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Alexander Downer's IHT Article on B



International Herald Tribune 
August 23, 1999

A Start to Help Set Burmese on the Road to Human Rights 
By Alexander Downer (the Australian foreign minister)

The question of Burma has vexed the international community for the entire
11 years since the current military-backed government assumed power in
Rangoon. Australia believes that now is the time to engage the regime in a
serious dialogue on the protection and promotion of human rights in Burma. 

Such a dialogue is one way of improving the lot of ordinary Burmese. It is
also a means of drawing the regime into a discussion on issues that have
caused great concern outside Burma. To do nothing is to fail to confront
the problem.  

Simply shouting from the sidelines has apparently achieved nothing. It is
one thing to criticize the Burmese government - and we have done a great
deal of that - but we are also looking at other initiatives to help
alleviate the plight of the people in Burma. 

That is why two months agoI suggested to the then Burmese foreign minister,
U Ohn Gyaw, that Rangoon consider setting up an independent national human
rights institution, as Indonesia did some years ago under the regime of
President Suharto. I believed that such an approach would provide a way
through which Burma could work to guarantee human rights within its own
jurisdiction. 

I pursued my proposal with the present foreign minister, U Win Aung, when I
met him in Singapore late last month at the annual post-ministerial
conference of the Association of South East Asian Nations. It was in this
context that Australia's human rights comissioner, Chris Sidoti, visited
Burma this month to discuss with officials there the possible role of an
independent human rights institution. 

Prior to Mr. Sidoti's visit, two middle-ranking Burmese officials visited
Australia in mid-July for an introduction to the Australian approach to
national human rights institutions, and for broad discussions on human rights. 

Australia's experience has been that work toward the establishment of
national human rights organizations by governments seeking to respond to
the concerns of the international community can make a positive impact over
the longer term. 

The fact that the Burmese government can see the point of such a body,
although it has yet to make up its mind about how it would work, is a good
step forward. 

I have no illusions. This is a first step in what will be an incremental
process. But we want to do what we can to encourage an improvement in human
rights in Burma. 

Ultimately, setting up a national human rights institution will need a firm
commitment from the Burmese themselves.I am well aware that the development
of a genuinely independent body, if indeed that is possible, would take a
considerable length of time. It would also have to be established according
to internationally accepted standards. 

To be blunt, if the Burmese were to construct a bricks and mortar
institution next week, it would not be credible. Our immediate objective is
to engage the key figures in a process of dialogue to better promote and
protect human rights.  

I know that there are those who do not accept that it is possible to talk
to the regime about human rights issues. The opposition National League for
Democracy led by Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has said that
our proposal is ''misguided.'' But human rights are a matter of
international concern, and as their protection is the responsibility of the
national government, we have to deal with the government. We have kept the
league informed about developments concerning the proposal, and will
continue to do so. 

The Australian government's policy on Burma remains focused on the key
goals of advancing the cause of democracy and promoting greater respect for
human rights. I have consistently called on the Burmese government to enter
into substantive discussions as soon as possible with the league and ethnic
minorities, leading to genuine political reform. 

We owe it to the Burmese people to find creative ways to encourage reform
and reconciliation in their country. 


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