Irrawaddy – May 28, 2009

If you’re looking for a barometer of how badly Burma’s junta is misbehaving, just wait and see how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) responds to the generals’ latest headline-grabbing outrage.  

Generally reluctant to weigh in on any issue relating to the “internal affairs” of one of its members, the regional grouping rarely speaks out over Burma—and then only when silence is no longer an option.  

If Asean does criticize the regime—as it did when it expressed “revulsion” at reports of Burmese soldiers gunning down monks and other protesters in the streets of Rangoon in September 2007—you know that things have really gotten out of hand.  

The bloc’s uncharacteristically tough language at that time was due to deepening concerns about the effects of the junta’s actions on Asean’s reputation. As Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo put it: “Unless we put things right, and set Myanmar [Burma] to a new course, we will all be affected and dragged down with Myanmar.” 

It was probably with these thoughts in mind that Asean, along with its Asian and European partners at the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem), yesterday issued a statement in Hanoi calling for “the early release of those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political parties” in Burma. 

“Those under detention” include, of course, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose trial on charges that could put her behind bars for five years has attracted intense international attention and cast a harsh light, once again, on Burma’s egregious generals—and, to some extent, on their regional “partners.”  

During its 12 years as a member of Asean, Burma has been a lightning rod for criticism of everything that’s wrong with the association.  

In a region better known for its authoritarian governments than its respect for the rule of law,

Burma has revealed time and again Asean’s inability to promote even the most basic standards of good governance among its members. 

But Asean seems determined to correct the perception that it can’t get its act together, and few issues—including even the recent imbroglio over Thailand’s failed attempts to host key Asean events due to domestic political disturbances—have been more damaging in this respect than Burma. 

This has prompted some to propose drastic measures. 

On Tuesday, a 21-year veteran of Singapore’s parliament called on fellow Asean members to do the unthinkable and cut Burma loose, lest the country’s rulers ruin the regional body’s efforts to enhance its standing in the international community. 

Charles Chong, a member of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, said that “Asean must consider, regretfully, suspending Burma from the association,” adding that he didn’t want to see the grouping “drawn down to the level of Burma.” 

Chong’s radical suggestion was soon shot down, however, by none less than Surin Pitsuwan, the former Thai foreign minister who now serves as Asean’s secretary-general.

“We don’t have any provision to suspend or eject any member,” said Surin, whose own government was taken to task earlier this week for expressing “grave concern” over Suu Kyi’s trial and its potential impact on the region.

“It is sadly noted that [Thailand] failed to preserve the dignity of Asean, the dignity of [Burma] and the dignity of Thailand,” the Burmese junta said on Monday, in response to an Asean statement issued through its current chair, Thailand, last week. 

But the Burmese junta’s attempts to invoke “the dignity of Asean” in its own defense are not likely to sit well with other members of the association, who have grown tired of repeatedly seeing their agenda hijacked by the regime’s shameless behavior.

For now, Asean may stick with its policy of closing ranks around Burma in the name of regional solidarity. But if the junta goes ahead with its plans to imprison Suu Kyi, Asean could, for once, be forced to do more than merely echo the sentiments of governments and public opinion in the rest of the world.

27 May 2009

Notice of Motion – Anniversary of Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi

Today in Parliament, just after 2pm and before Question Time, Hon Maryan Street will move a Notice of Motion without debate which will state: 

That the New Zealand Parliament note the anniversary on 27 May 2009 of the detention under house arrest of Nobel Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, deplore her continued detention on political grounds and seek her immediate and unconditional release, together with the release of approximately 2100 additional political prisoners being detained in Burma by the military junta. 

All parties in the House have agreed to support the motion. 

Maryan Street will, later tonight, convene a meeting of the cross-party Parliamentary Group on Burma to explore ways in which the New Zealand Parliament might assist the regaining of democracy in Burma. 

Maryan Street is an adjunct member of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar and referred to the struggle in Burma in her maiden speech to Parliament in 2005 as comparable to that in South Africa in the days of apartheid. 

ENDS

Contact: Maryan Street   021 977 555

Bernama – May 26, 2009

HANOI: ASEAN has no provision to suspend or expel Myanmar from the 10-member Southeast Asia grouping, its secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said today (26 May).

He said such tough actions involved political decisions that must be referred to the political leaders.

“We don’t have any provision to suspend or eject any member. That needs to be discussed by the leaders,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Ninth Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) here.

