ASEAN unhappy with Myanmar reform effort, report says

ASEAN unhappy with Myanmar reform effort, report says

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is unhappy
about the progress of democratic reforms in Myanmar and the
impact this may have on relations with Europe, Singapore state
media reported on Friday.

Military-ruled Myanmar is due to take over the one-year
chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006, hosting a summit of the bloc's
leaders as well as ministerial meetings. Some ASEAN members fear
that its failure to reform could jeopardize relations with
dialogue partners.

State-controlled broadcaster Channel News Asia quoted
Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo as saying that the
regional group would discuss Myanmar's situation at a closed-door
meeting in the Philippines next month.

"Last year ASEAN countries took a firm position with the EU
that Myanmar could not be excluded from the ASEAN-Europe Meeting
in Hanoi. We stood our ground and succeeded, but subsequent
developments in Yangon undermined our position," Yeo told
parliament.

"Our hope is that the ASEAN spirit of consultation and
consensus will enable us to find a solution for next year," he
said.

Channel News Asia said some dialogue partners had threatened
to boycott meetings if there was no reform progress in Myanmar.

Many of ASEAN's other members -- Brunei, Cambodia, Laos,
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the
Philippines -- have criticized some of the junta's actions,
especially its detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Last November, parliamentarians of ASEAN said Myanmar should
not be allowed to take over as chairman of the group and its
membership should be suspended due to the lack of democratic
reform because it was "severely detrimental to the interests of
ASEAN". -- Reuters