A Bangkok-based Burmese lobby group has called on the international community to take every action short of war to coerce Rangoon into releasing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and commencing stalled political dialogue.

In a press statement, Altsean-Burma said "every non-military option necessary" must be employed to ensure that the junta delivers on its earlier promises to democratise the country.

Altsean-Burma is a regional network of organisations and individuals supporting human rights and democracy in Burma.

It said these should include an arms embargo and suspension of military cooperation with Burma, downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension from international organisations as well as an imposition of wide-ranging economic sanctions on the country.

Altsean also called for travel bans for all members of the junta and government-sponsored groups such as the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA) as well as the cancellation or suspension of all bilateral aid.

To date, the United States is the only country which has imposed a travel and import ban on Burma. The United Kingdom has threatened to take similar actions while Japan said it would suspend all new aid programmes to the country.

Asean rapped

"We wish to emphasis that the governments of Asean, India and China have contributed to the current crisis in Burma because their selective engagement with the regime has only encouraged more repression in the country.

"Such negative intervention has served to enlarge the security threat that the regime poses to the region," said the organisation.

Altsean has been persistently calling for disengagement with the Burmese junta unless concrete steps are taken by the government to dialogue with Suu Kyi, her party the National League for Democracy and other political parties and ethnic minority groups aligned to NLD.

The lobby group issued its list of resolution to mark the one-month anniversary of Suu Kyi's detention, presumably for "protective custody", following clashes between her supporters and government supporters.

She is said to be held in a house within the compound of a prison in Rangoon. The Burmese government has, however, denied rumours that she is being held in Insein prison - a place where many political dissidents are jailed.

Her continued incarceration has also raised concerns over her well-being.

Review status

Meanwhile, Altsean also called on Asean to review the status of Burma's membership in view of the problems posed by Burma's refusal to move towards national reconciliation.

"(Asean has to) redeem itself by pro-actively working with the international community to facilitate steps towards a political solution in Burma. (It should also) send a high-level delegation to Rangoon as suggested at the recent Asean Ministerial Meeting."

In an unprecedented move, Asean issued a joint statement at the end of its two-day meet in Phnom Penh two weeks ago saying that its members "looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on Aung San Suu Kyi".

The association's move is believed to be in response to strong international pressure, particularly by the US, to take a position on the detention.

Arrests criticised

Among other resolutions, Altsean said Asean should also respect the right of Burmese activities and people fleeing oppression to peacefully work for the democratisation of Burma.

"In particular, we express grave concern at the actions of the Thai and Malaysian governments in arresting activists who participated in public events to call for the release of Suu Kyi and other activists.

"It is regrettable that Burmese activists now have to face repression that is similar to that which they have fled," the lobby group said.

In recent weeks, both Thai and Malaysian authorities have arrested Burmese nationals for attempting to demonstrate against Suu Kyi's detention outside Burmese missions in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur respectively.

Last week, Thai police arrested 11 Burmese on allegations that they were planning a demonstration. Another Burmese man was also arrested and charged with drug smuggling, which police claim is supporting the activities of exiled dissidents.

They are now threatened with deportation back to Burma.

Six persons were also arrested two weeks ago by Malaysian authorities as they attempted to march past the Burmese embassy carrying posters of Suu Kyi.

Three were released later and three more charged with immigration law violations.