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Burmese Inaction Frustrates Asean
Nurfika Osman | June 17, 2009

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Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations are becoming increasingly frustrated with Burma for ignoring pleas to release political prisoners, including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said on Tuesday.

Hassan said that the diplomatic efforts allowed under the non-interference principle of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had failed to change Burma’s position.

“Our dialogues with Burma have reached an impasse,” Hassan said. “Even efforts by other countries, such as exerting diplomatic pressure and imposing sanctions, have not been strong enough to push them to change.”

He said that he had discussed the Burma issue with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, DC, on June 8.

“So far, we have been monitoring Burma, and the next trial of Suu Kyi is in July,” Hassan said.

He said Indonesia had long supported democracy and national reconciliation in Burma by pursuing effective intervention and concerted efforts in the international community.

“We formed a meeting, called the focus group meeting, in New York to make approaches to Burma,” Hassan said. “The focus group consists of our ambassador to the United Nations, Marty Natalegawa, and delegations from China, Vietnam and Japan.”

There are currently more than 2,100 political prisoners languishing in Burmese prisons, according to rights groups, which said that they were imprisoned after campaigning for democracy and human rights within the military-ruled country.

The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, or AIPMC, an organization of parliamentarians from Asean countries, said the regional grouping has been pressing Burma to reform since 2004. But progress has been elusive, including on the issues of political prisoners, the minority Rohingnya ethnic group and the country’s human rights record.

The parliamentary caucus has recently sought to have Burma suspended from Asean for repeatedly ignoring requests to improve its rights record.

The recommendation to suspend Burma will be brought to the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Bangkok this August, where a decision will be made.




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