ASEAN hears human rights appeal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Human rights activists from Indonesia, the
\nPhilippines and Thailand took their case to the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) yesterday in a bid for a regional
\nrights mechanism.<\/p>\n
However, the association responded coldly, saying that in
\norder to have a regional commission, body, or mechanism on human
\nrights, each member country of ASEAN must have their own national
\ncommissions on human rights first.<\/p>\n
\"As long as we don't have yet a national commission in other
\nASEAN countries, it is very difficult to move toward a regional
\nmechanism,\" Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, chairman of
\nthis year's ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, told journalists after the
\nclosing of the meeting.<\/p>\n
On the sidelines of the meeting, Alatas, accompanied by Brunei
\nForeign Minister Mohammed Bolkiah and Malaysian Foreign Minister
\nDatuk Abdullah Badawi, met yesterday with human rights activists
\nfrom Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The rights activists included Aurora Navarrete Recina,
\nchairwoman of the Philippines Human Rights Commission, Suthin,
\nvice chairman of Thai Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human
\nRights, Marzuki Darusman, vice chairman of Indonesia's National
\nCommission on Human Rights and other Indonesian rights promoters
\nAsmara Nababan and Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara.<\/p>\n
Marzuki noted that what he and his colleagues were seeking was
\nonly to push the process for the establishment of a regional
\nmechanism on human rights, which was already mandated by the 1993
\nASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"After three years, not much has been achieved aside from
\nindividual governments of ASEAN having their own commissions,\"
\nMarzuki said, pointing to Indonesia, Thailand and the
\nPhilippines. Other ASEAN countries -- Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore
\nand Vietnam -- do not yet have their own rights commissions.<\/p>\n
He noted that a regional mechanism on human rights would
\ncreate an appropriate climate to address the issue of human
\nrights more often and openly.<\/p>\n
\"That is a very important dimension in shaping out the process
\nfor everybody to feel comfortable in talking about human rights
\nopenly,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
He noted that such a regional mechanism will enable rights
\ncommissions in each ASEAN country to register the concerns of the
\npublic or the wide community of ASEAN, and then bring them to the
\nattention of the respective ASEAN governments<\/p>\n
The rights activists presented the three foreign ministers a
\nproposed text on the promotion of human rights and ways and means
\nto protect human rights in ASEAN for incorporation into the ASEAN
\nforeign ministers' joint communique. The proposed text, however,
\nwas not printed in the communique, issued at the closing of the
\nASEAN Ministerial Meeting yesterday evening.<\/p>\n
\"It's a good idea but we must take the reality into account.
\nWe cannot force the other ASEAN governments into a pace that is,
\naccording to us, desirable but is not according to them,\" Ali
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We are a democratic group, we cannot just tell the other
\ncountries: please make your national commission fast because of a
\nregional mechanism. We can't. All we can say is, well, we hope
\nyou can see a way to at one point make a national commission so
\nthat we can make a regional mechanism,\" he continued.<\/p>\n
Responding to Ali's view, Marzuki said that he had no target
\ndate in mind on establishing a regional rights mechanism. \"If not
\nthis year, next year or the year after next year is all right.\"
\n(pwn\/rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-hears-human-rights-appeal-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}