Believe it or not, in the Netherlands there is actually an event called "The Night of the Underwear." This is a major annual event organized by the branch organization of the underwear sector. In 2001 it was held on October 22nd in the Netherlands and the Clean Clothes Campaign was there, along with the Burma Center Netherlands (BCN), the Dutch trade union federation (FNV), XminY, and Novib to loudly call upon the Switzerland-based lingerie company Triumph International to withdraw from Burma. Since January 2001 the CCC has been campaigning to get Triumph to pull out of Burma, in line with calls by the Burmese opposition for divestment from the country. They say that foreign investment only supports the brutal military regime currently in power. Actions were rapidly taken up by other CCCs, many others in Europe and around the world. Tens of thousands of protest cards and letters were sent to Triumph as the campaign quickly spread. Several actions were organized at different Triumph offices. In Norway the Olympic Team refused a sponsoring contract with Triumph because of its failure to respect the international boycott of Burma. Now, nearly one year later, Triumph has agreed to CCC demands to halt production at its facility in Burma.

On January 28th, Triumph announced plans to close down their facility in Burma. In a press release Triumph said that the public debate in Europe about the political situation in Burma had become "increasingly emotional," creating planning uncertainties that Triumph can no longer accept. Triumph was unsuccessful in finding a buyer for its factory; they then decided to gradually phase out production at the facility in the very near future.

Since 1962 Burma's military regime has been violating the human rights of the Burmese people. These rights violations include the use of forced labor. In June 2001 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) again insisted that the international community minimalize relations with Burma in order to avoid contributing to this system of forced labor. After a visit to Burma in September last year, the ILO concluded that forced labor is still widespread, especially in rural areas. Unfortunately, the dialogue between the military junta and the Burmese opposition has not lead to concrete results concerning the improvement of the political and human rights situation of Burma.

The call for withdrawal of foreign investment in Burma was made by the Burmese opposition, lead by Aung San Su Kyi (1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner), and the Federation of Trade Unions - Burma (FTUB). Maung Maung, president of the FTUB, stresses the importance of breaking off all relations with Burma as long as the military regime remains in power. It is their view that investments in Burma only serve to consolidate the position of power that the military junta currently has.

The CCC welcomes Triumph's decision to comply with the Burmese opposition's call to pull out of Burma. Importantly, this is a victory for the FTUB (in exile) and the entire Burmese opposition. The withdrawal is also a victory for the many activists and consumers that participated in demonstrations and campaigns throughout Europe and elsewhere during the past year.

Now it is of great importance that Triumph takes responsibility for the approximately 1,000 Burmese workers who will be out of work once the factory shuts down by offering them a generous compensation package. The CCC also expects Triumph to pledge to implement a code of labor standards where their garments are produced. Such a code should be based on the ILO standards included in the CCC's model code. The company should ensure that the implementation of these labor standards is independently verified. The CCC will continue to pressure Triumph to produce their garments in workplaces where workers rights are respected.