Burma boycott campaign stepped up

Bra maker Triumph is among firms to leave Burma

An international trade union group has released a new list of foreign firms investing in Burma or pursuing business links with its military rulers.

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) lobbies for overseas firms to boycott Burma and for foreign governments to ban investment there.

Despite some successes for boycott campaigners - who persuaded bra maker Triumph International to close its Burma factory - the ICFTU's latest list contains 92 new names.

Burma's military government has been widely condemned by human rights groups since it refused to hand over power to the victorious National League for Democracy (NLD) after a general election in 1990.

Forced labour

The United Nations has sent an envoy to Burma to explore the prospect of talks between the military junta and NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in May.

Altogether, 325 foreign firms appear on the ICFTU's list.

The group believes that any foreign company doing business in Burma is providing support to "one of the world's most savage dictatorships".

It says the military junta approves foreign investments individually, and is directly responsible for the widespread and growing use of forced labour, often on infrastructure projects connected to the needs of foreign firms.

The ICFTU rejects the view of some multinational firms that investment brings benefits to the Burmese people.

"We are calling for all these companies to sever links with Burma and for governments to take stronger action to stop investment in the country and ensure a return to democracy," said ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder.

According to Burma's official statistics, the country attracted $7.39bn of foreign investment between start of 1998 and August 2001, much of it in the oil, agricultural and manufacturing sectors.