Sunday, 31 May 2009
အေမ ...
အေမ့ကို မင္ဒဲလားကေျပာတယ္
သူတို႔လည္း ဒီမိုကေရစီကို နံရံေတြၾကားထဲကပဲ
တည္ေဆာက္လာရတာတဲ့
အေမ့ကို ကင္ေဒးဂ်ဳံကေျပာတယ္
သူတို႔လည္း ဒီမိုကေရစီကို ေသနတ္ေျပာင္းေတြေရွ႕မွာပဲ
ရင္းယူလာခဲ့ရတာတဲ့
အေမ့ကို လားမားႀကီးကေျပာတယ္
သူတို႔လည္း ဒီမိုကေရစီကို ဖိႏွိပ္မႈေတြေအာက္မွာ
က်င္ယူေနရတုန္းပါတဲ့
အေမ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ရင္ကိုေကာ့ထားလိုက္တယ္
ရန္ကုန္မွာ
ေထာင္နံရံ၊ ေသနတ္ေျပာင္း၊ ဖိႏွိပ္မႈ ...
ဘာကိုမွ ဂရုမျပဳတဲ့
ငါတို႔ “အေမ” ရိွတယ္လို႔
ကၽြန္ေတာ္ လက္သီးကိုဆုပ္ထားလိုက္တယ္
ရန္ကုန္မွာ
လူသန္းေျခာက္ဆယ္အတြက္
ဘဝတစ္ခုလံုးနဲ႔ ေပးဆပ္ထားတဲ့
ငါတို႔ “အေမ” ရိွတယ္လို႔
ကၽြန္ေတာ္ ေခါင္းကိုေမာ့ထားလိုက္တယ္
ရန္ကုန္မွာ
ကမာၻ႔ေခါင္းေဆာင္ႀကီးေတြ
အေလးဂရုျပဳရတဲ့
ငါတို႔ “အေမ” ရိွတယ္လို႔
ဒါေပမယ့္ အေမ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တို႔က အေမ မေၾကာက္တဲ့ ေသနတ္ေျပာင္းကို
ေၾကာက္တဲ့ အေမ့သားေတြ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တို႔က အေမ မုန္းတဲ့ ဖိႏွိပ္မႈနဲ႔
အသားက်ေနတဲ့ အေမ့သမီးေတြ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တို႔က
ေဒါင္းေယာင္ေဆာင္ထားတဲ့ က်ီးမိုက္ေတြပါ အေမ
ဒီလူေတြက
အေမ့ရင္ကို ေလးေစတဲ့အခါ
အေမ့ေသြးကို ေအးေစတဲ့အခါ
အေမ့နားကို ခါးေစတဲ့အခါ
အေမ ခြင့္မလႊတ္လိုက္ပါနဲ႔ အေမ ...
(ေမာင္ပြတ္)
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ လမ္းဆုံလား လမ္းဆုံးလား မသိတဲ့အခ်ိန္ကာလတစ္ခုကုိေရာက္ေနပါတယ္…
ရင္ေလးဖြယ္ရာ မနက္ၿဖန္ေတြကုိ ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ ဘယ္လုိရင္ဆုိင္ရမလည္း…
မိန္းမတစ္ေယာက္က လူသန္းေၿခာက္ဆယ္အတြက္ တရားမွ်တမႈကုိ သူအေပၚက်ေရာက္လာတဲ့
မတရားမႈေတြနဲ႔ ခါးစည္းခံေပးေနပါတယ္…
တရားမွ်တမႈကုိ မက်င့္သုံးပဲ ဒီမုိကေရစီေဖာ္ေဆာင္ေနပါတယ္ဆုိတဲ့ ဟာသကုိ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ ဘယ္လုိနားနဲ႔ ယုံရမလည္း… ကဗ်ာေရးခဲတဲ့ ကုိပြတ္ရဲ႕ကဗ်ာဟာ
ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ ပ်က္ကြက္မႈကုိ ေဖာ္ၿပေနပါတယ္… ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ကုိယ္တုိင္
ဒီမုိကေရဆီကုိ မက်င႔္သုံးပဲနဲ႔ေတာ့ တရားမွ်တာမႈကုိ ကၽြန္ေတာ္တုိ႔ရရွိႏုိင္မွာမဟုတ္ပါဘူး…။
ကဗ်ာအတြက္ေက်းဇူးပါ ကုိပြတ္ေရ….။
ခင္မင္ေလးစားစြာၿဖင့္
မုိးလႈိင္ည
1
Joint Co-Chairmen’s Statement
The 17th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM)
Phnom Penh, 27-28 May 2009
1. The 17th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting, under the theme of “ASEAN-EU Partnership for Peace,
Economic Growth and Development” was held on 27-28 May 2009, in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of
Cambodia. The Meeting was opened by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime
Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The Meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the
Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the Foreign
Ministers of the European Union (EU). The Meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. HOR Namhong, Deputy
Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as
the ASEAN Co-ordinator for ASEAN-EU Dialogue Relations, and H.E. Mr. Jan KOHOUT, Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, as Presidency of the Council of the European
Union. The Meeting was held in the traditional spirit of openness, trust and solidarity that is the corollary
of more than 30 years of dialogue and cooperation.
2. The Ministers reviewed the positive progress of ASEAN-EU cooperation since the 16th Ministerial
Meeting in Nuremberg, Germany, on 15 March 2007. They commended in particular the adoption of the
Nuremberg Declaration on an ASEAN-EU Enhanced Partnership and the successful ASEAN-EU
Commemorative Summit held on 27 November 2007, in Singapore, which set out the direction for
ASEAN-EU cooperation and relations for the years to come.
3. The Ministers had in-depth exchange of views on international and regional issues. They
discussed current situations in the two regions and shared the desire to promote justice, democracy,
human rights, good governance, the rule of law and social equality, peace, stability and sustainable
development in accordance with the spirit of the ASEAN Charter and the Charter of the United Nations.
4. The Ministers reaffirmed the strategic importance of the ASEAN-EU cooperation and relations,
and recognised that ASEAN and the EU have strong complementarities in economic and social
development and that both sides are blessed with rich cultural diversity. Emphasising the need to further
strengthen and deepen ASEAN-EU dialogue and cooperation on the basis of equal partnership, mutual
respect, and mutual benefit, the Ministers exchanged views on the future direction of ASEAN-EU
Enhanced Partnership.
ENHANCED ASEAN-EU DIALOGUE PARTNERSHIP
5. The Ministers noted with satisfaction the significant development of the ASEAN-EU relations
which cover broad range of areas including political and security, economic and trade, and social-cultural
cooperation. In this connection, the Ministers expressed their satisfaction with implementation of the List
of Indicative Activities for the First Two Years (2007-2008) of the Plan of Action to Implement the
Nuremberg Declaration on an Enhanced ASEAN-EU Partnership covering the period 2007-2012 which
attached as Annex I.
6. The Ministers expressed their strong desire and determination to promote closer ASEAN-EU ties.
They endorsed the Phnom Penh Agenda for the Implementation of the ASEAN-EU Plan of Action which
serves as an action programme to deepen and intensify cooperation in every field between ASEAN and
the EU for the period 2009-2010. To this end, the Ministers tasked the senior officials of both sides to
exert all efforts to implement the Phnom Penh Agenda, with respect to the priorities set therein and report
the progress of implementation to the Ministers at their next ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM).
7. During their discussion on the current global economic and financial crisis, the Ministers renewed
their commitment to the ultimate, long-term objective of a region-to-region FTA which will further
2
strengthen and promote trade and investment ties between the two regions. To this end, the Ministers
agreed to seek ways to give new impetus to the ASEAN-EU FTA negotiations.
8. The Ministers noted with satisfaction the implementation of Trans-Regional EU-ASEAN Trade
Initiative (TREATI) and Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (READI) which provides a flexible
mechanism for further expansion of cooperation in trade and non-trade areas. They tasked the senior
officials of both sides to work closely to further expand areas of cooperation under READI and TREATI.
9. The Ministers appreciated EU’s contribution to ASEAN integration and community building efforts
and looked forward to EU’s continued support for the realisation of the ASEAN Community including
through various sub-regional programmes such as the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and other
sub-regional endeavours, which contribute to enhancing regional integration, as well as the trilateral
cooperation which combines the development assistance of individual ASEAN member states and the EC
to the benefit of CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) countries.
10. The Ministers agreed to enhance cooperation on food and energy security between ASEAN and
the EU. The Ministers shared the view that in order to meet the world's increased demand for food, it is of
utmost importance that food crop production and productivity should be increased, particularly in mostly
agricultural-based developing countries. The Ministers also supported open and fair trade in staples and
food products. At the same time, there should be greater cooperation exploring alternatives to
conventional energy resources currently in use through, among other things, the development of
renewable energy sources, while taking into account the potential impact on agricultural land for food
crops.
11. The Ministers agreed to enhance cooperation on disaster preparedness and humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief.
12. The Ministers took note of the proactive approach by ASEAN in cooperation with other Dialogue
Partners in addressing the emergence of the latest AH1N1 virus. The ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers
convened an important meeting in Bangkok on 08 May 2009 to discuss measures to cooperate and
coordinate regional actions to address the emerging of this new virus. Collaboration with international and
regional health bodies was emphasized. They encouraged cooperation of all concerned in the fight
against this new virus, as well as, future emerging infectious disease.
13. The Ministers agreed to intensify cooperation on infectious diseases such as HIV/AID, Avian
Influenza and other high-risk pathogens, though cross-sectoral cooperation and integrated approaches to
surveillance, prevention, risk mitigation, timely response and communication, with the objective of
enhancing regional capacity and preparedness. Particular attention should be paid to diseases originating
at the interface between animals, humans and ecosystems.
14. The Ministers exchanged views on further cooperation in counter terrorism focusing on capacitybuilding
for counter-terrorism practitioners and other officials concerned with combating terrorism. They
agreed that follow-up activities within the EU-ASEAN cooperation to combat terrorism should be regional
in scope and reliant on existing platforms for capacity-building.
15. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to work on full implementation of existing Treaties on
disarmament and non-proliferation of Weapons Mass Destruction, and their means of delivery as well as
the conventional arms ammunitions, as appropriate, and explored concrete areas of action in which the
implementation of the relevant disarmament and non-proliferation Treaties can be strengthened. The
Ministers recognised the significance of the Treaty of Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone
(SEANWFZ) as an instrument for keeping the region free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
destruction. The Ministers also stressed that the participation of all nuclear weapons states through their
signing of the Protocol to this Treaty is essential for achieving the ultimate objective of the Treaty. The
Ministers also welcomed the successful outcome of the Third Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT
Review Conference and renewed impetus to the NPT review process. The Ministers stressed a need for
3
further development of effective national export control systems and full implementation of UN Security
Council Resolution 1540.
16. The Ministers expressed their commitment to intensify the ASEAN-EU joint efforts in addressing
non-traditional security issues, such as human smuggling and drug trafficking, money laundering,
international economic and cyber crimes which constitute serious transnational crimes.
17. The Ministers agreed to pursue the efforts led by the United Nations to establish international
standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.
18. The Ministers also reaffirmed their commitments in curbing the illegal trade and excessive
accumulation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in compliance with and in support of the UN
Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA).
19. The Ministers reiterated the need to further promote greater interaction among the peoples of
ASEAN and the EU, particularly youth, students, academics, civil society and media personnel with a
view to raising the awareness of the ASEAN-EU comprehensive partnership at all levels of society.
20. The Ministers welcomed the signing of the Declaration on Accession to the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia by the European Union and European Community and the ASEAN
Declaration of Consent to the Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia by the
European Union and European Community and agreed to intensify efforts to accelerate the completion of
the Treaty’s amendment process which is necessary for the accession of the EU/EC. The EU/EC's
accession to the TAC reflects the EU/EC's strong support for and contribution to regional peace, security
and cooperation. The EU/EC's accession to the TAC reflects the EU/EC's strong support for and
contribution to regional peace, security and cooperation as well as its willingness for greater constructive
engagement in regional integration processes.
21. The Ministers supported the commitments and efforts of ASEAN in integrating tourism in the
establishment of ASEAN Economic Community by formulating an ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-
2015.
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
22. The Ministers noted the successful outcome of the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on 18-22
December 2007, in particular the signing of the ASEAN Charter and the adoption of the Blueprint of the
ASEAN Economic Community which set up plans and activities to be implemented for the realisation of
the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. The Ministers welcomed the entry into force of the ASEAN
Charter following the completion of ratification process by all ASEAN Member States on 15 December
2008.
23. The Ministers took note of the fruitful outcome of the 14th ASEAN Summit in Cha-Am, Hua Hin,
Thailand, on 27-28 February 2009, in particular the celebration of the entry into force of the ASEAN
Charter, the singing of the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community
(2009-2015), the adoption of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint, the adoption of
the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCCC) Blueprint and the approval of non-ASEAN Ambassadors
to ASEAN.
24. The Ministers agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation in promoting and protecting human rights.
In this regard, they welcomed the progress made by the High Level Panel on an ASEAN human rights
body, which has already submitted the first draft of the terms of reference on an ASEAN human rights
body to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The Ministers also looked forward to the adoption of the
terms of reference and the eventual establishment of the ASEAN human rights body. The Ministers noted
the outcome of the work of the High Level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-up to the ASEAN Charter in
4
drafting the recommendations on the issues of the legal personality of ASEAN, the establishment of
dispute settlement mechanisms and other legal issues related to the ASEAN Charter.
25. The Ministers also noted the latest developments in the EU, especially the process of ratification
of the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the
European Community and the EU policies and strategies that shape its internal integration and external
relations. The Ministers noted, in particular, the successful outcome of the European Council held on 19-
20 March 2009, which reviewed the EU stimulus package to ease the effects of the global financial crisis
and agreed on the measures to enhance the EU’s energy security.
26. The Ministers noted with satisfaction the increasing importance of ASEM, an open dialogue forum
of which the ASEAN countries and the EU Members States are also major actors, and agreed to further
promote ASEM's role and visibility in the world, and make future ASEM cooperation more effective. In this
connection, the Ministers expressed their high appreciation of the substantive outcomes of the Ninth Asia-
Europe Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Ha Noi on 25-26 May 2009.
27. In the light of the concern about the recent developments relating to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the
Ministers exchanged views on the issue. The EU informed about its efforts by EU Special Envoy Piero
Fassino to support the UN mission.1 The EU took note and endorsed the statement by the Chair of
ASEAN on 18 May 2009 relating to Myanmar. In this regard, the Ministers called for the early release of
those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political parties. They expressed their
unanimous support for the good offices role of the UN Secretary General and his planned visit. The
Ministers took note of the briefing by Myanmar on the recent internal developments and Myanmar’s
emphasis on the principle of non-interference in internal affairs. Myanmar also reiterated that she will
continue toward democracy in accordance with the seven step road map. The Ministers noted the visit to
Myanmar in February 2009 by the UN Secretary-General Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari and supported
the UN to continue its good offices efforts, and they encouraged the Myanmar Government to conduct
closer cooperation with the UN. They also encouraged the Myanmar Government to engage all
stakeholders in an inclusive political process in order to achieve national reconciliation and economic and
social development. They called upon the Myanmar Government to prepare and conduct the multi-party
general election in 2010 in a free and fair manner. The Ministers affirmed their commitment to the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Myanmar. In that context, they reiterated that the future of Myanmar
lied in the hands of all of its people.
28. The Ministers acknowledged the progress achieved in assisting the post-Nargis relief work by the
Tripartite Core Group (TCG) comprising Myanmar, the UN and ASEAN, and the assistance provided by
the international community, especially the EU and its individual Member States, to those in need. The
Ministers also welcomed the extension of the ASEAN-led coordinating mechanism mandate to continue
its constructive role in coordinating the ongoing relief and recovery efforts in Myanmar until July 2010,
including the implementation of Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP), which has
been launched in early February 2009.
29. The Ministers acknowledged the substantial positive impact of migration between and within
ASEAN and the EU both for host and source countries. Migrants provide needed skills and knowledge to
host countries and enrich host cultures. In their home countries they are agents of development through
the repatriation of know-how acquired and remittances sent. Migrant workers are also amongst the most
vulnerable in the current economic crisis that is putting EU and ASEAN labour markets under severe
pressure. Ministers agreed that it is essential to maximise the benefits of migration and safeguard the
human rights of migrants. They welcomed the inclusion of protection and promotion of the rights of
migrant workers in the Blueprint for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
30. The Ministers also acknowledged the pressures caused by illegal migration on communities in
both the EU and ASEAN. They agreed that it was essential to tackle the problem of illegal migration and
the trafficking of human beings. They agreed to pursue in close cooperation both short- and long-term
1 This appointment has not been recognized yet by the Government of Myanmar.
5
action to tackle irregular flows including strengthened border controls, improved document security, and
the conclusion and implementation of readmission agreements. The Ministers also agreed to work
together to increase policy coherence between migration and development cooperation to address the
structural causes of the mobility of people including an engagement with the relevant international
organisations including the United Nations.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL ISSUES
31. The Ministers were aware of the severe impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on
trade, investment and socio-economic development of their countries and noted the agreement reached
at the London Summit on 2 April 2009 to restore confidence, growth and jobs, emphasizing the need to
make concerted efforts to overcome the global economic crisis. The Ministers encouraged the adoption of
the necessary measures to implement this agreement, where appropriate. The Ministers also encouraged
for the rapid implementation of the measures agreed upon where appropriate, including strengthening
financial markets’ oversight and regulation.
32. The Ministers noted the outcome of the Special ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Phuket,
Thailand, on 22 February 2009, which agreed to increase the size of the Chiang Mai Initiative
Multilateralisation (CMIM) from US$ 80 billion to US$ 120 billion and welcomed the new Asian Bond
Markets Initiative Roadmap. The Ministers also noted the outcome of the 12th ASEAN Plus Three Finance
Ministers’ Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on 3rd May 2009 which has reached agreement on all main
components of the CMIM and decided to implement the CMIM scheme before the end of this year.
33. The Ministers were concerned over the current situation of Doha Round negotiations. They
reaffirmed their support for an early and successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda that
would bring benefits to all Members especially, developing and least developed countries. The Ministers
expressed their strong commitment to push for a successful conclusion of a comprehensive, ambitious
and balanced Doha outcome, based on the progress made, including with regard to modalities and
recognising the central importance of development dimension. This is crucial in the current global
recession and would help reduce protectionism. It would also send an important signal that governments
are capable of working together collectively. In this regard, the Ministers reaffirmed the commitment to
refrain from raising new barriers to trade and investment, imposing new export restrictions, or
implementing WTO inconsistent measures to stimulate exports. They also expressed support for an early
accession of Lao PDR to the WTO.
34. The Ministers called on Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
particularly Annex I Parties to implement their commitment under the Convention on the basis of equity
and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and to
pursue the Bali Road Map process to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the
Convention.
35. The EU and ASEAN recognised that climate change constitutes a major threat to sustainable
development and requires urgent, concerted and coordinated action by the international community. They
emphasized that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the
Kyoto Protocol are the main channels for international negotiations and cooperation on Climate Change
and reaffirmed their commitment to the objectives, purposes and principles of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto
Protocol, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
They expressed their strong support for the Bali Action Plan negotiation process, and stressed the
importance of reaching a comprehensive and ambitious outcome for long term cooperative action now, up
to and beyond 2012 at the UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen (Denmark), in
December 2009. EU and ASEAN stress their determination to address the issue of climate change,
despite the current financial crisis.
6
36. The EU recalled its commitment to reduce its emissions by 20% by 2020 and 30% in case other
main partners countries embark on similar objectives and stands ready to take its fair share to support
efforts by developing countries to embark on low carbon development path.
37. The Ministers welcomed the outcome of the Coral Triangle Initiative Summit on Coral Reefs,
Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) held on 15 May 2009 in Manado, Indonesia which has
encouraged to explore cooperation in relation to coral reefs, fisheries, food security and adoption to
climate change. They believed such initiative would contribute positively to the establishment of global
regime on climate change.
