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Wired News on December 11, 1995



Attn: Burma Newsreaders
Re: Wired News on December 11, 1995
---------------------------------------------------------

UN panel rebukes Burma for human rights abuses

      By Evelyn Leopold 

    UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (Reuter) - A U.N. General Assembly panel on Monday
deplored human rights abuses in Burma and called on the Rangoon government to
begin a proper political dialogue with Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi. 

    But the United States, represented by Ambassador Madeleine Albright, said
Washington supported but did not sponsor the draft resolution because the
language was too weak on the military's human rights violations and other
provisions. 

    The draft was adopted by consensus by the General Assembly's social,
humanitarian and cultural committee without a vote. The committee's decision,
which includes all U.N. members, means the full assembly will rubber-stamp
the draft. 

    The 20-point resolution ``deplores the continued violation of human
rights'' in Burma, which calls itself Myanmar, and welcomes the release of
Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. 

    The resolution urged the government to enter at the earliest possible
date into a dialogue with her and other political leaders in an effort to
restore democracy. 

    Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won elections in 1990
but the military stayed in power. 

    The resolution said the government should stop ``torture, abuse of women,
forced labour and forced relocations and to the enforced disappearances and
summary executions.'' 

    It was based on a report from a U.N. human rights rapporteur, Yozo Yokata
of Japan, who said Burma may be using forced labour to spruce up landmarks
for foreign tourists in an effort to promote 1996 as ``Visit Myanmar Year''
and pointed to summary executions, torture and rape by the army. 

    The document also urged the government to release other prisoners, to
restore fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly and to end forced
labour and to allow Red Cross officials access to the country's jails and
prisoners. 

    Burma's representative, U Win Mra, said the draft did not recognise the
country's positive developments and he rejected allegations of human rights
violations. 

    ``It has never been the policy of the government to condone the
violations of human rights,'' he said, adding that ``allegations of forced
labour have no basis of truth.'' 

    ``The true situation in Myanmar is not accurately conveyed in the
international media,'' he said. 

    In response, Albright said the resolution welcomes cease-fires with
ethnic groups but failed to note that the Burmese army did not always honour
them. 

    She also said the language on forced labour was not strong enough and
that the resolution was not specific on the withdrawal and subsequent
expulsion from the National constitution convention of delegations from the
NLD. 

    ``My government also wants to express its very great concern about recent
statements from Rangoon that brand Aung San Suu Ky and her supporters as
'traitors' and speak of 'annihilating' those who criticise the National
Convention,'' Albright said. 

19:33 12-11-95
*****************

Dissidents urge ASEAN to go slow on Burma

      By Evelyn Leopold 

    UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (Reuter) - A U.N. General Assembly panel on Monday
deplored human rights abuses in Burma and called on the Rangoon government to
begin a proper political dialogue with Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu
Kyi. 

    But the United States, represented by Ambassador Madeleine Albright, said
Washington supported but did not sponsor the draft resolution because the
language was too weak on the military's human rights violations and other
provisions. 

    The draft was adopted by consensus by the General Assembly's social,
humanitarian and cultural committee without a vote. The committee's decision,
which includes all U.N. members, means the full assembly will rubber-stamp
the draft. 

    The 20-point resolution ``deplores the continued violation of human
rights'' in Burma, which calls itself Myanmar, and welcomes the release of
Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. 

    The resolution urged the government to enter at the earliest possible
date into a dialogue with her and other political leaders in an effort to
restore democracy. 

    Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won elections in 1990
but the military stayed in power. 

    The resolution said the government should stop ``torture, abuse of women,
forced labour and forced relocations and to the enforced disappearances and
summary executions.'' 

    It was based on a report from a U.N. human rights rapporteur, Yozo Yokata
of Japan, who said Burma may be using forced labour to spruce up landmarks
for foreign tourists in an effort to promote 1996 as ``Visit Myanmar Year''
and pointed to summary executions, torture and rape by the army. 

    The document also urged the government to release other prisoners, to
restore fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly and to end forced
labour and to allow Red Cross officials access to the country's jails and
prisoners. 

    Burma's representative, U Win Mra, said the draft did not recognise the
country's positive developments and he rejected allegations of human rights
violations. 

    ``It has never been the policy of the government to condone the
violations of human rights,'' he said, adding that ``allegations of forced
labour have no basis of truth.'' 

    ``The true situation in Myanmar is not accurately conveyed in the
international media,'' he said. 

    In response, Albright said the resolution welcomes cease-fires with
ethnic groups but failed to note that the Burmese army did not always honour
them. 

    She also said the language on forced labour was not strong enough and
that the resolution was not specific on the withdrawal and subsequent
expulsion from the National constitution convention of delegations from the
NLD. 

    ``My government also wants to express its very great concern about recent
statements from Rangoon that brand Aung San Suu Ky and her supporters as
'traitors' and speak of 'annihilating' those who criticise the National
Convention,'' Albright said. 

19:33 12-11-95
*****************
--------------------------end. (fb.121195.wire)