Strident demand from 100 ASEAN MPs to expel Burma

Wednesday, 07 April 2010 22:42 Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - On the eve of the ASEAN summit in Vietnam, there is a strident demand from over 100 ASEAN Members of Parliament to expel Burma from ASEAN and impose sanctions because the junta has clearly ignored the plea to conduct free and fair elections, with the announcement of its harsh electoral laws.
“ASEAN leaders due to attend the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday and Friday should make a forceful demand to the junta to make the forthcoming elections in Burma free and fair,” the MPs said.

About 105 MPs from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia and Singapore sent the statement to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC). The statement lambasted the junta’s harsh and convoluted electoral laws, which bar Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners from participating in the elections.

The National League for Democracy, Burma’s main opposition party has decided not to re-register the party with the Election Commission. If the party wanted to contest the election, it had to expel members, who are in prison, including party leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Clearly party members, who took the decision not to re-register, unanimously, were not in favour of taking the drastic step of expelling the democracy icon.

“With the one-sided electoral laws, clearly aimed at preventing opposition parties and candidates from contesting the elections, the regime has forfeited its best opportunity to show its willingness to engage in an inclusive process of national reconciliation and the establishment of a lawful and democratic government for the Union of Myanmar,” the statement said.

“The junta has ignored ASEAN’s demands, so, ASEAN should consider a more effective strategy,” the MPs said. “ASEAN should impose tight targeted sanctions on Burma,” they added.

The statement also said that Burma has always ignored the policies in the new ASEAN Charter, so ASEAN members should consider expelling Burma from ASEAN.

ASEAN cannot take action on Burma because of its policy of non-interference.

However, some ASEAN members have separately criticised the junta’s electoral laws and called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.