38. Bearing in mind the need to maintain peace and stability in the region and the international nonproliferation
regime, the Ministers condemned the recent underground nuclear test and missile launches
undertaken by the DPRK, which constitute clear and continued violations of the Six–Party agreements
and the relevant UNSC resolutions and decisions. Ministers strongly urged the DPRK to comply fully with
the UNSC resolutions and decisions and refrain from further actions which could exacerbate the situation.
The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the Six-Party Talks to seek early and verifiable denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner and called on the DPRK to return immediately to the Six-
Party Talks. They shared the UNSC’s concern and noted that the UNSC remained actively seized of the
matter and is considering further measures. They also emphasized the importance of addressing the
humanitarian concerns.
39. The Ministers reaffirmed their support to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the
Middle East. They called for renewed efforts by all parties concerned and the international community to
achieve a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic States, Israel and
Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognised borders, as envisaged in UN Security
Council resolution 1850 (2008), and the Arab Peace Initiative. Towards this end, talks between the Israeli
and Palestinian sides should be held as soon as possible. They welcomed the result of the International
Conference in support of the Palestinian Economy for the reconstruction of Gaza hosted on 2 March 2009
by Egypt. They underlined that an immediate and unconditional opening of the Gaza crossing for
humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons is important. The Ministers encouraged inter-
Palestinian reconciliation support the mediation efforts of Egypt and Arab League in this respect. The
Ministers reiterated their appreciation of the Arab Peace Initiative which offers a framework for the
achievement of a comprehensive peace in this region.
40. The Ministers discussed recent developments in Sri Lanka. They welcomed the visit of the UN
Secretary General, stressed the urgent need to ameliorate the serious humanitarian situation and
welcomed a continued involvement of the United Nations. They emphasized the necessity for an inclusive
political process addressing the needs, rights and aspirations of all the people of Sri Lanka. Bearing this
in mind they welcomed the commitment made by the President of Sri Lanka to a political solution,
including national reconciliation.
41. The Ministers expressed their support for promoting peace, stability and development in
Afghanistan and emphasized support for Afghanistan’s unity and territorial integrity, including support for
the forthcoming Presidential and Provincial Council elections and stressed the need for continued
improvement on governance and human rights issues. They noted the need for a more regional approach
and increased participation of the international community to assist the Government of Afghanistan.
42. The Ministers discussed also the situation in Iraq. They welcomed the provincial elections on 31
January and expressed their support for the planned national elections. The Ministers supported further
capacity building for the government of Iraq, including the Iraqi security and defense forces in order to
allow the Iraqi people to be responsible for their own future.
NEXT MEETING
43. The Ministers agreed to meet again for the 18th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Spain in 2010.
7
===
ANNEX I
THE LIST OF ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF
PLAN OF ACTION (2007-2008)
I. Political and Security Cooperation
1. Organize the 17th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting on 27-28 May 2009 in Cambodia.
2. Revise procedures of the TAC to allow for EU/EC’s accession
3. Workshop on achieving a mine-free south East Asia, 1-3 April 2009, Thailand
4. ARF Seminar on International Security Implications of Climate-related Events and Trends, 19-
20 March 2009, Phnom Penh
5. Launch of the EU-ASEAN Border Management and Document Security Programme (2008-
2011), on 29 January 2009.
6. The 8th ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief (ISM on DR), 5-6 December 2008,
Banda Aceh
7. Capacity-building programmes in the field of regional cooperation for the ASEAN Secretariat,
30 May to December 2008.
8
8. Executive Seminar for Diplomats from Asia-Pacific, 11 August – 11 September 2008, Germany
and Brussels
9. Organize an information visit of the ARF Unit to the Brussels EU institutions on 17 November.
2008 and of EU officials to the ASEAN Secretariat on 26 September. 2008.
10. Invite ASEAN officials to visit the EU institutions, with a specific focus on European Security
and Defense Policy on 17 November 2008 in Brussels.
11. Invite participation of ASEAN officials in orientation courses of the European Security and
Defense College (ESDC) on 2-6 June 2008 in Brussels.
12. The 2nd ARF Seminar on Energy Security in Singapore on 15-17 April 2008.
13. ARF seminar on Anti-Personnel Landmines, on 8-10 April 2008, Penang, Malaysia.
14. ARF-Workshop on “Confidence Building Measures and Preventive Diplomacy in Asia and
Europe” in Berlin/Germany, on 12-13 March 2008.
15. ARF workshop on small arms and light weapons (SALW) on 13-14 December 2007 in Phnom
Penh, Cambodia.
16. Training Programme in Diplomacy and the Euro-Asia Dialogue for ASEAN countries (completed
in March 2007)
II. Economic Cooperation
17. The 4th PSC meeting was held on 10 December 2008 to discuss and approve the additional
Second Annual Work Plan and the APRIS II Mid-term Evaluation.
18. The 3rd PSC meeting was held on 6 May 2008 and discussed and approved the Second AWP,
updated First AWP and the updated OWP.
19. The 2nd PSC meeting was held on 28 January 2008 and endorsed the First Six Monthly
Progress Report and the First Six Monthly Update by the APRIS II Technical Assistance Team.
20. The 1st Programme Steering Committee (PSC) meeting of the APRIS II was held in March 2007
and approved the Overall (three-year) Work Plan (OWP) and the First Annual Work Plan
(AWP).
Standards and Conformance:
21. Presentation of EEE Work Plan to Joint Sectoral Committee for Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (JSC EEE), 5 November 2008, Bali.
22. Training on Food Safety procedures (HACCP, GMP, GHP and Risk Management), 23-31
August 2008, Lao PDR and Cambodia.
23. Study Training for Fishery Testing Laboratory Network, 7-15 July 2008, Vigo (Spain) and
Brussels.
24. Regional Workshop for Post Market Surveillance for Electrical and Electronic Products, 26-27
May 2008, Kuala Lumpur.
25. Regional Workshop for ASEAN Reference Laboratories (Food), 3-4 May 2008, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
9
26. Technical Meeting of the Joint Sectoral Committee for Electrical and Electronic Equipment, 20-
22 April 2008, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
27. Study Training on European Policy for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Harmonised
Standards, 10-14 March 2008, Brussels and London.
28. The 3rd Regional Workshop for ASEAN Cosmetics Committee Heads of Delegation, 4-5 March
2008, Jakarta.
29. Study Training in Europe on European Policy and Practices for Electrical and Electronic
Equipment (EEE) Market Surveillance, 3-7 March 2008, Brussels and Paris.
30. ASEAN Workshop for Fish and Food Safety, 29-30 January 2008, Indonesia.
31. Workshop on Good Manufacturing Practice for Cosmetics Products, 12-16 November 2007,
Manila.
32. Workshop on the Identification of International Standards and Harmonised Procedures for
Electrical and Electronic Products, 13-14 November 2007, Bangkok.
33. Training on the Implementation of ASEAN Fish Reference Laboratories, 6-7 November 2007,
Ha Noi.
34. Workshop on Improvement of Cosmetics Testing Laboratories, 6-7 November 2007, Manila.
35. The 2nd Regional Workshop for the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee Heads of Delegation, 3-4
September 2007, Jakarta, Indonesia.
36. Training on Food Safety Legislation and Inspection for food safety authorities of Lao PDR,
Vietnam and Cambodia, on 9-24 July 2007 in Cambodia.
37. Regional Training on Electrical and Electronic Products Certification Scheme, on 12-13 July
2007, Manila.
38. Study Training to the European Union for ASEAN Cosmetic Committee Heads of Delegation,
18-22 June 2007, Brussels and Paris.
39. Regional Training on Preparation and Management of a Product Information File for Cosmetics
Products, 10-11 June 2007, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
40. Regional Workshop for the Heads of Delegation of the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee (evaluate
progress on the transposition of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive), 9-10 May 2007, Jakarta,
Indonesia.
41. Technical Meeting on a Sectoral Mutual Recognition Agreement for Good Manufacturing
Practice Inspection for Pharmaceutical Products, 10-11 April 2007, Ha Noi.
Customs and Trade Facilitation:
42. Meeting to review technical documentation of Customs Transit System, 3-5 December 2008,
Brussels.
43. Special Customs Transit Meeting of CPTFWG, 1-5 December 2008, Bangkok, Thailand.
44. Transit Discussions at the 5th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Customs Procedures
and Trade Facilitation, 27-31 October 2008.
10
45. Country Mission to Malaysia on the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document (ACDD), 16-17
October 2008.
46. Review the EU’s computerized International Transit System (CT and NCTs), 1-8 October 2008,
Prague and Brussels.
47. Workshop on the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document, 22-24 September 2008, Kuala
Lumpur.
48. Data Harmonisation Capacity Building Workshop for the ASEAN Single Window, 10-12
September 2008, Bali, Indonesia
49. Transit and Transport Discussion at the 14th ASEAN Land Transport Working Group Meeting,
20-21 August 2008, Bandar Seri Begawan.
50. Workshop on Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD Customs Training Plan, 28 July-1
August 2008, Malaka, Malaysia.
51. Country Visits to ASEAN Member States for ICT Feasibility Study, 21-23 July 2008.
52. Country Visit: Vientiane, Lao PDR: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and
SPCD Customs Training Plan, 24-27 March 2008.
53. Discussions on Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD Customs
Training Plan, 7-14 March 2008, ASEAN Secretariat.
54. Customs: Data Harmonisation discussions at the 4th ASEAN Single Window Technical Working
Group Meeting, 10-12 March 2008 , Brunei Darussalam.
55. Transit Discussions at the 4th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Customs Procedures
and Trade Facilitation which was held on 4-7 March 2008 in Yangon.
56. Country Visit: Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and
SPCD Customs Training Plan, 3-6 March 2008.
57. Country Visit: Singapore: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD
Customs Training Plan, 3-6 March 2008.
58. Country Visit: Malaka, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Production of a Training
Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD Customs Training Plan, 22-29 February 2008.
59. Country Visit: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam: Production of a Training Blueprint,
Needs Analysis and SPCD Customs Training Plan, 18-20 February 2008.
60. Country Visit: Jakarta, Indonesia: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD
Customs Training Plan, 8-15 February 2008.
61. Country Visit: Bangkok, Thailand: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and
SPCD Customs Training Plan, 31 Jan-6 February 2008.
