NST/Bernama 29/09/07

BANGKOK: The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) wants Myanmar to be expelled from Asean if its military junta continues to use brute force to break up peaceful protests in the country.

AIPMC president Datuk Zaid Ibrahim told a news conference here yesterday that it was not enough for Asean to merely issue statements as its credibility and integrity were at stake.

“Asean must go one step further to dissociate itself from Myanmar as previous actions to persuade the regime have not brought positive results.”

But Zaid admitted that Asean on its own could not achieve much as long as the big powers, including the United Nations Security Council, continued to regard Myanmar as a non-security issue.

He said unless the world took action now, the unrest in Myanmar could escalate into a humanitarian crisis and see a repeat of the 1988 tragedy, where more than 3,000 protesters were killed by the military junta.

At least nine people have been killed since security forces began a crackdown on Wednesday on street protests in Yangon and several cities, where monks are spearheading the largest challenge to the junta since 1988.

Zaid said Asean should also co-ordinate moves to address the problem with the UN and European Union, instead of everyone acting separately.

AIPMC vice-president and former Thai senator Kraisak Choonhavan said Myanmar could no longer be regarded as a non-security issue.

He said that between three and five million Myanmars were currently in Thailand without proper documentation, basic amenities, health care or education for children.

Zaid agreed that Malaysia might face similar problems given that a large number of Rohingyas or Myanmar Muslim refugees were already in the country.

He said if Asean could not take action as a grouping due to various restrictions, then member nations could act individually. An example would be to freeze the bank accounts of Myanmar leaders in their countries.

September 28, 2006

Press Release

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), an organization of Parliamentarians from countries in the Southeast Asian region, welcomes the move of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to include Myanmar/Burma in its permanent agenda and calls for the timely passing of a substantial resolution that would see the restoration of democracy in the military-ruled country. AIPMC lauds the courage and conviction of the UNSC member states that voted to place Burma on its agenda and encourages these countries not to back down from its stand to see reforms in the conflict-stricken country.

As respect for basic rights and political freedoms in Burma continue to diminish – especially in light of the unwarranted detentions of pro-democracy activists Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kywe (reportedly on 27 September 2006 in Rangoon) – we strongly urge UNSC members to expediently adopt a comprehensive resolution that will ensure such blatantly unjustifiable acts by the junta no longer occur.

In being aware of the reluctance of some nations to support a UNSC resolution on Burma we ask that the permanent members of the UNSC refrain from using its veto power to prevent the much needed intervention into Burma’s political and humanitarian situation.

AIPMC also urges all other member countries of the UN to condemn the junta’s violations of human rights against its people and to support all peaceful efforts that would see a democratically elected government lead Burma.

It has been established in the ‘Threat to the Peace’ report, commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bishop Desmond M. Tutu, that the Security Council has in the past acted on countries where the situation was less severe and not as apparent than it is in Burma today. Why then, should there be any further delay in the UNSC acting on Burma.

AIPMC led an international Parliamentarians signature campaign, in June this year, calling for Burma to be place on the UNSC agenda and for a resolution to be adopted. On behalf of the over 500 Parliamentarians from over 30 countries around the world, who supported the campaign, we would like to remind UNSC member states, current and future, that it has only fulfilled one half of its obligation to ensure regional and international security is protected.

The UNSC must perform its duty – in its entirety – by now adopting a peaceful and binding resolution requiring the restoration of democracy to Burma/Myanmar.

For further inquires/media contact, please call Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Secretary) at: + 6012 – 375 0974 (mobile) or at the contact details above.

For a copy of the ‘UNSC Parliamentarian Signature Campaign’ letter, please log on to www.aseanmp.org and click on ‘UN APPEAL LETTER’.

On 28 September 2007, members of the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) called an emergency press conference on the deteriorating situation in Myanmar.

AIPMC members at the press conference, in Bangkok, Thailand, said that more needs to be done to compel Myanmar’s military leaders to “show restraint”. AIPMC President Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said “I would like ASEAN to take one more step, and expel Myanmar from the association.” He added that if consensus at the ASEAN could not be reached, then individual member states should themselves take action, including sanctions, to dissociate from the military regime in Myanmar.

Former Thai Senator and AIPMC Vice-President Kraisak Choonhavan said that the “impact on Thailand has become intolerable,” and that he believed that it was time to expel the regime from the regional grouping. He called for ASEAN governments and legislators to “join hands upholding support and strength and see the light of humanity” of the monks and the protestors.

AIPMC members called on the international community to work as one to find more ways of ending the violence in Myanmar. They welcomed yesterday’s ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ statement in which the group expressed “revulsion” at the military’s use of violence and reiterated calls for restraint. AIPMC members emphasized the need for ASEAN to support action at the UN Security Council.

Thousands of Buddhist monks have led massive anti-junta demonstrations across most of Myanmar’s States and Divisions in recent days. This is the largest show of peaceful protests against the military regime since 1988. In the last three days, Myanmar’s military junta has responded with horrifying brutality. Protesters have been killed, monasteries have been raided and monks dragged away to unknown locations.

JON UNGPHAKORN

I was going to begin my first column for the Bangkok Post by expressing my views on our government’s suffocation of internet freedom, but that will have to wait till next week.

