ASEAN Foreign Ministers on Monday 30th July 2007 announced their consensus to setting up an ASEAN Human Rights Commission.

This decision is much welcomed by the Regional Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (RWG) who have been engaging ASEAN governments and civil society for the set up of such a body since as early as 1996. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has supported the effort of the RWG on this initiative throughout the years.

Following is the statement of Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, Chairman of the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, on the meeting between the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter:

"Good afternoon. Today the ASEAN Foreign Ministers were briefed by the High Level Task Force on the progress of their work on preparing a draft ASEAN Charter.", "I am pleased to announce that among the issues on which there was consensus among the ASEAN Foreign Ministers is the inclusion of a provision in the ASEAN Charter that mandates the creation of a human rights body."

His full statement can be found at: http://www.40amm.org.ph/main_newscontent.a...&newsid=967

This is indeed a landmark development by ASEAN and is seen as crucial for giving Asean credibility and bargaining power on the world stage. The Charter being drafted for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will include a provision mandating the creation of the human rights body. The charter will be adopted by ASEAN leaders at its Sunmmit in Singapore this November.

I know Im on holidays...but this news has got me excited!! so had to report this

We'll see how much credibility this has when they appoint someone from the Burmese Junta to be the chairman of the commission.

It has to be good news! Okay, we'll have to wait and see, but still good news!

Myanmar says it does not want a combative regional human rights body

The Associated PressPublished: August 2, 2007

MANILA, Philippines: Myanmar backs a proposal enshrining human rights in a charter being prepared by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations but opposes any combative rights body that would embarrass governments, a diplomat said Thursday.

Myanmar tried to block an attempt by lower-level diplomats of the 10-member ASEAN to mandate the creation of a human rights body in its landmark charter, Southeast Asian diplomats said.

However, ASEAN foreign ministers, including Myanmar's, later agreed to create a body that could look into violations in the region, saying it would bolster the group's image.

"We want to promote human rights, but it should be a consultative body first," said Thaung Tun, a member of Myanmar's delegation at an ASEAN-sponsored security meeting in Manila.

It should not be a body that would "shame and blame," he told reporters.

snip

iht.com

any reason why this is hidden away down here ......................................??

Mid --

not sure what you mean hidden?

but if you are referring to Burma/Myanma's position on this matter, then for the past many years they have always remained the unspoken 'nay' vote. strangely enough the first time i heard them officially say anything was only a week before the Foreign Ministers agreed to the draft version of the Charter where the human rights commission is included. at the time the official said -- we (ASEAN) are not ready yet, and should wait til every country has its own national commission first before proceeding to the regional one.

of course i do not agree with this sentiment, but have to say i admire the lady for being brave to voice their position out in response to the Chair of the High Level Task Force (whos very adamant and vocal in pushing for the asean body), and opened up herself to some very direct and blunt telling off of Burma/Myanmar by some of the advocates.

of course although this has been agreed that a commission will be set up...the jist of it will lie on what sort of power it will have, and how the commissioners will be selected, etc etc

I think he means that it is hidden in forum 47.

May get more posts in the public forum.

As I understand things, most Human Rights activists oppose the death penalty.

In Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Phillipines (that I know of) there is a mandatory death penalty for smugglers of commercial quantities of Class A drugs.

I would assume Burma has that and more.

Quite frankly, I agree with this, but will the human rights vessel founder on such a basic principle?

Who else is in ASEAN? China? Cambodia? Laos? No one is going to overturn the attitude of law makers (and the public support of such measures) in the short term.

ofcourse nothing ever happens in the short term HB, imagine it took more than 10 years for them to agree to set up the commission. as we speak the terms of reference is being drafted (I should say debated infact), and by November when the asean leaders adopt the Charter...thats when we will have some clue as to how effective or independent this commission will have the potential to be.

ermm ASEAN includes: Brunei, Burma.Myanmar, Cambodia (who interestingly has agreed to set up its national human rights commission), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (at the moment only 4 out of the 10 countries have their own national commissions, Cambodia very likely joining as the 5th)

Senior Officials to Endorse a Meeting Between Panel which will Draft the ASEAN Human Rights Body and the Working Group

The Working Group (left) and ASEAN Senior Officials (right) get down to business.

The High Level Panel on the Drafting of the ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP) may have first convened on July 21, 2008 but discussions on the ASEAN human rights body had taken place throughout the course of the 41ST ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM). One of the most notable was the dialogue between ASEAN Senior Officials and the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) on July 19, 2008.

The Working Group reiterated its call for a realistic timeline for the drafting of the terms of reference (ToR) which will define the structure and mandate of the ASEAN human rights body. In addition, they discussed specific recommendations for this that was culled from civil society and government agency representatives during the 7th Workshop on the ASEAN Regional Mechanism on Human Rights.

Taking up the Working Group’s offer to share further advice and expertise, the Senior Officials said that they would push for a meeting between the HLP and the Working Group.

“We are bureaucrats and it is in our nature to be cautious; this is why it is important for us to dialogue with groups with ambition for new institutions that are about to be created such as the ASEAN human rights body. We will give a strong recommendation to the HLP to listen to the Working Group’s ambition,” said Singapore Senior Official Peter Ho.

Since draft ToRs have already been made by other concerned organizations, the Senior Officials advised the Working Group to present to the HLP a list of the possible powers for the ASEAN human rights body and strong arguments that would support each.

They also told the Working Group to keep the following guidelines in mind as they give their recommendations: (1) all ASEAN member-states must be in agreement with the ToR, (2) the push for the human rights agenda in ASEAN is best achieved through an evolutionary approach, and (3) to be careful with artificial deadlines which cannot be met.

The Working Group said that it was looking forward to supporting the HLP process from the ground- and from the inside. Working Group Co-Chair Vitit Muntarbhorn, in his capacity as professor of the Faculty of Law of Chulalongkorn University, will be the alternate HLP member representing Thailand.

ASEAN Senior Officials and the Working Group annually dialogue on human rights issues in the region during AMMs. The outcome of their most recent dialogue is mentioned in the Joint Communiqué of the 41st AMM.

Source: The Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism’s website

This is excellent news and most certainly a move in the right direction. However I can’t quite imagine what the content of this charter will be.

The European Union Human Rights charter (http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l33501.htm) talks of opposing the death penalty and the use of torture, freedom of speech, data protection, freedom of assembly and the fight against racial and sexual discrimination.

Here in Singapore, they openly practice torture and the death penalty, freedom of speech and assembly are limited. From what I know of Thailand, they practice every from of discrimination imaginable.

I shall follow this story with interest.