ASEAN - Asean nod to Burma reforms

Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders Thursday formally endorsed Burma for the chairmanship of the 10-member grouping in 2014, as Burma officials urged Western nations to recognise recent reforms in the country and lift sanctions.

The decision, which came at the start of the Asean Summit in Bali, was expected after Asean foreign ministers supported the move when they met earlier this week.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current Asean chair who confirmed the leaders' endorsement, said: "It's not about the past. It's about the future, what (Myanmar's) leaders are doing now. We are trying to ensure the process of change continues."

A consensus on letting Burma chair the regional grouping was reached only after some Asean members were won over in recent months by the reforms that its new government had made and felt there were signs of further change.

Minutes before the confirmation came, a senior Burma official gave a hint of the approach that the government could take.

U Sit Aye, a presidential legal adviser, told reporters that Burma's people had suffered under the economic sanctions imposed on the country for its poor human rights record.

"Hundreds of thousands of people became jobless as the companies withdrew their investment. That worsened the situation. So now we (want to) promote economic development," he said.

The government is planning to amend legislation to allow exiles to return, he said.

On Monday, Burma announced it was going to release more political prisoners.

U Sit Aye said President Thein Sein believes that getting the Asean chair would boost investor confidence in Burma and help it get rid of its pariah status.

Thein Sein also reached out to democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released last year after 15 years of house arrest.

Her National League for Democracy is expected to decide today whether to re-register as a political party to contest imminent by-elections.

An official in Suu Kyi's party is hopeful that Myanmar's Asean chairmanship would lead to more political change.

Asked how Thein Sein reacted to news of the endorsement, U Sit Aye said, with a smile: "Happy".

Human rights groups said Burma has not done enough for it to be given such a key diplomatic role.

They argue that the United States and other Western countries have yet to ease political and economic sanctions imposed against the old military junta for its repressive policies.

But some countries, including Burma's former colonial ruler Britain, are prepared to review their position if the reclusive nation carries out more reforms.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said after meeting Suu Kyi on Thursday that London is ready for a "fundamental shift" in relations if political reforms continue.

US President Barack Obama, speaking in Australia Thursday before travelling to Bali, said that Burma must continue to show improvement in human rights.

"Some political prisoners have been released. The government has begun a dialogue. Still, violations of human rights persist," he said.

"So we will continue to speak clearly about the steps that must be taken for the government of Burma (Myanmar) to have a better relationship with the United States," he added.

The Myanmar issue is expected to come up again when the East Asia Summit, which brings together the 10 Asean members and their dialogue partners, including China and the US, starts tomorrow.

There are signs that the South China Sea territorial disputes will dominate the talks, despite China's position that the issue is off the table at the summit.

Four Asean members--Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam--along with China and Taiwan, have laid claim to all or part of the South China Sea, a region that encompasses vital shipping lanes and which is believed to sit atop vast oil and mineral reserves.

Asean leaders also signed a declaration called the Bali Concord III, a blueprint to increase the regional grouping's role globally.

Zubaidah Nazeer

The Straits Times

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