And the military relies on forced labour. Given the quality of the Burmese judicial system and the pandemic nature of forced labour in the country this new law is not going to change anything in a hurry. Young men and women carry ammunition and gear for soldiers, children break up rocks for new roads, grandmothers clean canals, farmers build barracks. Rape, beatings and forced prostitution often go along with the job, according to credible reports. It all adds up to merit points in the next life according to its proponents.
Farmers also get to hand over their crops and chickens and pigs to the military.
They understand that if they say they'd rather eat their own food and spend their time tilling their own fields the soldiers win the argument by burning their villages down. Sadly, not much more than the new Burmese law, if Canada's experience is any guide. First, the venerable ILO has no authority to impose sanctions or, like the UN Security Council, to require its member nations to do so. Second, calling on governments, employers and workers to examine what their foreign investors and other overseas contacts are actually doing in Rangoon is one thing. Getting them to stop is another.