Military Junta is Trying to Gain International Trust Through Deception, Warned at International Labour Conference

Yangon, June 8 The terrorist Myanmar military junta is using all kinds of deception to regain the trust of the international community, so the international community must pay special attention, pointed out Daw Phyo Sandar Soe, Deputy General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions-Myanmar (CTUM). This was presented by her at the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) held at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6. Daw Phyo Sandar Soe said that the Myanmar military junta continues to maintain the infrastructure that openly violates workers' rights, and is using deceptive actions and fraud to evade international criticism. She stated that the release of trade union members and other political prisoners is merely the release of individuals who should not have been arrested in the first place, and that they are trying to make the world see the release of children after forcibly conscripting them as their progress. Daw Phyo Sandar Soe, Deputy General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions-Myanmar, said, "Should the international community praise the release of those who should never have been arrested in the first place? We are demanding that the world view the release of trade unionists who are illegally arrested, detained, prosecuted, and imprisoned as proof of compliance." Furthermore, she said that all those released have been forced to sign pledges not to engage in activities against the military junta, and many have been re-arrested or threatened, so they are not yet able to freely exercise their rights. The military junta is lying to the world that those arrested were not arrested for trade union activities but for violating national security and anti-terrorism laws. However, in reality, there are hundreds of thousands of civilian employees who have defied the military regime and participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), and their only crime is not bowing down to the military dictatorship. As a result of these actions, many people have lost their livelihoods, are forced to live in hiding or are exiled, separated from their families, and continue to survive under threats. Daw Phyo Sandar Soe pointed out, "Can workers be organized without fear?