The present situation in Burma (officially called “Myanmar” by the governing military junta) requires me to urgently call upon our government (established by our own home-made military junta), to relinquish its wimpish “non-interference” position on the Burmese domestic situation, and tell the Burmese regime in no uncertain terms that any use of violence to crack down on the peaceful mass demonstrations for democracy and social justice taking place all over country, will be completely unacceptable to Thailand.

The Asean community as a whole should also openly press the junta to defuse the situation by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and to immediately hold negotiations with her and other political leaders on a new time-table for rapid transition to democracy. This is the only peaceful way out left to the military regime, and is in the full interest of stability and peace, not only in Burma, but throughout the region.

As a former member of the Senate, I am a member of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC). We are the first grouping of parliamentarians from all countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (except Laos and Vietnam for the time being), who actively campaign together to support democracy in Burma. We try not to be hypocritical by also recognising the need to promote democratic reforms in our own countries. We believe that Asean countries cannot realistically adhere to the present policy of “non-interference” in one another’s internal affairs. This is because events in one country often affect its neighbours and sometimes the whole region.

One example is the yearly forest fires in Indonesia that have caused severe smog in Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. Another is the violent situation in the southern border provinces of Thailand that obviously affects Malaysia.

AIPMC believes that Asean countries should get into the habit of discussing and expressing opinions on internal issues within a member country where those issues affect fundamental human rights within the country, the welfare of people in other countries of the region, or the Asean community as a whole.

No one can really argue with the fact that the domestic situation in Burma has had immense impact on the Asean community as a whole, and particularly on Thailand.

Thailand hosts over 300,000 Burmese refugees due to gross violations of human rights, mass violence and rape, and forced internal displacement of rural communities by the Burmese military.

We also host over two million migrant workers from Burma (both documented and undocumented) due to the severe economic hardships within that country.

Communicable diseases (some previously extinct here) are crossing the border due to the lack of proper health services in Burma. Illicit drugs are smuggled across the border for mass consumption in Thailand.

Our military has to keep its forces concentrated on protecting the border with Burma.

How can anyone possibly say that the domestic situation in Burma is none of our business? Is our government prepared to keep silent and meekly allow yet another violent crackdown on mass demonstrations which could result in a new wave of refugees coming to Thailand?

The welfare of the people of Burma is entwined with the welfare of the Asean community as a whole.

The peaceful marches and rallies across Burma, led by the Buddhist monks, are an exciting move by the Burmese people to claim their democratic rights.

However, successive military regimes have consistently suppressed such movements with violent force.

Democracy supporters across the world are holding their breath. Now is the right time for the Thai government and all Asean governments to speak out.

Jon Ungphakorn is a former elected senator for Bangkok and at present Chairman of the Thai NGO Coordinating Committee on Development. Comments are welcome at: ungjon@usa.net

Malaysiakini: Sep 26, 07 4:42pm

The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) is concerned and disappointed over the use of brutal force by the Burmese junta today to break-up peaceful protests in the country.

Media reports have surfaced of baton-wielding and tear-gas-firing Burmese police personnel against crowds of protesters, including students and Buddhist monks, in the capital Rangoon.

“The reaction of Myanmar’s authorities towards the peaceful protesters is totally unacceptable,” said AIPMC president and Kota Baru member of Parliament Zaid Ibrahim in a statement.

“The junta have really crossed the line now and AIPMC strongly calls on the regime to immediately stop the use of harmful means to disperse the crowds,” he added.

Myanmar is the new name given to Burma by the junta.

According to the Reuters news agency, armed soldiers have used barbed wires to cordon off the area around the Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon. About 500 monks were believed to be inside the pagoda at that time.

AIPMC parliamentarians from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore condemned the actions of the junta and strongly urge the Burmese government to initiate peaceful discussions with the monks to resolve the conflict.

The discussions should also include political and ethnic leaders, they added.

‘Do more’

AIPMC also called on Asean leaders to immediately intervene in the situation to prevent further untoward incidents in one of its member countries.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, in a separate statement, also urged Asean member nations to do more to impress on the Burmese military junta to seek a peaceful solution to the “saffron revolution”.

“Malaysia and Asean must come into the very forefront in regional and international efforts to support a peaceful resolution of the monk-led mass protest marches in Rangoon and Mandalay…

“…especially as Asean had given the Myanmar military junta a new legitimacy and fresh lease of life by admitting Myanmar into Asean ten years ago,” he said.

However, he added, the Burmese government’s promises of national reconciliation and democratisation have all come to nought in the past decade.

Yangon (Reuters) -

MYANMAR TROOPS USE TEAR GAS TO DISPERSE MONKS AT SHWEDAGON PAGODA, ARREST 80 – WITNESSES

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Police beat Myanmar protesters with batons

Wed Sep 26, 1:53 AM ET

YANGON, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) – Police baton-charged a crowd of around 700 anti-junta protesters including students and Buddhist monks who gathered in Myanmar’s main city Yangon in defiance of a ban, witnesses said Wednesday.

The police charged the crowd that had congregated for a ninth straight day of protests, beating students and monks alike with batons outside the Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar’s holiest shrine, witnesses said.

After the crowd ran away, armed soldiers used barbed wire to cordon off the area around the pagoda. About 500 monks were believed to be inside the pagoda, while others tried to get inside.

Police were not seen arresting any of the protesters.

The baton-charge marked the first time that security forces have used violence to break up the protesters, who have taken to the streets in growing numbers over the last week.