62. Workshop on Design and Development of the ASEAN Customs Transit System, 22-25 January
2008, Singapore.
63. Country Visit: Manila, the Philippines: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and
SPCD Customs Training Plan, 21-29 January 2008.
64. Country Visit: Ha Noi, Viet Nam: Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD
Customs Training Plan, 8-16 January 2008.
11
65. Inception Meeting for Production of a Training Blueprint, Needs Analysis and SPCD Customs
Training Plan, 17-19 December 2007, Jakarta, Indonesia.
66. Risk Management and e-Customs Workshops, 24-28 September 2007, Hanoi.
67. The 3rd ASEAN Customs Declaration Document Workshop, 30 July-1 August 2007, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
68. Study Tour to the European Union for ASEAN Directors-General of Customs, 2-7 July 2007,
Brussels and Budapest.
69. The 2nd ASEAN Workshop on the ASEAN Customs Declaration Document (ACDD), 25-26 April
2007, Bangkok, Thailand. Strategic Workshop on an ASEAN Customs Transit System, 26-
27 June 2007, Jakarta.
Investment:
70. The 2nd Workshop on Investment Promotion Best Practice for ASEAN Investment Promotion
Agencies (IPAs), 20-21 October 2008, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
71. Workshop on Investment Promotion Best Practice for ASEAN Investment Promotion Agencies
(IPAs), 27-29 May 2008, Phnom Penh.
72. Inception meeting of Investment Promotion Best Practice Programme for ASEAN Investment
Promotion Agencies (IPAs), 17-19 December 2007, Jakarta.
Capacity Building:
73. Discussion and Advice to the ACU and Procedural Issues for the ASEAN DSM, 21-25 July
2008, Jakarta.
74. Country Visits to ASEAN Member States for Promotion of the Visibility and Use of the ACU and
ASEAN DSM, 1-18 July 2008.
75. Launch of the ASEAN Statistical Capacity Programme (2008-2011), May 2008.
76. Discussion on the “Test Run” of the ASEAN Enhanced DSM, 5-9 May 2008, Jakarta, Indonesia.
77. Discussion on the Draft Communications Plan for the AEC Blueprint, 28-29 February 2008,
ASEAN Secretariat.
78. Capacity building of ASEAN Secretariat: On-the-job training for Agreement and Compliance
Unit (ASEAN Secretariat) on Mediation, Good Offices and DSM Procedures, 11-18 February
2008, Jakarta, Indonesia.
79. Institution/capacity building of the ASEAN Secretariat: training/qualification of ASEAN
staff/managers in the fields administration (legal issues, budget, disaster management),
economic integration, and media and communication was launched on 27 February 2008,
Jakarta.
80. Capacity building of ASEAN Secretariat: Study Mission for Secretariat Staff to the Legal and
Dispute Settlement Services of the WTO Secretariat and European Commission, 4-8 February
2008, Geneva and Brussels.
ASEAN-FTA Negotiations:
81. ASEAN-EU FTA negotiations was launched in May 2007. ASEAN-EU FTA Joint Committee
Meetings have been conducted 7 times: 19 July 2007, 22 October 2007, 30 January-1 February
12
2008, 16-18 April 2008 in Bangkok, 25-27 June 2008 in Manila, 15-17 October 2008 in Ha Noi,
and 5-6 March 2009 in Kuala Lumpur.
82. ASEAN-EU TREATI Seminar on Customs/Trade Facilitation, 2-3 March 2009, Kuala Lumpur.
83. ASEAN-EU TREATI Seminar on Technical Barriers to Trade Issues, 13-14 October 2008, Ha
Noi, Viet Nam.
84. The 2nd ASEAN-EC Senior Officials Meeting on Telecommunications and Information
Technology, 26 August 2008, Bali, Indonesia.
85. ASEAN-EU TREATI Seminar on Services and Establishment/Investment, 23-24 June 2008,
Manila, Philippines.
86. READI Workshop on Telecommunications Regulation: “Ensuring Competition for the Benefit of
Citizens” under the EU-ASEAN Programme for Regional Integration Support – Phase II (APRIS
II), 16 – 17 June 2008 in Singapore.
87. ASEAN-EU TREATI Seminar on Services in the Financial Sector and Telecommunications, 19-
20 April 2008, Bangkok, Thailand.
88. ASEAN-EU TREATI Seminar on Regional Economic Integration, 28-29 January 2008,
Brussels, Belgium.
89. The READI Workshop on Air Transport Economic Regulation, 13-14 December 2007 in
Brussels.
90. The First READI Dialogue on Civil Aviation (EC-ATWG), in July 2007 in Bali.
91. The ASEAN Secretariat together with the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property
Cooperation (AWGIPC) and the EC are in the process of finalizing the ASEAN Project on the
Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (ECAP III).
92. Workshop on Investment Promotion Best Practice for ASEAN Investment Promotion Agencies
(IPAs), April 8-10, 2008, Phnom Penh.
93. Capacity building of ASEAN Secretariat: Support to ISO 9001 Certification of the Secretariat,
2007.
94. Capacity building of ASEAN Secretariat: Ad hoc advice to the Trade in Goods Unit on the
Economic Blueprint, 2007-2008.
III. Sectoral Cooperation
95. The 2nd ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Energy, 14 May 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
96. The 1st READI Dialogue on Science and Technology, July 2008, Manila
97. READI Workshop on Cybercrime Legislation in ASEAN Countries, 27-28 November 2008,
Kuala Lumpur.
98. Workshop on the EC proposal for a Renewable Energy Directive, 11 July 2008, Jakarta.
99. The 2nd READI Dialogue on Energy and Climate Change, on 11 July 2008, Bangkok. The
Dialogue was preceded by the 1st ASEAN READI Workshop on Clean Development
Mechanism – Making a Success of Global Carbon Markets on 10 July 2008 in Bangkok.
100. Workshop on Civil Nuclear Energy Safety and Security, on 3-4 June 2008, Bangkok.
13
101. The 1st ASEAN-EU Senior Officials Dialogue on Energy Cooperation, on 22 August 2007,
Singapore.
102. The 1st READI Dialogue on Climate Change (EC-AWGMEA), 31 May 2007, Vientiane, Lao
PDR.
103. The EC’s budget support to the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity in the Philippines. The Financial
Agreement on ASEAN-EC Programme on ACB was concluded in April 2005 and will end in
October 2009.
IV. Socio-Cultural Cooperation
104. The first SEA-EU bi-regional policy dialogue was held in Paris on 17-21 November 2008.
105. The Workshop on EU-ASEAN civil society exchange of experiences was held in October 2008
in Manila.
106. “Visits to the Commission” programme by DG External Relations – visit by 14 journalists from
all ASEAN member countries, 15-18 September 2008, Brussels.
107. The 1st ASEAN-EU Senior Officials Consultation Meeting and Informal ASEAN-EU Ministerial
Meeting on Science and Technology on 5-7 July 2008 in Manila.
108. Establish a bi-regional platform for a dialogue on S&T involving all stakeholders (The Kick-off
Meeting, participated by representatives of ASEAN and EU participating institutions, was
convened in Bonn, Germany, on 21-24 January 2008.
109. The 1st and 2nd ASEAN-EC Dialogue and Cooperation on Employment and Social Policy, on 16
May 2007 in Jakarta, and 11 September 2007 in Yogyakarta, respectively.
110. SEA-EU-NET programme (funded by the 7th Framework Programme) facilitating and
strengthening the bi-regional and bi-lateral Science and Technology (S&T) dialogue and
analyzing S&T structures at national level in South East Asia (2007-2010)
V. Development Cooperation
111. Facilitate the organisation of the first EC-ASEAN Member Country policy dialogues to underpin
implementation of new the Multi-annual Indicative Programmes (MIPs)
---------
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Gist of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Address at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong (FCCHK), 15 May 2009 and Q&A Session
May 25, 2009 Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Myanmar)
Q: (IHT – Mark McDonald) As the holder of the ASEAN Chair, is it not time for you personally, as a Prime Minister of Thailand, and ASEAN overall to speak out against the rather alarming treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi in [Myanmar]? And barring any comment, is it acquiescence by silence on the part of ASEAN? PM: Yesterday, I already expressed my concerns about what has been happening in Myanmar because at the last ASEAN leaders’ meeting, Myanmar briefed us on her plans to achieve the roadmap and we had clearly issued the statement, chairman’s statement – and also in our discussions – on the desire to see an inclusive political process that would be accepted by the international community and we have encouraged Myanmar to work with the United Nations because we have expected the United Nations, maybe the Secretary General, to pay a visit and try to resolve the issues. Obviously, what has been happening over the last couple of days or a little longer is of real concern. The Foreign Ministry, since
Q: (Reuters) You mentioned that the situation of Aung Sang Suu Kyi is of real concern to yourself and ASEAN. Could you elaborate on that – your concern about manner of her detention, her health being denied of a doctor in the past. What time frame do you think you will be able to get a collective answer from the members on this? PM: Clearly her health situation is of concern, and that should be a concern to everybody. The second thing is the bigger picture of what this means as far as the implementation of the roadmap. And I have already said ASEAN has expressed our desire to see what we called an inclusive process that would be key to the acceptability of the political process. So clearly the events raised these concerns, health concerns and concerns as to what this means for the future of the implementation of the roadmap. The Foreign Ministry is asking for views of other ASEAN countries, and it went out yesterday, and because I’m here today I cannot tell you how quick the response we can expect, but I will certainly follow up on that with my Foreign Minister when I get back.
British Embassador Diary
28 May 2009
The Guardian - The verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi has already been decided
British ambassador's Aung San Suu Kyi trial diary
The British ambassador in Burma, Mark Canning, is one of the few outsiders to have been allowed into the courtroom to witness parts of the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. In the first part of a series on her trial, he recounts his experiences.
Perhaps only here in Burma could the bizarre events of the last few days have unfolded. Out of the blue, a show trial has been mounted by the country's military rulers against Aung San Suu Kyi. Her offence? To allow an American intruder into her property, thereby breaching the terms of the detention to which she's been subject since May 2003. This is surely the only place where the victim of the break-in ends up being charged.
