Comment on "Myanmar accepts ILO mis

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

The following AFP wire put out by FreeBurma News is interesting in that:

1) The ILO has seen the AFP wire, but has not yet (5.20pm GMT,
12 May 2000)  received any official notification of the request for
an ILO mission.

2) Accepting an ILO technical mission implies that the SPDC

* accepts the report and recommendations of the ILO Commission of Inquiry
(which it had previously rejected), and

* is requesting assistance in carrying out these recommendations.

This is the only condition under which the ILO could send such a mission,
since at its 87th session (June 1999) the ILO Conference decided that
" ... the Government of Myanmar should cease to benefit from any technical
cooperation or assistance from the ILO, except for the purpose of direct
assistance to implement immediately the recommendations of the
Commission of Inquiry..."

Presumably, therefore, the ILO would be unable to send a technical mission
unless the SPDC made it very clear that the purpose of the mission would be
direct help in the immediate implementation of  the recommendations of the
Commission of Inquiry.

No doubt, if an ILO mission does go to Burma before the ILO Conference (30 
May-15 June),
this will strengthen the hand of Japan and the ASEAN countries which are 
arguing for
more "dialogue" with the SPDC rather than the more punitive measures 
implied by the
invocation of Article 33 of the ILO constitution.

David Arnott, Geneva

********************************************

Myanmar accepts ILO mission over forced labour issue

MANILA, May 12 (AFP) - Military-ruled Myanmar has agreed to
accept an international mission to make it comply with global laws
against the use of forced labour, Southeast Asian labour ministers
said after a meeting here Friday.

Myanmar's Labour Minister Tin Ngwe told the meeting the request
for an International Labour Organisation (ILO) "technical cooperation"
mission was made "without preconditions," a statement issued after
the talks said.

The 14th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) labour
ministers meeting was briefed on the "outstanding issues" faced by
Myanmar in complying with an ILO convention on forced labour,
the statement said.

An ILO commission of enquiry in a report issued last August found
compulsory labour in Myanmar was practiced in a "systematic
manner with a total disregard for the human dignity, safety and
health" of the people.

The ILO had blasted the Myanmar authorities for failing to amend
any laws in line with commission recommendations, propose any
new laws or take steps to punish those exacting forced labour.

The ILO governing body had ordered Myanmar's case to be raised
at the organisation's assembly in June, and in March invoked for the
first time an ILO article allowing it to recommend measures to
oblige the offending party to comply.

The ASEAN labour ministers welcomed Myanmar's decision to
admit the ILO mission, which they said should assist the country
to comply with the ILO convention on forced labour.

"The mission should be sent preferably before the forthcoming ILC
(International Labour Conference) so that the outstanding issues
between Myanmar and ILO could be expeditiously resolved,"
the statement said.

Apart from Myanmar, ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam.

Myanmar's defiance of international laws against forced labour has
also indirectly affected the other Southeast Asian nations.
The ILO had informed ASEAN the grouping was excluded from
participating in and benefiting from ILO technical cooperation and
assistance programmes, the ministers said in their statement.

They also "expressed regret" that the ILO had discontinued its
commitment to support the implementation of two priority ASEAN
projects on labour -- on human resources development planning and
industrial relations.

The two-day ASEAN labour ministers meeting also discussed
regional projects, including training and efforts to stem socio-economic
problems caused by the Asian financial crisis.