Australia criticises Myanmar over d

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Australia criticises Myanmar over detentions

CANBERRA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Myanmar's detention of 18 foreign activists
showed the country's military junta was an opponent to democratic speech,
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Wednesday. 

Downer said the activists, who were detained in the capital Yangon on Sunday
for handing out leaflets commemorating the 1988 pro-democracy uprising had
been mounting a peaceful protest. 

``What this does is simply expose the regime in Burma in a way that it
deserves to be exposed, and that is, that it's a regime that doesn't allow any
dissent, any discussion, any debate,'' Downer told reporters. 

He said Myanmar needed to move away from military rule to a government with a
``broad, civil authority,'' and that similar incidents would occur until
political reform was implemented. 

Downer said Australian Alison Vicary, who was being held in a police
guesthouse with the other 17 activists, was in good health, and he expressed
hope Vicary would be released soon. 

The leaflet distribution was organised by the Altsean-Burma network, the
Alternative ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) group in support of
Myanmar's democracy movement. 

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said in Bangkok on Tuesday the activists
-- from Australia, the United States, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the
Philippines, might still be charged in accordance with Myanmar's existing
laws. 

02:40 08-12-98