Asean Has to Expel Myanmar
Don’t let the junta get away with murder
By: B A Hamzah
The time has come for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to dump the junta in Myanmar, which has been violating its Charter and Human Rights Declaration for a long time with impunity.
Asean’s silence on human rights violations in Myanmar is not baffling if you know how the organization works. Its non-interference policy in the internal affairs of the member states and decision by consensus are at odds with its own provisions on the promotion of human rights and international freedom in the Charter (2007) and Human Rights Declaration (2013).
On March 2, a month after the killing started, Brunei, the current Asean chairman, called on all parties “to refrain from instigating further violence, and for all sides to exercise utmost restraint as well as flexibility. We also called on all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution, through constructive dialogue, and practical reconciliation in the interests of the people and their livelihood. In this regard, we expressed Asean’s readiness to assist Myanmar in a positive, peaceful, and constructive manner.”