Hun Sen must heed ASEAN's message<\/p>\n
Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot must feel like a small boy
\nwho visits his neighbor's house just as guests are arriving for a
\nparty to which he has not been invited.<\/p>\n
The party was, of course, the opening of the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meeting in
\nKuala Lumpur yesterday. Cambodia was supposed to join ASEAN with
\nMyanmar and Laos to mark the grouping's 30th anniversary and
\nrealize its founders' vision of bringing all 10 Southeast Asian
\nnations under one roof. But it was not to be. Cambodia's
\nadmission has been put on hold. While this is, of course, a
\ndecision for ASEAN to make, it clearly would have been a
\nreprehensible and unjustifiable step to admit Cambodia now. A
\nprestigious organization such as ASEAN cannot welcome leaders who
\ndecide to change their country's internal politics through
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
It has been suggested in academic circles that ASEAN may be
\nchanging its long-established principle of non-interference in
\nthe domestic affairs of other countries. The perception is that
\nASEAN intends to substitute \"constructive intervention\" for
\n\"constructive engagement\" with other states.<\/p>\n
ASEAN is certainly not contemplating military intervention in
\ncountries such as Cambodia. But it may practice a new type of
\nnon-interference, one that may no longer be construed as a
\ntotally hands-off, passive approach to sensitive political
\nissues. This may help to explain the blunt message delivered
\nyesterday by Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi:
\n\"It is with disappointment and regret that we viewed the events
\nin Cambodia in the last several weeks. As far as we are
\nconcerned, Prince Ranariddh is the first prime minister of
\nCambodia. We will need to work even harder to achieve Asean 10.\"
\nWe hope Cambodia's second prime minister, Hun Sen, will get the
\nmessage.<\/p>\n
-- The Hong Kong Standard<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hun-sen-must-heed-aseans-message-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }