Asean lawmakers seek focus on human rights

It’s a touchy subject in a country where thousands have been killed in a brutal drug war, but human rights in the Philippines and its neighbors should be confronted head-on by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as it holds its 30th summit in Manila this week, regional parliamentarians said on Wednesday.

The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) urged leaders of the 10-member bloc to rethink their longstanding policy of “noninterference” in internal affairs, which tended to prevent meaningful dialogue on awkward subjects, and not evade issues haunting the region.

“The accelerating erosion of democracy and human rights protections threatens to undermine the progress of Asean integration and yield a weaker regional bloc that fails to live up to its people-centered claim,” said APHR chair Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament.

In a statement, his group expressed concern about a number of developments in the region, including increasing government restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, and threats against civil society.

Rampant killings

APHR cited rampant extrajudicial killings, “most prominently in the context of the brutal drug war being waged in the Philippines,” under the auspices of President Duterte, whose disdain for human rights organizations is well-known.

The group also raised the alarm about the situation in Burma (Myanmar), where the United Nations recently warned that crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority may have occurred.

APHR describes itself as a “human rights intervention force of current and former parliamentarians, who use their unique positions and innovative means to prevent discrimination, uphold political freedom and promote democracy and human rights throughout the region.”

Seven Asean countries—Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, Singapore, Cambodia and the Philippines—are represented on the group’s board, including former Akbayan representative and academic Walden Bello. The three other Asean members are Brunei, Laos and Vietnam.

Meetings in the run-up to Saturday’s summit began on Wednesday. Another leaders’ meeting will be held in November, also to be hosted by Mr. Duterte as Asean chair this year, the Asean’s 50th founding anniversary.

Antidrug war

Mr. Duterte is expected to enjoy backing for his drug war from most of his guests, according to observers.

“I sadly expect Duterte will promote his drug war because he knows there will be no contrary words from the other Asean leaders,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division, told the French news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“The region is falling deeper into dictatorship, repression and rights abuse,” he added.

Among the heads of undemocratic regimes who will convene in Manila are Thai military junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, as well as the leaders of Laos and Vietnam.

Corruption charges

Cambodia’s Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge cadre, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has faced allegations of corruption and vote rigging, will also attend.

Lauro Baja, a former Philippine foreign undersecretary and ambassador to the United Nations, agreed Asean leaders would back Mr. Duterte’s drug war while in Manila, or at least keep any concerns to themselves.

“I expect them to support the efforts of the Philippines to curb the drug menace, period—without talking about how we achieve that,” Baja told AFP.

Baja said that, even if leaders disapproved of Mr. Duterte’s tactics, they would observe their policy of noninterference.

APHR urged Asean leaders to heed the voices of civil society organizations and create enabling environments and ensure meaningful consultation with nongovernment groups and grassroots people’s organizations in regional and national policymaking.

Consultative mechanisms

“As elected representatives of the people, we urge heads of government … to incorporate stronger consultative mechanisms at the regional level that engage all voices, including women and youth, and allow space for civil society to operate in all Asean countries without government interference,” said APHR vice chair Mu Sochua, a member of the Cambodian National Assembly.

The summit will be closely watched for how Mr. Duterte, who has shocked the United States and the United Nations with his curse-laden tirades, handles hosting his first major diplomatic event.

The crackdown on drugs, which has led to warnings by rights groups about possible crimes against humanity, has been a defining theme of Mr. Duterte’s first 10 months in power.

Mr. Duterte has relentlessly railed against the mostly Western critics of his drug war, angrily demanding they respect him while in turn using abusive terms to describe them.

Mr. Duterte hogged the headlines at the Asean summit in Laos last year when he called then US President Barack Obama, who was also attending, a “son of a whore” for criticizing his drug war. —WITH A REPORT FROM AFP

RELATED VIDEO

[ventuno id=’OTI3MjUyfHwyMzY4fHwxMDg2fHwxLDIsMQ==’][/ventuno]