EBO “
News Summary:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
2. UN envoy to do utmost to win
3.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burma now a threat to the survival
of Asean: Kobsak
The Nation
By Rungrawee C Pinyorat
(Asean) was at
risk due to the political deadlock in
changes needed before
grouping in 2005, vice chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Kobsak Chutikul said
yesterday.
Speaking at a seminar to mark the 36th
anniversary of Asean, Kobsak
said
that the problems in
If the issue was not resolved, he said,
other countries might cease to associate
with Asean.
A veteran politician and one of the
founders of Asean, Thanat Khoman said
that Asean was
suffering from a "high fever".
"We cannot let Asean
fall apart. Those who cause it to disintegrate must be
held accountable," he said.
On the economic front, Sompop
Manarangsan, a lecturer at the Chulalongkorn
University's Faculty of Economics said Asean members had been competing
with each other rather than cooperating.
Julacheep Chinwanno, a
lecturer at the
Sciences, said that Asean
was facing a crisis of leadership.
"Asean does
not have a leader who is widely accepted, like former Indonesian
president Suharto, or
former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew,"
he said.
-------------------------------
UN envoy to do utmost to win
Monday he would do everything he can to
persuade the country's ruling generals
to accept
After a meeting with Thai Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai, Razali
said it was vital not to alienate the ruling
generals with the plan which is
also aimed at securing the release of
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"I will do all I can to make this
framework be acceptable," he said. "This
is an effort by
neighbour to try to persuade the government to see
this is the way out."
"The issue is how do we do this in
such a way that the
would understand that this is not an effort to
try to intrude into what they
want to do," he told reporters.
Razali said that the United Nations would
work together with
its proposal. Most of the details of the
scheme are being kept secret but it
will include an international forum to
brainstorm solutions for
"There will be coordination by all
parties and the Thai foreign minister
has told me that he would want to discuss
much more with us and also with
other parties so that it becomes eventually
something quite acceptable to the
relevant parties," he said.
Surakiart said that
and trading partner, had given its
in-principle approval to the scheme and
would continue to be closely consulted.
---------------------------------
States Monday over its campaign to free
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
saying it was trying to destabilise the country
and install a puppet regime.
A commentary in the state media accused
the
dissident groups based in
the national traitors of
The
with high intensity to pave the way for their
puppet government to rule the
nation in order to serve their self-interest,"
said the New Light of Myanmar.
"The acts of the persons, who are
like the maggots in the flesh under the
influence of personality cult, are designed to
support a group of persons to
grab power," it said in a reference to
Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party.
In the latest of several broadsides
against tough new
securing Aung San Suu Kyi's release, the ruling
junta's number-three Khin
Nyunt also said the measures would only
further impoverish the population.
"Some Western powers in collusion
with some elements who are opposed to the
public interest, imposed economic sanctions on
rights and democracy with every intention of
leading the people to miserable
conditions," he said in a speech reported in
the state press.
--------------------------------
Euro-Burma Office
Square Gutenberg 11/2
1000
tel: 32 2 280 0691/280 2452
fax:
32 2 280 0310
e-mail:
[email protected]