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NON-INTERVENTION POLICY OF ASEAN QU



Subject: NON-INTERVENTION POLICY OF ASEAN QUERIED


     Non-intervention policy of Asean queried  STRAITS TIMES 8/6


     By Ho Wah Foon 
     in Kuala Lumpur 

     CONCERNS over the inclusion of Myanmar in Asean, as well as strained ties
     between Malaysia and Singapore, have sparked a debate among academics on
     whether the regional grouping should abandon its non-intervention
principle. 

     Myanmar, ruled by a military junta, will become an Asean member next month.
     Relations between Singapore and Malaysia have been strained since March
this year.

     On the second day of the 11th Asia-Pacific Roundtable here yesterday,
Mr Jusuf
     Wanandi from Indonesia kicked off the debate by saying that Asean
members should
     think of ways to comment on the domestic developments of countries in
the grouping.

     Mr Jusuf, the chairman of the supervisory board, Centre for Strategic and
     International Studies in Indonesia, said in his paper presented yesterday: 

     "A formula has to be found where this could be done in an acceptable
and reciprocal
     way. The case with the new members, especially Myanmar, will be an
important test
     case on how this could be done successfully." 

     He said the constructive engagement policy advocated by Asean might be
too slow
     to help to transform Myanmar's political system and Asean needed to
deal with these
     domestic issues as they could affect the region's stability. 

     He noted that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the press in Asean
     countries were already playing an interventionist role. 

     Examples he cited included the second international conference on East
Timor held
     by NGOs in Kuala Lumpur last year and comments by newspapers on Myanmar's
     treatment of political opponents. 

     Professor Michael Leifer of the London School of Economics and
Political Science
     said Myanmar would not help to improve relations of Asean-10 with its
dialogue
     partners if Asean maintained its non-intervention policy. 

     "Governments and NGOs of the dialogue partners feel that the respect for
     sovereignty should not give government the right to torture people, to
detain political
     opponents, to instill fear in people ...," he said. 

     A delegate from the floor said other Asean members should step in to
prevent further
     tension created by the Singapore-Malaysia diplomatic row, which had
spillover
     effects on Thailand and Indonesia. 

     Mr Jusuf's suggestion, however, was opposed by some academics who
argued that
     the resilience and strength of Asean had come from its principle of
non-intervention. 

     A representative from Myanmar said that he was all for constructive
engagement and
     said Myanmar would want to resolve its internal problems "in our own
way without
     external pressure. 

     "Myanmar will abide by the rights and obligations of Asean. But in my
view, there
     should be strict observance of sovereignty and no intervention," he said.