ASEAN can deal with Myanmar, says Anwar

ASEAN can deal with Myanmar, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Acting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim welcomed ASEAN's decision yesterday to admit Myanmar,
saying the grouping has "adequate experience" to deal with the
army-ruled state.

Anwar said all seven members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) were aware of the U.S. protest through
trade sanctions against Myanmar but believed "only friendship and
consensus" could resolve conflicts.

"Confrontation and hostility would not help to resolve any
problems," Anwar, speaking on a visit to the central state of
Pahang, was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

ASEAN foreign ministers Saturday defied appeals from the West
and human rights organizations and decided to admit Myanmar,
along with Cambodia and Laos, into the group in July.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, which is the current chairman of
the body. The grouping celebrates its 30th anniversary in August.

Anwar said the move was in line with Malaysia's position that
a country's internal affairs should not be made a condition for
membership of ASEAN.

"And whatever the problems that ASEAN members may have, our
best approach has always been through constructive engagement,"
he said, citing Vietnam as an example.

Vietnam's membership in ASEAN since 1995 had proven to be more
productive than by adopting a hostile and isolating approach, he
said, adding that member countries demonstrated a "spirit of
unity" to create an "ASEAN 10".

ASEAN follows a "constructive engagement" policy which rejects
the western approach of trying to isolate the Myanmar regime
through sanctions in favor of quiet diplomacy and economic
contacts to open up the country.

Meanwhile, police released late yesterday nine Malaysian
activists who were detained for demonstrating outside the venue
of the ASEAN meeting Saturday in protest at the decision to admit
Myanmar.

"We view the release as upholding our rights to freedom of
expression enshrined in the Malaysian constitution," Sharaad
Kuttan, among the activists released, told AFP.

A non-governmental organization, Suara Rakyat Malaysia, urged
ASEAN governments to reconsider Myanmar's admission into the
grouping.

"We regret that Myanmar has been admitted into ASEAN as the
junta has repeatedly refused to abide by the rule of law and to
respect international standards of behavior, including willful
violations of national boundaries," it said in a statement.

It called on ASEAN to engage with the Myanmar opposition
National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi. Myanmar's military junta had refused to honor the
results of a 1990 election, won massively by the NLD.

"The people of Myanmar have made their decision and we
respectfully plead with ASEAN not to crush their vote by propping
up a brutal and irresponsible regime," the organization added.