New York Times Bloggingheads: Killing Fields

I have found an interesting video on the New York Times website about the genocide in Cambodia and its long-term consequences on the country's development. Click here to watch.

Maturity of Democracy?

Two distinct politicians have recently commented on the maturity of democracy in their respective countries.

Sam Rainsy (Opposition party leader of Cambodia) was quoted in KI-Media as saying, “We greeted each other among us Cambodians, among people who are responsible to the nation. This shows that democracy in our country has reached a maturity level where we can talk to each other.”

Vladimir Putin (President of Russia) was cited in the New York Times as saying to the effect that "the election signified that the nation was maturing as a democracy."

Both Cambodia and Russia are countries that can be considered as "authoritarian democracies." And yet, there is more of a sense of optimism in such expressions from an opposition leader than from a government leader himself. Oh, I can't help but resonate with the similarities of political situations in the two countries!

Human Rights Hypocracies?

Two recent articles in the New York Times - Laos And Cambodia Slam Myanmar Sanctions and ASEAN Rejects US Call to Suspend Myanmar - prove what has always been proven.

Some highlights of the first article:

Laos and Cambodia condemned the Western economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar after its brutal crackdown on democracy protests, calling on fellow members of the ASEAN regional bloc to stay out of each other's affairs.

...

"We denounce the imposition of sanctions or economic embargoes against Myanmar," Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh told Reuters in an interview on Sunday ahead of an Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen also rejected sanctions, ahead of a summit in Singapore on Tuesday where ASEAN leaders will sign a charter that calls for promotion of human rights.

"Economy sanctions are no good. They will not make the leaders of Myanmar die, but will lead to disaster for the civilian population. They are counter-productive," Hun Sen said in reply to questions at a business forum.

...

"All measures taken to address the situation in Myanmar should be in strict conformity with ASEAN's fundamental principles," Bouphavanh said through a Lao government translator.

"ASEAN should adhere strictly to its fundamental principles of respecting each other's independence and sovereignty. The ASEAN principle of non-interference is a key element to maintain cohesiveness in ASEAN," he said.

...

Singapore state broadcaster Channel News Asia's Web site quoted Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as saying that nobody in Asia supports sanctions against Myanmar.

...

Singapore has banned all outdoor protests and rejected an opposition party's request for a Myanmar pro-democracy protest in the city-state.

(1) Laos and Cambodia, two country with not much better human rights record than Myanmar, are the first and foremost to come to its rescue. Aren't they worried about possible future sanctions on themselves?


(2) Isn't Mr. Lee Hsien Loong's statement that, "nobody in Asia supports sanctions against Myanmar." too much of a generalization? A book I recently read described Singapore as a country where "economic development is far ahead of political and social development." The ban on all outdoor protests can't prove this better.


(3) All these statements of condemnation come at the very time of a supposedly landmark signing of a new charter to boost human rights in the region. How ironical or hypocritical? Are they all redefining the very concept of human rights?

Here is the complete text of the second article:

SINGAPORE (AP) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday rejected the U.S. Senate's call to suspend Myanmar, saying the military-ruled country is like a troubled child who must be disciplined with dialogue.

''Myanmar is part of our family and it is the principle involved,'' ASEAN secretary-general Ong Keng Yong told reporters, a day before an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders convenes in Singapore. ''It's like you as a parent, if you have a troubled child, do you say, `... go out of the house, I don't want to talk to you?'''

The U.S. Senate on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution urging ASEAN to consider ''appropriate disciplinary measures, including suspension, until such time as the government of Burma has demonstrated improved respect for and commitment to human rights. '' Myanmar is also known as Burma.

ASEAN's Senate snub is not unexpected since it has said expelling Myanmar is not an option. Still, Myanmar -- under military rule since 1962 -- has become a major embarrassment for the association, which is under intense pressure from trading partners U.S. and Europe to bring about change in that country.

The pressure intensified after the junta's troops and police opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in late September, killing at least 15 people.

A round of subsequent diplomacy by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari led to some apparent concessions by the military rulers, including an indication that they will restart a reconciliation process with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

''Let us build on that,'' said Ong. ''The challenge for ASEAN is to prevent slippage of what Gambari has achieved,'' he said. ''Our approach is not to take such a confrontational, drastic action, especially when it doesn't yield good results.''

The Senate resolution, introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., also urged the 10-nation ASEAN to take ''substantial steps to ensure peaceful transition to democracy in Burma.''

Washington said U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab will underscore U.S. concerns when she meets with ASEAN economic ministers Monday.

ASEAN has often cited its policy of noninterference in one another's affairs for its inability to do much about Myanmar, though that stand has become increasingly diluted with Southeast Asian leaders expressing frustration with the junta publicly.

It is likely ASEAN leaders will speak their minds when they meet privately with Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Thein Sein during a closed-door dinner Monday night. Appointed in October, Thein Sein recently paid diplomatic visits to neighboring Vietnam and Laos.

(4) What policy of non-interference? Aren't people suffering every single minute; aren't their fundamental rights being violated? Hasn't this "non-interference" policy always been used to shelter authoritarian regimes? How much do ASEAN members refrain from interfering into their neighbors internal affairs? Just take the example of Vietnam keen interest in Cambodia's internal issues. Don't human rights violations of the scale the Burmese Junta inflict transcend national sovereignty and into the realm of the international community's moral and legal responsibility to respond and protect?

While the US and other countries' actions might not qualify as the so-called "smart sanctions", isn't it a helpful step to help ASEAN with its human rights promotion?

Just too many questions without any answers.

A New Blog

Astrokerl is a new blog created for informative, entertaining, and analytical purposes.

Enjoy!
Astrokerl
astrokerl [at] gmail [dot] com