NEWS - Aung San Suu Kyi hits out at

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Subject: NEWS - Aung San Suu Kyi hits out at Australia human rights strategy 

Myanmar-Australia-rights
   Aung San Suu Kyi hits out at Australia human rights strategy 
   
   YANGON, Aug 25 (AFP) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has
hit 
out at Australia's approach to improving human rights inside her 
military-ruled country.
   Earlier this month the head of the Australian Human Rights
Commission, 
Chris Sidoti, travelled to Myanmar to discuss setting up a human rights
body.
   In an interview with AFP, Aung San Suu Kyi said the visit did not
help.
   "It is a little ironic that anybody imagines that they will be able
to 
cooperate with the junta to improve the human rights situation in Burma,
it's 
a bit like asking the fox to look after the chicken," she said.
   The junta is accused throughout the world of gross human rights
abuses 
including rape and torture.
   It rejects all the allegations and maintains that it intends to make 
democratic changes.
   The Nobel peace laureate said the junta had attempted to use Sidoti's
visit 
to improve its international image.
   "Of course the junta is quite eager to present a civilised front so
they 
have come out receiving these delegations," she said in the interview
late 
Monday.
   Aung San Suu Kyi supports the use of economic sanctions and isolation
to 
force the junta to hand over power to a democratic government.
   Writing in Monday's International Herald Tribune, Australian foreign 
minister Alexander Downer defended Sidoti's visit as a means to engage
the 
junta in serious dialogue on protecting human rights.
   "We owe it to the Burmese people to find creative ways to encourage
reform 
and reconciliation in their country," he said. 
   "Human rights are a matter of international concern, and as their 
protection is the responsibility of the national government, we have to
deal 
with the government." 
   Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy (NLD) to a
landslide 
victory in 1990 elections, but the military ignored the results and
embarked 
on a campaign of arrests and intimidation of NLD supporters.
   gw/agr/tw