ASEAN must block Myanmar’s military junta participation from all its platforms
In response to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting taking place this week, FORUM-ASIA Executive Director Shamini Darshni Kaliemuthu said:
FORUM-ASIA welcomes the exclusion of the Myanmar military junta’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin from the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat, and reiterates its call to ensure ASEAN does not provide a platform to any representative from the military junta.
ASEAN must recognise that the junta can never be the legitimate representative of its people. Any level of participation from the junta would only allow it to perpetuate its atrocious crimes which have included extrajudicial killings, rape and sexual violence, torture and arbitrary detention.
FORUM-ASIA calls on Cambodia, the incumbent ASEAN Chair, to refrain from further engagement with the junta and to listen to Myanmar people. ASEAN must engage with the National Unity Government (NUG), which represents the democratic aspirations of the Myanmar people; and continue to push for accountability, and uphold the principles of human rights and democracy, as stated in the ASEAN Charter. ASEAN must use this Foreign Ministers Meeting to collectively support the people’s vision for a democratic Myanmar.
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The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a network of 85 member organisations across 23 countries, mainly in Asia. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. The FORUM-ASIA Secretariat is based in Bangkok, with offices in Jakarta, Geneva and Kathmandu. www.forum-asia.org
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- East Asia-ASEAN Programme, FORUM-ASIA, [email protected]
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