https://mailchi.mp/aseanmp/quotes-asean-myanmar-junta-military-events-co...
Dear Members of the Press,
Please find below quotes from APHR Board Member and Malaysian Member of Parliament Wong Chen, responding to the planned ASEAN Air Force Chiefs conference chaired by Myanmar junta Air Force Chief General Htun Aung, as well as the news that ASEAN has invited Myanmar junta representatives to a September security conference and training program in the United States:
“If these reports are true, then I would say that it is a deeply disturbing development that ASEAN and the wider international community continue to hold military conferences and training programs that include the participation of an illegal regime that has never hesitated to use its military force against its own people. Htun Aung should be facing investigation and prosecution for war crimes committed against innocent civilians, not chairing a regional military event.”
“The fact that the Myanmar junta continues to be invited to these events is yet another demonstration of ASEAN’s poor leadership on the Myanmar crisis and further undermines the regional bloc’s credibility. It also exposes a shocking lack of interest and political will in making decisions that show solidarity and support with the Myanmar pro-democracy movement. Civil society organizations have repeatedly urged ASEAN and the international community, including UN bodies, to cut ties with the illegal Myanmar junta, but even doing the bare minimum seems to be an inexplicable struggle.”
“We urge ASEAN to show its commitment to being a regional bloc that can be relied upon to ensure ‘that the peoples and Member States of ASEAN live in peace with the world at large in a just, democratic and harmonious environment’ by excluding the junta from the ASEAN Air Chiefs conference, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Maritime Security Conference, and any other related future ASEAN meetings or events.”
“If ASEAN fails to do so, it would be another nail in the coffin in its legitimacy as a regional bloc that has any intentions of promoting democracy and human rights, and we would thus urge ASEAN member states and dialogue partners to boycott any ASEAN events that include representatives of the Myanmar junta.”
ABOUT
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) was founded in June 2013 with the objective of promoting democracy and human rights across Southeast Asia. Our founding members include many of the region’s most progressive Members of Parliament (MPs), with a proven track record of human rights advocacy work. They include Eva Kusuma Sundari (Indonesia), Charles Chong (Singapore), Walden Bello (the Philippines), Son Chhay (Cambodia), Kraisak Choonhavan (Thailand), Lim Kit Siang (Malaysia), and Charles Santiago (Malaysia).
We are a regional network of current and former parliamentarians who use our unique positions to advance human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia. We seek to help create a region where people can express themselves without fear, live free from all forms of discrimination and violence, and where development takes place with human rights at the forefront.
Our members use their mandate to advocate for human rights inside and outside of parliament, regionally and globally. They work closely with civil society, conduct fact-finding missions, and publish recommendations and opinions on the most important issues affecting the region.
APHR was born out of the recognition that human rights issues in Southeast Asia are interconnected, and from the desire of progressive legislators to work together across borders to promote and protect human rights.
