Myanmar's actions cannot be tolerated

0Hazrul Azhar Jamari • 4th Oct 2007 • My Notes

As if Thailand’s ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s actions on Muslim Southern Thailand wasn’t enough, neighbouring Myanmar up the ante by massacring its own people. The military regime can no longer be tolerated and it must be removed. Thankfully, Myanmar gave up it’s presidential seat of Asean this year. Or it would have had grave impact on Singapore and this region.

Major Asean nations like Singapore and Malaysia should do more than just condemning such actions. But to forcibly remove Myanmar from Asean. If Myanmar continues to be part of Asean, it gives the idea that other Asean nations like Singapore condone Myanmar’s actions and this would also encourage Myanmar to continue its tyranny on its people.

Obviously, Singapore and the other Asean nations can survive without Myanmar. But Myanmar will not be able to survive without the support of its Asean friends. We have to be firm with Myanmar. While Asean may be a region where the popular political thought is Socialist-Democracy, what Myanmar is subjugating on its people is just pure tyranny and nothing else.

We have to, as Singaporeans get our government to do something affirmative, like imposing sanctions on Myanmar or sending peacekeeping troops. Singapore has been a driver of building an Asean identity. And if being Asean means to let Myanmar have its way, then I don’t wish to belong to a greater Asean community. We don’t need another NATO.