Organizations Urge ASEAN to Address Intolerance Issues in Myanmar

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - HUMANiTi Malaysia, in partnership with the OIC, KAICIID and ALTSEAN-Burma, held a 'Tolerance in a People-Centred ASEAN' event on April 6 to April 7, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, bringing diverse stakeholders from the ASEAN region. The event was aimed at discussing key trends, issues of concern, and to share approaches in promoting tolerance in ASEAN member states.

Participants of the event raised concerns over the increasing incident of intolerance in Myanmar, including a proposed legislation related to the 'protection' of race and religion that is inconsistent with international human rights standards.

The participant also highlighted the continuing trend of violence and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, including Rohingya, in many parts of the country, which leads to human rights crises, and severely affected Myanmar's transition towards democracy.

Moreover, the condition is considered to threaten regional stability and could exacerbate violence and polarization along religious and ethnic fault-lines, in addition to undermining the establishment, sustainability and credibility of the ASEAN Community.

In response to these concerns, participants discussed a range of strategies at local, national, regional and international levels, emphasizing the important role and responsibility of regional stakeholders, particularly ASEAN and human rights organizations.

In addition, participants called on ASEAN to step up engagement on protecting ethnic and religious minorities in the process of Myanmar's transition to democracy, and to re-examine the principle of non-interference in the context of human rights crises that have implications on regional peace and stability.

ARK