------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: August 10, 1995 THE NATION: BURMA'S ENTRY INTO ASEAN: A NEAR REALITY? THE NATION: MAE SAI TRADERS CRYING FOUL AS BORDER PASS ABRUPTLY SHUT THE NATION: SUU KYI AGREES TO SEND MASSAGE TO BEIJING MEET ---------------------------------------------------------- Produced with the support of the Burma Information Group (B.I.G). The BurmaNet News is an electronic newspaper covering Burma. Articles from newspapers, magazines, newsletters, the wire services and the Internet as well as original material are published. The BurmaNet News is e-mailed directly to subscribers and is also distributed via the soc.culture.burma and seasia-l mailing lists and is also available via the reg.burma conference on the APC networks. 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Sutcliffe" World Wide Web: FreeBurma@POBox.com Volunteering: Dr. Christina Fink c/o burmanet@igc.apc.org [Feel free to suggest more areas of coverage] ---------------------------------------------------------- ===== item ===== BURMA'S ENTRY INTO ASEAN: A NEAR REALITY? 10 AUGUST 1995, The Nation The Burmese military junta surprisingly announced its desire to become an Asean observer. Yindee Lertcharoenchok looks at this crucial stage of Burma at a political crossroads. With Burma's accession to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation last month, Asean members are jubilant that their founding father's dream of seeing a 10- member Southeast Asian grouping is finally materializing before the turn of the century. Asean members belive that the five year time frame is a reasonable possibil ity as Vietnam has just become a full member, with Laos and Cambodia expected to head in the same direction as both have been granted observer status. It has been the dream of our founding fathers that there will eventually be an Asean 10. I would like to see it happen by the turn of the century. There are still five years to work on this. It is possible, said Malaysian Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Ahmad Kamil Jaafar in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of the annual Asean Ministerial Meeting in Brunei last month. In early July, the Burmese junta instructed its ambassador to Indonesia to inform the Asean Secretariat Office in Jakarta of its wish to become an observer at Asean. At the same time, Burmese Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw informed his counter part, Prince Mohamed Bolkiah of Brunei, who chaired the Asean meeting, of Rangoon's decision to accede to the Asean treaty. By tradition, this automatically gives a treaty partner an observer status in Asean. With no prior hint, Asean countries were caught off guard by the sudden decision of the ruling Burmese State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc). They were even more surprised to hear about the Slorc's unconditional release on July 10 of its arch enemy and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had spent nearly six years under house arrest. Upon arrival in Brunei on July 27, U Ohn Gyaw presented to Prince Bolkiah Slorc's instrument of accession to the Bali Treaty. However, Asean members decided to stand by their previous decision to have Ohn Gyaw attend the Asean forum as guest of the host country. During the Asean meeting in July last year, he also represented his country as guest of Thailand. In principle, Asean foreign ministers agreed that Burma would officially enjoy observer status at their annual gathering next year in Indonesia. Slorc's abrupt but deliberate move to associate itself with Asean is not without hidden motives when one takes into account its refusal to join Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand when they founded the grouping in 1967. Since Burma's independence in 1948 after 62 years of British colonial rule, successive governments_ parliamentary and military_ have strictly adhered to neutrality in foreign policy partly due to its strategic geopolitical location as a country that borders two Asian giants, China and India. They also adopted the concept of five principles of peaceful coexistence proclaimed at the Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia in April, 1955 where Burma was one of the key participants. The Bandung Declaration, which has served as the basic principle of Burma's foreign relations with countries across the globe, calls for mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equally and mutual benefits, and peaceful coexistence. When the Revolutionary Council of Gen Ne Win seized power on March 2, 1962, it announced Burma's adherence to a policy of positive neutrality, guaranteeing the continuity of existing cordial relations with all countries. Burma's neutrality was well recognized, especially at the height of the Cold War in Southeast Asia. During that rough and tough period, the country avoided suspicion from both the Communist world and the free world by refusing to align itself with either camps and keeping itself apart from regional associations, including Asean, which it considered as a staunchly anti- communist, pro-Western apparatus and lackey of American imperialism in the region. In Sept 1979, Burma withdrew from the Non-Aligned Movement (Nam), citing the violations of the Movement's basic principles, including the emergence of some active factions within the organization, the use of force by some members for the settlement of disputes and interference in the internal affairs of others. Only after the Cold War over did Burma seek to restore its Nam membership. Senior Thai government officials and some Asean diplomats share the view that Burma would not rush to become a full member of Asean and that the status of observer would sufficiently serve, at least for the time being, its internal and external interests, politically and economically. Unlike Vietnam and the two other Indochinese countries, Burma's integration into the Southeast Asian club would be a cautious gradual process. As an observer, Burma would be able to enjoy distant relations with Asean, which has yet to set a new post-Cold War policy direction and principles, while earning global acceptance, recognition and legitimacy from the grouping's growing international prominence. Slorc knows that Asean is