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Letter to Alexander Downer, Austral



Subject: Letter to Alexander Downer, Australia's Foreign Minister re:

James Mawdsley
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Australia Burma Council


The Hon. Alexander Downer M.P.
Minister Foreign Affairs
Ministerial Wing
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2620

Via Facsimile (612) 6273 4112

6th September 1999




Dear Minister,

Re:  James Mawdsley

Organisations around Australia working for human rights and democracy in 
Burma are naturally most disturbed about the sentencing of James Mawdsley 
in Burma last week.  Your Department has informed the ABC that Australian 
and British diplomats in Rangoon are doing all possible to have access to 
James and to secure his release.   We are most grateful for these efforts.

In examining the facts of the case it is quite clear that James has been 
denied the most fundamental human rights.  It seems he has been tried and 
sentenced without proper legal representation and the dictatorship did not 
take into account the time already served by him last year in handing down 
the sentence.  As far as we can ascertain, James has been given a seventeen 
year sentence which includes the reinstatement of a five year sentence 
handed down last year for violation of the Immigration Law No 13/1 of 1947, 
a second five years for violation of the same Immigration Law and seven 
years for violation of Section 17 of the 1962 Printers and Publishers 
Registration Law.

There is no deduction for the time James has already spent in jail, several 
months last year, he may not have violated the Printers and Publishers Law, 
as the material he was distributing was printed in Thailand, not Burma, the 
dictatorship is calling James a mercenary terrorist, yet he has never held 
a gun and trial without legal representation would be grounds for dismissal 
of charges in most countries of the world. It is hoped that all possible 
will be done by Embassies in Rangoon to clarify these points with the 
dictatorship and that you might use your influence with ASEAN member states 
asking that they assist in securing James release.

It seems likely that the dictatorship will take a very tough position in 
regards to this issue given that James is a third time offender and Myanmar 
Television have alleged that he was collaborating with exiled ABSDF and the 
KNU.  As the dictatorship have been engaging in discussions with Chris 
Sidoti, Australia's Human Rights Commissioner, about human rights and the 
establishment of a Human Rights Commission, their appalling legal system 
should be addressed.  Without the rule of law it is impossible to protect 
people from human rights violations and therefore, the dictatorship should 
be challenged about their sincerity in this regard and the case of James 
Mawdsley could be a very good test case.

Minister, we hope and trust that you will do all possible to secure the 
release of James Mawdsley.  His actions have been purely an attempt to 
highlight human rights abuses in Burma and he does not deserve to be 
treated like a common criminal.

Yours sincerely,



Amanda Zappia
Australian Rep. NCGUB / FTUB
Central Coordinator ABC

Working on behalf of the:
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB)
Federation of Trade Unions, Burma (FTUB)
Australia Burma Council (ABC)

PO Box 2024, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620
Tel: (612) 6297 7734	Fax: (612) 6297 7773