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Australian Alexander Downer Met Ohn



Myanmar said receptive on proposed human rights panel

 .c Kyodo News Service    

MANILA, July 26 (Kyodo) - By: Susanne Ganz Australian Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer said Sunday his counterpart Ohn Gyaw from Myanmar was
receptive toward the idea of establishing an independent national human rights
commission in the military-ruled nation. 

But Downer, speaking after bilateral talks with Ohn Gyaw in Manila, said the
minister's response was ''pretty negative'' on demands for the completion of
constitutional reform and dialogue between the ruling junta and pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). 

''Nothing seems to have happened in the last 12 months,'' Downer said of what
he called ''inch-by-inch'' pace of political progress in Myanmar. 

Downer and Ohn Gyaw are in the Philippine capital for annual security talks
between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its major trade
partners including vocal Myanmar critics European Union (EU) and the United
States. 

Downer said he voiced Australia's serious concern over the lack of political
progress and constitutional evolution, the junta's refusal to hold dialogues
with the NLD as well as human rights violations. 

The junta, which calls itself the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
has refused to hand over power to the NLD, which won democratic elections in
1990. 

It has said parliament will be convened once a new constitution has been
completed, but the junta-controlled constitution-drafting process has been
marred by lengthy delays. 

Downer said Ohn Gyaw ''did not respond in a negative way'' to his proposal
that Myanmar follow the example of its fellow ASEAN member Indonesia in
allowing independent monitoring of human rights issues. 

''I said Burma (Myanmar) should take out a leaf of the book of (former
President) Suharto's Indonesia and that is to establish an independent
national human rights commission...which has been an important organization in
terms of monitoring human rights in Indonesia,'' Downer told a news
conference. 

Downer, who said he has been ''very impressed'' with the Indonesian
commission's work, said such a commission would hardly solve all of Myanmar's
problems, but ''demonstrate that the SPDC talks seriously human rights
issues.'' 

Noting that ''many in ASEAN are anxious to see progress'' in Myanmar, Downer
said Australia will continue to work with ASEAN in formulating ''creative
ideas'' for change rather than follow the U.S. and the EU in imposing
sanctions. 

He said Ohn Gyaw briefed him on efforts to root out opium production through
crop substitution programs for poppy plantations. Myanmar is a major supplier
of illicit drugs such as opium and heroin. 

Downer said he told Ohn Gyaw Australia could offer ''very constructive
assistance'' for crop substitution projects if Yangon would start making
progress on beginning dialogue with the NLD.