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SPDC: Money for forced labour



SPDC: Money for forced labour
by Lu Libra (30-9-99)

   It transpired that American lawyers representing Nazi-era slave
labourers and German companies were recently engaged in negotiations in
which the lawyers have been demanding between $30 and $35 billion for
the survivors while German companies seem ready to pay less than $ 2
billion originally mooted. There was also disagreement over the number
of potential beneficiaries from a settlement. German historians talk of
700,000 whereas a lawyer for slave labourers speaks in terms of 1.5
million and other lawyers say that 2.3 million is closer to the mark.
The average age of surviving slave labourers is 86. 

   Months of talks have secured broad agreement over the procedure for
compensating the slave and forced labourers. Once a deal is struck, the
American lawyers will, after obtaining the approval of their clients,
wind up the multi-billion dollar class action suits lodged in the U.S.
courts against German companies. After that the U.S. and German
governments would sign an agreement partially protecting German
companies against further legal action. But first the cash sum has to be
agreed. It has been left to last and the row is threatening to unravel
the whole process. The lawyers are unlikely to retreat radically from
their on-the-table demands until the next round of talks on 6 October
1999. 

  In the light of the law suit against German companies, Burmese
democrats abroad, their dejure government in exile and their NGO friends
should look into the cases of about 100,000 Burmese citizens killed in
the Japanese forced labour camps during the construction of the River
Kwai Railway in 1942 and 1943 and two million Burmese citizens who have
been subjected to unpaid forced labour since the present military regime
came to power in September 1988. The International Labour
Organisation(ILO), in August 1998, condemned the Burmese military junta
(SPDC) for its "systematic and widespread" use of forced labour.  It
says the SPDC treat the civilian population as an unlimited pool of
unpaid labourers and servants. The ILO has proven that the political
system in Burma is based on force and intimidation and the Burmese
people are denied the rule of law. 

  A commission of enquiry set up by the Geneva-based ILO accused
soldiers of raping or sexually assaulting women in their charge and says
other civilians are frequently beaten. More than 250 people testified to
the ILO investigators and gave evidence about the pervasive use of
compulsory labour imposed by the SPDC. Large sections of the population
are forced to service military camps, maintain the roads and railways
and farm the land without pay, according to the ILO report.  Those who
are unwilling or unfit were beaten, tortured or murdered, it says.
Women, children and the elderly are allegedly used as porters and are
even sent ahead to check out minefields. The ILO, on 7 September 99,
slammed SPDC for its "widespread use of forced labour," saying it saw no
hope of working with the junta to improve working conditions. ILO
official Werner Blenk said SPDC had consistently flouted the most basic
humanitarian principles.

  As usual, the SPDC regime, which refused access to the ILO inquiry
team, said the complaints were based on biased and unfounded allegations
by those wishing to denigrate the government. SPDC has always insisted
that these people have voluntarily contributed free labour in accordance
with the aged-old Buddhist tradition of the country. By saying so the
SPDC has effectively fouled up the Burmese Buddhist tradition.

by Lu Libra (30-9-99)