Lying behind this is the regime's plan for stage-managed elections in 2010. Suu Kyi spoiled the party in 1990, and they are not about to allow it to happen again. So when the generals learned of the strange happenings in Rangoon, they must have seized on it with some joy: here was a way to negotiate the awkwardness of the expiry of her current term of house arrest and to set the custodial clock ticking afresh.
19 May
Things haven't gone quite to plan. The trial has whipped up a storm of criticism. Burma's neighbours have been outspoken, making clear that the "honour and credibility" of the country is at stake. It's brought Suu Kyi back to centre stage and reminded everyone what an important figure she is. It's provided further evidence – if it was needed – of how the 2010 polls will be conducted. In the face of all this, the generals have tacked and conceded access to the courtroom for foreign diplomats.
The Guardian - The verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi has already been decided
British ambassador's Aung San Suu Kyi trial diary
The British ambassador in Burma, Mark Canning, is one of the few outsiders to have been allowed into the courtroom to witness parts of the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi. In the first part of a series on her trial, he recounts his experiences.
Perhaps only here in Burma could the bizarre events of the last few days have unfolded. Out of the blue, a show trial has been mounted by the country's military rulers against Aung San Suu Kyi. Her offence? To allow an American intruder into her property, thereby breaching the terms of the detention to which she's been subject since May 2003. This is surely the only place where the victim of the break-in ends up being charged.
Lying behind this is the regime's plan for stage-managed elections in 2010. Suu Kyi spoiled the party in 1990, and they are not about to allow it to happen again. So when the generals learned of the strange happenings in Rangoon, they must have seized on it with some joy: here was a way to negotiate the awkwardness of the expiry of her current term of house arrest and to set the custodial clock ticking afresh.
19 May
Things haven't gone quite to plan. The trial has whipped up a storm of criticism. Burma's neighbours have been outspoken, making clear that the "honour and credibility" of the country is at stake. It's brought Suu Kyi back to centre stage and reminded everyone what an important figure she is. It's provided further evidence – if it was needed – of how the 2010 polls will be conducted. In the face of all this, the generals have tacked and conceded access to the courtroom for foreign diplomats.
The Hon Stephen Smith MP
AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
27 May 2009
Ministerial Statement: Aung San Suu Kyi
I would like to briefly report to the House on the circumstances surrounding Aung San Suu Kyi. Today is the anniversary of her most recent period of detention. She has been detained by Burma’s military regime for 13 of the last 19 years.
Yesterday she was served with a notice from the military regime indicating to her that her current period of detention would end, effective today. Whilst, on the one hand, we welcome that, we are of course deeply suspicious that the device the regime is currently using is what we regard as spurious charges against Aung San Suu Kyi. Her trial will recommence today.
I spoke to our Ambassador in Rangoon last night, who was one of the diplomats present in the court yesterday. I am pleased to advise the House that our Ambassador advises that Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health and in good spirits and clearly conducting herself with dignity and civility in very difficult circumstances.
We hope that these spurious charges are not taken any further, but our very grave concern is that this will be used as a device for her further imprisonment or detention and we again, as we have in recent days and weeks and consistently over the years, call for her immediate and unconditional release.
I make the point that we welcome very much the very strong remarks that have come from our ASEAN partners. I spoke in recent days to the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, and I have spoken to my Thai counterpart, Foreign Minister Kasit, Thailand is of course chairing ASEAN at the moment. We welcome very much the strong show of support by ASEAN and its constituent members for Aung San Suu Kyi and her immediate and unconditional release.
ဖခင္နဲ ့တူေသာသမီး ဆိုတာ
ဘ၀မွာ ေကာင္းစားၾကီးပြါးတယ္တဲ့
ျမန္မာ့ ဆိုရိုးရွိတယ္။
ေရႊေငြ အမွဳမထား
နာမည္ေကာင္းအေရးထား
သိကၡာ နဲ ့ေန..
သိကၡာနဲ ့ေသခ်င္သူအတြက္
ပီတိကို စား
ဂုဏ္သိကၡာပြါးမ်ားေစလိုသူ အတြက္
သမီးေရ..
အျဖဴေရာင္နာမည္တစ္ခု ဆိုတာ
တန္ခိုးရွိန္ ရႊန္းၾကည္ပ
ၾကြယ္၀တဲ့ ၾသဇာကိတၳိမ
သူ ့အလိုလို ဘယ္မရ
ေငြေပး ၀ယ္မရ
လုယက္ အနုၾကမ္းစီးမရ
ဘယ္သူမွ ခိုးလို ့မရဖူး။
ေမတၱာေပးပါမွ ေမတၱာရတယ္။
ဘ၀နဲ ့စေတးမွ နာမည္ေကာင္းရတယ္။
ေခ်ာင္းရိုး ေျမာင္းရိုးသာ
တိမ္ေကာရိုး ရွိ
နတ္ေမာက္ျမိဳ ့သူၾကီး၏ မ်ိဳးရိုး
သခင္ေအာင္ဆန္း၏ မ်ိဳးရိုး..
တိမ္ေကာျခင္း အလွ်ဥ္းမရွိ..
ဇာနည္ေသြးအေရာင္သည္..
အနီေရာင္ပကတိ..ရဲရဲေတာက္၏။
ဇာတိေျမ..သူ ့က်ြန္မခံနိုင္ေရး
မခ်စ္မႏွစ္သက္သူနဲ ့ ဒါးတစ္ခ်က္
ေပးဆပ္ခဲ့တာ..
အဖိုးေရႊလေရာင္ရဲ့ လည္ေခ်ာင္းေသြးသက္ေသ
အားနည္းသူဖိႏွိပ္ခံ လူသိန္းသန္းတို ့အတြက္..
မနာလိုသူေတြရဲ့ က်ည္ဆန္တစ္ခ်က္
ေပးဆပ္ခဲ့တာ
အေဖ၀ိညာဥ္မဲ ့ ခႏၶာက သက္ေသ
ခ်စ္ခင္ျမတ္နိူးတဲ့ ေျမ..
ေလးစားတဲ့ လူေတြ အတြက္
အဖိုးၾကီးတဲ့ ေခါင္းေဆာင္မွဳ
ဘ၀နဲ ့လဲလွယ္ရတဲ့ လြတ္လပ္မွဳ
ေပးဆပ္ခဲ့တဲ့ ေခ်ြးနဲ ့ေသြး
ကုန္ဆံုးသြားတဲ့အခ်ိန္ေတြ အတြက္
ေနာင္တ ဘယ္ေတာ့မွ မရနဲ့ သမီး..
လစ္ဟာခဲ့တဲ့ မိသားစုတာ၀န္
ခ်စ္ခင္သူရဲ့ေသအံ့မူးမူး အခ်ိန္ေတြအတြက္
အံ့ၾကိတ္ ခံစား..
ခ်စ္လင္ရယ္ နားလည္ေပးပါ…
သားတို ့ရယ္ နားလည္ေပးပါ…
တီးတိုး ေလေျပထဲမွာဆိုခဲ့
သမီး ဇာတ္နာတာ အားလံုးနားလည္တယ္။
သမီးကို အမ်ားခ်စ္တာ ျပည္သူသိတယ္။
အေဖ..ဂုဏ္ယူတယ္သမီး..
ျမင့္ေသာ သစ္ပင္ ေလတိုက္ခံရတယ္..
ခ်ိဳေသာ အသီး ပိုးထိုးခံရတယ္..
ေအာင္ျမင္ေသာသူ..ေျခထိုးအျမဲခံရတယ္။
လူေကာင္းဆိုတာ လူဆိုး မ်က္မုန္းက်ိဳးခံရတယ္။
ဒါ..ဂရုစိုက္စရာကို မလိုဖူး။
မျမဲတဲ့ သဘာ၀တရား
ေျပာင္းလဲေသာဇရာ
လူဆိုတာ တေန ့ေသတယ္.
အမည္ေကာင္းကိုသာ ရာဇ၀င္ထဲမွာ ခ်န္ထားရစ္ခဲ့
ဘာမွ အားမငယ္နဲ ့.သမီး..
အေဖ သမီးအေနာက္မွာ အရိပ္လိုရွိတယ္။
အေဖ ့ ေသြးေတြ
ဧရာ၀တီ ေရ အလ်ွဥ္လိုဘဲ
သမီးေသြးေၾကာေတြထဲ စီးေနဆဲ
ေအာင္ဆန္းေသြး မခဲေသးဖူး သမီး။
အာဇာနည္ေသြးဟာ ရဲေနဆဲဘဲ သမီး။
အမွန္တရားအတြက္
အေမွာင္ထဲက ငရဲရက္ေတြထဲ
ေလာကဓံဆိုတာကို ရဲရဲသာ ရင္ဆိုင္ခဲ့..
ဘယ္ေလာက္ပဲ
အာဏာသားက လီဆယ္..လီဆယ္
သက္ေသ အေထာက္အထား
နံရံေတြ မွာ နားရွိတယ္..
သမီးေရ..မေၾကာက္နဲ ့။
ေလကိုဆန္..ပ်ံလိုက္သမီး..
ဟိုးအေ၀းမွာ ကမ္းရွိတယ္။
ကႏၱာရကို ျဖတ္္သန္း..ပ်ံလိုက္သမီး..
ဟိုးအေ၀းမွာ စမ္းရွိတယ္။
အမွန္ဆိုတာ
အဖံုးမပါတဲ့ အိုးေလးတစ္လံုး
တရားဥပေဒ ဆိုတာ..
ေသးငယ္ေသာလည္း ခိုင္တဲ့ သံၾကိဳးတေခ်ာင္း..
ရဲ၀ံ့စြာ ျပိဳင္ဖက္ကို ရင္ဆိုင္..
အမွန္ ဆိုတာ အျမဲနိုင္တယ္..
ေလာကရဲ့ နိယာမအလည္။..
အလာေႏွးပါလည္း အဆံုး ေသခ်ာတယ္။
ကဲ ေရွ ့ကို ဆက္ကာ သာေလွ်ာက္…
ပန္းတိုင္ေရာက္ထိေအာင္
ရဲ၀ံ့တည္ၾကည္
အေဖတူသမီး..ေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္.
