July 12, 2013
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia won't use foreign
aid as a bargaining tool with Myanmar, despite being "apprehensive"
about the future of the country's minority Rohingya Muslim population.
Senator Carr has raised their plight during talks with the government in
Naypyidaw, but he's ruled out accepting large numbers of Rohingyas as
refugees, even though they are not considered to be citizens of Myanmar.
Presenter: Naomi Woodley
Speaker: Bob Carr, Australian Foreign Minister
BOB CARR: Australia takes a keen interest in their plight and in the
need for reconciliation and harmony within this part of Myanmar.
NAOMI WOODLEY: How was that message received by the different political groups in Myanmar?
BOB CARR: Well, the representatives of the government pointed to the
efforts they had made to bring communities back together and promote
tolerance. They emphasised that education and the development of
opportunities across all the ethnic groups in Rakhine state would be
vital to longer term success.
We, for our part, are able to talk about the humanitarian assistance we
provided in that state. I've announced an increase of $3.2 million going
towards the emergency accommodation required but I've got to say, after
spending the day in Yangon talking to our representatives of the
Rohingya people and to representatives of a group at odds with them, the
Arakan League for Democracy and the Rakhine Nationalities Democratic
Party* that I'm pretty apprehensive.
NAOMI WOODLEY: Given Aung San Suu Kyi's special status across the world
as really a symbol of peaceful struggle and the pursuit of democracy and
rights, are you disappointed that she hasn't taken a more aggressive
stance on this?
BOB CARR: I wouldn't criticise any of the political leadership of
Myanmar. I'd simply highlight that this is an extraordinarily difficult
problem. It goes back to colonial times and earlier. As the minister for
reconciliation said to me, he said we've got 11 armed ethnic groups and
we've got 135 recognised ethnic groups.
NAOMI WOODLEY: Australia is one of the largest contributors of aid
towards Myanmar. How quickly are we going to get to a point where the
Australian Government would start to look at aid or make aid contingent
on some action being taken towards resolving this particular tension?
BOB CARR: Yeah, this is such a wretchedly poor country, we couldn't do
that. Our simple humanitarian instincts require that we go on giving aid
while, with the credibility that gives us and being seen as something
of a champion of Myanmar, we will continue to press with the government
and with opposition leadership the plight of the Rohingya.
NAOMI WOODLEY: But then how do you make that message effective because
this is a problem that has been growing in seriousness. It is a deep
seated problem. So if you're not going to use the sharp end of aid, how
does Australia adequately convey this message in a way that will see
some action taken?
BOB CARR: Well, Myanmar does care about the way the world perceives it.
It does desperately need an inflow of investment dollars to lift the
living standards of its people, to see more people move into employment
and to see more people liberated from rural poverty.
I think it does care that the headlines around the world these days
about ethnic and sectarian tensions in Rakhine province and not about
the fact that the government has concluded peace agreements, ceasefires
with 11 armed ethnic groups, which is an awe inspiring achievement and
one the country can truly be proud of.
TONY EASTLEY: That's the Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr, who's been
in Myanmar for the last couple of days. He was speaking to AM's Naomi
Woodley.