The earliest ASEAN leaders will gather will be in October for the 15th Summit in Thailand.

Surin was asked to comment on the call by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) to suspend or impose sanctions on Myanmar if the country’s military regime continues to detain its democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Aipmc parliamentarians strongly call on ASEAN to stop protecting Myanmar’s regime and instead remove them from the grouping until and unless Aung San Suu Kyi is free and genuine efforts to begin national reconciliation are underway,” Aipmc said today.

The call for action was raised after the junta put the detained democracy icon on trial on a charge of harbouring an American man who swam to her heavily-guarded home.

On that charge, she faces up to five years in detention. Surin said concerns and frustrations over the situation in Myanmar had been expressed at the highest level, not only in the region but also at the international level, including at ASEM.

“I hope something good will prevail, with transparency and confidence to resolve the issue,” he said, but declined to confirm if the Myanmar issue would be included in the Chairman’s Statement at the end of the two-day gathering of foreign ministers from 45 countries.

Last week, ASEAN issued a rare statement expressing its grave concern over the move by the country’s military junta to try Suu Kyi, and reminded the Myanmar government that ASEAN leaders had called for her immediate release.

Asked if he had expressed the concern with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Major General Nyan Win, who is also here, Surin said he did not.

“I did not meet him but some other ministers might have done that,” the former Thai foreign minister said.

Earth Times – May 26, 2009

Yangon – Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday denied that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s current detention period will expire on Wednesday, although officials claimed they had considered freeing her until a US national swam to her home-cum-prison in Yangon this month.

Police Brigadier General Myint Thein told more than 40 diplomats and 25 journalists who had gathered Tuesday at Insein Prison to attend Suu Kyi’s trial for breaking the rules of her house detention that her current detention period will expire on November 27, this year, not on Wednesday, as has been widely speculated.

“But the government was considering releasing her on May 27, before this Yettaw incident happened,” Myint Thein, who heads Myanmar’s Police Special Branch, said.

Suu Kyi is now on trial at a special court in Insein Prison for breaking her terms of house arrest by allowing US national John William Yettaw, 53, to swim to her lakeside home on May 3 and remain there until swimming away on May 6, when he was arrested.

Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been under detention, mostly at her family home in Yangon, which rims Inya Lake, for the past six years.

She was arrested on May 27, 2003, while campaigning in central Myanmar for the National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition party, which she leads. Authorities accused Suu Kyi of undermining national security, after pro-junta thugs attacked her and her convoy, killing several NLD followers.

Under Myanmar law the charge carried a maximum jail term of less than six years. But there is some legal debate about when Suu Kyi’s house detention began, as she spent some months in Insein jail recovering from her injuries after her arrest in 2003.

The legal quibbling about her previous detention period is largely moot now, as Suu Kyi faces another three to five-year jail term if found guilty of breaking the terms of her detention by allegedly allowing Yettaw to visit her.

More than 40 foreign diplomats and United Nations officials were invited to attend Suu Kyi’s trial on Tuesday at which she is scheduled to testify for the first time since the court case began on May 18.

Nyan Win, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers, complained Monday evening that the defence team had not been allowed sufficient time to brief Suu Kyi, who has been in Insein Prison since May 14.

The defence will present four witnesses Tuesday, including Win Tin, veteran journalist and senior executive member of the NLD.

Suu Kyi’s “show trial” has been widely criticized by the international community and even some of Myanmar’s close allies in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), who have raised concerns that the frail pro-democracy icon may face five more years of imprisonment, perhaps in the notorious Insein jail, after spending 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest.

Myanmar’s ruling junta was expected to come under pressure at the Asia-European foreign ministers meeting in Hanoi Tuesday to free Suu Kyi and some 2,100 other political prisoners as a crucial step towards adding credibility to a general election the junta plans to hold next year.

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, set up in 2004 by a group South-East Asian parliamentarians, on Tuesday called on ASEAN to consider suspending Myanmar’s membership in the grouping if it refused to free Suu Kyi.

“AIPMC parliamentarians strongly call on ASEAN to stop protecting Myanmar’s regime and instead remove them from the grouping until and unless Aung San Suu Kyi is free and genuine efforts to begin national reconciliation are underway,” the caucus said in a statement.

It is widely believed that the judges would find Suu Kyi guilty and sentence her to another three to five years in detention, long enough to keep her out of the political picture while the junta stages a general election in 2010.

