War games with Burma row

MILITARY contacts with the Rangoon junta including joint naval exercises involving Australian and Burmese warships did not compromise the government's strong diplomatic stand against Burma's thuggish military regime, Senate Estimates was told yesterday.

The Navy's participation in an Indian military exercise in which a Burmese warship was also invited has been condemned by human rights groups, academics and the federal Opposition as a blatant violation of the government's ban on military links with Rangoon.

The Armidale class patrol boat, HMAS Glenelg, took part in Exercise Milan which ended on Tuesday.

Its presence among an international flotilla which included a Burmese warship has drawn strong criticism. At Estimates, Defence Minister John Faulkner denied the war games and people to people contacts involving a defence attache undermined international diplomatic action against Burma. "The ADF does not hold bilateral exercises with the Burmese armed forces. Occasionally, we participate in multi-lateral activities to which Burma has been invited," Mr Faulkner said.


RELATED COVERAGE
US passport is no protection from Rangoon goons
The Australian, 29 Dec 2009
Threat of attack raises border tension
The Australian, 2 Sep 2009
Rudd seeks to provoke Burmese junta
The Australian, 11 Aug 2009
Burma's deadly course
The Australian, 5 Aug 2009
Smith alert on Burma nuke claim
The Australian, 2 Aug 2009

But Canberra's policy appears at odds with that adopted by the US military whose government has been a staunch critic of Rangoon and its supporters.

A senior commander with the US 7th Fleet told The Australian yesterday it was highly unlikely any US warships would get involved in naval exercises in which Burmese military vessels were also taking part.

Across the Tasman, a spokesman for New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully said UN sanctions against Burma were taken seriously by Wellington and contact with Burmese junta officials was minimal.

Federal Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said the Navy's decision to send the patrol boat undermined the Government's credibility on Burma and its sanctions regime.

"The Labor Party have in the past condemned Burma as one of the most repressive regimes in the world -- they've deemed it a rogue state," Ms Bishop said.

"Are they suggesting we now undertake military exercises with North Korea or other rogue states like Iran."

"It does have the potential to seriously undermine the international position that we have taken publicly for some time," Ms Bishop said.

University of Canberra's Burma expert, Professor Monique Skidmore, said the Rudd government could not have it both ways.

"It's one thing to say you are going to deliver humanitarian aid.

"So what possible benefit could there be to Australia participating in joint exercises with the Burmese military. We give them (junta) legitimacy every time we allow this to happen," she said.