Asean Body Calls for Burma to be Kicked Out

http://thejakartaglobe.com/national/asean-body-calls-for-burma-to-be-kicked-out/278163


May 29, 2009
Nurfika Osman


Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations want Burma suspended from Asean for repeatedly failing to ignore requests to reform its appalling human rights record.

Marzuki Darusman, an Indonesian delegate from the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, or AIPMC, an organization of parliamentarians from Asean countries, said Asean had been pressing Burma to reform since 2004 but it had failed to make any progress, citing political prisoners, the Rohingyas issue and its human rights record.

He said the recommendations to suspend Burma would be brought to the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) meeting in Bangkok this August, where a decision would be made.

Since its inaugural meeting in Kuala Lumpur from Nov. 26-28 2004, the AIPMC has been calling on the military government in Burma to bring about changes and democratic reforms.

The group consists of legislators from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. One of AIPMC’s initial campaigns was to urge Asean to deny Burma its turn at chairing the regional bloc in 2006.

“We now further call on Asean and the UN via the UN Security Council to take concrete and binding actions on the military regime of Burma as it continues to show a lack of regard for human rights and fails to adopt concrete democratic reforms in the country,” he said. “Our heart is with Burma.”

Khin Ohmar, an activist from Burma Partnership, applauded AIPMC’s recommendation to suspend Burma from Asean.

“We really support this sanction as this is the only way to fight this regime,” Khin said. “We have to cut off the financial flow to the regime, so they will come to the table with us, talk, release [Burma’s 2,100 political] prisoners and create democracy.”