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Published on April 26, 2008

He accomplished this by showing a one-sided film of Tibetans beating up Chinese that went on for half an hour, and then by delivering a lecture on the history of Tibet (the Chinese version) that went on for another half hour. It was standard boilerplate Marxist rhetoric.

Unfortunately, counsellor Chen's frequent use of the term "Dalai clique" was a bit off the mark. A clique is a small and exclusive group of people. The admirers and supporters of the Dalai Lama are legion, and not at all exclusive. Marxist invective has lost a good deal of its punch since the heady days of the Cultural Revolution, when we were entertained by fierce denunciations not only of various cliques, but also of their lackeys, stooges, and running dogs. Is it possible that the latest generation of apparatchiks needs to take a refresher course in the rhetoric of their species? I really miss those running dogs.

S Tsow

Bangkok

Asean big on words, short on action in Burma crisis

I have been calling for an expulsion of Burma from Asean since it was admitted in mid-1997. This hasn't happened, but I still wish to see that Asean voluntarily put an end to this pain in the neck rather than waiting for an "outsider" to call the shots from "inside" the association.

A few days ago, Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan issued a statement welcoming the designation of US envoy Scot Marciel as the first outside ambassador to Asean. The statement optimistically sees the pending appointment of Marciel "as a manifestation of US recognition of the growing importance of Asean as a regional organisation".

The US, at least Marciel, might not think so. Agence France-Presse quoted Marciel as saying that one of his highest priorities is "prodding Asean to press Burma's military junta to embrace democratic reforms".

Asean is viewed as a talk shop that is big on words, but small on action. The constructive-engagement policy toward Burma, which was initiated by the Anand Panyarachun government, has done nothing to tame the junta. The policy was even adopted by Asean to form two of its six fundamental principles: those that guarantee each state "its national existence free from external interference" and "non-interference in the internal affairs of one another".

At least this pariah country was castigated once when it didn't get to chair the Asean Summit in 2006 due to pressure from the US and the European Union. The insensitive Burmese junta has not only defied global reprimands, but it also slapped the face of the world in a series of brutal massacres of Buddhist monks and unarmed laymen late last year. Now its military rulers have published their proposed new constitution, which critics say will cement their grip on power and weaken the opposition.

For the record, Condoleezza Rice is the first US secretary of state to choose not to attend the Asean Regional Forum since it was founded. Instead of being an official representative, Marciel's appointment as the first US ambassador to Asean would then be a permanent replacement of a cabinet-level official from the US government.

Does Asean have to wait for Marciel's instructions on what it should do next?

I would strongly recommend that Asean look for an alternative avenue for a productive engagement with the people of Burma (inclusive of all ethnic minorities).

Fathers do not necessarily know best. Likewise, Asean and state actors have been in despair finding a positive solution. Closer multilateral relations among NGOs in the region via a people-to-people dialogue that is free of government intervention could provide an answer. Thailand's National Economic and Social Advisory Council, though a government consultative arm, initiated and organised such an event on September 19, 2006. Unfortunately, when delegates from Asean's NGOs and international observers showed up at the venue, the coup was at its height! Let's do it again, but not the coup!

Chamnong Watanagase

Bangkok

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