အေဖ ေလးစားစြာ အေလးျပဳပါသည္။
မသဒၶါ (၅။၁၉။၂၀၀၉)
တကယ္လို ့မ်ား..အခုေန..ဖခင္ ဗိုလ္ခ်ဳပ္ေအာင္ဆန္းသာ သမီး ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္ အနားမွာ ရွိခဲ့ရင္..ဘာေတြေျပာဆို ဘယ္လို အားေပးမလည္း ဆိုတာေလးကို ခံစားၾကည့္ျပီး ဤကဗ်ာကို ေရးၾကည့္ပါတယ္.. မွားခဲ့ရင္ ခြင့္လႊတ္ေပးပါ။ က်မရဲ့ ခ်ြတ္ယြင္းခ်က္။ က်မရဲ့ ဥာဏ္ရည္ မမီတာသာ ျဖစ္ပါလိမ့္မယ္။ ခံစားၾကည့္ပါ. က်မ ရဲ့ လူျပိန္းခံစားမွဳ ေလးတစ္ခုကို။
Is this
By Simon Tisdall,The Guardian Friday, May 29, 2009, 1:32 [IST]
This trial highlights the plight of San Suu Kyi as well as other prisoners brutally treated in
Generally speaking, the more depraved a military dictator is, the stupider his actions. This rough rule of thumb certainly seems to hold true for Than Shwe whose decision to place
If
What foreign secretary David Miliband calls the “show trial” in
A report entitled ‘Myanmar’s Silent Killing Fields’, published last week by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a group comprising exiled activists and former prisoners, paints a horrific, case-by-case picture of systematic abuse including torture, deaths in custody, denial of medical assistance and a deliberate policy of transferring prisoners to remote regions to prevent family access and support.
Most of the abuse thus takes place far from the public eye, not least, because the International Committee of the Red Cross was forced to suspend prison visits in 2006.
Among 127 prisoners said to be suffering from dangerously poor health are Htay Kywe, a leader of the pro-democracy 88 Generation movement held in Buthidaung prison in Arakan state.
Also highlighted are the cases of Hla Myo Naung of 88 Generation, held at Myitkyina prison in Kachin state, blinded in one eye, at risk of total blindness, but denied medical treatment; Su Su Nway, an NLD activist held at Kale prison in Sagaing division, who has a heart condition and cannot walk unaided.
Family members told the AAPP, the policy of transfers to remote parts of the country meant they could not see or aid their imprisoned relatives due to the cost of travel and the denial of necessary permits. "We could not meet her for nearly two months. Now we are worried about her health after hearing she is vomiting almost daily," said the mother-in-law of Nilar Thein who is held at Thayet prison in Magwe division.
Other ongoing abuses include lack of treatment or protection from rampant malaria (the prisoners are allowed no mosquito nets), TB and HIV; imprisonment in labour camps, which is ‘tantamount to a death sentence’; and torture.
Torture, a state policy
“Torture is state policy in
According to Burma Campaign
For many, it is already too late. Thet Win Aung, a member of the Basic Education Students Union, was jailed for 60 years, the AAPP said. He was very badly tortured under interrogation. He was first held in Kale prison, in Sagaing, where he took part in a hunger strike calling for political prisoners' rights. He was then transferred to Khamti prison, where he contracted cerebral malaria.
He was denied medical treatment for a long time. Eventually he was transferred to
Gist of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Address at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong (FCCHK), 15 May 2009 and Q&A Session
May 25, 2009 Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Introduction)
• Expressing his pleasure to be in Hong Kong for his first visit after assuming office, PM Abhisit noted that this was his first trip abroad since the disruption of the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya and unrest in Bangkok in April. The reason for his visit was to reaffirm Thailand’s commitment as a partner and friend of Hong Kong, given the growing and close relationship, particularly on trade, investment and tourism. At the same time, he wished to share his perspective on what was happening in Thailand, knowing that most of the correspondents had been following developments in Thailand not just over the last 3-4 months but the last 2-3 years. • PM Abhisit talked about what he had been trying to do over the last four and a half months and what he hoped to achieve in the coming months. He noted that the twin challenges his Government faced were to lead the Thai economy out of one of the worst financial and economic crises in recent times and to heal the political divisions and conflicts in the country.
(Politics)
• Noting that images of Thailand over the last 2-3 years have been of protests and chaotic scenes at Government House, the airports and on the streets of Bangkok, PM Abhisit reassured the audience that his Government’s priority was to achieve true reconciliation. He had said from his first day in office that he would pursue this by making sure that the rule of law and justice prevail, and that the Thai political system continue to be developed and reformed so that all voices could be heard and Thailand would have a political system where there was participation from all sides and all differences could be resolved through democratic and peaceful means. • The Prime Minister further said that during the first three months in office, his Government’s approach to these problems was to avoid any kind of conflict or confrontation and try to get to grips with the concerns, complaints and grievances that various groups in the society had, in order to begin the process of reconciliation through reforms and fair and non-discriminatory enforcement of the law. It seemed to have worked for three months, he noted, but in April the Government’s opponents decided to resort to violence. What followed was the disruption of the summit in Pattaya and chaotic scenes on the streets of Bangkok. The Government had to declare a state of emergency, using the powers entrusted in a special law – the emergency decree. The Government then swiftly moved to restore order. The operations to restore order lasted about 2-3 days with no losses of life as a direct result. • PM Abhisit pointed out that the operations were not about scoring a political victory or trying to clamp down on the Government’s opponents. He insisted that they could continue to exercise their democratic and constitutional rights so long that they did not violate the law, such as by inciting violence, blocking streets, or trying to harm people, particularly people in the Government who had been targeted. • Immediately after the events, the Prime Minister called a special session of Parliament for a general debate, where the opposition, government MPs and senators could air their views on how they thought the country should proceed or even raise questions about the events of April, especially concerning the government operations. After an intensive two-day debate, it was agreed that two parliamentary committees should be set up: one to review the situation and events particularly during the days of unrest, and the other to look for a political solution whereby the political divisions and disagreement could be resolved once and for all. PM Abhisit said that for the last couple of weeks, these two committees had been at work. They would report back to the President of the Parliament very soon so that an inclusive process of political reform could begin and concerns about justice or problems in the political system could be addressed for long-lasting peace and political stability.
(Economy)
• PM Abhisit noted that more significant was that, despite the turmoil and political challenges over the last few months, the Government was able to implement its economic recovery and stimulus packages on track and on time. The Government had moved swiftly to pass a mid-year supplementary budget to protect the least fortunate and the poorest in society from the impact of the financial crisis. The comprehensive programme – ranging from price support for farmers to income support for low income earners, as well as protecting the most vulnerable people by providing income support for the elderly and beginning a programme of free basic education for children – was passed with the Parliament’s approval. 70-80% of the three billion USD programme had now been disbursed. So the Government was well on the way of completing the first phase of the recovery programme. • The Prime Minister further elaborated on the second and more ambitious stimulus package for which the Government was currently seeking parliamentary approval. This involved 45 billion USD of public investment over the next few years. He underlined that there were clear frameworks on how the money was going to be invested by putting particular emphasis on investment in water distribution; transport, communications and logistics; upgrading health centres and schools; and supporting future economic development by focusing more on the service sector and the creative economy. To finance this, PM Abhisit said, Thailand would need to seek additional borrowing as it was running up against the legal limits in terms of the fiscal deficit, but most of the borrowing would be from domestic sources as there was ample liquidity within the Thai financial system, which remained in good health. • PM Abhisit reiterated that despite the headlines and political troubles in the news, the economic programme was proceeding very well and the Government remained focused on that, recognizing that the economy was the number one concern for the majority of the Thai people. By the end of the year, one would begin to see the implementation of such investment, some of which would be financed through the budget, some through loans and some through public-private partnership. The Prime Minister reaffirmed his Government’s continued stance to drive the economy through the private sector and market forces.
(ASEAN)
• At the same time, the Prime Minister said that Thailand was also carrying out its commitment as ASEAN chair. In February, the country successfully hosted the 14th ASEAN Summit which saw the new ASEAN Charter put into effect and ASEAN continue on its path toward the vision of an ASEAN community. In October, Thailand would be hosting the 15th ASEAN Summit, Summits with dialogue partners and the East Asia Summit, following up on the many regional and global initiatives to deal with the financial crisis. These include a number of agreements and initiatives from the London Summit of the G20, additional facilities offered by global financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, and also the regional multilateralisation of the Chiang Mai Initiative, an arrangement to reserve pooling, in which Hong Kong has also participated. PM Abhisit also added that apart from all these challenges, ASEAN continued to be proactive. Last week Thailand hosted the ASEAN+3 Health Ministers’ Meeting to meet the challenge of the new Influenza A H1N1.
(Conclusion)
• In conclusion, PM Abhisit noted that behind the pictures in the media and beyond the headlines, Thailand was getting back to business and the Government was very much focused on the economic challenges. At the same time, a national reconciliation process has begun through parliamentary mechanisms, in the hope of achieving peace and stability in the country.
Q&A Session after PM Abhisit’s Speech at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong (FCCHK) Hong Kong, Friday 15 May 2009
(Monarchy: role in politics and succession)
Q: (IHT - Philip Bowring) In previous Thai crises, His Majesty the King played a rather visible role in bringing people together. On this occasion, nothing has been heard from His Majesty the King for the last many months. Is it reasonable to come to a conclusion therefore that His Majesty is seriously incapacitated? Could you say something about the procedure for the succession when H.M. eventually is no longer with us? PM: As prime minister in a parliamentary system, I have to report to His Majesty the King regularly. I have presented the most recent report only a week and a bit back. Since then, His Majesty the King has attended some public ceremonies to mark very important occasions for the country. So he is in good health. Obviously, given that I have spent a lot of time reporting to His Majesty, I can tell you that His Majesty is very well aware of all the issues that are pertinent to the country’s situation. Your observation needs to be put in perspective. His Majesty the King’s interventions in the past, most notably after 14 October 1973 and in May 1992, were interventions of a humanitarian kind, where there has been violence and conflict up to the point that no other process would be able to stop the violence spreading and causing further losses of lives. They were not political interventions as such. At the moment, we have a situation where certainly the government, and now the opposition and the senators have been invited to provide a political solution, which is what explains why there has not been intervention from His Majesty. His Majesty has been very clear in a speech given two years ago when there were a lot of conflicts and chaos in the streets that he himself is under the law, under the Constitution, and has no power or right to exercise any power beyond what is given to him according to the Constitution. So at the moment, it is up to us, politicians primarily and the people of Thailand, to resolve our problems. His Majesty remains above politics and will continue to provide inspiration, wisdom and guidance in philosophical terms for the Thai people.
