CTU calls for Support for Burma Democracy Movement

The Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson has called for Government and public support for international sanctions against Burma's military dictatorship, following a meeting with Burmese democratic leaders in Wellington today.Two members of the visiting delegation were elected MPs in 1991 as part of the Government of the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The delegation is led by the President of the National Council of the Union of Burma, U Hla Oo.

"Burma is the forgotten country and the atrocities committed there daily by the military dictatorship are often ignored internationally," Ross Wilson said.

The exiled Burmese democratic leaders will make a direct plea to New Zealand this week to support international sanctions against the dictatorship.

They will ask New Zealand to stop exports to Burma worth $5.9 million in the year to last June ? mainly milk powder ($4.5 million).

They also want New Zealand to support mounting international pressure to stop Myanmar (Burma) taking the chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) next year, unless it restores democracy first.

Army generals have ruled the country of 50 million people since 1962 and crushed a student-led popular uprising in 1988, killing hundreds of peaceful protesters.

The regime allowed elections in 1990, but declared that Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which won 60 per cent of the vote, was "not ready to rule".

Suu Kyi has spent most of the years since 1990 under house arrest. Most of the elected MPs were jailed, killed or fled the country.

Two exiled MPs, U Daniel Aung and U Hla Oo, who is also president of the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma, have come to New Zealand with U Maung Maung the General Secretary of the FTUB.

U Maung Maung and other exiled leaders flew to Manila earlier this month seeking support from a conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to block Burma's chairmanship of Asean.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff told Associated Press last month that the chairmanship issue provided a chance to put extra pressure on the Burmese junta to restore democracy.

"There is an opportunity for both members and dialogue partners to push for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi with Burma scheduled to host the Asean conference next year," he said.

The United States and the European Union have both threatened not to attend any Asean meetings hosted by Burma.