Myanmar dragging its feet on forced labour

Saturday June 16, 3:17 AM Myanmar dragging its feet on forced labour: ILOGENEVA (AFP) - The International Labour Organisation on Friday warned that forced labour was still widespread in Myanmar, where the military junta has so far ignored ILO recommendations to stop the practice. The ILO's Committee on the Application of Standards said in a statement that it was "profoundly concerned" by the situation and urged Myanmar to comply with the findings of an ILO inquiry."It concluded that... the imposition of forced labour continues to be widespread, particularly by the army, to which specific instructions should be issued," it added after a special meeting devoted to Myanmar.The ILO committee highlighted the situation in Karen state and in Rakhine, saying it was "particularly serious."It said an ILO-supervised system set up in Myanmar in March to receive complaints from victims of forced labour was resulting in official investigations and action against officials involved in the practice.Nonetheless, it criticised the weakness of the penalties, saying they were often administrative measures rather than criminal sanctions.It also questioned the impact of the mechanism in terms of eliminating forced labour, especially in border areas which are thought to be most affected.In March, the ILO deferred an international legal challenge against Myanmar over forced labour, after the junta agreed to give victims a means of redress.However, the deferral was conditional on full implementation of the deal and signs that forced labour was being tackled.Earlier this month, ILO chief Juan Somavia said he was not satisfied with Myanmar's cooperation and signalled he was ready to increase the pressure if necessary.The committee said the military junta has also failed to allow the ILO to bolster its international staff in Yangon to handle complaints.Although the junta says it has banned forced labour, human rights groups have long said that little action has been taken, especially in areas where foreign visitors are barred.