No Bloody Hand on an ASEAN Charter

Posted by ACSC3 under Public Forums on 6 November 2007

Call on neighbouring countries, particularly Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to take concrete measures to bring meaningful pressure on the Burmese junta

Third ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III)
2-4 November 2007, Singapore


"No Bloody Hand on an ASEAN Charter"


1. We, the participants of the ASEAN+ Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III) held in Singapore on 2-4 November 2007:
2. inspired by the courage of the people of Burma in standing up for their basic rights in the face of continuous repression by the Burmese military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC),
3. outraged by the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators,
4. strongly condemn SPDC's brutal crackdown on the monks' led peaceful protests since 26 September 2007,
5. denounce the ongoing attacks on the ethnic nationalities by the SPDC, and human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, forced labour, forced relocation, forced recruitment of child soldiers, and sexual violence against women and girls,
6. urge the SPDC to end all acts of violence against civilians, the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, and to begin the process of tripartite dialogue with the National League for Democracy (NLD) and ethnic nationalities,
7. Urge the SPDC to fully cooperate with the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation of Burma, Mr. Paul Pinheiro, and give him unconditional access to people and locations during his mission,
8. Appeal to the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, to initiate steps towards genuine political reform including genuine dialogue with all political groups in the country, as recommended by the UN,
9. Call on the Indonesian government, being the current Chair of the UN Security Council, to proactively advocate the imposition of sanctions and other targeted measures by the UNSC.
10. Call on neighbouring countries, particularly Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to take concrete measures to bring meaningful pressure on the Burmese junta, including the instigation of an arms embargo and measures to stem the flow of resources from ASEAN countries to the Burmese army and its associated elites.
11. Call on the ASEAN
a) to reject the roadmap to democracy drawn up by the SPDC and advocate tripartite dialogue
b) to postpone the signing of the ASEAN Charter by the military junta at the upcoming 13th ASEAN Summit (Singapore, 18-22 Nov. 2007) until the political crisis in Burma is resolved in accordance with international human rights standards. Failing this, it must consider suspending Burma's membership from ASEAN if the SPDC continues to ignore all calls to find a lasting resolution to the crisis in Burma.
c) to urge China and India to take concrete measures to pressure the SPDC to engage in a democratic process of reform.


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