Myanmar Casts Long Shadow Over Upcoming Asean Summit

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By Jackson Sawatan on Oct 25, 2007 in Asean, Myanmar
IN LESS THAN a month from now Singapore will host the 13th Asean Summit, the highest-level meeting in the annual calendar of the 10-member grouping.
The meeting will be significant as the grouping is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and for the first time in its history, the leaders are set to sign a landmark charter that will give it a legal identity.
Last month, Singapore spelled out the main agenda for the summit, themed “One Asean At The Heart Of Dynamic Asia”, which will be held on November 20. Foreign Minister George Yeo said the issues included energy, environment, climate change and sustainable development.
The leaders are also expected to endorse a blueprint with clear roadmaps for establishing the Asean Economic Community by 2015, a vision to turn the region into a single market and production base.
Events least expected have, however, unfolded in one of Asean’s members, Myanmar, the maverick junta-ruled country that has time and again proven to be a headache for the regional grouping.
The recent violent crackdown by the junta troops on pro-democracy protesters, which resulted in 10 deaths according to official figures, sparked international outrage and put Asean in an awkward position.
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