Pressure building on Myanmar to decline ASEAN chair
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Pressure is building on Myanmar to decline next years revolving ASEAN chair due to its human rights record. The US Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, has said that the USA should boycott ASEAN meetings next year if Myanmar takes the chair.
The UN special envoy to Myanmar, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, has backed moves by Malaysian lawmakers earlier this week against Myanmar's chairing, saying "The UN is always on the side of democracy. It supports the principles these people are pushing and these principles are very important for all governments to adhere to,"
“I don’t think there’s any attempt to punish Myanmar but to make them understand ASEAN is guided by certain principles in order to be a member or in order to be leading ASEAN for a certain period,”
Filipino legislators are also following Malaysian lawmakers, and are expected to propose that all member countries adopt a stand on Myanmar when ASEAN legislators meet in an Inter-Parliamentary Union conference in Manila on April 3.
Sources
edit- Ken Guggenheim. "Senator Urges Boycott of Myanmar-Led ASEAN" — SFGate.com, March 31, 2005
- "Razali: UN will take note of motion by MPs on Myanmar" — The Star, March 31, 2005
- "UN envoy supports ASEAN on Myanmar" — Daily Times, March 31, 2005
- "Myanmar cannot resist tide of democracy: UN envoy" — Khaleej Times, March 31, 2005