a good steeping stone into the global arena and that it can easily pass the test with full regional recognition. The Burmese regime is confident that, as an observer, its self-interests would not be hurt and Asean can always be relied upon to stand up to deflect and challenge Western pressure and criticism of Slorc's poor human rights records and refusal to initiate democratic reforms. The benefits also include the invitation to attend separate annual meetings of Asean foreign and economic ministers and , more importantly, the two-year-old Asean Regional Forum (ARF) where Asean and its dialogue partners from the world's developed economies hold talks on political, security and defence matters in Asia and the Pacific. Several ARF members, particularly the West, have identifies Burma and the Spratly islands as the two potential hot spots in Southeast Asia. They have also commissioned studies to seek preventive measures against a possible violent scenario.. Slorc has clearly timed and used the release of Suu Kyi and its appropriate association with Asean to neutralize international outrage and backlash. The stunning release of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner was not only a domestic agenda but a global requirement and Slorc maximized its effects to its utmost benefit. While Burma realizes its inevitable integration into Asean, Slorc has absolutely no desire or proven sincerity, at least for now, to be a full member of Asean. Although Vietnam's entry last month meant the official ending of ideological hostilities in the grouping, Burma has always pursued a more global outlook and prefers to associate itself with the United Nations or the Non-Aligned Movement where its interests and presence are best served and recognized. Asean diplomats believe that while Burma would have less difficulty than the three Indochinese status, it would study and watch Vietnam's integration in Asean closely. Unlike Cambodia and Laos, Burma has not publicly announced or committed itself to becoming an Asean member, they noted. Slorc is fully aware that before becoming an Asean member, it would be required to fulfill certain criteria and obligations, although exceptions are possible like in the case of Vietnam requesting a three-year grace period before it fully joins the Asean Free Trade Area. Among other requirements, Burma has to carry out internal administrative, structural and even policy reforms and preparations to cope with intensive Asean political and economic activities - around 200 meeting yearly, huge expenses and an annual US$ million membership contribution. It also has to conform to numerous Asean rulers and regulations as well as the grouping's principles and stance towards various international issues which Burma, with its global neutrality image, could find itself reluctant to commit to. Although Asean countries have tried to assure Rangoon that membership into Asean will not be gauged on the basis of the political situation there, Slorc knows that unless it improves its human rights records and implements further political reforms, its efforts to normalize relations with the world community, and come into association with Asean, will not be without criticism. Suu Kyi's release was warmly welcomed internationally, but the move does not translate into any political reform in Burma. Slorc has not projected a softened or reconciliation stance towards the pro-democracy movement or ethnic guerilla forces. before Burma is fully welcomed with open arms as a member, Asean has to make sure that Slorc accomplishes the other fundamental international requirements stated in successive annual UN resolutions. This includes the release of all political detainees, respects of human rights, freedom of access to political prisoners by the International Committee for the Red Cross, and progress towards dialogue and national reconciliation with the country's pro-democracy and ethnic movements. (TN) ===== item ===== MAE SAI TRADERS CRYING FOUL AS BORDER PASS ABRUPTLY SHUT 10 August 1995, THE NATION THE Burmese junta on Tuesday ordered the abrupt closure of five temporary border checkpoints between Tachilek and Thailand's Mae Sai district, and threatened a six-month jail term for anyone caught illegally crossing into Thailand. Thai merchants and the Mae Sai Chamber of Fem Traders said the closure will badly affect the town's already poor economy. It relies on border trade and local tourism. Chamber president Pichai Kongsricharoen said he did not know why the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council had closed the checkpoints, which were opened last month by Chiang Rai officials to facilitate and tourism. He said Slorc had threatened to jail people who illegally crossed the border for six months without bail or visitation rights. The closure was made without warning. Pichi said Mae Sai's whole economy was damaged when Slorc closed the official Tachilek-Mae Sai crossing early this year, after a dawn raid on Tachilek by opium warlord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army. (TN) ====item==== SUU KYI AGREES TO SEND MASSAGE TO BEIJING MEET 10 August 1995, THE NATION BURMESE dissident Aung San Suu Kyi will send a videotape address to the non- governmental forum on women in Beijing this month, the chairwoman for the conference said yesterday. Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to record a message for the conference, which beings on Aug 30, after having turned down an invitation to attend the forum, which precedes the UN world women's conference, Supatra Masdit told reporters in Bangkok. The Burmese dissident was invited to attend the meeting by the UN organizers, but declined, saying she was not yet prepared to travel outside Burma. Suu Kyi would talk about her political struggle and describe her experience up to her release from almost six years of house arrest on July 10, said Supatra, a Thai MP. We want her to talk about her inspirations, her belief in talking a political role for the world's women, she said. She will also tell of her experiences, which will benefit women who wish to take a political role- especially for dissident movements fighting undemo cratic forces, Supatra said. Burma has announced that it will send an official delegation to the Beijing forum. (TN)