Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the government of Burma for the prosecution and the subsequent sentencing to death of nine Burmese workers on charges of high treason. The charges brought against these individuals are on the grounds of making contact with the United Nations International Labour Organization.
One defendant received the death sentence for having been found to be in possession of a report of the ILO on forced labour in Burma. I had the honour of working on the ILO document, as did the Minister of Labour for Canada.
The prosecution of individuals for making contact with the ILO is a violation of fundamental human rights. We highlight the blatant hypocrisy of the Burmese government that pledged to work with the ILO to stamp out forced labour while prosecuting individuals on the grounds of treason for making contact with a UN agency.
The Burmese authorities must drop the charges of high treason against these workers and ensure that they are released from prison.
I urge our Minister of Labour and our Minister of Foreign Affairs--