ASEAN A CLUB OF DICTATORS. A BUNCH OF USELESS POLITICIANS, A TOOTHLESS BODY, AN ASSOCIATION THAT COMMANDS NO RESPECT FROM THE WORLD COMMUNITY. ASEAN IS WORLD WIDE CONDEMNED AS ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT IN GLOBAL MATTERS.
October 25, Wall Street Journal Asean's 'Human-Rights' Council - Not off to a great start - Editorial
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations inaugurated its human-rights commission Friday. Like its United Nations equivalent, it's a toothless body, but it can still do damage to the cause it's supposed to serve.
Asean members aspire for the council to be "a vehicle for progressive social development and justice, the full realization of human dignity and the attainment of a higher quality life for Asean peoples," according to their inaugural declaration. These are worthy goals.
But Asean is a broad church that includes countries like Burma and Laos that want to rubber-stamp their authoritarian regimes, not submit to real scrutiny. All 10 commissioners who will serve on the council for three year terms were chosen by their respective Asean member nations, in most cases through opaque selection processes that involved little or no public consultation. Commissioners include Kyaw Tint Swe, the Burmese ambassador to the U.N. who has long defended the junta's rights record there, and Brunei's Abdul Hamid Bakal, a Shariah court judge. The commission operates by consensus and its mandate focuses on promoting human rights, not protecting them.
The initial signals aren't encouraging. At the weekend Asean summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, delegates discussed regional integration, climate change and removing trade barriers. No less than five Asean nations-Burma, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Singapore-refused to meet with civil society representatives during a scheduled "interface meeting" Friday meant to act as a forum for discussion between heads of state and civil society representatives.
This was nothing if not predictable, given the composition of the council. It's also a shame, given the need for an effective human-rights watchdog in the region. Burma, for instance, will be holding elections next year. If the human-rights council meant what it said about upholding "human dignity," it could mention the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed opposition leader who is still under house arrest. Or it could examine the status of the Rohingya refugees who routinely wash up on the shores of Thailand and Malaysia as they flee from Burma.
Asean aspires to be a regional organization with bigger global clout. Embracing a human-rights council like this is detrimental to that goal.
> ASEAN A CLUB OF DICTATORS. A BUNCH OF USELESS POLITICIANS, A TOOTHLESS BODY, > AN ASSOCIATION THAT COMMANDS NO RESPECT FROM THE WORLD COMMUNITY. ASEAN IS > WORLD WIDE CONDEMNED AS ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT IN GLOBAL MATTERS.
> October 25, Wall Street Journal > Asean's 'Human-Rights' Council - Not off to a great start - Editorial
> The Association of Southeast Asian Nations inaugurated its human-rights > commission Friday. Like its United Nations equivalent, it's a toothless > body, but it can still do damage to the cause it's supposed to serve.
> Asean members aspire for the council to be "a vehicle for progressive > social development and justice, the full realization of human dignity and > the attainment of a higher quality life for Asean peoples," according to > their inaugural declaration. These are worthy goals.
> But Asean is a broad church that includes countries like Burma and Laos > that want to rubber-stamp their authoritarian regimes, not submit to real > scrutiny. All 10 commissioners who will serve on the council for three > year terms were chosen by their respective Asean member nations, in most > cases through opaque selection processes that involved little or no public > consultation. Commissioners include Kyaw Tint Swe, the Burmese ambassador > to the U.N. who has long defended the junta's rights record there, and > Brunei's Abdul Hamid Bakal, a Shariah court judge. The commission operates > by consensus and its mandate focuses on promoting human rights, not > protecting them.
> The initial signals aren't encouraging. At the weekend Asean summit in Hua > Hin, Thailand, delegates discussed regional integration, climate change > and removing trade barriers. No less than five Asean nations-Burma, > Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Singapore-refused to meet with civil > society representatives during a scheduled "interface meeting" Friday > meant to act as a forum for discussion between heads of state and civil > society representatives.
> This was nothing if not predictable, given the composition of the council. > It's also a shame, given the need for an effective human-rights watchdog > in the region. Burma, for instance, will be holding elections next year. > If the human-rights council meant what it said about upholding "human > dignity," it could mention the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed > opposition leader who is still under house arrest. Or it could examine the > status of the Rohingya refugees who routinely wash up on the shores of > Thailand and Malaysia as they flee from Burma.
> Asean aspires to be a regional organization with bigger global clout. > Embracing a human-rights council like this is detrimental to that goal.
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