Press Release
November 21, 2007

LACK OF SANCTIONS VS. MYANMAR JEOPARDIZES SENATE RATIFICATION OF ASEAN CHARTER -- PIMENTEL

Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said the Senate's ratification of the ASEAN Charter is imperilled due to the absence in the document of means to suspend or expel Myanmar despite its failure to comply with its commitment to implement democratic reforms and its refusal to free opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Pimentel, however, said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did right by issuing a strong statement for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar and release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other opposition leaders from detention.

The statement was issued by Mrs. Arroyo during her bilateral meeting with Myanmar Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Thein Sein at the leaders' summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore Nov. 18-22.

"I support the unexpected ultimatum of President Arroyo issued in her talks with Lt. Gen. Thein Sein during the Singapore summit," Pimentel said.

"However, the Senate would find it hard to ratify the ASEAN Charter unless democracy is restored and Aung Sang is freed."

Pimentel also expressed disappointment that the punitive measures or sanctions recommended by the task force that drafted the ASEAN charter were deleted from the final text of the document. Instead the charter leaves it up to the ASEAN leaders to decide what to do with errant member-states.

The ASEAN is under intense international pressure to impose sanctions against the Myanmar in the face of continuing brutal repression of the human rights of the Burmese people by the ruling junta. The violent crackdown on the Buddhist monks-led peaceful protests sparked a worldwide outrage.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, during its 117th general assembly in Geneva on Oct. 4-10, passed a resolution which among others, urged the ASEAN to warn Myanmar to suspend its membership in ASEAN unless it cooperates with the United Nations' moves to stop the atrocities of the military regime.

The Philippine delegation to the IPU conference, of which Pimentel was a member, played a lead role in drafting the resolution.

The resolution also called on the UN and freedom-loving countries to ban arms sale and economic aid to Myanmar unless it takes tangible steps to uphold the rights and liberties of the Burmese people and to restore democracy in that country.

Pimentel noted the assessment of UN special rapporteur on human rights Sergio Pinheiro that the human rights situation in Myanmar has not improved since the violent dispersal of the street protests by pro-democracy activists in September that left at least 15 dead.

The minority leader also said it is unfortunate that the scheduled briefing of UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari for the ASEAN leaders was abruptly cancelled due to Myanmar's objection on the ground that it would be tantamount to interference in the internal problem of the country. Gambari had visited Myanmar twice to persuade the ruling junta to ease on political repression in the country.

News Latest News Feed