HAMILTON, Bermuda (Reuters - August 15, 2000) - Members of Parliament in Bermuda have agreed to take random tests for illegal drugs twice a year to set an example for residents of the British colony.

      The Atlantic island's parliament, the House of Assembly, approved the tests on Friday when the ruling Progressive Labor Party (PLP) backed a motion from the opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP).

      The island, which has a population of 62,000, has already mandated random drug tests for key public sector workers such as police officers, customs officers and bus drivers.

      ``It's a bit of an inconvenience but if we expect people in the workplace to do that I don't think we can be above that,'' UBP leader Pamela Gordon said.

      PLP MP Delaey Robinson dismissed the drug testing plan as ``a stunt'' which would do nothing about illegal drug abuse and threatened to boycott the tests.

Copyright 2000, Reuters News Service