Suu Kyi, 63, is the leader of the NLD opposition party which won the 1990 general election by a landslide, but has been blocked from power by Myanmar’s junta for the past 19 years. She has spent 13 of those years under house arrest.(dpa)

Irrawaddy – May 26, 2009

Further action is expected from the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) against the Burmese regime over the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burma observers and regional activists believe that Asean is not doing enough in rebuking the Burmese junta, while the Western world has taken a strong stance and has been very vocal in its criticism of the Burmese junta’s appalling human rights record and its recent move to convict the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

On Tuesday, Asean released a short statement saying that Thailand, in its capacity as the current

Asean Chairman “shall continue to pursue constructive dialogue with the Government of the Union of Myanmar [Burma].”

Beyond that, the statement offered no condemnation or criticism of the Burmese military regime nor mentioned the trial of democracy icon Suu Kyi, which is widely seen as a farce.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy after the Asean statement was released, Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network (Altsean), said, “We hope [Asean Secretary-General] Dr Pitsuwan will be working more actively to generate political will among Asean leaders; for Asean to be a genuine vehicle of change. And it should start with Burma.”

Roshan Jason, the executive director of a regional rights group known as the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), said that it is necessary that the nine Asean leaders—excluding Burma—come out together with a collective agreement to address what happening with Suu Kyi.   

Jason said that an emergency meeting regarding Suu Kyi’s case among Asean leaders—facilitated by Surin Pitsuwan—is also needed, adding that Asean leaders should not only release “statements of concern,” but also take action.

AIPMC released a statement on Tuesday urging Asean to suspend Burma’s membership in the regional bloc if the Burmese regime continues to detain the pro-democracy leader.   

The statement said although several Asean states had expressed their deep concern over the detention of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, Asean leaders have failed to take the measures necessary to force the junta to end human rights abuses.   

The statement urged Asean to assume its responsibility by supporting, if not calling for, decisive measures—for instance, an international commission of inquiry into the widely documented crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the junta.

“Change cannot be achieved in Burma if Asean’s current positions and policies remain. Asean cannot afford patience any longer,” said the statement.

On Tuesday, Lim Kit Siang, the parliamentary leader of the Democratic Action Party in Malaysia, said: “I will call on Surin Pitsuwan to take a stronger stand. He will of course have to consult actively with [Asean] and use his experience to persuade Asean leaders to take a stronger stand in keeping with the regional and international expectations.” 

Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said at an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Hanoi that the release of Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma was significant for national reconciliation and a general election in 2010.

The EU used the Asem in Hanoi to call for the “immediate release” of Suu Kyi. The message was conveyed to Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win on the sidelines of the meeting, Czech Foreign Minister and EU senior official Jan Kohout said.

26 May 2009

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) calls on ASEAN to suspend Myanmar’s membership in the regional bloc if the country’s military regime continues to detain its democracy leader, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s unjust current six-year house arrest is due to expire on 27 May 2009, but the regime has brought on further trumped-up charges against her and is likely to detain her for a further three to five years.

Several ASEAN member states have expressed deepening concern about the regime’s detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. However, ASEAN leaders have failed to take the measures necessary to compel the regime to end violations of human rights.

AIPMC parliamentarians strongly call on ASEAN to stop protecting Myanmar’s regime and instead remove them from the grouping until and unless Aung San Suu Kyi is free and genuine efforts to begin national reconciliation are underway.

The AIPMC further urges ASEAN member states to consider imposing targeted sanctions on the military regime generals, and its administration, should they still fail to respect the ASEAN Charter and continue to oppress its people.

Efforts by the international community to hold the regime accountable for its criminal acts, via targeted economic sanctions and UN Security Council actions, have been cushioned by ASEAN’s and China’s economic and political buffering of the regime.

The regime’s ruthlessness causes increasing numbers of internally displaced persons in Myanmar. It continues to use rape, torture and extrajudicial killings as state policies to suppress citizens. The military’s state projects, such as dams, further subject people to unabated suffering.

Change cannot be achieved in Myanmar if ASEAN’s current positions and policies remain. ASEAN must assume its responsibility by supporting, if not calling for, decisive measures such as an international commission of inquiry into the widely documented crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the regime. ASEAN cannot afford patience any longer.

Ends

For more info on AIPMC please visit www.aseanmp.org and for media contact or to facilitate an interview with Parliamentarians, please call: Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Director) at +6-012-3750974.