ASEAN leaders ready to sign the TOOTHLESS PAPER TIGER landmark charter

Asean leaders ready to sign landmark charter

Singapore (dpa) - Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered in Singapore on Sunday ready to sign a landmark charter giving legal status to the 40-year-old body and making strides in human rights.

With Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein and Foreign Minister U Nyan Win attending and the delegates from the 10-member bodies staying in 11 different hotels, police designated "protected areas" giving authorities greater leeway to deal with possible security threats, demonstrations or other incidents.

Among the affected venues and a 500-metre perimetre around each are The Shangri-La Hotel where the 40th anniversary summit is taking place, The Raffles City Convention Centre site of a gala dinner and the Asian Civilizations Museum where a reception will be held.

Nearly 1,000 delegates from 43 countries are attending.

While the charter, a blueprint for an Asean economic community by 2015, and a document on climate change and the environment are highlights, diplomats said Burma is overshadowing the other issues after its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Septemer.

Asean countries have made many commitments over the years, but have only implemented a third of them, said Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore's representative on the task force which drafted the charter.

"This is not an acceptable record," Koh said. "A key feature in the charter is the emphasis on developing a culture of taking our obligations seriously," he added.

The secretary-general will be empowered to monitor compliance with Asean agreements and report breaches to the summit, he said.

Referring to critics who maintain that Asean is little more than a "talk shop, Koh said the charter will enable the grouping to play a bigger role in regional and global affairs.

Asean includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma.

The UN Secretary General's special Adviser Ibrahim Gambari is scheduled to brief the East Asia Summit which includes the Asean countries in addition to China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Police have warned against staging any outdoor protests after learning of plans by foreign students to do so on Monday.

A petition was released however calling on the UN Security Council to bring "tangible results" in the national reconciliation and political reform process.

The document was signed by 3,626 people or 10 per cent of the Burmese nationals in Singapore.

A group calling themselves the "Overseas Burma Patriots" said they want Singapore to give the petition to the council.

Public demonstrations against the Burmese junta have flared elsewhere, but police said Singapore's prohibition against outdoor gatherings of more than four people without official approval is in full force.

Asean admitted Burma a decade ago despite opposition from the United States and the European Union over its human rights record and detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Critics maintain that keeping Asean's policy of non-interference in other members' affairs and continuation of decision-making by consensus could result in a "paper tiger."

While creating a human rights body, they point out the draft of the new charter lacks an effective enforcement mechanism.

SRP Statement on The Election of The Sam Rainsy Party Leadership

September 13, 2007

STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF THE SAM RAINSY PARTY LEADERSHIP

Following democratic principles, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) has implemented an in-depth reform over the last three years, so as to elect its leaders from bottom up. Elections started at the village level, went up to the commune level, then to the district level, then to the provincial level, and finally to the national level with the election of the Steering Committee, the Permanent Committee and the party top leaders: President, Vice-President, Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Controller.

On Cambodia's political scene, only the SRP has the will and the means to implement such a reform. By electing all its leaders from bottom up, the SRP has put an end to the practice (still ongoing in other political parties) of appointing leaders following a top-down approach. Over 500,000 SRP members all over the country have taken part in elections organized successively in over 10,000 villages, 1,621 communes, 185 districts and 24 provinces or municipalities. This series of elections at all levels were organized by the SRP with the support of several international organizations including the US Agency for International Development (USAID, representing the US Government), the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI). These organizations help promote democracy in Cambodia and consider that the reform being conducted by the SRP is really strengthening democracy within our party and will help strengthen democracy in our country.

Regarding Secretary General Eng Chhay Eang who was elected into his position at the SRP Fourth Congress on September 8-9, 2007, our party wants to stress that his gambling habit belongs to the past. Before deciding to run again for the Secretary General position, Eng Chhay Eang has amended himself and put an end to his wrongdoing. Because he has amended himself, Eng Chhay Eang was elected by the SRP Steering Committee, through a secret ballot, as Secretary General. The election, which is in line with the democratic reform undertaken by our party, was monitored by representatives from the above-mentioned international organizations. All the participants, including all the candidates, finally recognized the election result as correct and fair.

Besides, the SRP top leadership have decided that, from now on, the SRP Secretariat General will work on the basis of a consensus rule, meaning that all important decisions by the Secretariat General will also require the agreement of Deputy Secretaries General Mu Sochua and Teav Vannol.

In case there is information and evidence showing that any SRP leader is involved in any wrongdoing that affects the work and the honor of our party in the present and in the future, the concerned person will have to voluntarily resign from his position without the Permanent Committee and the Steering Committee having to fire him.

SRP Permanent Committee