Myanmar will not seek ASEAN chair after objections to rights record News
Myanmar will not seek ASEAN chair after objections to rights record

[JURIST] Myanmar's military-led government announced Sunday that it will not seek the rotating chairmanship of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) [official website] security organization as it was entitled to do. The announcement was made during ASEAN's Ministerial Meeting [official website] in Laos, and follows repeated expressions of international dissatisfaction, especially by Western governments, over its democracy and human rights record, and its continuing house arres of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi [advocacy website; profile]. Both the EU and US had threatened to boycott ASEAN meetings which they traditionally attend as observers and consider trade embargoes if Myanmar became leader of the association. ASEAN member nations include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. AP has more.