• 
• 

Published on September 28, 2007

Asean foreign ministers, who were scheduled to meet yesterday to finalise the draft of the Asean Charter, were to discuss the crisis in Burma and what Asean can do to promote peace and national reconciliation there.

In past 15 years, there have been precedents in Cambodia and East Timor when Asean initiated joint action to help end political crises.

Asean sent a team to Phnom Penh in 1997 to negotiate the end of intra-political fighting among various parties as part of the effort to usher Cambodia into the regional grouping.

After a three-year delay, Cambodia eventually joined Asean in 1999.

Asean's role in Cambodia was not a complicated one, as the country was not yet an Asean member. Asean was invited to help restore peace and law and order in Cambodia. Therefore, the Asean initiative was not considered an intervention in the internal affairs of a member country.

Then, two years later, Asean faced a new dilemma with the crisis in East Timor, which directly involved the biggest member of Asean, Indonesia.

This pushed Asean toward engagement in the internal issues of one of its members.

Indonesia, under President Yusuf Baharuddin Habibi, appealed for an Asian presence - including from neighbouring countries, which were Asean members - in the international peacekeeping forces that were sent to East Timor.

As the Asean chair in 1999-2000, Thailand played an active role in the overall plan for East Timor.

At the Asia Pacific Economic Leaders meeting in New Zealand in November 1999, then Thai prime minister Chuan Leekpai chaired a meeting of Asean leaders and pledged to help Indonesia.

"We will do everything we can to help our friend," Chuan told the meeting. Then he immediately dispatched foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan to Jakarta to consult with President Habibi and General Wiranto.

With a joint international appeal made by the leaders of the United States, Australia, Japan, the European Union and the United Nations, an international peacekeeping force was formed.

Asean chose to respond separately, with Thailand and the Philippines sending the largest contingents of peacekeepers from the region, followed by Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Limited Asean experience in conflict-resolution shows that willingness and trust among Asean members is pivotal in helping to ease and end a crisis within the region - especially in a member country.

To be effective, any Asean effort must be coordinated through a strong and visible UN and international effort.

The issue at hand is whether Burma, which was admitted into Asean in 1997, will have similar trust demonstrated toward it by Indonesia and Cambodia. Burma can make its own decision whether to engage Asean, or vice versa.

Since its admission to Asean, Burma has failed to respond to repeated calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. It has failed to step up the political process that will lead to national reconciliation and end the political impasse.

Without positive gestures from the junta, which has increasingly isolated itself from the rest of the world, Asean has to take a bold and pro-active step. It must engage Burma with assistance from the United Nations and the international community.

In 2000, Thailand proposed to dispatch a team for a fact-finding trip to Burma, but this was rejected outright by Rangoon. This time, Asean foreign ministers must tighten the screw on Burma and the grouping must take up collective responsibility.

Asean is currently facing twin dilemmas. First of all, if the situation in Burma deteriorates even further, and the grouping fails to respond - and time is already running out - it will be condemned by the international community for its indifference and lack of initiative.

In the next few days, if the current confrontation leads to more bloodshed and Asean does come up with any plan to deal with the events, it will make a mockery of the grouping's effort to finally wrap up the signing of an Asean Charter.

In the long run, it will affect the plan to create a greater Asean community, which includes security among its many other facets.

Kavi Chongkittavorn

The Nation

New York