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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