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THAILAND BLOCKS ICFTU CONFERENCE ON (r)



Subject: THAILAND BLOCKS ICFTU CONFERENCE ONBURMA



INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)

ICFTU OnLine... 
101/990521/JK

Thailand blocks conference on democracy in Burma

Brussels, May 21 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): The Brussels-based International 
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has strongly reacted to 
Thailand's authorities' decision to ban an international trade union 
conference on "Democracy for Burma" which was to take place in Bangkok from 
24 to 26 may 1999. "The attitude of the Thailand government clearly shows 
that commercial and other vested interests take precedence over basic human 
and trade union rights", the ICFTU said.

The Conference was aimed at showing international trade union solidarity 
with the people and workers of Burma and at devising a global strategy to 
restore democracy and ensure respect for human and trade union rights in the 
country. The agenda included testimonies and eye-witnesses accounts of 
anti-union repression as well as reports on the widespread use of forced 
labour in the country. The conference was to have been attended by some 130 
participants from a wide range of countries both inside and outside of Asia.
At the same time, and only days after the ICFTU issued a 15-page report 
bringing new evidence on forced labour in Burma, which prompted several 
hostile reactions from the Rangoon junta, the UN's International Labour 
Organisation (ILO) just published its own findings. 

The ICFTU conference in Bangkok would have coincided with the publication of 
the new ILO report, which should renew a call by the UN agency for Burma to 
comply with the recommendations of an ILO Commission on Inquiry, which last 
year accused the junta of direct participation in and control of a 
near-slavery state-system of abuse. 

Meanwhile, the ICFTU has also written to the European Union to "express its 
indignation in the strongest possible terms" that the Thai government had 
banned it from holding its conference in Bangkok. In a letter sent today to 
EU Commission Vice-President Manuel Marin, the ICFTU general Secretary Bill 
Jordan called on the European Union to raise the issue of its cancelled 
conference "at the highest level in the course of its meeting with its ASEAN 
partners", next week in Bangkok. Noting also the "perfunctory regrets 
expressed today in Bangkok by the EU Ambassador", Mr. Jordan expressed the 
hope that the EU would "formally and forcefully express its condemnation of 
the Thai authorities' decision."

In a related development, the ICFTU today blasted the Burmese junta for its 
announcement last week that it had allegedly scrapped colonial-era 
legislation which authorised forced labour, purportedly in order to comply 
with demands formulated last year by the International Labour Organisation. 
Last Saturday, the junta said it had scrapped provisions of the infamous 
Villages and Towns Acts, inherited from British rule and allowing for the 
imposition of forced labour on civilians. Describing the reported legal 
changes as "not even qualifying for the term 'cosmetic'", the ICFTU said 
"the SPDC's manoeuvre is nothing but one more crude and childish attempt at 
deception of the international community, aimed at defusing rising anger at 
Burma's poor labour rights' record amongst ILO constituents". The 
organisation added that the new ILO report which was released today totally 
confirms the ICFTU allegations.

The ICFTU groups 213 national trade union centres in 143 countries 
representing 124 million workers world-wide. 
Contact: ICFTU-Press at: ++32-2 224.02.12 (Brussels). For more information, 
visit our website at:
(<http://www.icftu.org%29.%0D%0Dinternet%20prolink%20pc%20user%0D%0D--%3D%3D
%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D_31326829%3D%3D_.al
t%0Dcontent-type:%20text/>http://www.icftu.org).

Internet ProLink PC User

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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"



INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)

ICFTU OnLine... 
101/990521/JK

Thailand blocks conference on democracy in Burma

Brussels, May 21 1999 (ICFTU OnLine): The Brussels-based International 
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has strongly reacted to 
Thailand's authorities' decision to ban an international trade union 
conference on "Democracy for Burma" which was to take place in Bangkok from 
24 to 26 may 1999. "The attitude of the Thailand government clearly shows 
that commercial and other vested interests take precedence over basic human 
and trade union rights", the ICFTU said.

The Conference was aimed at showing international trade union solidarity 
with the people and workers of Burma and at devising a global strategy to 
restore democracy and ensure respect for human and trade union rights in the 
country. The agenda included testimonies and eye-witnesses accounts of 
anti-union repression as well as reports on the widespread use of forced 
labour in the country. The conference was to have been attended by some 130 
participants from a wide range of countries both inside and outside of Asia.
At the same time, and only days after the ICFTU issued a 15-page report 
bringing new evidence on forced labour in Burma, which prompted several 
hostile reactions from the Rangoon junta, the UN's International Labour 
Organisation (ILO) just published its own findings. 

The ICFTU conference in Bangkok would have coincided with the publication of 
the new ILO report, which should renew a call by the UN agency for Burma to 
comply with the recommendations of an ILO Commission on Inquiry, which last 
year accused the junta of direct participation in and control of a 
near-slavery state-system of abuse. 

Meanwhile, the ICFTU has also written to the European Union to "express its 
indignation in the strongest possible terms" that the Thai government had 
banned it from holding its conference in Bangkok. In a letter sent today to 
EU Commission Vice-President Manuel Marin, the ICFTU general Secretary Bill 
Jordan called on the European Union to raise the issue of its cancelled 
conference "at the highest level in the course of its meeting with its ASEAN 
partners", next week in Bangkok. Noting also the "perfunctory regrets 
expressed today in Bangkok by the EU Ambassador", Mr. Jordan expressed the 
hope that the EU would "formally and forcefully express its condemnation of 
the Thai authorities' decision."

In a related development, the ICFTU today blasted the Burmese junta for its 
announcement last week that it had allegedly scrapped colonial-era 
legislation which authorised forced labour, purportedly in order to comply 
with demands formulated last year by the International Labour Organisation. 
Last Saturday, the junta said it had scrapped provisions of the infamous 
Villages and Towns Acts, inherited from British rule and allowing for the 
imposition of forced labour on civilians. Describing the reported legal 
changes as "not even qualifying for the term 'cosmetic'", the ICFTU said 
"the SPDC's manoeuvre is nothing but one more crude and childish attempt at 
deception of the international community, aimed at defusing rising anger at 
Burma's poor labour rights' record amongst ILO constituents". The 
organisation added that the new ILO report which was released today totally 
confirms the ICFTU allegations.

The ICFTU groups 213 national trade union centres in 143 countries 
representing 124 million workers world-wide. 
Contact: ICFTU-Press at: ++32-2 224.02.12 (Brussels). For more information, 
visit our website at:
(<http://www.icftu.org%29.%0D%0Dinternet%20prolink%20pc%20user%0D%0D%0D--%3D
%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D_31326829%3D%3D_
 .alt--/>http://www.icftu.org<http://www.icftu.org%29.%0D%0Dinternet%20proli
nk%20pc%20user%0D%0D%0D--%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D%3D
%3D%3D%3D%3D_31326829%3D%3D_.alt--/>).

Internet ProLink PC User


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