Asean to sign charter in Singapore Summit

According to highly places sources attending drafting sessions, who asked

not to be named because they are authorized to do, after marathon discussion

over human rights ahead of the Asean annual meeting, the charter drafters

headed by Filipino retired ambassador, Rosario Manalo, agreed to advance the

proposed formulation to the Asean foreign ministers to determine whether to

adopt a body, organ or commission "to promote and protect human rights of

the people in Asean."

"The Asean foreign ministers have to decide whatever instrument or name to

be used," said one of the sources.

As it turned out the word "mechanism"--widely used in the press and among

the civil society organizations—has been completely ignored. The taboo word

often referred to the failed attempt of Asean to establish regional human

rights mechanism agreed in 1993 in Bangkok. Little progress has been made

since then except on issues and rights related women and child as well as

migrant workers.

Core Asean members including Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand view a human

rights commission as an important pillar in constructing an ASEAN community

and also in compliance with the UN Human Rights Commission. The Asean

leaders agreed to set up security, economic, social and cultural communities

in 2015. The security community explicitly states that Asean must promote

human rights.

 Burma objected the establishment of a regional human rights body. Since its

admission in 1997, its membership has proved to be an embarrassment for

Asean as the grouping has to defend its member with track records of

political suppression, use of child labour and soldiers.

The first clean draft to be vetted by the ministers on Monday over their

formal meeting and retreat will be incomplete as the drafters still have to

meet several more times to wrap up the remaining chapters of the Asean

Charter. The charter has 12 chapters altogether dealing with the whole gamut

of transforming Asean into a law-binding organization. They have settled all

including the preamble except one chapter.

Chapter four is the remaining portion which deals with the organization of

Asean. The drafters need more time to make revision followed additional

comments made by the foreign ministers on Monday. So far, they have agreed

on three principal organs on the Asean Summit, Asean Executive Board and

Secretary-General of Asean and its secretariat. Asean Committee of Permanent

Representatives, the status of Asean Foundation, Asean Institute are among

the issues to be discussed.

The ministers will meet again at the end of September in New York when they

attend the UN General Assembly. They will vet the draft's revision before

sending the final one to the leaders for their deliberation. Under the

proposed charter, they will meet twice annually instead of one as currently

practice. The leaders would assist by Asean Executive Board which will

coordinate the three corresponding ministerial councils on security,

economic, social and culture.

The Asean leaders are expected to sign the charter at their summit meeting

in mid November, hosted by Singapore.

The charter drafting committee comprises mostly senior foreign ministry

officials from members countries with five senior officials, two Asean

director generals and two ambassadors at large and one retired former

ambassador.

By Kavi Chongkittavorn

The Nation