A message to Hun Sen

Does the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) deserve to be praised for its flexibility or condemned for practicing double standards? This question is being asked following ASEAN's decision to postpone Cambodia's entry into the group after Prince Norodom Ranariddh was ousted as co-premier by rival Second Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Critics lost no time in accusing ASEAN of backtracking on the soft-line approach it had adopted toward, for example, Myanmar. ASEAN had repeatedly insisted that the confrontational stance adopted by the West had not only failed, it had been counterproductive in Myanmar and elsewhere.

ASEAN had also indicated that it hoped the authoritarianism of Myanmar's military junta would be mellowed and in due course transformed by prosperity. And the best way to bring this about, it believed, was through a policy of "constructive engagement" rather than by interfering in Myanmar's internal affairs. But there will be no "constructive engagement" right now between ASEAN and Cambodia. Why not? What happened to the concept of noninterference?

The difference between Myanmar and Cambodia is that ASEAN fears the latter poses a threat to the stability of the region. This is why the organization deserves to be praised for its flexibility rather than condemned for practicing double standards. It is gratifying that ASEAN has decided to take a principled stand against what it terms "the unfortunate circumstances which have resulted from the use of force" in Cambodia.

ASEAN's decision to go ahead with the admission of Myanmar and Laos while effectively isolating Cambodia should send a strong message to Hun Sen. We hope he will take it to heart.

-- The Hong Kong Standard