Kuala Lumpur, 30 November, (Asian Tribune.com):*The release of Nobel Laureate and the pro-democracy leader of Mynamar, Aung San Suu Kyi is important and central to the success of any roadmap to any democracy in Myanmar emphasises the ASEAN Parliamentarians on the Myanmar issue during a workshop held in Kuala Lumpur. Parliamentarians from ASEAN countries said in the statement released after the workshop: Her detention for more than nine of the past 16 years cannot be justified and must be opposed by all Parliamentarians. The statement further added: The release of Aung San Suu Kyi is central to the success of any roadmap to democracy but it is by no means the only criteria. There must also be inclusive National Convention and genuine tripartite dialogue. The full text of the statement of the workshop of ASEAN Parliamentarians on held in Kula Lumpur regarding the Myanmar issue is given below: [Omitted in this summary]

Written by Malaysiakini

Monday, 29 November 2004

Efforts will be taken to broaden the support base – from within Asean parliaments – for the recently formed Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar (Burma) and its calls for the regional bloc to suspend Burma’s role as chair in 2006, said its interim chairperson Zaid Ibrahim today.

“Basically, I will try to speak to other Parliamentarians in Malaysia … as not all of them understand or appreciate the issue and situation in Burma,” said Zaid, who is also Kota Baru member of parliament.

The ruling Barisan Nasional parliamentarian also said he will hold talks with the country’s Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, to “brief him on the Burma issue” and the outcomes of the recent Asean Parliamentary Caucus Workshop.

“The follow-up from this must go through proper channels and all Parliamentarians from the other countries have been encouraged to do the same,” he added when contacted.

He named Parliamentarians from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines as key players in the movement and was confident that all workshop participants from those countries as well as from Malaysia, were serious about bringing human rights and democracy to Burma.

Cambodia’s participation in the three-day workshop, which was held at Kuala Lumpur’s JW Marriot, was an opposition MP but Zaid said Son Chhay of the Sam Rainsy party, will be returning to his country to lobby Parliamentarians from all political camps to join the campaign.

Remove Burma

Meanwhile, in a strongly-worded press statement issued yesterday, the caucus urged that Asean bar Burma from being awarded the 2006 chairmanship and immediately review the military’s membership with a view to suspending it.

“In the absence of substantial and meaningful democratic and constitutional reforms in Myanmar, such assumption of the (Asean) chairmanship would be severely detrimental to the interests of Asean,” the statement read, using the new name of the country which was picked by the Burmese junta. Opposition parliamentarian and caucus member, DAP’s Teresa Kok when contacted, was happy with the outcome of the workshop and said the participants are gearing up for future plans on the struggle to democratise the military-ruled Burma.

“All the Asean Parliamentarians who participated in the meeting were very concerned with the situation there. We will be meeting again in April, just before the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting,”

IPU, established in 1889, is an international organisation of parliaments of sovereign states – which among others, works for the firm establishment of representative democracy – will conduct its 112th meeting in the Phillippines on April 3-8.

Parliamentarians at the workshop also called for a range of democratic reforms in Burma including the immediate release of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, elected MPs and other political prisoners in Burma.

Human rights groups have long documented violations in the country which has been run by the military since a 1962 coup.

Unexpectedly encouraging

Leading activist on Burma, Debbie Stothard, told malaysiakini today that the workshop’s statement has caused “quite a stir” among analysts and activists working on the Southeast Asian country.

“Many were surprised that the Parliamentarians came out strongly to support human rights and democracy in Burma,” said Stothard who is coordinator at advocacy organisation Altsean-Burma.

Commenting as a workshop observer, Debbie added that the consensus was that Asean’s non-interference policy has lost its validity and the bloc can no longer use its ‘neighbourhood policies’ as a valid excuse to continue allowing human rights atrocities in Burma.

“The outcomes will be a significant boost for the pro-democracy movement in Burma and it’s also a sign of growing democratisation regionally. The Parliamentarians are wiling to take a stand and challenge some of the obsolete positions held by Asean,” she added.

She was further encouraged by Singapore’s participation at the workshop, its support of the calls made by the caucus and the inclusion of Charles Chong – a parliamentarian from the country’s ruling People’s Action Party – in the caucus’ working committee.

