Suu Kyi should be released before ASEAN Summit: Hassan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia urged Myanmar's government on Monday to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi before the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) summit in Bali next month, otherwise the unresolved issue could hijack the summit agenda.

Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said that Indonesia, as the chair of ASEAN, feared that failure to free the Nobel peace laureate in October would steal the show during the summit, which was intended to discuss many other important issues.

"We don't want to turn the summit into a meeting to press for the release of Suu Kyi," Hassan said on the sidelines of a rehearsal for security arrangements for ASEAN leaders attending the summit.

Myanmar has been under global scrutiny since the detention of Suu Kyi on May 31, with some major countries threatening to impose economic sanctions on the military regime.

Indonesia, which has the ASEAN presidency until next year, has been urging Myanmar to release the opposition leader.

While ASEAN cofounders like Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines have lost their patience in dealing with the issue, Indonesia has opted for closed-door diplomacy to address the issue.

Malaysia suggested earlier that Myanmar be dismissed from the regional grouping should it not be willing to comply with the demand.

Hassan underlined that during his visit to Bandung for the Asia-Africa Subregional Organization Conference (AASROC) ministerial meeting in July, his Myanmar counterpart, U Win Aung, promised the release of Suu Kyi would materialize before the ASEAN summit, due to take place on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9 in Denpasar, Bali.

"During the visit, we received a guarantee from the regime that it would resolve the issue before the summit. We are simply asking them to stick to their promise," Hassan said.

Aung Win, however, said at the time the Myanmar government could not set a deadline for the release.

Indonesia also promised to send President Megawati Soekarnoputri's special envoy Ali Alatas to meet with Myanmar leader Gen. Than Swee regarding the problem.

Hassan said Indonesia would insist that the upcoming summit could pave the way for ASEAN to build security cooperation under the ASEAN Security Community (ASC).

The concept is meant to address the latest security threats in the region, especially after the emergence of a terror network there.

Jakarta plans at Bali to achieve a new ASEAN concord approving the concept, Hassan said.

"We are concerned that should Myanmar fail to release Suu Kyi before the summit it could disrupt the meeting agenda," he said.