A United Nations agency is planning to send a high-level mission to Burma to look into continued allegations of forced labor there.
The International Labor Organization said Thursday it will initiate new talks with Burma's military government about ongoing reports that people are being sent to labor camps as a form of punishment. The team is to report back to the agency by March 2005.
The agency said the fresh talks are necessary because of recent high-level personnel changes in the Burmese government.
The ILO said in a report that efforts to eliminate forced labor in Burma had made some progress, but the practice continues and is particularly serious in border areas where there is a large military presence.
Information for this report is provided by Reuters.