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CHALLENGING JAYA: Six ASEAN leaders said today that the trade bloc’s doctrine of non-interference has hampered efforts to end the ongoing violence in Myanmar resulting from protests against the military takeover.
Led by Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy, they said ASEAN members have shown a lack of political will to pressure the junta to end the killings in Myanmar.
In a statement also signed by Indonesian MP Fadli Zon, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Philippine Senator Kiko Pangilinan, former Singapore MP Charles Chong and former Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, the leaders said the crisis The Myanmar government demonstrated Asean’s “powerlessness” in handling regional crises ranging from the transnational haze, the Rohingya disaster and other human rights abuses.
“We demand that our respective ASEAN governments abandon the doctrine of non-interference and follow a new approach of constructive and critical engagement, with the option of trade and economic sanctions against the Myanmar junta,” said the statement, issued at a conference. Zoom Newspaper titled “Asean Needs New Vision to End Myanmar Massacre”.
Rainsy said the non-interference policy was outdated and allowed dictators to protect each other.
“What we need is a progressive concept of solidarity and humanity. All ASEAN governments must unite, send an unequivocal message to Myanmar to release political prisoners, restore democracy to the state it was before February 1, and respect the vote of the peoples, ”he said.
At the conference mediated by PKR’s Wong Chen, who is Subang’s deputy, the leaders spoke of the indifference of the Asean governments.
Piromya said that Asean’s policy of non-interference cannot be used as a “blank check” for governments to commit atrocities against their people.
“The principle of non-interference due to lack of political will has been used. Asean members have implicitly decided not to do anything against Myanmar, ”he said.
He added that ASEAN ironically played a role in rebuilding Myanmar after its decades-long military rule that ended in 2011.
“We helped Myanmar to rehabilitate itself for many years. We were an integral part of democratization 10 years ago. ASEAN has the right to strike back at the junta and demand that it end all atrocities against the people. “
Targeted sanctions against military personnel whose bank accounts are kept in member states would serve as the strongest message for Myanmar to end the killings, release the prisoners and begin negotiations, Piromya added.
Fadli said it was “ridiculous” that ASEan countries continue to witness violence with their eyes closed and that governments should put pressure on Yangon.
Myanmar has been affected by protests since the army seized power after alleging fraud in the November elections won by the Aung San Suu Kyi National League for Democracy.
Since then, a defiant civil disobedience movement has filled the streets across the country calling for the restoration of democracy, with dozens killed under police fire in various parts of the country.
