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BKK Post (3-10-99) No. 4



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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=6><b>Asean urged to be more
involved in Burma issues<br>
</font></b><font size=5><i>'Become involved before it explodes'<br>
</font></i><font size=3><b>Aphaluck Bhatiasevi<br>
</font><font size=5>A</font></b><font size=3>sean and other international
organisations have been urged to pressure the Burmese military government
to begin a dialogue with pro-democracy activists and opposition leaders
to avoid future violence.<br>
In a statement issued jointly by non-government organisations supporting
Burma's pro-democracy movement, they urged the Thai government, as the
chair of Asean, to immediately initiate diplomatic offensives to push for
positive reforms in Burma.<br>
&quot;Asean should explore all possible non-military approaches to solve
this problem before it worsens. &quot;Asean should also seriously work
with its dialogue partners at ensuring a coordinated and firm
approach,&quot; the statement said. <br>
It was jointly issued by Forum-Asia, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
National Council of the Union of Burma, Friends Without Border Project,
Campaign for Popular Democracy, the Coordinating Committee of Human
Rights Organisations in Thailand, the Students Federation of Thailand,
the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, the Union for Civil
Liberty and the Alternative Asea&nbsp; Network in Burma.<br>
&quot;This is a wake-up call for Asean to be actively involved in
resolving conflicts before they explode into violence,&quot; said human
rights lawyer Somchai Homla-or of Forum-Asia.<br>
Debbie Stothard, the co-ordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on
Burma, said the Burmese people were losing confidence and patience and it
was proving difficult for them to remain committed to non-violent
action.<br>
&quot;Violent sentiments will grow and will hurt not only neighbouring
countries, but also the Burmese regime,&quot; she said.<br>
Ms Stothard called on the Burmese government to respond to the increasing
calls for democracy and resort to dialogue with opposition leaders.<br>
With tears in her eyes, Ms Stothard said though she did not know the
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors, she understood their feelings well
because &quot;they feel the pain of being away from their home and
families for so many years&quot;.<br>
Mr Somchai said the incident was a grim reminder of the failure to
achieve positive changes in Burma peacefully. International communities
had a moral obligation to actively support non-violent means to resolve
conflicts.<br>
He said Asean, with Burma as a member, had a responsibility to bring
about peace and democracy within the country, which was not considered an
internal affair of that country alone.<br>
Teddy Buri, an exiled politician from the National Coalition Government
of the Union of Burma, said Asean should not only concentrate on economic
matters, but also look at the political and social stability of their
members.<br>
The embassy assault was a result of desperation and frustration after 11
years of peaceful calls had been left unanswered.<br>
The group urged Thai authorities not to embark on a security backlash
against other exile organisations that have been pursuing non-violent
means to achieve human rights and democracy in Burma.<br>
&quot;Hunting down such organisations will only diminish the voices and
abilities of non-violent groups. &quot;We are confident that all these
groups will actively co-operate with authorities in their investigations
if their security is not threatened,&quot; said Mr Somchai. <br>
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