'Myanmar's entry may mar ASEAN'

'Myanmar's entry may mar ASEAN'

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Malaysia's powerful Moslem Youth Movement said yesterday the dignity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be tarnished if it accepts Myanmar's military government into its fold.

Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, secretary-general of the non- governmental organization, urged ASEAN to exercise discretion in accepting Myanmar, as the country calls itself, as a member, given the military government's atrocities and human rights abuses against its citizens.

"If the citizens of Myanmar can change the fate of their country without a helping hand from ASEAN, what will be the relationship between ASEAN and the future legitimate government of Myanmar?" he said in a statement.

The seven-member ASEAN accorded observer status to Myanmar at its annual foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta at the weekend, in a move seen as a final step towards attaining full membership in two or three years.

Myanmar also joined, together with India, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Jakarta yesterday, bringing to 21 the number of members in the security body whose other members include all ASEAN states, the United States, the European Union, China, Russia and Japan.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia and Laos are also observers and are expected to become members next year.

ASEAN has long ignored calls by Western countries to isolate Myanmar's military government, known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and which has refused to cede power despite losing in general elections two years later.

ASEAN governments maintain that their non-confrontational policy of "constructive engagement", which allows trade and business ties with Myanmar, is more effective at bringing about democratic reforms than imposing economic sanctions or isolation.

Ahmad Azam said that while criticisms by Western governments on Myanmar may seem like double standards given their weak action in Bosnia-Herzegovina, ASEAN should be careful about accepting Myanmar "just to oppose the stand of the West".