ASEAN defends its policy on Myanmar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN) yesterday defended its policy of "constructive
\nengagement" with Myanmar amidst suggestions that the group has
\nfailed to push the military regime in Yangon to undertake
\npolitical reforms.<\/p>\n
"We have adopted this policy of constructive engagement
\nbecause we'd like to draw Myanmar out of its isolation and bring
\nit into the mainstream of life in our region," ASEAN Secretary
\nGeneral Dato' Ajit Singh told reporters yesterday.<\/p>\n
Dato' Ajit pointed out that there has been an increase of high
\nlevel visits by Myanmarese leaders to various ASEAN capitals and
\nalso by ASEAN leaders to Yangon over the past year.<\/p>\n
Some ASEAN countries have also began building trade and
\neconomic ties with Myanmar, he said.<\/p>\n
"As far as we're concerned, our objective is to try to draw
\nMyanmar slowly into the mainstream of our activities in the
\nregion," Dato' Ajit said. "We hope by doing this it will also
\nimprove the political climate in Myanmar."<\/p>\n
The latest criticism against ASEAN's constructive engagement
\npolicy with Myanmar came from an exiled senior Myanmarese
\nopposition leader on Thursday, who said that the approach has
\nfurther strengthened the military junta's iron grip instead of
\npushing them towards reforms.<\/p>\n
'Very dangerous'<\/p>\n
U.S.-based Sein Win, prime minister of the self-proclaimed
\nNational Coalition Government of the Union of Myanmar comprising
\nof exiled oppositionists, also cautioned ASEAN members against
\ndealing with his nation's military rulers, saying they were "very
\ndangerous."<\/p>\n
Sein Win's remarks, quoted by Reuters, were made in Manila on
\nThursday. He is a cousin of Myanmarese opposition leader and 1991
\nNobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who is under house
\narrest.<\/p>\n
ASEAN -- consisting of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore and Thailand -- has also resisted pressure
\nfrom some of its major Western trading partners such as the
\nUnited States and the European Union to take a harder stand,
\nincluding isolation and economic embargo, against Myanmar.<\/p>\n
The Myanmar controversy is likely to flare up again at a
\nseries of ASEAN ministerial level conferences in Bangkok between
\nJuly 22 and 28, that will also involve meetings with the group's
\n"dialogue partners": the United States, Canada, Japan, South
\nKorea, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union.<\/p>\n
This is even more so as Myanmar has been invited for the first
\ntime to attend the ASEAN ministerial meeting on July 22-23.<\/p>\n
"Myanmar has been invited as a guest of the host country,"
\nDato' Ajit said.<\/p>\n
The Myanmar minister will attend the opening and the closing
\nceremonies and there are no plans so far for separate meetings
\nwith the Myanmar representative, he said.<\/p>\n
In Manila yesterday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Roberto
\nRomula said ASEAN will continue to adopt its constructive
\nengagement policy although issues like Aung Sang Suu Kyi arrest
\nmay be raised privately by ASEAN leaders with Yangon.<\/p>\n
"We do not in any sense, interfere in the affairs of another
\ncountry," he told reporters as quoted by AFP.<\/p>\n
"I'm sure that at some point in time, someone will bring that
\npoint up and it will be discussed in the confines of a conference
\nroom," he said. "In the ASEAN way, it's done in privacy." (emb)<\/p>",
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