AIPMC Calls on ASEAN Leaders to Place Ethnic Conflict and Human Rights Situation in Myanmar on ASEAN Agenda

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) today called on leading ASEAN delegates to urgently address concerns regarding democratic reform, ethnic conflict and human rights abuses in Myanmar at the upcoming 19th ASEAN Summit in Bali this week […]

Public Hearing Exposes Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes in Burma

Legislators and Civil Society Call on ASEAN to Take a Strong Stance

On the one-year anniversary of Burma’s first elections in 20 years, civil society from Burma and the region held a public hearing and seminar yesterday on human rights abuses that have continued unabated in the last year. In the morning public hearing, moving testimonies were delivered in person and via video by survivors and witnesses of human rights violations […]

Lawmakers and Civil Society Call on ASEAN to Delay Burma Chairmanship Decision

Representatives from Burma’s civil society based in the Thai-Burma border areas held a press conference today calling on ASEAN to delay their decision about Burma’s bid for the 2014 chairmanship until the country takes substantial key steps […]

Regime Unwilling to Meet Key Benchmarks for ASEAN Chairmanship

This week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa will be travelling to Burma to assess whether the country is ready to assume the chairmanship of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Civil society groups, including the Task Force on ASEAN and Burma (TFAB) and Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy (SAPA), have expressed their concerns that awarding Burma this position will remove the incentive for the regime to improve the political and human rights situation in the country. In their open letters to the Indonesian government, both networks included a list of key benchmarks that Burma’s regime must meet before they assume the ASEAN chairmanship, which Mr. Natalegawa can use as indicators on his assessment mission to the country […]

Civil Society Responds to Indonesia: Burma is Not Ready to Chair ASEAN

On 18 October, the Task Force on ASEAN and Burma (TFAB), a network of Burma’s exiled civil society groups, sent an open letter to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to call on ASEAN to delay its decision regarding Burma’s bid for the bloc’s chairmanship in […]

Open Letter to Indonesian Government as the Chair of ASEAN on Gross Human Rights Violations in Burma

Your Excellency,

We, members of the Solidarity for Asian People’s Advocacy (SAPA, a network of Asian civil society organisations engaged intergovernmental processes at the sub-regional, regional and international level, working on various issues of public interest), write to you today, in view of the fact that Indonesia is currently serving as the Chair of ASEAN, to share our continued concern about gross human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar ahead of your mission to the country on 26 October 2011 […]

ASEAN should delay Burma’s chairmanship to help ensure it moves towards democratic transition and peace

Since it requested the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2014, Burma’s regime has engaged in a campaign designed to make the country appear ready to chair the regional bloc. However, despite these attempts to win over ASEAN member states, the changes made by the regime have been superficial and far from being sufficient.

Granting Burma the chairmanship at this point would be premature, and a waste of a unique opportunity to encourage Burma along a path to genuine democratic transition and national reconciliation […]

A Step Forward, On a Long Path

As part of the government of Myanmar’s earlier announcement of a general amnesty to release 6,359 prisoners starting from yesterday, at least 200 political prisoners have since been released. However, many more political prisoners, prisoners […]

UN and ASEAN Must Ensure Regime’s New Promises are Followed by Real Actions

After months of extensive public mobilization to save the Irrawaddy River from development, President Thein Sein took yet another calculated step this week announcing the suspension of the Myitsone dam project amid controversy within the regime. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the decision, as did community and environmental groups campaigning on the issue. However, Burma Rivers Network pressed for further steps, namely that the China Power Investment corporation issue an official declaration to confirm Thein Sein’s announcement, and immediately remove all personnel and equipment from the dam site. The network also called on the regime to cancel the 6 other dam projects planned on source rivers of the Irrawaddy.

At the UN General Assembly in New York this week, Burma’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin said that the regime would grant an amnesty to prisoners “at an appropriate time in the near future.” However, he failed to clearly state when this would be or whether this would include any of the nearly 2,000 political prisoners who remain imprisoned in Burma […]

ASEAN’s Approach to Myanmar

In Myanmar, widespread and systemic deprivation of economic, social, political and cultural rights continues apace. The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) thus urges members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to address the following fundamental concerns in the realization of human rights, freedom and democracy in Myanmar […]