Posted 23 October 2009 | link
CHA-AM, Thailand – Southeast Asia's efforts to create a commission to curb human rights abuses and encourage free-trade deals got off to a rocky start Friday when delegates from several countries refused to meet with a group of pre-selected civil society activists.
Diplomats say the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Human Rights Mechanism, launched at the trade bloc's annual summit in Cha-am, Thailand, is designed to make the group more attractive to potential trading partners such as the United States and European Union.
Asean has struggled for years to shake off the stigma of including military-run Myanmar among its members. Other members such as Vietnam have also attracted international criticism for their human rights records, potentially slowing progress in improving the region's trade links.
The Asean commission, however, is toothless, critics say, with no powers to punish offenders. Compounding the problem, the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and the Philippines Friday refused to meet with human rights activists they initially had agreed to see on the sidelines of the Asean summit, the Associated Press reported.
"By shutting us out of the process, it doesn't mean the problems will go away," said Debbie Stothard, a member of the Asean People's Forum, a group of non-government organizations in the region.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva acknowledged the limitations in Asean's human rights commission while opening the summit at this seaside resort earlier in the day, but stressed that the new agency was still valuable in highlighting abuses and putting pressure on member countries.
"The issue of human rights is not about condemnation but about awareness," he said.
Some Asean countries have become increasingly bold in their criticism of other members. Indonesia, for instance, has warned Myanmar that elections scheduled to be held in the military-run state next year won't be taken seriously unless they include members of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party.
But for the most part, the region has turned a blind eye towards the country's reported human rights abuses, and many countries in Asean continue to maintain investments in the country despite stiff sanctions against Myanmar from the U.S. and Europe. Thailand, for instance, buys large quantities of natural gas from Myanmar to help run its domestic power grid.
Analysts say Asean's traditional reluctance to interfere in its members' political affairs is likely to predominate at this year's talks, however, which will expand to include China, South Korea and Japan on Saturday.
On Sunday, the leaders of India, Australia and New Zealand will join discussions on how the region can deepen its economic ties.
by James Hookway
