Asean relents to give Burma more time to change
The Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean) yesterday stepped back from putting more pressure on Burma and gave the ruling junta space to achieve national reconciliation and democratisation in its own way.
The group, however, expected to see "evidence of concrete progress" in a short period, said Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamong-khon. "It is not a timeless matter. We cannot wait forever as the patience of the international community is wearing thin," he told reporters after an informal meeting of Asean foreign ministers in Bali's resort town of Ubud. The Burma issue dominated the meeting yesterday after Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, as Asean's special envoy to Rangoon, expressed dissatisfaction over his fact-finding mission to the country, during which he was unable to meet all the "stakeholders" in Burmese politics. Despite this, Syed Hamid told his Asean counterparts yesterday that he saw some positive developments in the military-ruled country. The junta is in the process of drafting a constitution, after which it will hold a referendum on the new charter before calling a general election for the formation of a new government, he said. The National Convention that is drafting the charter is able to complete three chapters in a year. It has already completed nine chapters of the constitution, so the remaining six might be finished in two years' time, Syed Hamid said. The discussion on Burma cooled down after some countries led by Singapore suggested the group should ease its pressure and give Burma a chance to continue its moves toward political reform. Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said the problem was that when the issue involved an Asean member, it became a domestic political issue in the other member countries. Many other members however felt Asean should continue to engage Burma and help the junta move forward, he said. "We reiterate our position on the importance of Myanmar [Burma] staying on the road map toward democracy and we call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi," he told reporters. Burmese Minister Nyan Win promised to report all concerns expressed by the Asean ministers to the generals at home, according to Syed Hamid. However, the ministers did not recommend or suggest what the junta should do to make progress. It was Burma's duty to show progress, said Kantathi, adding he expected to see some during the formal meeting of Asean foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur in July. Supalak Ganjanakhundee The Nation Ubud, Indonesia
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