Southeast Asian countries fail to reach full agreement on human rights

MANILA, Philippines: Southeast Asian diplomats have failed to reach full agreement on creation of a human rights commission under a landmark charter they are drafting, a diplomat said Sunday.

Military-ruled Myanmar, which has been condemned for its dismal human rights record, has objected to any mention of a human rights commission in the charter being drafted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Diplomats in an ASEAN task force writing the charter will submit a draft that includes formation of a rights commission to the bloc's foreign ministers at their annual meeting in Manila on Monday, a diplomat on the task force said. But the document will state that Myanmar did not accept the commission, leaving it to the ministers to resolve the issue, the diplomat told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to speak to the media.

Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam also suggested they are not ready for the immediate establishment of such a body, which could deal with human rights violations in the region, the diplomat said.

Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam — ASEAN's most recent members — all have authoritarian or single-party governments.

Separately, a Philippine proposal for a clause in the charter allowing ASEAN to vote on critical issues to hasten decisions instead of its normal reliance on consensus was struck down. It was also decided that there will be no mention of sanctions for member states for serious breaches of the charter, the diplomat said.

The ministers could decide to outline some kind of sanctions in a separate implementing document, the diplomat said.

ASEAN conference spokesman Claro Cristobal said he was not aware of details of recent deliberations on the charter but stressed that any draft produced by the task force could still be changed by the foreign ministers or ASEAN heads of state.

"This is a very important document," he said. "It has the potential of binding half a billion people's lives so every great deliberation is important."

Creation of an ASEAN rights body has been a high priority for the Philippines, the host of this year's meeting, with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo saying it would give the group "more credibility in the international community."

ASEAN, formed 40 years ago, decided to draft a charter to become a more rules-based organization with better bargaining power in international negotiations. It hopes the charter can be formally signed at an annual ASEAN leaders' summit in November.

The debate on the proposed charter reflects how ASEAN's diverse membership, including fledgling democracies, communist countries and a military dictatorship, has hobbled decision-making and rapid progress on key issues.

Enshrining human rights protection in the charter has been a touchy issue because some ASEAN countries have spotty rights records, such as Myanmar.

Some ASEAN members fear such a commission could allow scrutiny of rights conditions in one country, possibly violating the group's cardinal policy of noninterference in each other's affairs.

Human rights groups complain that ASEAN's noninterference principle has fostered undemocratic regimes in the region.

Senior ASEAN diplomats were working separately in Manila to prepare a heavy agenda for the foreign ministers, who began arriving Sunday.

They are expected to tackle terrorism, better enforcement of a regional anti-nuclear treaty, disaster management and ways to help poorer members catch up with wealthier ones to foster faster economic integration.

A draft of a statement to be issued by the ministers on Monday calls on all member states to ratify an ASEAN convention on counterterrorism that was signed by heads of state early this year.

It also calls on ASEAN countries to intensify efforts to better enforce a 2002 accord that aims to prevent armed confrontations in disputed territories in the South China Sea.

ASEAN was founded as an anti-communist organization during the Cold War but has evolved into a trade and political bloc. It consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.