Asean ministers meet this week (r)

[enmasse_1@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Re:Asean ministers meet this week
=================================

July 21 is the half way mark from the NLD's deadline for the parliament 
to be convened in Burma. The Asean ministers will meet in Manila over 
the fortnight and another fortnight will reach the end of the deadline 
given to the SPDC to convene the parliament in Burma.

As the ministers from the ASEAN will hopefuuly scramble to come up with 
a contingency plan to avert a possible instability in the region arising 
out of the present situations in Burma, I am sure NLD would certainly 
have its contingency plan worked out for any possible eventualities.

As I see it, there are a few marked differences between the situations 
in Burma in 1988 and that of the present situations.

1. The opposition party, the NLD is a legally registered political
   party in Burma in accordance with the laws enacted by the then 
   SLORC military regime. 

2. The NLD had won the May 1990 general elections held by the SLORC.

3. The NLD party and the representative NLD MPs have the mandate from
   the people of Burma and therefore call made by the NLD to convene 
   a parliament is a legitmate call. 

4. The NLD had waited for eight years to make its legitimate call to
   convene a parliament and was made in a times of peace ( June 23,
   1998 ) and without any mass demostrations.
 
5. The call to convene the parliament was made only after it had held
   its party congress on 27 May 1998 ( i.e to mark the eight 
   anniversary of its victory in the general election in May 1990 )
   asking the SPDC to honor the results of the general elections.

6. The call to convene the parlimanent came after it had made its
   consistant call for a tripartite meeting to end a political stand
   off between the SPDC and the NLD including the ethinic minority
   forces peacefully.

7. The call to convene the parliament had been made only after the NLD
   had made a promise not to take revengful measures towards the SPDC
   publically.

8. Ample time was given ( 60 days) for the SPDC to decide if the call
   to convene a parliament will be conceeded and to agree to come to
   a negotiation table to solve the political stalemate in Burma
   peacefully.

9. NLD has show great patience towards the SPDC despite the continual
   and increased repression on the oppositions by the SPDC. 
   

  Now, if the decisions made by the SPDC is not to come to a   
  negotiation table nor to allow a parliament to be convened, then
  the consequences that follows are the sole responsibilty of the SPDC
  and the ASEAN's failure to contain the SPDC from recreating its
  killing fields of the 1988 uprising. 


  In soliderity,

  Minn Kyaw Minn
  ==============


  


  

 


>From notes@xxxxxxx Mon Jul 20 22:56:45 1998
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>Date: 20 Jul 1998 21:59:28
>Reply-To: Conference "reg.burma" <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>From: moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Asean ministers meet this week
>To: Recipients of burmanet-l <burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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>Asean ministers meet this week 
>20/7/98
>
> 
>
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>They, and senior officials, will tackle issues of free trade, security 
and
>intra-regional diplomacy at their talks in Manila over the fortnight
>
>By NIRMAL GHOSH
>PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT
>
>MANILA -- Greater engagement, regional security developments, and 
continued
>commitment to free-trade schedules will figure in a series of meetings 
among
>Asean senior officials, ministers and dialogue partners in Manila over 
the
>next two weeks. 
>
>According to sources and reports, Asean foreign ministers set to meet 
from
>Thursday to Saturday will most likely leave schedules leading to an 
Asean
>Free Trade Area (Afta) unchanged despite the regional economic crisis. 
>
>Brunei, Indonesia, Malayia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are
>committed to removing tariffs by 2003. Vietnam will remove tariffs by 
2006,
>while Myanmar and Laos will do so by 2008. 
>
>A statement from Myanmar -- potentially the most politically-isolated 
Asean
>member -- said: "We are very optimistic that we will be able to fulfill 
our
>commitment under Afta within the allotted time." 
>
>But some government officials and private-sector analysts have 
cautioned
>that Asean should review its schedules as export sectors were 
re-adjusting
>forecasts due to currency re-alignments forced by the regional economic 
crisis. 
>
>Asean standing committee chairman, Philippines Foreign Secretary 
Domingo
>Siazon, last week said he did not "see any reason why we should really 
delay
>the implementation of Afta". 
>
>Meanwhile, Manila has backed Thailand's proposal for Asean members to 
be
>more open about one another's internal affairs. 
>
>Thailand, prompted by continuing political tension in Myanmar which
>periodically results in refugees streaming into Thailand, proposed 
recently
>that Asean's policy of non-interference and silence on members' 
internal
>affairs needed to be reviewed. 
>
>Thai Foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan said the regional economic crisis 
also
>indicated that members' internal affairs were relevant to the rest of 
the
>region. 
>
>Mr Siazon said last week that Asean should consider greater 
transparency to
>help curb corruption and give early warning signals of economic crises. 
>
>The nuclear-arms issue in South Asia would also figure, especially in 
talks
>with dialogue partners. 
>
>A statement from the US Department of State said delegate Secretary of 
State
>Madeleine Albright would raise the issue of nuclear non-proliferation 
and
>disarmament, as well as the situation in Cambodia and the Korean 
Peninsula. 
>
>But a draft of an Asean Regional Forum (ARF) statement condemning the
>nuclear tests of India and Pakistan may be softened in response to
>objections from India and some other unidentified dialogue partners and
>Asean partners. 
>
>Meetings of senior officials begin today. 
>
>


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