Media Release, Interpol Drugs

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Free Burma Coalition, Australia

ABC Condemns Downers Decision on Interpol Conference in Rangoon



Media Release

10th February 1999

No Drug Carrots for the Military of Burma

According to media and diplomatic sources the Australian Government intends
sending 3 representatives to the Interpol Drug Conference to be held in
Rangoon toward the end of this month.  In a letter to Mr Downer the
Australia Burma Council said that Australia's presence would lend legitimacy
to the regime and has asked him to reconsider his position on the issue.

Despite a boycott from the US, UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark,
Belgium, Italy and perhaps others, Interpol will hold its fourth
international Heroin Conference in Rangoon hosted by the military
dictatorship of Burma.  Madelaine Albright, US Secretary of State and Robin
Cook, UK Foreign Minister have both publicly condemned Interpol for its
choice of host for the 1999 meeting, accusing the body of "conniving with
drug lords".

Burma is the largest producer of heroin in the Asia Pacific region and is
directly responsible for approximately 80% of the drug on our shores which
kills Australian children every day.  They are also known to the world as
brutal, incompetent and corrupt. In 1990 they staged and election, lost and
then refused to hand over power to the winning political party, NLD led by
Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. They are considered by such bodies as
the International Parliamentary Union, United Nations and International
Labor Organisation to be one of the most repressive dictatorships in the
world.

Despite the fact that Canberra admits senior officials in Burma are involved
with the production of heroin they fall short of including the generals of
the brutal Council of Burma in the list of criminals.  

Australia spends millions of dollars trying to stem the flow of drugs from
the golden triangle, yet are prepared to spend more on a conference, which
will embrace the dictatorship of Burma and leave them thinking their
propaganda is being believed.  Australia's attendance and support of this
conference will be an obnoxious admission of a softening of national policy
and will bring no good to the people of Burma nor will it aid us in our bid
to have a drug free society.

Mr Downer must reconsider his position on this matter and refuse to allow
Australian Federal Police to attend the Conference if Australia is to

maintain a level of respectability and honour in the international community.

Media Contact:

Dr Myint Cho: Director, Burma Office, Sydney (02) 9264 7694 AH (02) 9682 5767

Free Burma Coalition, Australia

Working for the:
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
Federation of Trade Unions, Burma
Australia Burma Council

PO Box 2024, Queanbeyan  NSW  2620
Ph: +61-2-6297-7734  Fax: +61-2-6297-7773