Thais want rethink on ASEAN policy

Thais want rethink on ASEAN policy

BANGKOK (AP): Thailand's foreign minister is urging the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations to review its long-held
doctrine against noninterference in the affairs of member states.

Hopes of modifying the policy, used over the years to
discourage criticism of human rights abuses in Myanmar and East
Timor, have been raised since one of its main supporters,
Soeharto, was forced out as Indonesia's leader last month.

The calls were already building as ASEAN's mechanisms proved
woefully inadequate to address Southeast Asia's economic crisis.

Foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan was cited in the Bangkok Post
newspaper yesterday as telling senior diplomats that Thailand
should not let the consensus approach obstruct Thai foreign
affairs and that Thais should be "true to ourselves".

Surin was following up his own recent calls -- the first by an
ASEAN foreign minister -- to replace the policy of
nonintervention with one of "constructive intervention" when
needed.