The issue of succession is all in the Constitution. There is a provision that states clearly what happens should there need to be a process of succession, and obviously we have to proceed according to that provision.
Q: (Bloomberg) We are relieved to hear that His Majesty is in good health. In his recent interview with Der Spiegel, M.R. Sukhumbhand Baripatra said that he is now afraid for the first time that Thailand could slip into chaos when His Majesty is no longer around. Nobody lives forever. The King has been on the throne in 60 years, right back to when Truman was in the White House. The investors I have been talking to said they are worried about the succession as they are about the present impasse. You mentioned twin challenges. Isn’t the succession actually a greater challenge for Thailand? PM: If you look at succession issues, there are two things that we should accept. The first is that if there are clear rules for succession. That eliminates a lot of uncertainty around how the succession process will actually evolve or work out. There are clear constitutional provisions, so in that sense, that eliminates some of the uncertainty. The second issue is undebatable. When you have had a leader for more than six decades – and one that has built up so much reverence and respect from the people, there’s always going to be anxiety. I don’t know of any country or society or even organization – where there has been an inspirational leader who has been there for a long time – that does not have anxiety about succession. But Thailand has to make sure that we are mature enough as a country to deal with changes, economic, political and whatever issues that we need to face. I have no illusion that when it happens, it will be a very difficult time for all of us because we are very much attached to His Majesty. But we have to prove our maturity as a people and as a society and demonstrate to the rest of the world that we can deal with all issues and changes.
(Lese-majeste law)
Q: (Le Monde) Many critics have been quite vocal about the provisions under the lese-majeste and how they have been detrimental to the freedom of the press. In many occasions, some bloggers have been particularly famous for ending up on the wrong side of the lese-majeste but also in many others, including foreign correspondents in some instances. PM: On lese-majeste law, let me reaffirm my belief. This law has been in place for a long time. It is not even a special law. It is part of our Criminal Code in the section on national security as a mechanism to protect one of our key institutions which is supposed to be above conflict and therefore has no other self-defence mechanism. We do not want members of the monarchy taking people to court and therefore be directly in conflict with people. The problem with this law is more with its enforcement over the last few years, where the law has often been abused or too liberally interpreted. The cases that are now proceeding are mostly cases initiated before I assumed office. Since I assumed office, what I have done is that I have asked people involved particularly the police and now I have asked the Justice Ministry to come up with standard operating procedures so that people know exactly what the limits of this law are. Generally, expression of opinions, for instance, academic opinions concerning institutions is not something that would violate the law. But accusing or making allegations that are damaging to the institution or members of the institution would violate the law, just as you and I would be taken to court if you were to defame or cause damages to other people’s reputations. So what I hope to do is to get these new standard operating procedures in place. And I will confirm to you that in no case have people been prosecuted for their political views. If the things that they do to the monarchy were done to other people, they would also have been taken to court and punished, and probably they would suffer more because they probably would not be given a pardon.
(Politics)
Q: (…) In line of what you have said, what is the colour that you expect in mixing yellow and red? In other words, what concessions or proposals are you willing to make to entice the opposition to come over to your views? And if you are not able to do so, how much longer do you expect to be in office? PM: If my knowledge is correct, you put red and yellow together; you get orange. Orange is the colour that stands for innovation and that is exactly what we need. We need the innovative thinking from the political circles to get Thailand out of this trap. I know that politicians often defend their own interest. But my determination is that we cannot let the country down further. We need to move beyond our own narrow interest, prepare to be open-minded and discuss all the issues that are of concern to other people, not our own. This is why the parliamentary committee should open up the process for public participation as widely as possible. So I expect that the process might take a few more months and might even involve the possibility of public hearings or even a referendum on some controversial issues. The Government will do what we can to support this process. How much longer am I expected to last? I do not think it actually depends on the failure of this process. Maybe the success of this process might lead to the constitutional amendment and also a good time for me to call new elections. I have said that I would decide to call elections when I feel it is best for the country. I think for the country, there are three things that need be done before elections should be called. First, we need a cooling-off period. We do not want to go into election with feelings high and real risk of having violent election campaigns. That’s the last thing we need for Thai democracy. Second, we need to have a good package in place so we are prepared to deal with the worst of the financial crisis. It makes no sense to have disruptions in the programme to deal with the financial crisis as it will only hurt our people. Third, as Chair of ASEAN, we should carry out our commitment the best we can and have to chair until the end of the year. I cannot really tell you when the elections would be held, but if you say if I failed my task, my country and my people, I have no doubt in my own mind, the country’s interest has to come before my own. I am not interested in how long I stay. I am interested in what I do while I stay which is to achieve reconciliation and recovery for my country and people.
Q: (AP) How can Thailand assure the safety of future international meetings given the government’s failure in the past? There are many who believe that Thailand, to show the commitment to the rule of law, needs to put some of the yellow shirts on trial because it has not happened yet. Do you foresee the time when this will happen soon or not? PM: - For the first question, we successfully hosted the ASEAN+3 Health Ministers’ Meeting last week, I think that is clear that we are ready and we can host meetings of that kind. - As far as the enforcement of law is concerned, particularly in the cases against the PAD, all cases are proceeding. I should point out that when I assumed the office, a lot of the cases that were pending against PAD were already almost about half a year old, and no actions had been taken. When I assumed office, one of the first things that I asked the police to do was to get the easy ones done like instances of violence that took place during the protests, and subsequently, arrest warrants were issued. Then there was a case of the occupation of Government House. They have clearly made progress with that so there were summonses and warrants issued and the case is now proceeding. The big high profile case that remains is the one that concerns the airport occupation. I have asked them to speed the investigation on that. They say they are now over 90% done so I expect some results very soon.
Q: (TVB) Can you really be confident to reassure travellers to Thailand that there is not going to be future state of emergency or airport closure taking place? PM: What I can reassure you is that even during those very difficult times and chaotic events, in no case were foreigners targets. The implementation of the law – as far as I am concerned – will be done with the utmost care. We will ensure that we swiftly restore order with minimal, and if possible, no losses at all. The operations during Songkran resulted in no losses of life as a direct action of the Government. We are always on alert. We want to make sure that order is preserved. Our mistake during April was we exercised what some people called undue restraint because we thought that if the Government exercises utmost restraint, the other side would not escalate violence. Now that we know there are a small group of people who might resort to violent actions, we are much more alert as to their movements. We will make sure that all the political movements now are the exercise of constitutional rights – freedom of expression – and not abusing those rights to become cases of inciting violence or leading people to take illegal actions such as blocking roads or trespassing onto government or other properties.
(Constitution)
Q: (IHT) The 1997 constitution was drawn up with very heavy support from the Democrat Party. It is generally believed to be an excellent constitution and it was overthrown by a military coup. Would not the return to the1997Constitution be one way of reconciling the opposing parties? PM: You are right in saying that Democrats Party and myself in particular were the first group of people to endorse and support the 1997 Constitution. And I do believe it is a good document. The problem is you have also to look back about 3 years ago when after the constitution had been in effect for about 7-8 years, there was widespread abuse and loopholes that were exploited by people with power. All political parties back in 2006 had agreed that it was time to amend the 1997 Constitution in a major way. In that sense the task should not be just getting the 1997 Constitution back but learning lessons from how it was abused and how loopholes were discovered and make sure that those loopholes are no longer there, and that we improve upon the 1997 document. It would not make sense to put back something that has proved not to work and actually at one point produced a consensus that it has not work, and hope that this time around somehow it would work.
(Neutrality of Human Rights Commission)
Q: (Le Monde) Regarding the National Commission for Human Rights which has been recently re-appointed, many critics have been quite dismayed by the fact that hardly anyone in the Commission has a background in human rights. Many are former members of the police force. And in one case, in relation to [Myanmar], there is one specific member, Mr. Parinya, who has previously said that western criticism of [Myanmar] amounts to foreign interference in internal affairs. So, the Commission does not seem to be up to the standard to bring about reconciliation.
PM: This is a commission that we first had when we had the 1997 Constitution, and subsequently the current Constitution continues with this body. The essential thing is that this Commission is separate from the executive branch, which is the Government. The process of selection is in the Constitution and the law, whereby people can apply and there will be a selection committee and then the senate will vote on the nominations. The new Commission has come about according to those procedures, so whether those procedures are up to the standard that you and I see is a different issue because that is what the law specifies as the process of appointing the Human Rights Commission. I would hope to see that the Human Rights Commission would follow the example set by the previous Commission which has been proactive and active on many issues and retained their independence. If my Government or I myself were to interfere or intervene with the process, that would defeat the purpose of having this Commission being an independent commission. If anybody has issues whether the appointment of the Commission is not going according with the Constitution or the law, they can refer that to the Constitutional Court but they have to specify clearly how the process so far has violated these procedures.
(Thaksin-related)
Q: (Far Eastern Economic Review – Colum Murphy) Does Mr. Thaksin play a part in the vision that you have on the reconciliation in Thailand. Will the banned politicians from Thai Rak Thai be allowed to re-enter the political domain and play roles in the future? PM: The opposition party which has ties to the former prime minister is involved in this process. So, all the political parties and groups in Thailand are being represented. Reconciliation is about public issues, not about personal issues. We will do whatever is appropriate and right as far as the democratic system is concerned. If that does include, for instance, possible amnesty for the banned politicians, then so be it. But currently, we have not reached that conclusion yet. There are proposals and counter-proposals as to what the appropriate changes should be made to the Constitution, and we will proceed accordingly. I would reiterate my firm stance that to achieve real reconciliation, personal issues and interests must be put aside. We are here to design a better system that is fair for everybody. For Mr. Thaksin as an individual, he will be treated as any other Thai would be treated. He has been convicted; he has violated the law; he must accept responsibility. We are talking about amnesty for political violations. Those are being discussed. But I have said clearly that we are not interested in granting amnesty for criminal offences.
