Australia, ASEAN & Burma.

[082903@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

		Downer to confirm ASEAN as top priority
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	............ While Mr Downer will voice his clear concern to the 
Burmese Foreign Minister, Mr Ohn Gyaw, about the military's suppression 
of political and human rights in their meeting on Monday, a more 
important encounter could be his first meeting with Malaysia's new 
Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Badawi.

	............. Despite a plea this week from Burmese opposition 
leader Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and a barrage of criticism, mainly from 
European groups, about the human rights abuses of the military regime in 
Burma, the ASEAN members believe their constructive engagement is the 
best way to win over the State Law and Order Restoration Councilin Burma, 
rather than diplomatic and economic isolation.

	Human rights groups and Ms Suu Kyi's National League for 
Democracy disagree, claiming constructive engagement has been failure, 
with no improvement in the way the military rule the country.

	Burma shows some of the faultines between Asia and the West. 
Australia, which advocates a policy designed to measure Burma's progress 
on human rights and democratisation, falls awkwardly between the ASEAN 
position and Burma's harsher critics in the West.

	Mr Downer will put his concerns clearly to Burma on Monday, but 
what he most wants to see emerge is some practical policy approach. Any 
contribution he can make to such an outcome will stand him in good stead 
in the region.

[By Geoff Hiscock, Asia Business editor, 21 July 1996].	


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		Downer to press Burma on rights
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	The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Downer, will today press 
Australia's deep concern over human rights abuses in Burma in a move 
which will test the Howard Government's ability to navigate tensions 
between Asian and regional nations over the growing regional recognition 
of the military regime in Rangoon.

	Mr Downer is due to meet his Burmese counterpart, Mr Ohn Gyaw, 
for 30 minutes late today amid threats by the European Union that the 
increasing prominence given to the ruling State Law and Order Restoration 
Council could jeopardise the push for closer ties.

	Western countries have been warned against meddling in Asian 
affairs by putting pre-conditions on regional recognition of Burma in 
political and security talks with South-East Asian nations in Jakarta 
this week.

	But Mr Downer, who flew into Jakarta last night for the four days 
of talks within the ASEAN Regional Forum and post-ministerial conference, 
has signalled he intends to pursue a range of concerns over the SLORC's 
crackdown on pro-democracy forces.

	He palns to press Mr Ohn Gyaw over the SLORC's failure to engage 
in talk with the National League for Democracy, led by the 1991 Nobel 
Peace Prize winner Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, and the continuing detention of 
large numbers of NLD members.

	He also plans to raise concern over the circumstances surrounding 
the daeth of Ms Suu Kyi's godfather, Australian Leo Nichols, just two 
and a half months after being imprisoned in a Rangoon jail.

	Authorities refused to release Nichols's body for autopsy and 
held a hurried funeral. Mr Downer has indicated Australia is unhappy over 
how Burma dealt with Nichols's death and the the sebsequent treatment of 
his family.

	Despite concerns over the state of human rights in Burma, 
Australia maintains the so-called 'benchmarking" policy which attempts to 
tie official engagement with Burma to performance in offering increased 
democratic and civil rights.

	The policy effectively leaves Australia straddling the 
'constructive engagement" policy of the ASEAN countries and the more 
strident position of the EU and the United States.

	Although there is widespread dissatisfaction within the 
bureaucracy over the sucess of unconvinced there is any real alternative 
for now.

	Burma is due to be inducted into the 19-member ARF - the peak 
regional security forum - at a ceremony tomorrow morning. It has already 
been granted observer status within ASEAN as an initial step to full 
membership of the organisation.

[ By Don Greenlees, Foreign Affairs, 22 July 1996].

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