Press Asian Leaders On Human Rights At U.S.-ASEAN Summit': HRW To Obama
A human rights campaigner has called upon U.S. President Barack Obama to prod Asian leaders to address "rampant" abuse of rights in Myanmar and across Southeast Asia during the first ASEAN-U.S. summit.
Obama should use his first trip to Southeast Asia as president to put human rights on the ASEAN agenda, said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be held Ssunday.
"Burma (Myanmar) is the obvious place to start, but media repression and unpunished rights violations are rampant throughout the region," she said in a statement.
Obama, on his first visit to Asia since taking office in January, will meet Sunday with the 10 ASEAN leaders including the prime minister of military-ruled Myanmar, Thein Sein, following an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Singapore.
The HRW urged President Obama to use the meeting to raise the issue of the lack of a democratic change in Burma, restraints on freedom of expression across the region, widespread impunity for rights violations and a weak regional human rights institution.
Obama should also urge ASEAN leaders to meet international standards of protecting refugees, considering the large number of Myanmarese seeking sanctuary in some Southeast Asian countries, the HRW said.
The Obama administration is pursuing a carrot-and-stick policy of engagement with Myanmar's military junta, while vowing to keep sanctions in place until that nation makes significant progress in restoring democracy. This includes releasing all political prisoners, especially pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as an inclusive political process ahead of next year's scheduled elections.
Ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the APEC summit Wednesday that Washington would like to see countries individually and through the ASEAN reach out to the Myanmar leadership, "persuade it that it was time to start planning for free, fair and credible elections in 2010."
She also reaffirmed that sanctions would not be lifted until there was real progress on the restoration of democracy in that country. She cautioned that any election without the participation of Suu Kyi would carry no conviction.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
Obama should use his first trip to Southeast Asia as president to put human rights on the ASEAN agenda, said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be held Ssunday.
"Burma (Myanmar) is the obvious place to start, but media repression and unpunished rights violations are rampant throughout the region," she said in a statement.
Obama, on his first visit to Asia since taking office in January, will meet Sunday with the 10 ASEAN leaders including the prime minister of military-ruled Myanmar, Thein Sein, following an Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Singapore.
The HRW urged President Obama to use the meeting to raise the issue of the lack of a democratic change in Burma, restraints on freedom of expression across the region, widespread impunity for rights violations and a weak regional human rights institution.
Obama should also urge ASEAN leaders to meet international standards of protecting refugees, considering the large number of Myanmarese seeking sanctuary in some Southeast Asian countries, the HRW said.
The Obama administration is pursuing a carrot-and-stick policy of engagement with Myanmar's military junta, while vowing to keep sanctions in place until that nation makes significant progress in restoring democracy. This includes releasing all political prisoners, especially pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as an inclusive political process ahead of next year's scheduled elections.
Ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN summit, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the APEC summit Wednesday that Washington would like to see countries individually and through the ASEAN reach out to the Myanmar leadership, "persuade it that it was time to start planning for free, fair and credible elections in 2010."
She also reaffirmed that sanctions would not be lifted until there was real progress on the restoration of democracy in that country. She cautioned that any election without the participation of Suu Kyi would carry no conviction.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com
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