Kennedy Graham

Wellington, Aug 12 NZPA - The Government should back up its tough words against the Burmese regime and stop any of its officials receiving training in New Zealand, Green MP Kennedy Graham said today.

A Burma court found democracy leader Suu Kyi guilty yesterday of violating her house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay at her home. She was ordered her to serve out an 18-month sentence under house arrest.

The Government has called on Burma's rulers to release Suu Kyi immediately and take steps to restore democracy.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the court's decision would further alienate the Burmese military government from the international community.

It was difficult to reach any conclusion other than that the Burmese government orchestrated the verdict to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi would still be in detention and unable to participate next year's Burmese elections, Mr McCully said.

Suu Kyi has been in detention for 14 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.

Dr Graham said New Zealand continued to trade with Burma and also train Burmese officials.

"Government officials from Burma have been sponsored through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to come to New Zealand and brush up their English language skills at our polytechnics," Dr Graham said.

Mr McCully's spokesman said the Burmese studying in New Zealand were not stooges of the regime, but junior bureaucrats.

Bringing them to New Zealand exposed them to an open democratic government.

"The Government already had in place travel sanctions against the junta and its henchmen," the spokesman said.

New Zealand had consistently pressed Asean nations -- of which Burma is a member -- to put pressure on the regime to move to democracy and has been supportive of moves in that direction.