On 4 October 2007, 22 organisations presented a letter to Surin
Pitsuwon, ASEAN Secretary General Designate, urging him to lead ASEAN
to “find a solution that ends the political stalemate in Burma.”
On 4 October 2007, 22 organisations addressed a letter to Surin Pitsuwon, who recently was designated as the next Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The letter urges him to lead ASEAN to publicly acknowledge that the grave situation in Burma is creating instability in the region.
The letter was written “with deep concern over developments in Burma” and “with high hopes” that ASEAN “will play a crucial role in helping find a political solution that ends the political stalemate and human rights abuses in that country.”
“We believe that it is time for the international community, particularly ASEAN, to act in defense of democracy and the hapless people of Burma,” the letter says.
Regional organisations based in Thailand and Burma along with other international organisations signed the letter, which was given to Pitsuwon at Chulalongkon University in Bangkok.
Surin Pitsuwon is a member of the National Legislative Assembly and a former foreign minister of Thailand. He is to be the Secretary General of ASEAN on 1 January 2008.
