On the 33rd Asean Summit held in Singapore

The focus of the 33rd Asean Summit held in Singapore recently has been on economic and digital integration, and it came as a relief when Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad commented on the human rights violation in Myanmar during a press conference.

The Rohingya crisis in the Rakhine State has driven half a million stateless refugees to flee across borders into Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia. Myanmar soldiers have raped and killed young Rohingya Muslim women, and burnt and looted Rohingya villages.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and de facto leader of Myanmar, has rejected the United Nations probe findings of “genocide” of the Rohingya Muslims. She has been widely criticised by the international community for her passivity in the face of such human rights abuses, and Amnesty International recently stripped her of a human rights award.

Mahathir criticised Aung San Suu Kyi directly, saying: “We are very disappointed because someone who has been detained before should know the suffering. It seems Aung San Suu Kyi (photo, below) is trying to defend what is indefensible... They are actually oppressing these people to the point of killing them... mass killing... burial in graves dug by them... that kind of thing may be relevant in ancient times but not in modern days.”

There are an estimated 100,000 Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia, and the families of Rohingyas who fled to Malaysia by boat told Australian media earlier this year that Myanmar authorities threatened to arrest them for allowing their relatives to leave. As of March 2017, Malaysia has allowed Rohingya refugees to work in Malaysia to prevent their exploitation.

Asean has not prioritised the upholding of human rights historically. However, following Mahathir's strong criticism, a draft statement for the Asean Summit now reflects a stronger line being taken within the group.

Asean will now call for those who committed atrocities in Myanmar to be held “fully accountable” for their crimes. Will Mahathir, as the elder statesman of Asean - at 93 years of age - be a new champion of human rights?

Ibrahim Suffian from the Merdeka Center said: “Tun Dr Mahathir is not at the Asean Summit to be a ‘democratic crusader’. Dr Mahathir is actually out there speaking his mind on a matter that many people agree with. In the case of Myanmar, gross violations have taken place. He would be more circumspect about commenting on the human rights in other Asean countries, and limit his criticism, unless it is on critical issues.”

After all, the next Asean Summit will be held in Thailand, which is run by a military government headed by General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, where the freedom of expression and press freedom have been greatly oppressed.

The internet has been censored in Thailand and any criticism of the junta on social media is considered a crime. This host nation of the next Asean Summit has also been criticised by the international community for its lack of press freedom.

Other Asean members also have their own human rights transgressions, with an estimated 12,000 people having been executed in the war against drugs in the Philippines, championed by President Rodrigo Duterte. In Vietnam, political parties other than the Communist Party are forbidden, and there are large numbers of political prisoners incarcerated for criticising the state.

Mahathir had also implored Myanmar, at the Asean Summit, to accept the Rohingya Muslims as their citizens.

The Asean Declaration of Non-Interference may be interpreted to suggest a kind of passive acceptance and silence of one's neighbour. Yet, if the refugee crisis spills into Asean borders, driving desperate refugees towards terrorism - as has happened with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which has Al-Qaeda links - is this still an issue that the region can afford to not intervene? The ideology of hatred against another group of human beings has to be condemned, at the very least.

Clause 18 of the Asean Human Rights Declaration explicitly states the right of every individual to citizenship. “Every person has the right to a nationality as prescribed by law. No person shall be arbitrarily deprived of such nationality nor denied the right to change that nationality.”

As the Rohingya Muslim population remains stateless, the big question is, will Asean be able to accord legal status to this population if Myanmar does not change its stance? - Mkini