Q: (….) Thaksin, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, was very active in Hong Kong. Before you made the decision to come to Hong Kong, did you have any consideration about this? Have you given any pressures to the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of China not to let Thaksin to come to Hong Kong again?
PM: My decisions are based on the interests of over 60 million people in Thailand. That’s what guides my decisions. He was not part of any consideration as to when and where I make my trips. As for Hong Kong, and China for Hong Kong, we are actually working on the extradition treaty, and I think we are making progress.
Q: (AFP) You mentioned about the Extradition agreement with Hong Kong and perhaps Beijing. When do you think the agreement will be reached? Supposed that he were watching you speaking here at FCC, what would you say to Thaksin? PM: I would say he can expect justice in Thailand and he must accept the consequences of his actions because he is a Thai and he cannot have privileges and rights that are above any other Thais. We do not discriminate against him but we cannot discriminate for him. As for the extradition treaties, the Ministry, the parties concerned are working on it. I am not sure how long the timeframe is but in my discussion with the Chief Executive he mentioned it himself that he is working on it and hopes to see a quick conclusion.
(Economy)
Q: (NY Times) How long do you think it might take for exports to begin to recover? And when they do, do you foresee ASEAN countries rebuilding their reserves with the same heavy reliance on dollars? Or will they consider other currencies including the renminbi? PM: A lot would depend obviously on how quickly our key trading partners recover. The frustrating thing about dealing with this crisis from the point of view of a lot of Asian economies is that the problem has been caused by the drop in demand from countries that are our trading partners. So we hope to see major economies that are suffering now in the US, Europe or Japan – when their economies pick up that will be when most of the regional economies’ exports will also pick up. And in fact even during these times, the one thing you might notice is that the drop in exports for most Asian countries is actually less that the drop in imports. So we actually continue to build surpluses and reserves. The issue of exactly in which currency these reserves are held is separate. And there have been no clear signs of any change which means the dollar continues to dominate. I think for other currencies to replace the dollar or maybe even complement the dollar will also have to meet two major requirements. One is the willingness of the various countries to hold such currency, which is related to the second issue that that currency would almost automatically have to be freely traded. So these are the challenges for currencies that might either replace or complement the dollar as major foreign reserves.
Q: (ASEAN Magazine) There has been a lot of discussion about approaching development on a balanced approach, i.e. not relying too much on the export sectors. Do you subscribe this view, and what steps are you taking to strengthen domestic consumption? PM: It is important to have, one, a strong domestic economy. Thailand has a fairly decent size domestic economy but it can be enhanced, so a number of sectors, particularly the agriculture sector, should be beefed up. Secondly, I don’t think people should shun opportunities to trade. So if there are opportunities there for export, import, trade investment, they should take them with the understanding that there are risks. The job of the Government is to protect the people from the risks of having their lives absolutely ruined by the volatility of the global economy. To me, the action we now take is to strengthen domestic economy, plus strengthening our social safety net and welfare system, so people are better protected. I would not recommend people turning their backs on the opportunities that come from abroad.
(ASEAN)
Q: (…) Thailand has always been very sensitive to the shift of power balance in the region. Some people say that is the reason why it is the only country in the region that has never been a colony. Recently, what we see now is that China is having a military build up on the one side and on the other side the US influence in the region is declining a little bit. Especially to this question is with respect to the South China Sea. Where is Thailand situating itself? PM: [Part] of the charm and the untold success of ASEAN is that the Association was formed precisely to strike a right balance among the major powers in the world, which is why Thailand has been very active in supporting the role of ASEAN in providing a stabilizing factor as far as security is concerned,
given the shifting in the balance of power between the major players of the world. ASEAN has the ARF. ASEAN now reaches out so we now have the Plus 3 and the EAS. There are even talks and proposals of other and similar fora so that everybody can be involved, so we can build trust and confidence rather than seeing the emergence of powers as something of a threat.
Q: (Financial Times) You mentioned your Government’s economic programmes. Your Government was quoted this week that the planned, rescheduled East Asian Summit will not be happening next month, and it might not happen until October. Amidst what may be the greatest economic crisis that the region has ever faced, is it not some sort of marked failure for the region as a whole that it could be a year of passing by without being able to convene the leaders together to work on the common programme or effort to fight this? PM: I want to put things in perspective. We were supposed to have had the 14th Summit and also the East Asia Summit back in December last year. It was moved from Bangkok to Chiangmai and was subsequently cancelled. Then there was a change of government. I came in. My determination was to get things back on track, but the logistical issue of finding a convenient time for 16 leaders have proved very difficult. When we went ahead with the Cha-am Hua Hin 14th Summit – or what is seen as the first half of it – without waiting for the EAS, it was because we could not find a time convenient for all 16 leaders and we did not want to wait. So we went ahead with that. We then found a narrow window in April, where India was not able to attend because of the elections in the country. But we decided that we had to go ahead. It was unfortunate that the disruptions took place in Pattaya following the protest but I have to put safety of other leaders before everything else So we tried to find a time between April and October. Because we felt it would be good to have it as soon as possible, we looked for June. We knew it was difficult, and in the end what happened was that the Korean president had engagements in the US, Brunei also could not reschedule a foreign trip and New Zealand, India and Indonesia have engagements concerning internal elections. So we could not go ahead in June. In July we have the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the Post Ministerial Conferences, the ARF and the Economic Ministers’ Meeting as well, so the whole of July is full of ASEAN and ASEAN and dialogue partners’ activities anyway. And by the time we move to August, questions are being raised that do we want two East Asian Summits within the space of two months. So what we are now doing is that we ask the senior officials of the EAS, or the ASEAN+6, who will continue to meet next week in Phuket, and they will recommend to the leaders on how we should proceed. But the likelihood is that we would then move to October for the 15th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits. I would say that in the meantime, it does not mean we do nothing. Just as we have proceeded and now succeeded in getting the Chiang Mai Initiative expansion to multilateralization agreed upon, there could be statements issued by ASEAN and ASEAN+3 and ASEAN+6 on other related issues. And I think a number of initiatives in the minds of China, Japan, Korea – they might announce such initiatives at other international forums. So cooperation continues. For problems concerning logistics, we had to postpone the meeting.
(Influenza A H1N1)
Q: (TVB) We had a hotel closed here for a week because of the swine flu, and it has just reopened today. Would you be confident to book a room and spend a night in this hotel? What do you think about how Hong Kong is dealing with swine flu? PM: Yes, but unfortunately I have to go back.
Q: (RDHK) The world is really concerned on the outbreak of swine flu. As you have repeatedly said you are trying to boost Thailand’s economy, what will be the impact of swine flu to Thai economy and are you concerned? PM: We are as concerned as everybody and we have had two cases reported and confirmed: they were people who travelled back from Mexico. But they are now cured, healthy, sent back, and there are no reports of any contagions while they are in Thailand. We have measures still in place, in terms of thermo-scans, screening, monitoring the movement of people who travel from countries where there is an outbreak and we will continue to take appropriate actions against those suspect cases. It is still too
early to conclude one way or another about how serious this is going to be. What we will watch is how quickly the numbers in Mexico and the US stabilise. If those numbers become stable, at least it is an encouraging sign as to what kind of limits the problem will actually reach. If it is contained to the current level, we think that it would have some effect but it is at a level where WHO is not recommending any kind of travel restrictions so the impact would be more limited. The worst case scenario would be if the situation got worse to a point where travel restrictions were being officially sanctioned or imposed by the authorities.
(Thai-Cambodia border dispute)
Q: (Voice of America) What is the current status of talks with Cambodia with regards to the border dispute? PM: I have met with Prime Minister Hun Sen twice and a number of ministers who have direct responsibilities several times. We agreed that this is the issue that should be resolved according to the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed back in the year 2000, which means we have a joint boundary commission that works on this. The commission continues to meet. It is really a technical problem that needs to be sorted out, and we will leave it at that. PM Hun Sen and I are in complete agreement that we will not allow this issue to distract us from the various issues of cooperation that we could continue to pursue on a number of fronts, whether economic, cultural, or political. So at the moment, the issue is referred to the JBC according to the MOU that we signed. It is unfortunate that every now and then clashes do happen. It is something that is not unexpected. PM Hun Sen and I had very frank talks on that. These things happen when we have a common border and disputes over where the border is. But as I say, we leave it as a technical issue; we have a framework and mechanism to resolve it; and we will not let that dominate the relationship between the two countries.
(Myanmar)
Q: (IHT – Mark McDonald) As the holder of the ASEAN Chair, is it not time for you personally, as a Prime Minister of Thailand, and ASEAN overall to speak out against the rather alarming treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi in [Myanmar]? And barring any comment, is it acquiescence by silence on the part of ASEAN? PM: Yesterday, I already expressed my concerns about what has been happening in Myanmar because at the last ASEAN leaders’ meeting, Myanmar briefed us on her plans to achieve the roadmap and we had clearly issued the statement, chairman’s statement – and also in our discussions – on the desire to see an inclusive political process that would be accepted by the international community and we have encouraged Myanmar to work with the United Nations because we have expected the United Nations, maybe the Secretary General, to pay a visit and try to resolve the issues. Obviously, what has been happening over the last couple of days or a little longer is of real concern. The Foreign Ministry, since Thailand is the Chair, is now seeking the views of all the other ASEAN members.
Q: (Reuters) You mentioned that the situation of Aung Sang Suu Kyi is of real concern to yourself and ASEAN. Could you elaborate on that – your concern about manner of her detention, her health being denied of a doctor in the past. What time frame do you think you will be able to get a collective answer from the members on this? PM: Clearly her health situation is of concern, and that should be a concern to everybody. The second thing is the bigger picture of what this means as far as the implementation of the roadmap. And I have already said ASEAN has expressed our desire to see what we called an inclusive process that would be key to the acceptability of the political process. So clearly the events raised these concerns, health concerns and concerns as to what this means for the future of the implementation of the roadmap. The Foreign Ministry is asking for views of other ASEAN countries, and it went out yesterday, and because I’m here today I cannot tell you how quick the response we can expect, but I will certainly follow up on that with my Foreign Minister when I get back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
