NEWS - Myanmar JUNTA Dismisses Brit

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Subject: NEWS - Myanmar JUNTA Dismisses British Allegation of Slave Labor

Myanmar Dismisses British Allegation of Slave Labor

               Xinhua
               19-JUN-99

               YANGON (June 19) XINHUA - Myanmar dismissed Saturday
               an accusation made by a British delegate to the
International
               Labor Organization that it still employs slave labor at
the end
               of the 20th century. 

               Responding to the accusation of Bill Brett at the current
87th
               session of the International Labor Conference (ILC) in
               Geneva, the Myanmar government said in a statement
               issued here Saturday, "The so-called forced labor
practice,
               which he has been accusing the Myanmar JUNTA/government
of
               exercising, is merely the laws that the British
government
               had enacted during 1907 when they governed Myanmar." 

               Despite continuous exercise of this law and practice by
all
               successive Myanmar governments since regaining (The JUNTA
IS NOT AN ELECTED AND LEGAL GOVERNMENT AND HAS PRACTICED LAW TO BENEFIT
PRIMARILY ITSELF)
               independence from the British, the present Myanmar
               JUNTA/government has ordered a stop to the exercise of
power
               under certain provisions of the British Towns Act and
Village
               Act of 1907, the government said in its Information Sheet
 . 

               On May 14 this year, the Myanmar JUNTA/government issued
an
               order directing the relevant authorities not to exercise
the
               powers under the provisions. 

               Meanwhile, the Myanmar Foreign Ministry said in a press
               release Thursday that this order has brought those two
laws
               in line with the Forced Labor Convention. 

               The ministry also announced on that day dissociation of
               Myanmar itself from the current resolution adopted at the
ILC
               which accused the country of widespread use of forced
labor
               and restriction of freedom of association.