Thursday, June 09, 2011

Dozens of Villagers Forced to Porter in Three Pagodas Pass


Wednesday, 08 June 2011 15:16 Independent Mon News Agency
By Independent Mon News Agency - Dozens of ethnic Karen from Aplon and Myaing Thayar villages in Three Pagodas Pass were forced to porter on June 6th by Burmese government troops.
These government troops, from the Light Infantry Battalion No. 373, commanded by the Western Command in Arakan State, took 10 villagers from Myaing Thayar village and forced these villagers to carry backpacks and baskets to Aplon village.
Explained by an Aplon villager by phone to the Independent Mon News Agency on Tuesday, once the troops and porters arrived in Aplon village, the [LIB No. 373] troops took 24 more porters in order to send them to Mae Sa Lee village.

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Villagers forced to serve as human shields and porters by Burmese soldiers


Wednesday, 08 June 2011 21:35 Kun Chan
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – One day after two people were killed by masked gunmen in Three Pagoda Pass in Mon State on the Thai-Burmese border, Burmese government troops have reportedly forced villagers to serve as human shields and porters, according to local residents.

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Forced labour complaints soar in Burma


Published: 8 June 2011
Many complaints about forced labour in Burma involve child soldiers (DVB)
Burma has seen a “dramatic” rise in complaints about forced labour owing to increased public awareness about the problem, a UN agency working in the country said Tuesday.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) branch in Rangoon has received 506 complaints since the start of 2010 – more than double the number seen during the previous three years.
“This dramatic increase can be put down to extensive awareness raising activity,” said the ILO’s Burma liaison officer, Steve Marshall, in an email to AFP.

Striking factory workers in Pegu win demands

Wednesday, 08 June 2011

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Sixty-five Burmese workers in the Cap 1 Hat Factory in Hinthakon War in Pegu who staged a strike against overly strict factory rules have ended a one-day strike following successful negotiations with the Korean owner.

The agreement included demoting two foremen and relaxing regulations with regard to talking during work hours and going to the toilet.

Thin Thin, who took part in the strike, told Mizzima, ‘We reached an agreement. The factory authorities demoted the two foremen that we disliked, and they were transferred to the Rangoon branch’.

The workers issued their concerns on Saturday and went on strike on Monday. On Tuesday, the township authorities and officials from the Ministry of Labour in Naypyitaw met with the factory owner to mediate between the two sides to reach an agreement.

The workers also asked the management to clearly state overtime working hours.


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