Letter to the Australian Foreign Minister

To – Hon. Alexander Downer
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2601

Date: August 22, 2006

Dear Honorable Minister,

We, ABSDF (Australia Branch), are very surprised the announcement of media release “Australia Helps Found New Fund To Fight Diseases in Burma” dated on 18 August 2006 when Burmese military authorities recently raided Maggin Buddhist monastery in Rangoon's Thinganggyun Township where AIDS sufferers were preparing to hold the ever first religious ceremony on 13 August and reportedly arrested at least 11 persons. This latest incident came at the time when the international community is holding the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto , Canada and the British government has pledged $36 million for the 3-D Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in Burma .

In the media release, we noticed that Burmese authorities have agreed to facilitate the Fund's operations consistent with internationally recognised humanitarian principles.

We strongly distrust this agreement because Burmese authority is the one who has created fertile conditions for the spread of the disease. "The lack of freedom, the lack of scientific information, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, these very fundamental rights that have been denied the Burmese people, have made HIV spread more likely and more grave".

According to the source from the observers for the funds, the entire donation dollars must be credited to the Burmese government-controlled bank first and the daily running costs must be withdrawn from the bank in Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs). It has been learned that the military government in Burma has already formed a committee headed by the health minister to administer the funds. The donation is for a five-year health program and is said to be a replacement for the projects discontinued with the withdrawal of the Global Fund which decided to terminate its large medical assistance to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Burma on 19 August 2005 because of the travel restrictions by Burmese authorities.

We also fully concern that the situation of AIDS victims under the military regime is worse and worse and day by day such as former political prisoner and AIDS suffer Than Lwin who died recently without getting help from Burmese authorities and three AIDS patients also were expelled from the house hired to stay, and also humiliated one of them in public for being an AIDS sufferer by the local authorities in Burma.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) members were also barred from visiting prisons at the end of last year by military junta. As per the report from the prisoners recently, a team of the junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) central members led by Maj-Gen Than Htay came to the prison and interrogate prisoners and told them that they will be taken action against if they request help from the ICRC.

Furthermore, Burmese authorities are still continuing to pile intense pressure on AIDS prevention and educational projects of the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Therefore, even though we would like to welcome the Australia 's contribution of $15 million to the Three Diseases Fund through its international aid agency AusAID over five years, we urge the Australian government to suspend the assistance for the time being and strongly pressure on Burmese authorities to guarantee the following conditions in Burma urgently.

(1) To stop the oppression and restrictions on all AIDS victims.

(2) To allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) members for visiting prisons where political prisoners who are suffering AIDS and other diseases in Burma 's prisons.

(3) To allow the International health orginisations to help directly to those who are suffering AIDS and other diseases, without restrictions on their activities.

(4) To allow the cooperation of NLD and other democratic forces to implement the projects for AIDS prevention and educational projects.

Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter.

Yours sincerely,

Executive Committee

All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)

Australia Branch

Copies to –

(1) Australian political parties and organisations

(2) Burmese democratic forces

(3) Medias