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NEWS- Junta Flouts Visit By Austral



Subject: NEWS- Junta Flouts Visit By Australian Rights Miinister

NOTE: Just as predicted, the military regime, the illegal unelected
government tried to take full advantage of this visit to cover up their
true situation.

   Junta Flouts Visit By Australian Rights Miinister

               Reuters
               04-AUG-99

               YANGON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government
               on Wednesday hailed a visit by Australia's human rights
               commissioner, saying it would bring "better understanding
               and cooperation" on rights. 

               Chris Sidoti earlier wound up a three-day visit to look
at the
               feasibility of a human rights commission for Myanmar
after
               meeting several senior government officials and the vice
               chairman of the opposition National League for Democracy,
               Tin Oo. 

               He did not, however, meet NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
               who, according to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
               Downer, has expressed doubts that any commission would
               be independent. 

               A spokesman for the generals, who took power in 1988 by
               bloodily crushing a nationwide pro-democracy uprising
then
               ignored an election result two years later when the NLD
won
               by a huge margin, called Sidoti's visit "fruitful and
               successful." 

               "The government feels these talks are helpful and will
help
               its citizens enjoy their rights and also learn to accept
               responsibilities as well as obligations in maintaining a
stable
               and responsible community as the nation makes its
systemic
               transition to democracy." 

               Australia's ambassador to Yangon, Lyndall McLean, said
the
               visit had been a good one but declined to say why Sidoti
did
               not meet Suu Kyi or make any further comment ahead of a
               news conference Sidoti plans in Sydney on Thursday. 

               The commission envisaged would be a along the lines of
               those in the seven-member Asia Pacific Forum of National
               Human Rights Institutions, of which Australia is a
member. 


               Such a commission was set up during Indonesia's Suharto
               regime in the early 1990s, under mounting pressure at
home
               and abroad. 

               Sidoti's mission was just the latest foreign initiative
aimed at
               progress on rights in Myanmar. 

               However, as it began on Monday, official media dampened
               hopes for a softening of treatment of the pro-democracy
               opposition by accusing Suu Kyi of "brazenly spoiling
peace"
               and calling for legal action against her. 

               Military treatment of Suu Kyi's party has prompted U.S.
and
               EU sanctions and been an embarrassment for Yangon's
               fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian
               Nations. 

               Last month an EU mission visited Myanmar to look into the
               possibility of restoring a dialogue with the government
and
               between the generals and the opposition, but Yangon
               quickly poured cold water on reconciliation hopes.