NEWS - Companies Must Examine Myanm

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Companies Must Examine Myanmar Operations-Amnesty

            Reuters
            19-AUG-98

            LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters)- Amnesty International said on
Thursday
            that companies investing in Myanmar can no longer claim
ignorance of
            widespread forced labour and should ensure their operations
in the
            country do not violate human rights. 

            The London-based human rights group issued its statement a
day
            after the International Labour Organisation (ILO) accused
Myanmar's
            military government of systematically forcing women, chldren
and the
            elderly to work for the army. 

            Foreign companies often set up joint ventures with the army,
Amnesty
            said, adding that hundreds of forced labourers were killed
or left for
            dead if they tried to escape or were no longer capable of
working. 

            "The directors of these companies must seriously examine
their
            operations in Myanmar to ensure that their presence is not
contributing
            to human rights violations," Amnesty said. 

            The report by the ILO-- the United Nations labour body--
would inspire
            consumers, shareholders and the public to hold companies
which do
            business in Myanmar to account, Amnesty said.