Opposition politicians today found themselves rebuffed by officials at the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur who refused to receive a memorandum calling for the ruling military junta to release its political prisoners and open up the country towards greater democracy.

In a memorandum addressed to Burmese Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt, Keadilan Youth used the occasion of the Ninth Asean Summit - which begins today in Bali, Indonesia - to urge the ruling State Peace and Development Council to release democratically elected Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi without conditions.

It also wants the SPDC to set a time-frame in which it will meet specific commitments under its promised roadmap towards democracy, without which Burma will "forever remain in a political impasse."

In order for this, Keadilan said SPDC will need to restart the dialogue process with the party which won majority votes in the 1990 elections, the National League for Democracy.

However, embassy officials refused to come forward to receive the document, insisting instead that the memo be passed onto its security personnel, prompting Youth chief Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor to chastise the embassy's failure to perform such a basic function.

"If they cannot even come forward to receive the memorandum, how do you expect them to deal with those they consider their enemies - the opposition parties in Burma?"

Dr M slammed

Mohd Ezam also took the opportunity to criticise what appears to be a shift in Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's position towards SPDC.

The premier was quoted in the press yesterday as saying that Asean would not be coming out with strong statement on Burma. This despite his warning in July that the Burma, with its re-arrest of Suu Kyi on May 30, risks expulsion from the grouping if it continues to defy regional opinion.

"After meeting with General Khin Nyunt, (Dr Mahathir) has made an about-turn that is inconsistent with his earlier remarks on Aung San Suu Kyi," said Mohd Ezam.

By merely noting that progress requires time and that the SPDC faces limitations, he added, Dr Mahathir has chosen to give a political statement that is inconsistent with his previous position.

At this juncture, Malaysia must push the junta for an answer on when it plans to meet its commitments for democratic change, said Mohd Ezam, "otherwise we have every right to say that there is no sincerity (on the part of the Mahathir administration) to solve the problems in Burma, on the basis of human rights, solidarity and freedom."

Not Asean way

Mohd Ezam also took an added swipe at the prime minister by reminding that Malaysia continues to incarcerate "many political prisoners, including former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim."

"This action is aimed at supporting democracy in the region. We want to remind Asean that human rights must be addressed.... (and such a notion) must be strengthened between Malaysia and Burma" said Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua, who was also present at the gathering outside the embassy gates.

"The stubbornness of the Burmese junta is creating problems for Asean as a whole needs to be addressed now," said Tian.

Given this, he said, Asean urgently requires a regional standard in addressing human rights and democracy issues in the region, not just in Burma but also other areas such as Aceh, the arrest of political prisoners in Malaysia, and the human rights abuses in southern Philippines.

Following a 30-minute meeting with the Burmese prime minister in Bali yesterday, Dr Mahathir told the press that Asean would not be censure Burma as that is not the Asean way of resolving problems.

Dr Mahathir said that during the meeting, both leaders merely exchanged views on the junta's implementation of the roadmap to democracy, and stressed that as a "good friend of Myanmar", Malaysia will do what it can to help in that process.

The Burmese military junta has renamed the country Myanmar, but this was rejected by its opponents who argued that the name change was made by an illegitimate government which seized power after losing the 1990 general elections.