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Date: 1 Aug 1995 16:07:30 GMT-1000
AUSTRALIAN BURMA COUNCIL
Mr Terrell Oung, National Co-ordinator
Attention: Chief of Staff/Foreign News Editor
For release on 26 July 1995
MEDIA RELEASE
ASEAN should not be deceived by Burma's SLORC
Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has called for compromise,
dialogue and reconciliation. At the moment there is no evidence of
any of this taking place in Burma.
ASEAN should be extremely careful and not allow themselves to be
tricked into admitting Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) as a member state or upgrade their present status just because
of Aung San Suu Kyi's release.
Upon her release after 6 years of house arrest Aung San Suu Kyi
urged the international community to be cautious and not rush into
partnership with the SLORC until genuine democratic reform is
implemented. Still, members of the National League for Democracy
and other political party members remain in prison.
Australia-based supporters of human rights and democracy in Burma
stressed that Burma's admittance to the meeting should hinge on the
SLORC's public commitment to implementing the benchmarks that
outline steps towards national reconciliation.
The benchmarks which ASEAN adopted a year ago include such
conditions as the commencement of genuine dialogue between
SLORC and Aung San Suu Kyi and the democracy movement,
political freedom and media rights, constitutional reform, cessation
of forced labour, and legal guarantees of ethnic rights. Since then,
however, human rights abuses including the use of slave labour for
SLORC projects has increased and so-called cease fires with ethnic
nationality groups have been violated.
"ASEAN should not allow itself to be deceived by SLORC and
should only consider including Burma as a member when it is
satisfied all these conditions have been adequately met. The long
term security and prosperity of the ASEAN region should not be
sacrificed to SLORC cynicism and greed for foreign capital. This
is a crucial time in Regional-Burma relations. The international
community should listen to what Aung San Suu Kyi is saying",
Maisie Warburton said.
Terrell Oung added that the Burmese international movement is
very concerned about the SLORC's barriers preventing Aung San
Suu Kyi from fully joining the democracy movement in Burma.
"We are very concerned for her personal safety. We must question
why the SLORC have now released her and what their plans for
future political developments are. We ask that the Australian
Government persuade ASEAN to take specific steps to offer
Aung San Suu Kyi effective personal protection,"
Terrell Oung said.
The Burmese community will mark Aung San Suu Kyi's
release and the continuing struggle for democracy with a dinner
and speeches on Saturday August 12, 7pm. at Ashfield Town Hall,
Liverpool St. Ashfield, NSW, Australia.
For more information/interviews, please telephone
Terrell Oung, National Co-ordinator, (61) (2) 831 5409
Maisie Warburton, International Co-ordinator,
(61) (2) 799 3786(Home) or (61) (2) 569 2444(W)
Amanda Zappia, Central Co-ordinator. (61) (6) 297 7734
END