ILO warns Myanmar that patience running out over forced labour

March 24, 2005 (AFP) - The International Labour Organisation on Thursday gave Myanmar until June to make progress on curtailing forced labour, saying it was losing patience with the regime's incomplete pledges.

After meeting to consider the outcome of a high level mission to Myanmar in February, the ILO governing body called on member states to reconsider sanctions that were suspended in 2001 amid promises from Myanmar's military leaders to stop forced labour and accept limited ILO surveillance.

"At this stage, and on the basis of the information at our disposal, the growing feeling is that the 'wait and see' attitude that prevailed among members, following the initiation of meaningful dialogue since 2001, appears to have lost its raison d'etre and cannot continue," the body concluded.

But the governing body said it did not want to close the door to dialogue with the Myanmar authorities because it had produced some results, mainly with the prosecution of some civilian officials involved in forced labour.

A conference of the ILO's full membership will be given a report in early June outlining any further steps taken by the junta until then to curtail forced labour, implement a plan of action and free prisoners, a senior ILO official, Francois Maupin, said.