Opposing ASEAN chair to Myanmar

Myanmar's elevation to the 'would be chair' of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has irked many, primarily the pro-democracy Myanmarese and their sympathisers in Asia. Terming the recent initiative of ASEAN to grant Myanmar the 2014 chair as 'premature as the authorities have failed to fulfil key promises of reform,' a number of organisations argued that the 'decision might even embolden them (Myanmar government) to continue committing human rights abuses with total impunity.' "We call for ASEAN to keep its options open on reversing its decision on Myanmar's chairing the regional bloc, if the military-led government back-slides on promises concerning human rights and democracy," revealed a statement issued by these organisations. They also asserted that ASEAN's decision to deliberately ignore the new war in Kachin State and escalation of military attacks in eastern Myanmar this year is a betrayal of its international and regional obligations. It may be mentioned that the Southeast Asian leaders while meeting in Bali of Indonesia during the 19th ASEAN Summit, agreed to allow Myanmar to assume the chairmanship and host the annual meeting in 2014. Soon after the election in November 2010, Myanmar has showcased some changes. As the military-ruled country was put under a semi-democratic regime, the government had withdrawn the house arrest of opposition leader Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Thousands of prisoners, some of them active leaders and workers of the National League for Democracy were also released from jails. The recent reports from Rangoon reveal that Ms Suu Kyi may contest a by-election in the coming days after completing formalities with the government. Meanwhile, the Myanmarese government-led by the former general Thein Sein asked its pro-democracy activists in exile around the world to come back to their country. Some of the exiles have reportedly returned though many of them have apprehension about the commitment of the present Myanmarese regime. Northeast India, primarily the State of Mizoram, supports nearly 80,000 Chin (Myanmarese) people who had left their country because of repressive laws and bad governance. Some 20,000 other Myanmarese refugees are living in India as labourers, maids and petty vendors in acute poverty and insecurity. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi has registered only few thousand Myanmarese refugees in India till date facilitating some supports to them. The Myanmarese government with its changing image wants the economic sanctions imposed by the USA and various European nations to be lifted. Recently, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also accepted an invitation to visit Myanmar in the near future. The US President Barack Obama announced recently that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Myanmar in the coming days. Even though, the ASEAN decision offering chair to Myanmar invited critical comments from various political observers as they argued that the country should have been offered the opportunity only after it initiates significant democratic changes and improves its human rights record. "The ASEAN leaders must be prepared to face the national and regional consequences of its premature decision, including increased displacement, undocumented migration and drug production that results from its ill-timed decision to grant Myanmar the 2014 chair," added the statement, which was signed by Alternative ASEAN Network on Myanmar, Asian Centre for Human Rights, International Federation for Human Rights, South Asia Forum for Human Rights, All Student and Youth Congress of Myanmar, All Women's Action Society, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Asian Indigenous Women's Network, Myanmar Centre Delhi, Forum for Democracy in Myanmar, Human Right Education Institute of Myanmar, Student and Youth Congress of Myanmar, Women's League of Myanmar etc. "We are extremely disappointed that ASEAN did not use the unique opportunity it had to influence the Thein Sein's government to take meaningful steps towards democratic transition, peace, and national reconciliation," asserted the statement. "ASEAN has never been a strong promoter of peace and democracy in Myanmar. Even in 2006 when Myanmar was due to take up the chair, it was under pressure from the West and not ASEAN itself that Myanmar forfeited its turn after Western nations threatened to boycott the bloc's meetings," argued Khin Ohmar, coordinator of Myanmar Partnership and chairperson of Network for Democracy and Development. She also added that the ASEAN's decision also failed to take into consideration that the regime has not taken any steps to end the longest running civil war in the world, but has instead deployed more troops in ethnic areas, nor has it shown any willingness to engage in genuine and inclusive political dialogue with opposition forces in the country. Human rights violations and atrocities in northeastern Myanmar have significantly increased since President Thein Sein came to power. Between August 2010 and July 2011, the Myanmarese regime forced at least 112,000 people, the highest estimate in a decade, to flee their homes in eastern Myanmar. In addition, over 20,000 fled their homes as a result of the army offensives in Kachin State and northern Shan State, the statement said. The Thein Sein's government has recently embarked on a series of largely cosmetic changes with the aim to gain international legitimacy but the ground reality remains almost the same. The government has recently few prisoners, but there are over 1,600 political prisoners still behind bars. The Myanmarese Information Minister Kyaw Hsan has recently denied having any political prisoners in Myanmar. Similarly, the Parliament refused to repeal oppressive laws that facilitated the imprisonment of several thousand political prisoners and adopted new restrictive laws that disenfranchise many activists convicted in the past. Debbie Stothard, coordinator of Alternative ASEAN Network on Myanmar claims that narcotics production and trafficking continues to run rampant throughout Myanmar with active support of the regime. Speaking to this writer from Bangkok Ms Debbie asserted that Myanmar is the second largest producer of opium in the world. In some areas of Shan State under the control of the military-led government, the opium cultivation has increased by 78.58 per cent within the last two years creating a greater threat to the security of neighbouring states, she added. The writer can be reached at email: navathakuria@gmail.com