ASEAN Policy Put To the Test

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Wednesday December 9 4:11 AM ET

ASEAN Policy Put To the Test

By BETH DUFF-BROWN Associated Press Writer

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The long-standing pledge by Southeast Asian
nations to mind one's own business was put to the test recently when Vice
President Al Gore came to town.

In front of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, host of a trade summit last
month, Gore praised ``the brave people of Malaysia'' for their fledgling
democratic reform movement - one that calls for Mahathir's political demise.

Most of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were
surprised the vice president would spout off about Western-style democracy
in Malaysia.

Even Thailand, which has encouraged more cross-border criticism within the
nine-nation group, chastised the U.S. interference into Malaysian affairs.
``You have to be very, very careful toward each other's feelings,'' said
Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuan.

But when ASEAN leaders meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, next week, that may be hard
to do. Relations within the organization, founded in 1967 to prevent the
spread of war in the region, have been severely strained this year.

Bickering between Malaysia and Singapore escalated to accusations over
border controls, air space and water rights until Mahathir called a truce.

And the Philippine and Indonesian presidents took the unprecedented step of
publicly reprimanding Mahathir for the ouster and jailing of his deputy,
Anwar Ibrahim.

Next week, the Philippines likely will spar with China, which is sending
Vice President Hu Jintao to observe the two-day summit. The Philippines is
expected to urge the group to issue a statement on conflicting claims over
the mineral-rich atolls and reefs that straddle vital sea lanes in the South
China Sea.

Then there is Myanmar, the newest ASEAN member. The group has been
criticized for accepting the military-ruled country, also known as Burma,
because of its poor human rights record, making diplomats more cautious
about admitting Cambodia.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. When established, its goal was to bring
all 10 Southeast Asian nations into the ASEAN brotherhood; Cambodia's
membership would fulfill that pledge.

Cambodia was on the verge of joining last year when Prime Minister Hun Sen
toppled his co-prime minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Now that a coalition government is in place in Cambodia, Hun Sen has made
entry into ASEAN a priority. Vietnam and Malaysia are the only ones publicly
backing Cambodia's immediate entry and the membership issue is likely to
dominate the summit.

Non-interference in members' internal affairs already is getting attention.
Surin, of Thailand, told his counterparts that if they do not speak more
frankly about human rights and environmental issues, ASEAN will lose
credibility.

``Like it or not, the issues of democracy and human rights are those that we
have to increasingly deal with in our engagement with the outside world,''
Surin said.

Other ASEAN members, including the summit host, Vietnam, disagree.

A draft of the Hanoi Declaration to be presented next week, obtained by The
Associated Press, indicates Vietnam hopes all will be willing to refrain
from commenting on each others' internal affairs: ``We shall endeavor to
resolve all our outstanding problems and prevent the emergence of disputes
in the ASEAN way.''

Critics say the ``ASEAN way'' has accomplished little in the past 31 years.

``So long as you have some countries who do not recognize the need for
change, it will not move forward,'' said Abdul Razak Baginda, director of
the Malaysian Strategic Research Center, a leading Kuala Lumpur think tank.

Abdul Razak notes that ASEAN was paralyzed during the hazardous haze that
blanketed the region last year. It stood by silently during the Cambodian
coup and the deadly riots that led to the end of Indonesian President
Suharto's 32-year rule. And it's done little to focus on the crippling Asian
economic crisis that is well into its second year.

``Clearly, ASEAN is unable to come up with some very strong common stands,''
Abdul Razak said. ``One gets the impression that it's every man for
himself.''