Red carpet for SLORC

Red carpet for SLORC

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is to
include Myanmar within its ranks despite the move colliding head-
on with the international community's repeated berating of the
country's ruling junta for its human rights record.

The decision disillusioned many political observers because
they had speculated that last week's crackdown on political
dissent by the ruling junta, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC), would prompt ASEAN into delaying its decision to
admit Myanmar. Last month Washington imposed economic sanctions
on Myanmar for its repressive policy on pro-democracy activists.
The United States has also appealed to ASEAN not to accept the
Yangon ruling junta into its fold, a request the regional
organization has taken as interference in the grouping's internal
affairs.

Against these odds, Myanmar will step onto the red carpet
unrolled by the friendly members of the regional organization in
July. The West will have to accept the reality although the
United States will continue with its economic sanctions against
Myanmar and some other industrialized nations might follow suit
if SLORC continues with its repressive policy toward pro-
democracy activists.

ASEAN's decision looks like a tragic irony if it is viewed
from its "constructive engagement" standpoint, as this has not
been successful in persuading Myanmar to respect human rights.
Only last week SLORC tried hard to prevent most members of the
National League for Democracy (NLD) from gathering at the home of
their leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to mark the seventh
anniversary of the party's landslide victory in the 1990
democratic elections, which the junta has tried to bury.

We fully understand that reaching a comprehensive solution to
the Myanmar crisis is no easy job because neither of the
confronting parties has hinted at the slightest hint of
compromise. For Suu Kyi, the daughter of a national hero who had
a Western education, the solution is that the junta must return
what it took from the people. And for its part, the junta still
refuses to recognize the NLD victory despite its democratic
quality.

Viewing the complicated nature of this issue, ASEAN at last
reached its decision, which NLD leaders might understand, that
for ASEAN members, the greatest sin in this region is to win a
democratic election. They might also take into consideration that
some ASEAN member countries have yet to fully respect the noble
values of democracy.

We, since the start of Myanmar's ASEAN membership bid, have
expressed the hope that SLORC would be generous enough to show a
little gesture of gratitude toward the regional group for its
benevolence by demonstrating political tolerance at home.

But, on the other hand, we also respect ASEAN's long-cherished
attitude of not interfering in any member country's internal
affairs. And Suu Kyi should not expect any help from the grouping
to solve her party's dispute with SLORC.

However, despite this wisdom, it is not too much to expect
ASEAN to urge SLORC to refrain from exacerbating the current
situation in Myanmar and -- more importantly -- not to use its
acceptance into ASEAN as recognition of either its past political
performance or legitimacy for its severe measures against the NLD
leadership.