Activists want end of Australia

Activists want end of Australia's HR trainings for junta

Human Rights

26 civil society organizations and groupings from Burma have today urged Australia to end its support for human rights trainings in Burma that had begun more than two years ago. 

In their open letter to Alexander Downer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the groups, among which are Students and Youth Congress of Burma, United Nationalities Youth League, Women's League of Burma and the National Council of the Union of Burma, have emphasized the lack of improvement in the human rights situation in Burma, despite the ten courses that have been conducted by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University since July 2000. 

"(T)he main reason why we are so strongly opposed to the Australian-funded human rights trainings is that they are clearly being used by the regime to deflect criticism of their human rights record, and thereby gain international legitimacy without having to implement proper democratic reform," says the petition. "Such legitimacy equates to increased foreign investment, which will directly support the dictatorship and halt the path to democracy." 

Apart from the lack of improvement in the human rights area, it also charges that the military has continued to build up its army a large proportion of which being forcibly conscripted child soldiers, quoting reports by Human Rights Watch Asia and Unicef. 

"The continuing flow of refugees into Burma's neighboring countries is a testimony to the ongoing oppression and human rights violations inside Burma," it adds. 

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese Opposition leader, had also denounced the trainings as "pointless and a waste of money." 

Copies of the petition had also been sent to Kevin Rudd, Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs; John Faulker, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate; Stephen Conroy, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate; Jennifer Macklin, Shadow Minister for Status of Women and Simon Crean, Leader of the Opposition Labor Party, according to Nang Lao Liang Won, the petitions's spokesperson.