Australia accused of ‘kowtowing’ to Myanmar dictatorship

Australia has been accused of ‘kowtowing to dictators’ and an ‘act of treachery’ after outgoing ambassador to Myanmar Andrea Faulkner met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing

Outgoing Australian ambassador to Myanmar with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing

Australia has been accused of “kowtowing to dictators” and an “act of treachery” after outgoing ambassador to Myanmar Andrea Faulkner met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing this week, the military commander responsible for overthrowing the country’s democratically elected government and the deaths of at least 1730 civilians.

Details of the meeting were published in the Global New Light of Myanmar, the military’s propaganda mouthpiece, on Thursday, claiming the military leader and Ms Faulkner discussed “terror acts” committed by the parallel National Unity Government, made up of ousted elected MPs, and its defence force units.

The two “exchanged views on further maintenance of good relations between two countries, enhancement of co-operation in various sectors between governments and peoples of both countries, political progress in Myanmar”, the alleged dissident terrorism and planned legal action against those responsible, it said.

Ms Faulkner also accepted gifts from Min Aung Hlaing, who has been accused by the UN of crimes against humanity and acts of genocide against the country’s minority Rohingya after ordering the murderous 2017 military crackdown which forced more than 700,000 people to flee into Bangladesh.

There was no mention of whether the two discussed the continued incarceration of Australian economics professor Sean Turnell, a former policy adviser to ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Professor Turnell has been detained for more than a year and is on trial on trumped up charges of breaching state secrets.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said his case was discussed and “Ms Faulkner emphasised the high importance Australia attaches” to it.

“Ms Faulkner reiterated Australia’s concerns about the situation in Myanmar, and urged the Myanmar military to cease violence, release those who have been arbitrarily detained, engage in dialogue, and ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance,” the spokesman said.

“Australia recognises states, not governments. We note the military regime is seeking domestic and international recognition, and we have taken all possible steps to avoid conferring legitimacy. The Australian government engages with regime authorities in limited and appropriate ways in order to register our serious concerns about ongoing violence, urge the release of arbitrarily detained individuals, and call for inclusive dialogue and full implementation of ASEAN’s five-point consensus.

“Australian officials also engage with representatives of the National Unity Government and others as appropriate opportunities arise.”

Australia remains an outlier among our key Western allies and partners as one of the only countries that continues to resist targeted sanctions on the junta, its military commanders and military-linked businesses since the February 1, 2021 coup which sparked an ongoing mass civilian resistance campaign.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has repeatedly denounced the coup, and the subsequent security crackdown in which more than 10,000 civilians have been detained, and said the government is considering further action.

But Canberra has yet to act, despite having now imposed hundreds of sanctions on Russian leaders, their families, military commanders and government-linked businesses in response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chris Sidoti, an Australian human rights lawyer and co-author of the UN fact finding report on Myanmar which found credible evidence of genocide by the military, told The Australian it was “scandalous” that Australia was now in the company of Saudi Arabia and India, whose diplomatic envoys also met with Min Aung Hlaing to “pay homage” this week.

“While we’re professing our commitment to defending democracy in Ukraine, we seem to do nothing whatsoever to support democracy in our own backyard,” Mr Sidoti said.

“Kowtowing to the dictators is the last thing we should be doing in Myanmar. It shows the present Australian government as utterly hypocritical”.

The Australian understands that even while the government has denounced the coup, it has met on several occasions over the past year with Myanmar military commanders, including in April, September and November last year.

Yadanar Maung from the Myanmar for Justice group, which has advocated strongly for more sanctions against the junta and a global arms embargo, told The Australian the latest meeting had been “used widely in the junta’s domestic propaganda and is part of pattern of complicity” by the Australian government.

“Australia’s continued engagement with the military junta, a terrorist organisation, shows a failure to comply with its international human rights and humanitarian law obligations, and adhere to basic democratic values,” Ms Maung said.

“This pattern of meetings with war criminal Min Aung Hlaing and the junta’s ministers, including those directly responsible for atrocity crimes, undermines the Myanmar people’s struggle for democracy.

“Unlike its democratic allies, Australia has still failed to impose any targeted sanctions on the Myanmar junta and military businesses in response to the coup attempt and international crimes.”

“We call on Australia to take immediate and concrete steps to support democracy and human rights.”