.

All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) Foreign Affairs
Secretary Aung Naing Oo said that use of forced labour in Burma
is widespread.

"The Burmese army has alleged that it is customary in Burma to
donate one's labour.  However, those who are drafted for forced
labour are subjected to rampant abuse by soldiers. They are also
required to bring their own tools, food and medicine and have to
work under harsh conditions for days on end."  

The Karen National Union's Fourth Brigade is active in the area
and has in the past clashed with the Burmese army's security
forces along the planned route of the highway. The two
contractors have suspended construction of the road since
February this year citing security concerns.

Following a complaint by the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU), the International Labour Organization (ILO)
formally established a Commission of Inquiry into forced labour
in Burma in June 1997.

This Commission of Inquiry, which is the strongest legal action
that an ILO member state can take, found that government is in
breach of ILO Convention 29 which forbids the "exaction of labour
under the menace of a penalty, from residents who (had) not
offered themselves voluntarily..."

All Burma Students' Democratic Front

For more information please contact 01-253 9082, 01-654 4984