ICFTU ONLINE...
101/990521/JK
Thailand blocks conference on democracy in BurmaBrussels, 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.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B - 1210 Brussels, Belgium. For more information
please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org