FOR FAILING TO DEMOCRATIZE, MYANMAR
SHOULD BE EXPELLED OR SUSPENDED FROM ASEAN

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today denounced the ruthless suppression of human rights of the Burmese people by the military rulers of Myanmar as he called on his fellow Filipino parliamentarians to work hand in hand with their counterparts in the legislatures of other member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take forceful steps to compel the Myanmar junta to comply with its commitment to bring back democracy there.

Pimentel, Vice-Chairman of the ASEAN inter-parliamentary caucus on Myanmar, made the urgent appeal in the wake of the military junta's renewed crackdown on perceived political foes following a series of street protests by Burmese people against their worsening economic condition as shown by rising prices of commodities.

Pimentel said it's about time ASEAN should impose sanctions on Myanmar in view of its continued failure to fulfill its promise to institute peaceful, democratic reforms.

He cited the statement of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo about the growing impatience among ASEAN leaders over the fact that their efforts to persuade Myanmar to restore democracy and respect the civil liberties of the Burmese people is not working.

Likewise, he noted that Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda has deplored that diplomatic efforts by 10-member ASEAN to prod Myanmar to take the democratic route has been ignored by the ruling junta.

Pimentel said that members of the legislatures of the nine members of ASEAN should collaborate with each other to press the Myanmar military rulers to effect the following:

First, pursue the reconciliation efforts among the peoples and ethnic tribes of Myanmar.

Second, restore the human rights of the Burmese people.

Third, allow the holding of free elections as the first major step to democratization.

"Unless the Myanmar military regime takes clear steps to democratize, the nine other countries of ASEAN should either suspend or expel Myanmar from ASEAN," Pimentel said.

The problem, he said, is that the leaders of ASEAN are reluctant slap sanctions on Myanmar.

The Minority Leader cited the fact that the European Commission has just unanimously passed a resolution urging the United Nations Security Council to sanction Burma for its cruel treatment of its own people.

In taking action against Myanmar, Pimentel said the ASEAN should perhaps seek the help of China and India which are in a position to exert persuasive influence on Myanmar's military rulers because they are the two leading foreign investors in that country today.

Pimentel said the incessant, brutal suppression of the rights of the Burmese people is graphically illustrated by the repeated extension of the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD).

When parliamentary elections were held in 1990, the NLD won 392 of the 495 parliamentary seats. But instead of respecting the results of the elections, the parliament was dissolved by the military regime and Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders were incarcerated by the military.

Of the elected members of parliament from the NLD, three died while in custody, three others died soon after they were released from prison and two others were assassinated while in exile.

Khun Tuu Oo, Chairman of the NLD was ordered imprisoned for 83 years.