PHNOM PENH — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched a non-binding human rights code on Sunday in the Cambodian capital, drawing fire from critics who say the declaration fails to meet international standards. Opening the 21st ASEAN Summit on Sunday morning, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the human rights declaration “will further promote peace, security, reconciliation and protection of human rights in the region.” Critics say, however, that the new charter falls far short of what is needed to improve the often deplorable rights records of countries in the region. “Our worst fears in this process have now come to pass. Rather than meeting international standards, this declaration lowers them by creating new loopholes and justifications that ASEAN member states can use to justify abusing the rights of their people,” says Phil Robertson of US-based Human Rights Watch.
Tag: Surin Pitsuwan
US cables show taboos in Thailand-Burma relations – The Irrawaddy
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21720 BANGKOK—More recently-released US diplomatic cables have shed light on Thailand’s relationship with Burma as perceived by American officials...
Burma not raised by ASEAN leaders – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddymedia.com/article.php?art_id=19861 Great power rivalries and regional security and economic issues to dominate Asian summit agenda, as compromise deal on...
Thailand Again Bars Vietnamese Activist – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19740 One year after the creation of the Asean Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, Thailand has drawn fire by again...
An earful but no arm-twisting – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19021 Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) reportedly laid into their Burmese counterpart Nyan Win...
Post-Nargis Hopes Dashed as Election Looms – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18346 The faint promise suggested by the relative freedoms granted to Burmese civil society after Cyclone Nargis is fading,...
‘Time running out’ in Burma as jailed MPs remembered – The Irrawaddy
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=18170 *version published by The Irrawaddy differs slightly from the text below The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is urging free...
US-Asean Drop Call to free Suu Kyi? – The Irrawaddy
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17220 SINGAPORE –– An advance copy of the post-summit statement by the US and Southeast Asian countries fails to...
Adding Bounce to Asia’s Rebound – The Irrawaddy
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17106&Submit=Submit By SIMON ROUGHNEEN BANGKOK — The role of exports and trade in Asian economic growth is coming under...
As ASEAN dithers, the US circles – Asia Times
http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KJ28Ae01.html The rhetoric used at the latest summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations risks generating false expectations...