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Indonesian Head (Suharto) ends Burm
Subject: Indonesian Head (Suharto) ends Burma visit.
Indonesian Head Ends Burma Visit
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Sunday, February 23, 1997 2:47 am EST
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- Indonesian President
Suharto, one of the staunchest backers
of Burma's military regime, departed Rangoon on
Sunday after a three-day visit aimed at
strengthening economic ties.
He was the sixth Southeast Asian head of state
to visit Burma, a country shunned by many
Western governments, since 1994.
During the visit, Indonesian Foreign Minister
Ali Alatas said Burma was well on its way to
joining the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations but did not give a fixed date for its entry.
Burma is eagerly seeking membership in the
dynamic, seven-nation grouping to improve
both its economy and standing in the
international community where its human rights record
is strongly criticized.
But Southeast Asian governments maintain that
only engagement rather than isolation can
bring about political change in Burma.
``We will not apply as a criterion something
that is tantamount to asking changes in the
political or economic system of a country,''
Alatas told a press conference Saturday,
referring to the strong Western criticism of
Burma's repressive regime.
Cementing ties between Indonesia's and Burma's
military rulers, Suharto became the first
visiting foreign dignitary to meet former
Burmese strongman Ne Win since he retired in 1988
amidst a pro-democracy uprising.
The uprising was brutally suppressed by the
current military leadership. The 86-year-old Ne
Win ruled Burma with an iron hand after staging
a military coup in 1962.
The contents of discussions between Ne Win and
Suharto, who have known each other
since the early 1970s, were not revealed.
Alatas said only minor technical criteria need
to be worked out before Burma can enter the
ranks of ASEAN, which includes Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia,
Vietnam and the Philippines. Laos and Cambodia
are also seeking entry.
Alatas said Suharto's visit was aimed at
enhancing economic cooperation and bilateral trade.
Critics have charged that Suharto's backing of
the Rangoon regime is also motivated by his
family's business interests, which have
recently expanded into Burma's more open economy.
Conglomerates owned by Suharto's children are
increasing their involvement in Burma's
communications, construction, petrochemical,
logging and animal feed industries, according
to activists and the companies.
During the visit, two memorandums of
understanding were signed between Indonesian
companies and the Burmese government.
[The Associated Press, 23 Feb 1997].
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