The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (SEAN) has finally come to terms with its pariah member, Burma, now called Myanmar, with its decision to drop support for the country at the next summit of the UN Security Council. This move is a first in ASEANs history since the regional organisation does not abandon its members, but rather always fights united like a pack of wolves, notes Kavi Chongkittavorn, former ASEAN Adviser.

The ASEAN

ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original Member Countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.

The ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million, with a land area totalling 4.5 million square kilometres, a combined gross domestic product of almost USD 700 billion, and a total trade of about US$ 850
billion.

The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (1) to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and (2) to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Source:
Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (2006). Overview. Retrieved, September 12, 2006 from <www.aseansec.org>.

In the case of Burma, ASEAN has taken great pains not to say anything that would reveal discord among its members. After years of risking its reputation by defending Burma in multilateral forums, ASEAN has finally come to terms with its pariah member. ASEAN will now do whatever is necessary to save the organisation and no longer dwell on the challenges of defending an unworthy member, Chongkittavorn said.

According to Chongkittavorn, the situation in Burma has been in the agenda of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG), which has been tasked to draw up recommendations for drafting the ASEAN charter. Burmas intransigence and its far-reaching repercussions are the main reasons why Asean has to scrutinise and come up with measures against
non-compliance, he noted.

More ASEAN members are reportedly convinced that the Burmese junta has not been at all cooperative with its colleagues in efforts to find political solutions in Burma, and that Rangoon is dragging its feet to ensure that future political manoeuvring will perpetuate the current juntas grip on power. Obviously, ASEAN is not going to play into the junta's hands, Chongkittavorn said.

MYANMAR

Myanmar, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country in geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. It is also known as Burma or the Union of Burma by bodies and states which do not recognise the
ruling military junta.

Myanmars diverse population has played a major role in defining its politics, its history, and its demographics in modern times. Its political system remains under the tight control of the State Peace and Development Council, the military government led by Senior General Than Shwe since 1992. Colonised as part of the British Empire until 1948, Myanmar continues to struggle to mend its ethnic tensions, and overcome coups dtats. The countrys culture, heavily influenced by neighbours, is based on a unique form of Buddhism intertwined with local elements.

In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of its name from Burma to Myanmar, along with changes to the English versions of many place names in the country, such as its former capital city from Rangoon to Yangon. Acceptance of the name change in the English-speaking world has been slow; usage of Burma is still common.

Major news organisations such as the BBC and western governments, including those of the United States and the United Kingdom, still officially refer to the country as Burma. CNN, The Economist and The New
York Times regularly use the term "Myanmar."

Source:

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2006). Myanmar. Retrieved September 12, 2006 from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar>

The EPG will meet for the last time in Brunei in November before submitting a report to ASEAN leaders at the summit in Cebu, Philippines. One of the new ideas is how to sanction a member that fails to comply with the ASEAN charter. ASEANmove comes in the wake of the growing calls from the US and members of the European Union to put the issue of human rights abuses in Burma at the agenda of the next UN Security Council summit.

On 1 September, US Ambassador John Bolton submitted a formal request to have Burma included on the Security Council agenda as a threat to international peace and security. The US sought to put Burma on the Security Councils agenda twice last year but reportedly backed off after opposition from China, Russia and Japan. This time, Bolton was prepared to ask for a vote to place the issue on the UNs agenda because we think at this point that we would have a sufficient number of supporters.

At the recently concluded Asia-Europe summit in Helsinki, European Union leaders reportedly slammed Burma for its human rights abuses, lack of democracy and the illegal detainment of political prisoners, including Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. We regretted the lack of tangible progress, said Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen after talks with Burmas Foreign Minister U Nyan Win at the end of the first day of an Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM). The summit brought together leaders from all 25 EU countries and 13 leading Asian states. The Finnish Prime Minister was also reported to have said that Burma had failed to convince European nations of any change in the military regimes hard-line stance.

Sources:

Chongkittavorn, Kavi (2006). Progress as Asean finally backs away from Burma., The Nation, 04 September 2006, from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/04/opinion/opinion_30012709.php

Heinlein Peter.(2006). US Pushes UN Security Council to Take UP Burma. Retrieved, September 12, 2006, from <http://www.isria.info/FILES/2006/SEPTEMBER/POL_09042006__52.htm>

Islam S., & and Mangasarian, L. (2006). EU rips Burma human rights, democracy. Retrieved September 12, 2006 from <http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112825>

Leopold, Evelyn. US seeks UN Security Council actions on Myanmar. Retrieved September 12, 2006 from <http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060901/wl_nm/myanmar_un_dc_1>