Asean alternative group slams 'blind eye on rights'

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which wound up its 30th anniversary informal summit on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, had undermined its own vision for peace and stability within the region, the group claimed.

"Asean as a body has wilfully ignored severe human rights violations and fundamental abuses of law taking place within the region," charged the Bangkok-based Alternative Asean Network on Burma.

"Two instances which immediately come to mind are Burma and East Timor.

"Asean's failures in this context show it is both unwilling and unable to deal with the tragedies taking place on its doorstep."

Burma was admitted into the grouping in July, despite opposition from Western nations and activists critical of the military junta's suppression of democracy and human rights.

Indonesia, a founding member of Asean, was accused of slaughtering civilians when it annexed East Timor more than 20 years ago and suppressing the region's democracy movement.

The network accused many Asean governments of violating the rights of citizens from other member states seeking refuge from war and poverty.

Asean's Vision 2020 statement envisioning a Southeast Asia where every country was at "peace with itself" and had respect for justice and rule of law was an "hallucination", it said.

"If Asean governments are sincere about the Asean 2020 Vision statement . . . Asean must act on the belief that people matter more than regimes," the network said.

"Until then, the entire region will be mired in the consequences of authoritarian arrogance."

The Kuala Lumpur summit, also joined by China, Japan and South Korea, focused on the region's economic problems, with little mention of the human rights record of its members.

 Published in the South China Morning Post. Dec 18, 1997