Statement of Asean MPs

OFFICIAL PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED IN KUALA LUMPUR, SUNDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 2004 BY PARTICIPANTS OF THE WORKSHOP OF ASEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ON THE MYANMAR ISSUE

Workshop held at JW Marriot Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 26th-28th Nov 2004.

Whereas we, the participants of the Workshop, being committed to the inalienable right of the Myanmar people to self-determination and democratic expression, in keeping with universal values espoused by the international community of nations under the auspices of the United Nations, and having regard to the gravity of the Myanmar crisis hereby urgently and unequivocally call upon the governments and parliaments of the ASEAN nations, the international community of nations as represented by the United Nations and other regional and international entities, to immediately deliberate and act, where applicable, to achieve the following fundamental objectives as prerequisites towards restoring freedom and instituting democracy in Myanmar:

1. To urgently secure the unconditional release from detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and restore to her, all her civil and democratic rights; and to enable the participation of all sections of Myanmar's diverse society, including minority groups, in the democratic process.

2. To urgently secure the unconditional release of all political detainees including all the Members of Parliament elected during the 1990 General Elections.

3. To urgently work towards convening the legitimately elected Parliament of Myanmar as a first step towards genuine democratic and constitutional reforms in Myanmar and concurrently, to require the restoration of legal and political authority to the elected Parliament.

4. To urgently secure the holding of a meaningful, representative and legitimate National Convention to lay the basis for democratization and national reconciliation which should involve tripartite participation of the military junta, the National League for Democracy and the ethnic nationalities, as well as the full and free participation of all MPs elected at the 1990 General Elections, aimed to achieve the following objectives by July 2006:

a) A new constitution for a democratic Myanmar
b) Free and fair general elections for a new Parliament in a new Myanmar

We, the participants of the Workshop noted with grave concern, the scheduled assumption by Myanmar of the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006 and resolved that, in the absence of substantial and meaningful democratic and constitutional reforms in Myanmar, such assumption of the Chairmanship of ASEAN would be severely detrimental to the interests of ASEAN. Indeed, unless progress towards constitutional and democratic reforms in Myanmar is evident forthwith, we strongly urge that ASEAN bar Myanmar from serving as Chairman of ASEAN and immediately review Myanmar's membership with a view of suspending Myanmar as a member.

We further call upon United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to urgently cause the convening of a special session of the Security Council to deliberate on the Myanmar crisis and formulate a roadmap towards democratic and constitutional reform in Myanmar.

We have also resolved the establishment of the interim committee of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar comprising the following parliamentarians:

President:
Zaid Ibrahim (Malaysia)

Vice Presidents:
Nursyahbani Katjasungkana (Indonesia)
Aquilino Q Pimental (Philippines)
Kraisak Choonhaven (Thailand)

Members:
Lim Kit Siang (Malaysia)
Son Chhay (Cambodia)
Djoko Susilo (Indonesia)
Loretta Ann Rosales (Philippines)
Charles Chong (Singapore)
ENDS

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