Home > National News > Article Thursday April 11, 2002 Downer soft on Burma's hard men By Craig Skehan, Foreign Affairs Correspondent April 11 2002 The Australian Government has succeeded in watering down a United Nations resolution which aimed to increase pressure on Burma's military junta. The European Union proposed a strongly worded resolution to the UN Human Rights Commission, but Australia warned that it would not co-sponsor the resolution unless it was changed. The European draft condemned lack of progress towards restoring democracy and referred to rights abuses, including child and forced labour. One European diplomat said yesterday that Australia's doggedness to dilute the resolution "caused a lot of surprise" at talks behind closed doors. A regional human rights group, Forum Asia, said Australia had shifted from being an advocate of human rights in Burma "to an overt defender of the Burmese military regime". A Bangkok-based Burma democracy activist, Debbie Stothard, said Australia should not be "sticking its neck out" for a rogue state. The Howard Government's stance on Burma was adding to the damage to Australia's international reputation caused by its treatment of asylum seekers. A spokesman for the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, said yesterday that Australia's promotion of political reconciliation in Burma arose from "the repeated failure of other approaches to improve the political and human rights situation there" (!). The European Union has been the strongest advocate of a hard line towards Burma, including the imposition of sanctions. Mr Downer's spokesman said while Australia wanted the UN resolution to express deep concerns about continuing serious human rights abuses in Burma, it should also welcome "steps in the right direction" and encourage further advances. He said last night that Australia was pressing for further changes to the wording of the Burma resolution, though it had agreed, as a result of alterations to the draft, to co-sponsor it. Since a dialogue began between the military regime and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi more than a year ago, about 200 political prisoners have been released. However, independent Burma analysts say dozens of other democracy campaigners have been arrested and many political activists remain in jail, even though their sentences have been completed. Critics of Australia's approach argue there has so far been little evidence that the military, which has ruled Burma for 40 years, is willing to share power or provide for democratic elections. The Sydney-based campaign co-ordinator for the Free Burma Action Committee, Maung Than, told the Herald: "Australia has a human rights training program in Burma and it wants to try and show that it is working." The reality was that gross human rights violations continued unabated, but for diplomatic reasons Australia wanted to avoid international condemnation of the regime. "I am not happy about the Australian Government position," he said. "I want the Australian Government to stand firmly with Aung San Suu Kyi and not with the regime." According to non-government organisations lobbying in Geneva, Australian diplomats presented 10 pages of objections and amendments to the draft UN resolution on Burma. This came amid speculation that the country's ruling generals could this month release Ms Suu Kyi from house arrest. text | handheld (how to) membership | conditions | privacy Copyright © 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald. advertise | contact us