Asean seeks to ease Thai-Cambodia row
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
SOUTHEAST Asian ministers urged Cambodia and Thailand yesterday to show restraint over a military standoff on their border and took steps to create a regional human rights body.
The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also tackled spiralling food and fuel prices at their annual meeting yesterday, as worsening inflation adds to political turbulence in the region.
The group, seeking to create a European Union-style community encompassing a half-billion people with a combined GDP of US$1.2 trillion ($1.74 trillion) called for "bolder steps" towards democracy by junta-ruled Myanmar, its most problematic member, according to a communique issued after the meeting.
Asean ministers offered to help mediate in Thailand and Cambodia dispute over a 900-year-old temple. "The situation has escalated dangerously, with troops from both sides faced off on disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech opening the Asean meeting. "Asean could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility."
Asean's diplomacy on the issue "reflects a growing sense that Asean is no longer just a 'talk-shop', but a maturing community of nations prepared to act to advance its collective interests", the prime minister said.
The foreign ministers also agreed a framework for a landmark human rights body, that will be incorporated into the group's charter. Myanmar formally handed in its charter ratification papers at yesterday's meeting, meaning the military junta is signing up to plans for economic liberalisation and the human rights body. But the body's powers have yet to be decided, and with deep divisions between the group, it could be toothless .
Asean's inability to get Myanmar's junta to reform has been a major stumbling block in its ambition to exert economic and diplomatic muscle.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo yesterday said he had misunderstood Myanmar's comments the previous day about when the generals could release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi clarifying that a limit for her detention would be reached six months from May 2009, dampening hopes she could be freed six months from now.
The Asean communique "urged Myanmar to take bolder steps towards a peaceful transition to democracy in the near future" to hold elections in 2010, and to "release all political detainees", including opposition leader and Nobel laureate, Suu Kyi, confined for nearly 13 of the past 19 years.
The recovery from a tropical cyclone that tore into Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta in May will cost more than US$1 billion, a UN and Asean reportconcluded.
"The crisis tested Asean's unity," Prime minister Lee said.
Reuters
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMore reports on Pages 9, 15
The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also tackled spiralling food and fuel prices at their annual meeting yesterday, as worsening inflation adds to political turbulence in the region.
The group, seeking to create a European Union-style community encompassing a half-billion people with a combined GDP of US$1.2 trillion ($1.74 trillion) called for "bolder steps" towards democracy by junta-ruled Myanmar, its most problematic member, according to a communique issued after the meeting.
Asean ministers offered to help mediate in Thailand and Cambodia dispute over a 900-year-old temple. "The situation has escalated dangerously, with troops from both sides faced off on disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech opening the Asean meeting. "Asean could not stand idly by without damaging its credibility."
Asean's diplomacy on the issue "reflects a growing sense that Asean is no longer just a 'talk-shop', but a maturing community of nations prepared to act to advance its collective interests", the prime minister said.
The foreign ministers also agreed a framework for a landmark human rights body, that will be incorporated into the group's charter. Myanmar formally handed in its charter ratification papers at yesterday's meeting, meaning the military junta is signing up to plans for economic liberalisation and the human rights body. But the body's powers have yet to be decided, and with deep divisions between the group, it could be toothless .
Asean's inability to get Myanmar's junta to reform has been a major stumbling block in its ambition to exert economic and diplomatic muscle.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo yesterday said he had misunderstood Myanmar's comments the previous day about when the generals could release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi clarifying that a limit for her detention would be reached six months from May 2009, dampening hopes she could be freed six months from now.
The Asean communique "urged Myanmar to take bolder steps towards a peaceful transition to democracy in the near future" to hold elections in 2010, and to "release all political detainees", including opposition leader and Nobel laureate, Suu Kyi, confined for nearly 13 of the past 19 years.
The recovery from a tropical cyclone that tore into Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta in May will cost more than US$1 billion, a UN and Asean reportconcluded.
"The crisis tested Asean's unity," Prime minister Lee said.
Reuters
llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllMore reports on Pages 9, 15
Business Besides Oil
