Farrow: nations should protest China at Olympics

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BANGKOK — Mia Farrow said Friday the world should use next month's Olympic Games as a platform to demand that China end its support for Myanmar's junta.

China is Myanmar's most important ally, providing economic, military and other aid while Western nations shun the military-ruled country because of its poor human rights record and failure to restore democracy.

China objects to Western criticisms of Myanmar's junta, saying conditions in the southeast Asian country have improved dramatically since a violent crackdown on peaceful protests in September last year.

The actress held a news conference in Bangkok after visiting the Myanmar-Thailand border with a delegation from the Nobel Women's Initiative, a group founded by female recipients of the Nobel Peace prize.

"If there is enough international pressure and if voices are raised loud enough, we can push China to change its position on Burma," Farrow told The Associated Press. Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.

Farrow also lamented President Bush's decision to attend the opening ceremonies, saying it was "a missed opportunity for the United States to stand strong by its own principles."

"A statement could have been made," she said.

In the run-up to the Olympics, Farrow has campaigned worldwide to urge China to help stop the killings in Sudan's western Darfur region. China has been one of Sudan's biggest trading partners and sells it weapons.

Reading from a statement, Farrow urged the United Nations and the international community to take action to protect women in Myanmar from sexual exploitation and abuse in areas hit by a deadly cyclone in May.

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