The Earth Times
Sat, 28 Feb 2009
Author : DPA
Cha-am, Thailand - Efforts to set up a human rights body for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) got off to a bad start Saturday when Myanmar and Cambodia blocked civil society representatives from attending talks with the group's leaders. The 14th ASEAN Summit being held in Cha-am, 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok, has been billed as the most "inclusive" meeting of the 42-year-old South-East Asian grouping to date.
The summit kicked off Saturday morning with a series of talks between ASEAN leaders and representatives of civil society, parliamentarians, youth organizations and the business community.
The more inclusive nature of the summit is in keeping with the ASEAN Charter, approved last year, which sets seeks to make ASEAN a more people-oriented organization and acknowledges the importance of protecting human rights in the region.
"Eventually, we want to be an inclusive ASEAN, an engaged ASEAN, a compassionate, sharing and caring ASEAN," ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said of the summit's goals.
But Myanmar's and Cambodia's decision that the civil society representatives for their countries, Khin Ohmar from Myanmar and Pen Somony from Cambodia, are to be excluded from the talks has undermined any spirit of inclusiveness he may have hoped to achieve.
"We were expecting the move from Myanmar but for the Cambodians to do this is very surprising," said Yuyun Wahguningrum, a civil society representative from the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen not only rejected the attendance of Pen Somony but suggested an alternative candidate in his place, who happened to be a political ally, Yunyun said.
"This is ridiculous. This is supposed to be a dialogue between civil society and the ASEAN leaders and instead they are dictating terms to us," she said. The meeting was scheduled for noon Saturday.
One of the main tasks of the summit is to draft the terms of reference for setting up an ASEAN human rights body, which will be finalized in July and start its work in October.
A draft was approved by the foreign ministers Friday, but it remains open to change.
The terms exclude the proposed body from investigating human rights abuses in ASEAN members if they are not welcomed by the host country, raising questions about it's effectiveness as a protective mechanism.
"There needs to be a balance between our two pillars of promotion and protection," said Sihasak Phuangketkeow, chairman of the ASEAN high level panel on the human rights body. "It has to be evolutionary."
Sihasak brushed off criticism that the body will just serve as a showboat for ASEAN, a region rife with human rights abuses.
"I don't think it is a PR exercise," Sihasak said. "We want to do things that can be done. The best way to prevent human rights abuses is to promote human rights awareness in the region."
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, 10 countries that are at very different levels of economic and political development.
Sat, 28 Feb 2009
Author : DPA
Cha-am, Thailand - Efforts to set up a human rights body for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) got off to a bad start Saturday when Myanmar and Cambodia blocked civil society representatives from attending talks with the group's leaders. The 14th ASEAN Summit being held in Cha-am, 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok, has been billed as the most "inclusive" meeting of the 42-year-old South-East Asian grouping to date.
The summit kicked off Saturday morning with a series of talks between ASEAN leaders and representatives of civil society, parliamentarians, youth organizations and the business community.
The more inclusive nature of the summit is in keeping with the ASEAN Charter, approved last year, which sets seeks to make ASEAN a more people-oriented organization and acknowledges the importance of protecting human rights in the region.
"Eventually, we want to be an inclusive ASEAN, an engaged ASEAN, a compassionate, sharing and caring ASEAN," ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said of the summit's goals.
But Myanmar's and Cambodia's decision that the civil society representatives for their countries, Khin Ohmar from Myanmar and Pen Somony from Cambodia, are to be excluded from the talks has undermined any spirit of inclusiveness he may have hoped to achieve.
"We were expecting the move from Myanmar but for the Cambodians to do this is very surprising," said Yuyun Wahguningrum, a civil society representative from the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen not only rejected the attendance of Pen Somony but suggested an alternative candidate in his place, who happened to be a political ally, Yunyun said.
"This is ridiculous. This is supposed to be a dialogue between civil society and the ASEAN leaders and instead they are dictating terms to us," she said. The meeting was scheduled for noon Saturday.
One of the main tasks of the summit is to draft the terms of reference for setting up an ASEAN human rights body, which will be finalized in July and start its work in October.
A draft was approved by the foreign ministers Friday, but it remains open to change.
The terms exclude the proposed body from investigating human rights abuses in ASEAN members if they are not welcomed by the host country, raising questions about it's effectiveness as a protective mechanism.
"There needs to be a balance between our two pillars of promotion and protection," said Sihasak Phuangketkeow, chairman of the ASEAN high level panel on the human rights body. "It has to be evolutionary."
Sihasak brushed off criticism that the body will just serve as a showboat for ASEAN, a region rife with human rights abuses.
"I don't think it is a PR exercise," Sihasak said. "We want to do things that can be done. The best way to prevent human rights abuses is to promote human rights awareness in the region."
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, 10 countries that are at very different levels of economic and political development.
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