ILO brings Myanmar out of cold ahead Suu Kyi visit

GENEVA: The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Wednesday lifted more than a decade-old punitive restrictions on Myanmar in recognition of progress including a new law on trade unions and pledge to end forced labor by 2015.
The announcement by the United Nations agency came hours before opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was due to arrive in Geneva on her first European trip in a quarter of a century.
On Thursday, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is to address the ILO annual ministerial conference of 185 member states which took the formal decision on Wednesday, calling on Myanmar to report back on progress next year.
“The International Labour Organization has lifted its restrictions on the full participation of Myanmar in its activities and decided to review the progress on the elimination of forced labor in the country next year,” a statement said.
In 1999, the ILO’s conference banned Myanmar from any meetings or technical assistance for failing to comply with the recommendations of an ILO investigation which found evidence of “widespread and systematic use” of forced labor by the authorities, especially on infrastructure projects.
A year later, it adopted a strongly-worded resolution urging member states to ensure that they did not help the ruling junta in “extending or perpetuating forced labor” - a signal that many interpreted as a potential justification for sanctions.
It was not immediately clear whether the ILO decision could lead to the lifting of remaining sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on the country formerly known as Burma.
The ILO decision follows a high-level mission to Myanmar this month - whose members met President Thein Sein as well as senior ministers and Suu Kyi - and an agreement between the ILO and government on forced labor, signed in March.
“The Government of Myanmar and the ILO have agreed on a joint strategy for eliminating forced labor. The Government acknowledges the need for immediate action on this strategy with a view of implementing it before the declared target date of 2015,” said the ILO statement on Wednesday.
Economic sanctions and gross mismanagement by military juntas have squeezed Myanmar’s economy, but the recent suspension of many of the US and European embargoes once backed by Suu Kyi is expected to bring a deluge of investment in the resource-rich and strategically-located country.  In Thailand earlier this month, on her first visit abroad in 24 years, Suu Kyi warned against “reckless optimism” over the reforms by the quasi-civilian government.
The prisoner-turned-parliamentarian set off on Wednesday on a tour of Europe almost certain to attract the kind of fanfare that will test the patience of the reformist generals now in power after decades of army rule. She will take in five countries - Switzerland, Norway, Britain, Ireland and France.