Int'l Trade Unions'support for Burm (r)

[osolnick@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Lieutenant General Khin Nyunt
Ministry of Defense
Signal Pagoda Road
Yangon
MYANMAR


Dear Sir
29 July1998

DETENTION OF BURMESE TRADE UNIONISTS


It has been brought to our attention that the Burmese authorities have
jailed two prominent members of the Burmese trade union movement since 13
June 1997 for carrying out normal trade union activities that are protected
by international convention in every civilized County. The trade unionists
involved are: U Khin Kyaw of the Seafarers' Union of Burma and U Myo Aung
Thant of the All-Burma Petrochemical Corporation Union-. 
We are aware that U Myo Aung Thant has been sentenced to 10 years in jail
and to a period of
life imprisonment for alleged 'high treason' simply because he formed a
union at his company, while U Khin Kyaw languishes in jail without any
charge having been proved. There are also allegations of brutality and
torture of these two union officials during this first year of their
detention.

The ICEM and its 20 million members in 115 countries of the World hold you
and your ministers personally responsible for the fate of these two members
of the trade union world fraternity. Any deviation from the norms of
internationally recognized treatment of detainees will be pursued against
you, now or in any future, by all means at our disposal, regardless whether
you still hold office in your country at that time.

If these two trade unionists are not released without further delay, we
will seek the assistance of the world community to correct these wrongs. We
challenge the right of any regime that does not respect international norms
of civilized behaviour to sit in regional for, such as the APEC, or to
receive recognition or aid from democratic governments of the world. Trade
union rights are protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
by specific conventions of the international Labour Organisation. Your
actions against these individuals are illegal, unjust and barbaric and will
disgust all believers in the democratic code.
 
We therefore call upon you immediately to restore the natural rights of
citizens' liberty to these two            detainees and to other trade
union leaders and defenders of the democratic process who continue to be
detained in your jails. The dictates under which they are detained would
not stand scrutiny in any court of the world.

     Yours sincerely,


Vic Thorpe
General Secretary