Reuters-Suu Kyi says Australia hamp

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Subject: Reuters-Suu Kyi says Australia hampers Myanmar democracy 

Suu Kyi says Australia hampers Myanmar democracy
04:14 a.m. Sep 22, 1999 Eastern
By Jane Nelson

CANBERRA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Myanmar democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has criticised Australia, saying its policy
towards her military-ruled homeland was hampering moves towards democracy.

In a 10-minute video address to the Australian parliament on Wednesday, Suu
Kyi condemned Australian Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti's visit last
month to Myanmar, saying it could be seen as endorsing Myanmar's military
rulers.

``We think the timing of the visit was wrong and that it was ill-advised. At
this time, when the military authorities are at their most oppressive, the
message could be misconstrued,'' said Suu Kyi in the video smuggled out of
Myanmar.

``It could be seen as endorsement of their policies. It could, in fact, be
seen as the tacit approval of what they are doing to the democratic forces
in Burma (Myanmar),'' she said.

The Australian government defended its decision to send Sidoti to Myanmar,
saying little had changed in the country for such a long period of time that
new measures were needed.

``There has not been a lot of movement so we are trying to explore,
tentatively, some new avenues to see if it might improve the situation,''
government parliamentarian Peter Nugent told reporters after the video
presentation.

Nugent, who was representing Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, said
Sidoti's visit opened the way for talks with the military regime, but
stressed Australia would not act without proof of its commitment to
improving the situation.

``We're still looking to advance democracy and human rights in that country
and if we think we can find some alternative ways of doing it, then we feel
we have a responsibility to do that.''

International human rights groups have accused the Myanmar military
government of widespread human rights abuses, including mass arrests and
torture, against political opponents since seizing power in 1988 by crushing
a pro-democracy uprising.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won 1990 elections by a
landslide but the military has never recognised the result. Suu Kyi won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her work for democracy in Myanmar.

Sidoti went to Myanmar in August to explore the possibility of forming an
independent human rights organisation there, an idea first proposed by
Downer over a year ago.

Suu Kyi has previously condemned the scheme, saying it was unlikely to be
independent and comparing it with ``putting the foxes in charge of the
chickens.''

The video-taped message was the first time Suu Kyi, who was released from
six years' house arrest in 1995, had addressed a national parliament, the
Australia Burma Council told Reuters.

Australian Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton called for
international pressure, such as economic sanctions, on the military regime
as the only effective way of promoting democracy and human rights.

``It might not work but we believe it has a better chance of working than
embracing them in a dialogue and letting them use that dialogue for their
own propaganda purposes,'' he told reporters.