“It has indeed been quite challenging, previously, to raise the (Burmese) issue in Singapore,” said Stothard adding the fact that a clear objective formed by both opposition and ruling Parliamentarians at the workshop was a very positive development.

Written by NEW STRAITS TIMES

Monday, 29 November 2004

Kuala Lumpur: Asean Governments have been “too soft for too long” with Myanmar, according to the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar today.

Interim president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said continuing the soft approach towards Myanmar would not solve the situation there.

“Asean MPs feel that their Governments have definitely been too soft, too long with Myanmar.

“The military Government has not kept its promises to us – why are we protecting them?”

Zaid said Myanmar’s internal problems were becoming a burden to Asean, and regional leaders should be firm with Myanmar.

“They must speak with one voice and tell the military that what they are doing is unacceptable and that if they persist, Myanmar may be suspended from Asean,” he said after closing a two-day gathering of Asean Parliamentarians on Myanmar.

In a statement issued today, those present pushed for the urgent unconditional release of democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of her civil and democratic rights.

“We also note with grave concern Myanmar’s scheduled assumption of the Asean chairmanship in 2006, which in the absence of substantial and meaningful democratic reforms, would be severely detrimental to Asean,” said the statement, which will be forwarded to regional leaders in time for the Asean Summit scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday.

Zaid stressed that if positive steps were not taken by the military-run state, Asean should review or suspend Myanmar’s membership and chairmanship in 2006.

“Admitting them into Asean was not a mistake. When the former Prime Minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) pushed for its membership in 1997, the Myanmar Government promised all sorts of things, and we believed they would toe the line. Unfortunately after all these years, they’ve done nothing.”

“The first step would be to release Suu Kyi. She represents the voice of the people, their aspirations. Her detention is unacceptable.”

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. General elections were held in 1990, but the current Government refused to hand over power although Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory. She has been detained since May 2003.

The statement also called on United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to urgently convene a Security Council meeting to formulate a roadmap towards democratic and constitutional reform in Myanmar.

Written by Reuters

Sunday, 28 November 2004

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Myanmar should not be allowed to take over as chairman of the ASEAN group of nations and its membership should be suspended due to the lack of progress towards democracy, lawmakers in the region have said. Myanmar’s scheduled assumption of the chairmanship in 2006, “would be severely detrimental to the interests of ASEAN”, Parliamentarians of The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said in a statement issued on Sunday at the end of a two-day meeting in Malaysia.

“Unless progress towards…democratic reforms in Myanmar is evident forthwith, we strongly urge that ASEAN bar Myanmar from serving as chairman of ASEAN and immediately review Myanmar’s membership with a view of suspending Myanmar as a member,” the statement said.

The recommendations are not binding on the 10-member group, which holds a summit meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Monday.

Malaysia’s member of parliament and lawyer Zaid Ibrahim said Southeast Asian government leaders should take the opportunity to speak out on Myanmar during the summit.

“It is our view the governments have been soft for too long, you’re not going to get anything from the military,” he said.

The lawmakers are also planning to visit Myanmar and seek a meeting with its ruling generals.

With its policy of non-interference in internal national affairs, ASEAN has consistently ducked the issue of military rule in the former Burma, even though Yangon’s reclusive generals are an increasing embarrassment.

However, the purge last month of Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who presented ASEAN with the seven-stage “roadmap” to democracy in 2003, has worried southeast Asian governments, who are staking reform hopes on a policy of “constructive engagement” with Yangon.

Many of ASEAN’s other members — Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Phillippines — have criticised some of the junta’s actions, especially the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s military government said on Friday it had released thousands of people from jail but the mass release did not cover Suu Kyi or Tin Oo, the deputy leader of her National League for Democracy, who are both under house arrest. There is no word when they might be freed.

Written by AP

Sunday, 28 November 2004

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) – Southeast Asian countries should reconsider their policy of not interfering in each other’s internal affairs and step up pressure on Myanmar to speed up democratic reforms, lawmakers from the region said Sunday.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has failed to curb “a political and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar” that has resulted in widespread human rights violations, legislators from seven ASEAN countries said after a two-day conference in Malaysia.

