Daily News- March 21- 2002- Thursday

  • ILO, Myanmar agree on liaison to stop forced labour
  • Myanmar currency at record low after coup attempt
  • Burma to co-operate under UN guidelines
  • Chinese Company to Build Auto-Telephone Exchanges

    • ILO, Myanmar agree on liaison to stop forced labour

    GENEVA, March 20 (AFP) - The military junta in Myanmar and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have agreed on the appointment of an ILO liaison officer to help stop the use of forced labour, both sides said here Wednesday.

    The appointment, agreed Tuesday, is a "first step towards the objective of an effective representation which should continue to be pursued", the labour organisation said in an official document.

    "After extended and sometimes difficult negotiations, an Understanding on the appointment of an ILO liaison officer in Myanmar was reached," stated a report by the ILO's governing body.The agreement was signed by ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola and Mya Than, permanent representative of Myanmar to the UN.

    It states the liaison officer would be appointed by the ILO Director General not later than June 2002, "pending the establishment of an ILO presence capable of contributing effectively" towards the eradication of forced labour.Members of the governing body are due to consider ILO action on Myanmar here on Thursday.

    Myanmar's military rulers have come under fire from Western governments in recent years for failing to curb the practice of forced labour and in November 2000 the ILO made an unprecedented censure of the country.The Geneva-based organisation invited its members to review their relations with the country, paving the way for possible sanctions if it failed to curb the use of forced labour.

    The mission of Myanmar to the UN described in a press release the agreement as a "breakthrough" and said it will go a long way in taking forward the process of dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

    The head of an ILO mission said at the end of February on his return from Myanmar that the junta had imposed strict limits on the scope of a possible ILO office, preventing the team pursuing talks on the matter.

    "After some discussion to try to find a solution which would be acceptable on both sides, it became clear that because on the Myanmar side there were strict instructions which limited the scope of a possible presence of the ILO there to what they call a liaison officer, it was not possible to pursue a dialogue," Francis Maupain told reporters.He said the ILO wanted to establish a "meaningful presence" in the country, stressing the importance of freedom of movement and contacts.

    But further discussions took place between March 13 and 19 between the ILO and a Myanmar delegation.The junta has declared forced labour illegal and the ILO has attempted to verify its efforts.

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    Myanmar currency at record low after coup attempt

    YANGON, March 20 (AFP) - Myanmar's currency the kyat has fallen to new record lows after revelations of a failed coup attempt rocked the country earlier this month, observers said Wednesday.

    The price of gold has also risen by nearly 10 percent and commodity prices have shot up since the ruling junta announced it had arrested four relatives of former dictator Ne Win for plotting to seize power in a military coup.

    After a period of relative stability at 720 kyat to the dollar, the exchange rate on the black market has now slipped to a new low of 820 kyats.

    The depreciation began several weeks ago amid rumours that the government would introduce two high-denomination bank notes and withdraw all other currency in circulation. The government denied it planned such a move.

    But since news of the coup attempt was revealed on March 7, citizens and businesspeople have become even more reluctant to let go of their greenbacks, driving the kyat lower.

    Gasoline charges are soaring, particularly in the lead-up to Myanmar's water festival which falls in mid-April and sees demand for fuel rise.Even the price of newspapers has become inflated, flying off vendors' stands at up to four times their cover price as people urgently seek information about the coup attempt saga.

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    Burma to co-operate under UN guidelines

    Supamart Kasem
    The Bangkokpost

    Thai and Burmese authorities have agreed to co-operate against illicit drugs under a United Nations guideline.The two sides met in Burma's border township of Myawaddy yesterday where drugs suppression and prevention plans were mapped out with the support of the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).The programme is designed to eradicate drugs trafficking and production on the borders of Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

    The two-day meeting, ending today, was joined by a 20-strong Thai team headed by Tak deputy governor Veeradech Surasit.Showcased at the event were 32.43 million methamphetamine tablets seized in Burma and another 82.8 million seized in Thailand. More than half of the Burmese haul was reportedly produced in the minority rebel-dominated Karen state.

    Japan has pledged US$1.8 million towards the UNDCP's scheme to intensify drug eradication along the borders of the six countries.Sponsorship would pay to improve drug-busting efficiency, regulate border passages and educate drugs fighters.The co-operation agreement calls for the opening of border liaison offices (BLO) in each of the six countries to help stem movements of drugs.

    Samart Loyfa, the district chief of Mae Sot, said the UNDCP has already set up its regional headquarters in Bangkok. There are three points of BLO contacts with Burma in Mae Sot to work directly with Myawaddy, in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district with Thachilek, and in Ranong with Kawthaung.

    The six countries would sign a memorandum of understanding to acknowledge and reciprocate the BLO obligation, Mr Samart said. Activities to be organised to tackle regional drug problems included multilateral workshops and seminars on zoning of high-intensity drug areas, personnel training, and installation of communication systems to assist in border policing.

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    Chinese Company to Build Auto-Telephone Exchanges

    YANGON, March 21 (Xinhuanet) -- A Chinese company, the China National Electronics Import and Export Shenzhen Company, has reached a contract with the Myanmar telecommunications authorities on building 13,500-line-capacity digital auto-telephone exchanges in Myanmar.

    The contract was signed between the Chinese company and the state-run Myanma Posts and Telecommunications on Wednesday. The signing ceremony was attended by, among others, Myanmar Minister of Communications, Posts and Telegraphs Brigadier-General Thein Zaw.

    Under the contract, new digital auto-telephone exchanges will be built in 12 towns in Myanmar including Meiktila, Mandalay division, at a cost of 6.5 million U.S. dollars and machines will be installed within 18 months.

    There are over 280,000 telephones in operation in Myanmar with 569 exchange stations. The number of telephones increased from over 67,000 in 1988, while that of exchange stations rose from 245 then.During the past 13 years, modern digital auto-telephone exchanges have replaced the old communication system. However, its communication facilities still call for improvement to keep pace with other developing countries.According to official statistics, Myanmar possesses only one telephone per 200 people now.

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