NEWS - 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.''