ASEAN/BURMA

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

DATE=6/10/97
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-215511
TITLE=ASEAN / MEMBERSHIP (L ONLY)
BYLINE=GARY THOMAS
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:     

INTRO: A HIGH-LEVEL DELEGATION FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST 
ASIAN NATIONS IS IN BURMA TO FORMALLY CONVEY THE ASEAN DECISION 
TO ADMIT BURMA TO THE REGIONAL ORGANIZATION'S RANKS.  ASEAN SAYS 
BURMA, LAOS AND CAMBODIA -- WHICH ARE TO BE ADMITTED TOGETHER -- 
ARE READY FOR FULL-FLEDGED MEMBERSHIP.  HOWEVER, AS V-O-A 
SOUTHEAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT GARY THOMAS REPORTS, ALL THREE 
COUNTRIES FACE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS INTEGRATING INTO ASEAN.

TEXT: AFTER THE MEMBERSHIP DECISION WAS FORMALLY CONVEYED TO 
PHNOM PENH, THE ASEAN DELEGATION MOVED TO RANGOON TO GIVE THE 
NEWS TO BURMA'S MILITARY RULERS.  THE DELEGATION -- LED BY 
MALAYSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI -- WILL ALSO GO 
TO THE THIRD COUNTRY SLATED FOR MEMBERSHIP:  LAOS.

WELCOMING THE VISIT, THE STATE-RUN BURMESE MEDIA TUESDAY PRAISED 
ASEAN FOR -- AS NEWSPAPER COMMENTARIES PUT IT -- "NOT GIVING IN 
TO COERCION AND PRESSURE BY THE UNITED STATES AND SOME WESTERN 
GOVERNMENTS."

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE CURRENT SEVEN MEMBER COUNTRIES -- 
THAILAND, THE PHILIPPINES, BRUNEI, INDONESIA, VIETNAM, MALAYSIA, 
AND SINGAPORE -- DECIDED LATE LAST MONTH TO EXPAND THEIR RANKS BY
ADMITTING THE THREE NATIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY.  THE FORMAL INDUCTION
WILL TAKE PLACE AT AN ASEAN MEETING IN KUALA LUMPUR IN JULY.

ASEAN SAYS ALL THREE COUNTRIES ARE READY FOR MEMBERSHIP.  
HOWEVER, ALL THREE FACE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS.  BURMA IS WIDELY 
CRITICIZED FOR ITS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD;  CAMBODIA'S POLITICAL 
STABILITY IS SHAKY;  AND LAOS LAGS FAR BEHIND ITS NEIGHBORS IN 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

ASEAN DIPLOMATIC SOURCES SAY THAILAND AND THE PHILIPPINES RAISED 
QUESTIONS ABOUT BURMA AND CAMBODIA'S READINESS FOR MEMBERSHIP, 
BUT INDONESIA SWAYED FELLOW MEMBERS.

MOST OF THE ATTENTION HAS FOCUSSED ON BURMA.  THERE WAS 
CONSIDERABLE INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE FOR ASEAN TO EXCLUDE BURMA 
BECAUSE OF THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT'S SUPPRESSION OF THE 
PRO-DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT LED BY AUNG SAN SUU KYI.  THE UNITED 
STATES IMPOSED ECONOMIC SANCTIONS ON THE RANGOON GOVERNMENT -- A 
MOVE MANY DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC ANALYSTS BELIEVE ACTUALLY 
CAUSED ASEAN TO RALLY AROUND BURMA.

  // REST OIPTIONAL //

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, THE U-S CHARGE' D'AFFAIRES IN RANGOON, 
KENT  WIEDEMANN, SAID BURMA'S ENTRY INTO THE ORGANIZATION MIGHT 
PROVE -- AS HE  PUT IT -- "AWKWARD" FOR U-S / ASEAN RELATIONS.  
THE UNITED STATES WANTS CLOSER LINKS TO THE GROUP -- AS IT 
REPRESENTS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL ECONOMIC CLOUT -- AND PARTICIPATES 
IN "DIALOGUE MEETINGS" WITH ASEAN.

CAMBODIA'S ENTRY ALSO PRESENTED PROBLEMS.  THE GOVERNMENT IS 
SPLIT BY INTERNAL DISCORD BETWEEN THE TWO CO-PRIME MINISTERS, HUN
SEN AND PRINCE RANARIDDH.  MANY ANALYSTS -- SUCH AS DISSIDENT 
POLITICIAN SAM RAINSY -- ARE SAYING CAMBODIA IS ON THE BRINK OF 
CIVIL WAR AS ELECTIONS, SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR, APPROACH.  
MOREOVER, THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS NOT EVEN BEEN ABLE TO CONVENE
TO PASS LEGISLATION ASEAN REQUIRES OF ITS MEMBERS.

DURING HIS VISIT TO PHNOM PENH, MR. BADAWI SAID CAMBODIA IS READY
FOR ASEAN MEMBERSHIP AND THAT IT COULD GAIN ENORMOUS BENEFITS 
WHEN IT JOINS.  HOWEVER, HE ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT 
CAMBODIA'S SHAKY POLITICAL PICTURE.

LAOS' ENTRY HAS NOT SPARKED ANY REAL CONTROVERSY, BUT IT IS ONE 
OF THE WORLD'S TEN POOREST COUNTRIES, WITH A PER CAPITA INCOME OF
ONLY 300 DOLLARS A YEAR.  THAT IS MORE THAN IN NEIGHBORING 
VIETNAM -- WHERE IS IT JUST ABOUT 200 DOLLARS A YEAR -- BUT STILL
FAR BELOW THAT OF COUNTRIES LIKE THAILAND AND INDONESIA.  U-S 
OFFICIALS IN VIENTIANE SAY LAOS -- WHICH IS, LIKE VIETNAM, A 
ONE-PARTY SOCIALIST STATE -- ACTUALLY MOVED FASTER THAN VIETNAM 
TOWARDS MARKET-ORIENTED ECONOMIC REFORMS.

HOWEVER, VIETNAM IS EXPERIENCING AN ECONOMIC BOOM, RAPIDLY 
BUILDING ITS INFRASTRUCTURE AND WOOING FOREIGN INVESTMENT.   THE 
REFORMS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO TAKE ROOT IN LAOS AND LAOS' ECONOMY HAS
YET TO TAKE OFF.  MOREOVER, LAOS LACKS A SEAPORT.

ASEAN HAS EMBARKED ON AMBITIOUS PLAN TO CREATE AN ASIAN FREE 
TRADE AREA BY 2003.  HOWEVER, IT HAS AGREED THE THREE NEW MEMBERS
WILL BE ALLOWED AN EXTRA FIVE YEARS, UNTIL 2008, TO BRING DOWN 
TRADE BARRIERS.  VIETNAM, WHICH JOINED IN 1995, HAS BEEN GIVEN 
UNTIL 2006 TO MATCH THE TARIFF CUTS OF MORE-MATURE ASEAN 
ECONOMIES. (SIGNED)

NEB/GPT/WD