EAST TIMOR/ASEAN

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Dear All,
             On the 14th of September  I wrote an article on ASEAN's failed
constructive engagement policies towards Burma and I received loads of
flaming emails from people working for ASEAN. To my surprise nobody among
them argued my statements on ASEAN. They just said I am wrong but never gave
me an explanation why I  was wrong. To criticise  is  your right but
dictating is an authoritarian behaviour that is done by dictators who do not
know how to appreciate freedoma nd democracy. Learn to appreciate freedom of
expression. When you're in a country imposed by dictators,that's a different
story.

 <<<<ASEAN shouldget rid of its status quo policies and prescribe new
policies that practically
work out to influence the Burmese situation and Indonesian situation.
Non-interference policies are beneficial only for the ruliong class when
there is a conflict. When there's a conflict, the ruling class defeats the
ruled class inhumanely. Burma could have been free from military
dictatorship if ASEAN denied Burma into the organisation. Now that ASEAN is
being used by the military brasshats to be able to hold on to power without
the will and the consent of the people because ASEAN is now supporting the
military regime with blind faith.Is constructive engagement by ASEAN
working to influence the Burmese situation? Obviously not!Since ASEAN admitted
Burma into the organisation as a member, human rights situations in Burma have
been worsening.>>>

The following news article is from a STRATFOR REPORT  from Global
Intelligence Update dated the 15th of September 1999. The article does talk
about how the founding principles of ASEAN suck.

Sincerely,

Julien Moe


East Timor Triggers Reevaluation of ASEAN Principle of Non-Intervention
15 September 1999

Summary

The debate continues over the composition of the United Nations peacekeeping
force for East Timor. The main focus has been on an Asian versus Western-led
mission. Despite the Indonesian government stating it will accept any forces
the UN decides to send, many in Indonesia and other Asian nations maintain
that the peacekeeping force and the issue of East Timor as a whole should be
handled within Asia. The question of peacekeepers has accelerated the
dialogue among ASEAN nations on the basic principle of non-interference,
bringing to the forefront the issues of Asian unity and cooperation in
non-economic areas. If the ASEAN nations overcome their long-held opposition
to involvement in the internal affairs of member countries it could lead the
region down a slippery slope. 

Analysis

With Indonesia's decision to allow foreign peacekeeping forces into East
Timor, the debate over the force's composition began. Although Australia
offered to lead the peacekeepers, Malaysia's proposal of a primarily Asian
force, presented at the APEC summit in New Zealand on September 12, quickly
attracted Indonesia. Members of Indonesia's parliament called for the
rejection of Australian, New Zealand, Portuguese, and U.S. troops. The U.S
reacted by insisting that Indonesia not put conditions on the international
force's composition.

The debate over an appropriate response continues among Asian nations, even
though Indonesia said it would leave the decision of force composition to
the UN. Within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) the issue
of whether and how to intervene in East Timor raises the long held and often
contentious principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member
nations. Since its founding in 1967 as a chiefly economic organization,
ASEAN distanced itself from the internal issues of member states. As a
result, countries like Myanmar were admitted despite international
condemnation of its human rights record.

An ASEAN decision to allow member states to intervene in the East Timor
crisis would open a Pandora's Box leading to the violation of the
non-interference principle, in a region where member states have had some
very bad experiences with outside intervention. A decision to enter into
East Timor would lead to the downfall of one of the founding principles of
ASEAN cooperation. On a larger scale, the principle of non-interference is
followed by most of the Asian nations. Overturning it could unsettle the region.

Non-interference became a focus among ASEAN nations in 1997. Cambodia's
entrance into ASEAN was delayed following now Prime Minister Hun Sen's coup.
Asia's economic crisis further complicated the non-interference issue. The
crisis threw ASEAN nations into competition over western funds. But distaste
of the IMF-induced austerity measures and the region's slow recovery led to
a reunification of sorts among ASEAN and other Asian nations. A movement
toward a more economic, political, and even militarily unified Asia
independent from the West began to form.

Given the current crisis in East Timor, non-interference is particularly
significant for ASEAN, as Indonesia is its largest member. The entire
organization depends on Indonesia's stability.

All of ASEAN's founding members agreed that an Asian solution is more
palatable than western interference in East Timor. Still each of the
countries, especially Thailand, ASEAN's current chair, emphasized that in
offering support and assistance in East Timor, they are not doing so under
the ASEAN banner. Not surprisingly, both Myanmar and Cambodia have said they
will not offer troops, as both are staunch supporters of the
non-interference ideal.

Beside ASEAN, Japan, South Korea, and China are being drawn into the East
Timor crisis. Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said on August 14,
"We should listen to the opinion of the Indonesian government on what sort
of troops will be most effective in restoring order." South Korea is
currently mulling 300 Special Forces troops for East Timor, while China is
considering also sending troops.

For China to even consider joining the peacekeeping operation in East Timor
is significant, as it has traditionally feared setting an international
precedent for similar actions toward separatist struggles in China. This
involvement is part of the larger move toward Asian unity and a response to
the perceived U.S. hegemony in international affairs. Among the Northeast
Asian nations, there have been several recent advancements in military
cooperation, with joint naval exercises between South Korea and Japan, Japan
and Russia, and proposed exercises between South Korea and China.

As the UN decides the structure of the East Timor peacekeeping mission,
discussions on Asian unity and regionalism have accelerated. East Timor is a
test case for post economic crisis Asia in determining just how far Asian
cooperation should go. While the issue of economic cooperation without
western intervention was previously Asia's unifying theme, dealing with
regional political and security crises will force Asia to rethink its
generally accepted non-interference relationship.

The debate that is now raging is whether it is better to remain politically
and militarily neutral, a path that may lead to more western intervention in
Asia's political structure, or to become more closely involved in each
other's national issues in order to avoid western interference. While the
former was previously the overwhelmingly accepted mandate for Asia, the
latter now appears to be gaining the upper hand.