“After over a decade, ASEAN’s constructive engagement policy has yet to yield the desired results for change,” the more than 40 lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Broader changes in Myanmar can only be effected with pressure from other ASEAN governments.”

ASEAN should consider suspending Myanmar’s membership and block it from taking its turn as the regional grouping’s chair in 2006 if the ruling junta refuses to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and work toward political reconciliation, the statement said.

The recommendations at the conference, which parallels an ASEAN summit in Laos, were nonbinding on ASEAN members.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been ruled by the military since 1962. The current junta called elections in 1990, but refused to hand over power when Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a landslide victory. Suu Kyi has been under arrest since May 2003.

“It is our view that the ASEAN governments have been soft,” said Malaysian government lawmaker Zaid Ibrahim. “If affects ASEAN’s credibility.”

The lawmakers agreed to establish an ASEAN caucus of Parliamentarians to further discuss the issue at a meeting in the Philippines in April. The meeting would likely be open to lawmakers from other regions, including Europe.

ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Written by AFP

Sunday, 28 November 2004

VIENTIANE (AFP) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is heading for disaster with its plan to hold its 2006 summit in Myanmar, home to one of the world’s most reviled regimes, activists said.

The event would not just bolster the isolated country’s military junta, but also undermine ASEAN’s credibility and could be a “death knell” for the organization, argued Deborah Stothard from regional rights group Altsean/Burma.

“It’s an endorsement of military rule. It’s an incredibly impractical move by ASEAN. The instability that it causes in Burma threatens the security in ASEAN,” she said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

“Members will be sending low-ranking officials,” she said. “ASEAN will continue to plod along, but the more dynamic parts of the region will seek other ways to promote their objectives.”

She said it was a “shocking thought” that once Myanmar assumed the chair of the 10-member ASEAN little more than a year from now, it would be host to a series of important conferences.

“As long as ASEAN continues to shield Burma and refuses to face its problems, the situation will just continue to worsen,” she said.

Myanmar joined with Laos in 1997 and has been a lingering embarrassment for ASEAN ever since, but raising the country to the head of the organization could take controversy to a whole new level, observers warned.

“In terms of international relations it will be hurtful for ASEAN,” said Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian opposition leader. “Economically, it will also have an adverse impact in terms of attracting investment to ASEAN.”

Lim was among a group of regional lawmakers who issued a statement at the weekend in Kuala Lumpur urging Myanmar be suspended from ASEAN unless the military-run nation makes progress towards democratic reforms.

Razali Ismail, a former Malaysian top diplomat who is now the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar, said he expected no changes to ASEAN’s plans to hand the reins to the regime.

“Certainly, Myanmar will be the chair of ASEAN in ‘06. I don’t think there’s anybody in ASEAN that would want Myanmar not to be chair,” he told AFP.

“‘06 is still a long way. So certain things can happen that may not make the problem difficult for everybody. I am told by certain officials of ASEAN that they think Myanmar is aware of its responsibilities,” he said.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win did what he could at an ASEAN meeting in Laos to encourage bullishness about the country’s future.

“We are committed to democracy. There will be no turning back,” he told reporters. “Once the new constitution is drafted and adopted by the people through a referendum, elections will be held in keeping with the constitution,” he said.

Activists argued Myanmar had done nothing to justify optimism among other ASEAN members in the past.

On the contrary, ASEAN will harm itself by not facing the awful realities of the regime, they said.

As an example of how ASEAN is causing misery for itself by not curbing the Myanmar problem, Stothard said the country exported hundreds of millions of amphetamine pills to drug dealers and users in Southeast Asia.

Some overseas Myanmar groups who are otherwise committed to political reform did however argue that treating the country as a full-fledged worthy member of ASEAN and other international organizations was a good idea.

“Governments come and governments go. And it’s important that Burma remains integrated in international society,” said May Oo, a Thailand-based spokeswoman of the Free Burma Coalition, which supports democratic change in Myanmar.

“The regime doesn’t respond positively to outside pressure. It doesn’t help to criticize them for human rights violations,” she said.