Letter to the Burmese Ambassador Dr Kyaw Win

Ambassador Dr Kyaw Win
Burmese Embassy
19a Charles Street
London W1J 5DX

Dear Dr Kyaw Win

Arrest of U Tin Hla and his family

The General Council of the Trade Union Congress, which represents 6.5 million trade unionists in Britain, protests strongly against the arrest of U Tin Hla (son of U Ohn Maung) and his whole family and his continued detention.

On 20 September 2007, U Tin Hla and his family were arrested at their home by the Special Branch Police. The police accused U Tin Hla of organizing railway workers and encouraging them to join the rallies in September 2007. U Tin Hla, his wife, his son and his daughter were all taken to Mingala Taungyunt Police Station for interrogation. After they had been interrogated and detained for five days, his wife and children were released. However, U Tin Hla was taken to an unknown location for further interrogation. We understand that he is still detained and now being held again at Mingala Taungyunt Police Station.

At the family home, police confiscated photographs of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD party literature, and electrical cords and tools, including those that U Tin Hla uses for his work. The TUC has been informed that one of the charges against him is 'possession of explosive materials' - which the family believes to be those electrical cords and the tools - and we are outraged that U Tin Hla should be charged for possessing tools necessary for his work.

Our international confederation, the ITUC, wrote to you only two months ago to condemn the heavy prison sentences handed down to Thurein Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Shwe Joe, Wai Lin, Aung Naing Tun and Nyi Nyi Zaw for "inciting hatred or contempt for the Government", and 'being members of "illegal associations" - their only offence being to celebrate May Day 2007 and planning to discus labour issues at the US Embassy's American Center in Rangoon. The ILO Governing Body November 2007, 300^th session called directly on your government to review these sentences and release the six activists.

I must repeat yet again that workers' rights to organise and take part in legitimate trade union activity is a fundamental human right. Burma has solemn obligations in international treaty law, arising from is ratification of ILO Convention 87, to protect freedom of association and the right to organise. The ILO's supervisory bodies have repeatedly emphasised that the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of opinion and expression are essential for the normal exercise of trade union rights. Arresting workers for encouraging others to participate in peaceful protests in favour of basic civil rights, or for possessing literature and photos of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate is therefore a gross violation of the principle of freedom of association as enshrined in ILO Convention 87.

British trade unionists, united in the Trades Union Congress, therefore urge your Government to instruct the relevant authorities to release and drop all charges against U Tin Hla. We also urge your Government again to ensure that the prison sentences against Thurein Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Shwe Joe, Wai Lin, Aung Naing Tun and Nyi Nyi Zaw are overturned and that they are released immediately.

Meanwhile, the TUC is calling on the members of our 59 affiliated trade unions to support the call for their release, which will, of course, be referred to the competent supervisory bodies of the ILO by the ITUC.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Barber

General Secretary

cc: Rt Hon David Milliband MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs;

Meg Munn MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Guy Ryder, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation