Transcript of Interview with ABC24

Subjects: Release from house arrest of Burmese pro democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

14 November 2010

NEWSREADER: The Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, joins me now from our Canberra studio.

And Mr Rudd, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Now you've seen those jubilant scenes in Rangoon. How confident are you that Aung San Suu Kyi will remain free in the coming weeks?

KEVIN RUDD: Well this is very much a wait and see. I spoke last night to our ambassador in Rangoon about this very question. And there is still complete uncertainty from the regime as to whether Aung San Suu Kyi movements will be free, whether she'd be able to participate in all political activities which she wishes to, whether she's going to have appropriate freedom of speech. Hence the need for the entire international community to maintain pressure on the Burmese regime for the future.

NEWSREADER: Because you just mentioned there the Australian consular officials in Rangoon. What role are they playing in this sort of process?

KEVIN RUDD: Well the Australian Government attaches the highest priority to the restoration of human rights and democracy to Burma. For our embassy has been actively engaged together with a core group of other embassies in applying continued pressure to the regime in Rangoon and also maintaining an international coalition of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and for her eventual release.

Specifically of course we embraced targeted sanctions against individual members of the regime which affect their movements and which affect certain financial transactions on the part of the regime as well.

NEWSREADER: Because I mean there's - it's not just her. She's not just the only political prisoner. There are more than 2000 other people being held. Do you think this is the first step that we can see to having more people released or do you think this is more of a PR exercise after copping a lot of flak from the recent elections?

KEVIN RUDD: It's important not to sit back and try to analyse the actions and motivations of the Burmese regime, simply because they've always been opaque. What we can do however is continue to apply intelligent political and sanctions based pressure against this regime. That has an effect over time. It's not perfect. It's not universally effective but it adds to the overall levels of pressures currently being felt in Rangoon by the regime, causing them to think twice about certain actions.

You're right absolutely to point to the fact that there are thousands of other political prisoners in Burma. Also the fact that in the recently conducted elections that there were many political parties who were prohibited from participating. This is a very imperfect operation but our responsibility is to seize opportunities as they arise. Aung San Suu Kyi's release is one of them. The participation in these flawed elections by a number of non-regime parties, despite the modest success that they have had, that's another. And our job is to work very closely in support with them because ultimately this is a matter for the Burmese people and their political leaders.

NEWSREADER: She has been in this position before. She has been let out from house arrest and then only to be taken back. You mentioned what the international community has to do. How can they do that? What effective things can be done?

KEVIN RUDD: Well as I said appropriate maintenance of targeted sanctions against regime members is appropriate. But also the fact that there continues to be a strong chorus of global diplomatic support for Aung San Suu Kyi herself, but also the wider process of democratisation in Burma.

Remember what we're up against here and what the strong courageous democratic political leaders of Burma are up against as well, a regime which has virtually been in place since 1962. And Aung San Suu Kyi having spent 15 of the last 21 years in jail. We've got to take this step by step. But we'll be in there together with the US and others encouraging, pressuring, supporting, doing whatever we can on the ground, including through our aid program, supporting the emergence of Burmese civil society, in support of this wider campaign for the democratisation of Burmese politics.

NEWSREADER: Because this has captured the world's attention. I mean President Obama this morning called her a hero and it - you know, this is something that a step that must be taken to improve democracy in Burma. Do you think - we're expected to hear from her later today. Do you think that she will just walk away from what she's been fighting for? I mean this is someone who's spent 15 years locked up. You don't think that she'll just suddenly stay quiet.

KEVIN RUDD: Look, the Aung San Suu Kyi that I've come to know of in recent years is a person of formidable personal strength. Barack Obama is right to describe her as a hero, a heroine of democracy, someone who's prepared to put their personal interest last and the cause of democratic freedoms first within her country, and having elected to be in the first slammer effectively for 15 of the last 21 years. That speaks volumes about the personal credentials, moral strength and resolve of this individual.

Our job as the rest of the international community is to back her as effectively, strongly and as intelligently as possible. This democratic ideal is worth fighting for. It's worth supporting. It's worth getting in behind. And that's what we'll continue to do as the Australian Government and through our mission in Rangoon.

NEWSREADER: So do you think her release will lead to Australia looking to improve relations with Burma, if everything goes to plan?

KEVIN RUDD: Mauritia (*), this is always the balancing act. On the one hand, we don't wish to ascribe any greater legitimacy to the regime in Rangoon than is absolutely necessarily. On the other hand, we wish through our aid program and through our wider economic engagement with Burma, its civil society and its economy, to do what we can to help lift the living standards of the Burmese people. Tens of millions of people live in what is probably the poorest country in Asia. Maternal and child health indicators suggest that the mortality rates there are the worst in Asia.

So our job at a very ground - grass roots level is to help improve these basic indicators of life as well, together at the political level, doing what we can to support Aung San Suu Kyi, other democratic political parties, other democratic political leaders in what is going to be a very slow process of democratic transformation.

NEWSREADER: Okay. Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

KEVIN RUDD: Thanks for having me.

END

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