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Australian Senator criticizes exports to Burma

Irrawaddy - January 6, 2010

Arkar Moe – A senator from the Australian Greens party has called on an Australian company to stop selling high-frequency radio sets to Burma's military junta, saying they are being used by the regime in its operations against ethnic minorities.

Sen. Scott Ludlam of Western Australia said radios sold by Barrett Communications are capable of frequency-hopping and encryption, making radio traffic impossible to intercept. He said this assists the Burmese military in its campaigns against ethnic armed groups and that the exports must be stopped.

"We don't believe there should be two-way trade between Australia and Burma at all... but there certainly shouldn't be two-way trade in sensitive military equipment such as this," he said in an interview with Radio Australia.

"The Burmese regime is a criminal regime, it's entirely illegitimate and it is very inappropriate for Australian companies to be doing business with that regime," he added.

Australia has long enforced an embargo on the delivery of arms to Burma, and financial sanctions were added in 2007.

Dr Myint Cho, a spokesperson from Burma Campaign Australia (BCA), told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the group was preparing to petition the Australian government to end sales of the radios to the Burmese junta.

"We are now preparing to send a message to the prime minister. We are also collecting signatures from democracy supporters," he said, noting that Burma's pro-democracy movement enjoys strong support in Australia.

"The Australian government has imposed sanctions on 463 Burmese generals and their associates, including visa restrictions and financial sanctions," he said.

On its Web site, BCA has launched a "Don't Deal with Burma" campaign, calling on Australian companies not to help fund Burma's military dictatorship and its systematic human rights abuses.

On Tuesday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Burma's armed forces are using Australian radio technology despite a Canberra arms embargo.

Perth-based company Barrett Communications Pty Ltd confirmed that it had sold 50 radio sets to Burma, but denied that they were being used by the country's military.

Barrett's managing director, Phil Bradshaw, said on Monday his company had been supplying the civilian-model 2050 radios to Burma for some time through a local agent, with the approval of customs authorities vetting exports for conformity with sanctions against the military regime.

However, in a media release on Tuesday, BCA spokesperson Zetty Brake dismissed this, saying "Burma's economy is controlled by the military dictatorship and the argument companies like Barrett Communications use they are only dealing with private companies or government ministries are both naive and untrue."

"The Australian government needs to ensure the Burmese military junta is not using civilian fronts to purchase high-tech equipment that can be used by the military," she said. "Australia needs to strengthen its arms embargo to ensure that equipment that has military capabilities is not being sold to Burma."

The group also targets a number of other Australian companies with business interests in Burma, including Andaman Teak Supplies Pty Ltd and tour operators Gecko's Adventure and Sr Asia Tourism. Jetstar Asia, an offshoot of Qantas' Jetstar Airways, and travel guide publisher Lonely Planet are among others that have been singled out.

Fashion retailer Millers and oil companies Twinza Oil and US-based Chevron, which has an Australian affiliate, have also come under fire for their dealings with the Burmese regime.

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