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NEWS - Forced Labour in Myanmar Wid



Subject: NEWS - Forced Labour in Myanmar Widespread, ILO Says

Forced Labour in Myanmar Widespread, ILO Says

               Reuters
               25-MAY-99

               GENEVA, May 25 (Reuters) - Forced labour in Myanmar
               remains widespread despite government denials, the
               International Labour Organisation (ILO) said on Tuesday. 

               In a report issued in Geneva, the United Nations agency
said
               that thousands of villagers continued to perform forced
               labour as porters, messengers or as workers on roads,
               railways, bridges and farms. 

               The Geneva-based ILO cited as evidence hundreds of
               written, official orders from the army or civil
administration. 

               It said that the recommendations made in August 1998 by
an
               ILO commission of inquiry had not been followed. 

               The ILO commission, which interviewed more than 250
               witnesses in neighbouring countries at the time, called
on
               the government to stop imposed forced labour. It called
for
               penalties to be imposed on violators. 

               "Nearly one year later, little has changed..." an ILO
               statement said. It said this was "in spite of the
government's
               formal statements to the contrary."