Asean's human rights declaration criticised by US and others
Leaders sign human rights declaration, but Washington and NGOs object that loopholes included in deal could see violations continue
Southeast Asian leaders yesterday adopted a human rights declaration despite last-minute calls by critics, including Washington, for a postponement. They said the pact contained loopholes that could allow atrocities to continue.
The 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a bloc of liberal democracies and authoritarian states, signed a document adopting the Asean Human Rights Declaration in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where the heads of state were holding an annual summit.
The non-binding declaration calls for an end to torture, arbitrary arrests and other rights violations that have been long-held concerns in Southeast Asia, which rights activists once derisively described as being ruled by a "club of dictators".
Asean diplomats have called the declaration a milestone in the region despite its imperfections, saying it will help cement democratic reforms in countries such as Myanmar, which until recently has been widely condemned for its human rights record.
Philippine diplomat Rosario Manalo said it was significant that the region's less democratic governments had embraced the declaration.
Founded in 1967 as an anti-communist bloc in the cold war era, Asean has taken feeble steps to address human rights concerns in the vast region of 600 million people. In 2007 it adopted a charter where it committed to upholding international law and human rights, but retained a bedrock principle of not interfering in each other's internal affairs - a loophole that critics say helps member states commit abuses without consequence.