BIMSTEC urged to reject Myanmar as chair
New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) today
condemned the decision of the 11th summit of the Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to
appoint Myanmar as the Chairman of the 12th Ministerial Summit and BIMSTEC from 2009. BIMSTEC consisting of India,
Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar is holding its 11th Summit today in New Delhi.
“The appointment of
Myanmar as the Chair from 2009 is the most shameful event of the BIMSTEC. This
provides legitimacy to the military Junta which has refused to take measures
for national reconciliation, release Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners, and restore democracy in Myanmar” – stated Mr Suhas
Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
“The decision also
undermines the efforts of the ASEAN which has rejected Myanmar as its chair for
the failure of the Junta to promote national reconciliation and rejects the
recent appeal of the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon to the government of
India to play a greater role on Myanmar.” –further stated Mr Chakma.
Instead of following the
footsteps of ASEAN, BIMSTEC is promoting the worst military dictatorship in the
world, the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar against the current
wave of democracy in South Asia as evident from the election of Mauhamed
Nausheed as the President of Maldives, Prachanda as Prime Minister of Nepal and
ouster of General Pervez Musharaff as the President of Pakistan.
ACHR urged ASEAN, European Union and
others in the international community not to send any observers including the
Ambassadors to Myanmar to the BIMSTEC Summit to be chaired by Myanmar in 2009.
[End]