The
International Labour Organisation (ILO} will have its
first presence in Burma in June after Mya Than, Burma's
representative to the ILO, signed an historic agreement
with ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola last week.
Representation of the ILO in Burma, which has been
widely criticised for forced and unpaid labour, will
represent the presence of the first official
international organisation since the Red Cross withdrew
its mission some years back.
The ILO representation will for now be at the
liaison-officer level, whose mandate and modalities will
be discussed later. The ILO expects Burma will permit
the full representation of the organisation in the near
future, a wish clearly stated in the agreement that the
officer will act as an official representative pending
the establishment of a permanent office.
The agreement is seen as an important step for both
Burma and the UN body because it opens room for
discussion between dialogue partners which have usually
been at odds with each other on labour issues.
To many, the agreement is the first positive sign of
progress on the labour issue that Burma has displayed to
the ILO and, of course, to the international community.
Western countries and organisations have criticised
Burma's military junta for deploying forced labourers as
porters for military campaigns without any payment.
In 2000 the ILO encouraged its 175 member countries
to impose sanctions on Burma, a move it regarded as an
effective way to pressure Burma to cease the use of
forced labour for military purposes.
However, the move was blocked by some Asean
countries, including Thailand, in the belief that
sanctions have no effect on the problem and only do
further harm to the Burmese people.
After two years, Burma surprised the international
community by deciding to ink an agreement with the ILO.
Burma agreed to sign the agreement with an
acknowledgement that the conditions of the domestic
labour would now be monitored by the ILO.
The move clearly showed that Burma wanted those who
criticised its administration to witness what was really
happening in the country, though some may harbour
suspicions that Rangoon will organise a cover-up to
boost the image of the country in the eyes of foreign
countries.
However, there is a saying: "You can fool all of
the people some of the time, and you can fool some of
the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of
the people all of the time."
Rangoon's decision on the forced-labour issue
demonstrates that it is well aware of the criticism by
Western countries on labour and other matters. It is
opening its country for foreign observation and
criticism.
The decision followed some positive developments
which won a welcome from other countries, including the
report that the military junta was holding a series of
secret talks with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to
end the long-running political dilemma.
Rangoon has released political prisoners and pregnant
inmates from time to time, which has been welcomed as a
positive development, given Burma's abysmal record on
human-rights protection.
Some observers saw the move as the result of a series
of dialogues between Burma and other countries,
particularly in the Asean grouping.
Asean member states have repeatedly rejected the
Western style of confrontation which sees sanctions as
the only way to bring Burma out of its political
dilemma.
Asean does not believe that. In the grouping's view,
Burma will agree to listen to foreign criticism only if
it is conveyed through dialogue and consultation, not by
sanctions.
Meanwhile the ILO should be praised for its hard and
continuous efforts to convince Burma to allow it to have
a presence in its territory.
By many who would have thought a foreign organisation
on labour issues would be the last to be allowed to work
in Burma, the ILO-Burma accord is seen as a most
surprising one.
It is not only Burma that will have to prove itself
once an ILO liaison officer is appointed but also the
ILO.
This UN organisation will have to show Burma and
other countries that its presence in the country
effectively protects the rights of labourers
