Forced Labour Will Be Reported To I L O

7 December 2008
Original report by Naw Say Paw, DVB

The campaign has started today among the citizens of Taunggote, Rakhine, to collect signatures for the petition, informing the International Labour Organisation (I L O) of the 'guard duty' they have been forced to do by authorities, it is reported.

Soon after the September protests, antigovernment activists have been tirelessly campaigning, with propoganda distribution and graffiti writing on the roads, and since the beginning of December, people from all four areas of the town have been forced to do the guard duty to prevent further 'criminal activities' of this kind.

Households who can't send a member to do 'guard duty' are charged a huge penalty payment of about K 10,000 so some families who can't afford the fine, have to send female family members to carry out this 'duty'. The unhappiness has been building up among the citizens who work during the day, but now can't afford time to rest at night either. Tiredness and unhappiness have fused into anger when they are also being threatened with imprisonment, should there be any anti-government protest evidence in spite of their guard duty. This has provoked them into starting the campaign.

Earlier, Thousands of citizens of Taunggote also signed a petition for the release of U Khin Hla, Secretary, NLD Party , Rakhine and Ko Min Aung, Treasurer, to become the first town in Burma to commence a petition campaign in 2008.

Any alleged victim of forced labour has full freedom to submit complaints to the ILO Liaison Officer in Rangoon.

at Tel: +951-227837, 227057 Fax: +951-224327 or E-mail: registry.ilomm@undp.org

ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RO-Bangkok)
P.O. Box 2-349,
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: +662.288.2482
Fax: +662.288.3062
E-mail: apwebeditor@ilo.org