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If UN can admit Myanmar, so can Ase
- Subject: If UN can admit Myanmar, so can Ase
- From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 15:32:00
Subject: If UN can admit Myanmar, so can Asean
If UN can admit Myanmar, so can Asean
27/5/97
KUALA LUMPUR -- Myanmar's imminent membership of Asean could be the
starting point for improving the human-rights situation in that
country, an international
expert on human rights said here yesterday.
Professor Yozo Yokota, who served as the United Nations special
rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Myanmar for four years until May last
year, said it was up
to the Asean members and the government in Yangon to decide on Myanmar's
membership into the grouping.
"If the United Nations accepts Myanmar as member, Asean has the right
to accept
Myanmar," he said during a lecture at the Institute of Strategic and
International
Studies (Isis) here.
"My sincere hope is that the membership of Myanmar into Asean, which is
likely to
take place soon, will be the starting point for improving the
human-rights situation in
Myanmar and restoration of democracy," said Prof Yokota, who is
attached to the
Law Faculty at the University of Tokyo.
He said he was aware that some Western governments did not want to see
Myanmar
accepted by Asean and that Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
her National League for Democracy party wanted the ruling State Law and
Order
Restoration Council to restore democracy and respect human rights first
before it is
accepted by Asean.
Asean foreign ministers are expected to decide on the timing of
Myanmar's entry
along with Cambodia and Laos at a meeting here on Saturday.
Prof Yokota said just as in the case of the UN, which had clear
objectives to achieve
co-operation among member states for respect of human rights, Myanmar's
entry
into Asean could further boost the efforts.
He said the situation of human rights in Myanmar when he was the
special rapporteur
until last year was "very bad" and he believed the situation had not
improved much.
"The government of Myanmar has to respect the human rights of their own
people,"
he added. -- Bernama.