BURMA:Southeast Asia's political union is divided on how it can demonstrate opposition to its repressive member's actions, writes John Burton
Since Sunday, 100 people or more have gathered every evening in front of the Burmese embassy on a quiet lane in Singapore.
They have attached pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's opposition leader and Nobel laureate, and messages of support for the democracy movement to the compound's walls and iron gate.Dozens of candles line the pavement to honour those who died during the recent protests in Rangoon. The demonstrators are largely ignored by the local media, underscoring the awkward situation the violent suppression of the democracy movement has created for the city-state, which holds the rotating leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Asean members have issued statements strongly condemning Burma's military rulers since the junta began the crackdown on peaceful protesters last week, although George Yeo, Singapore's foreign minister, says that Burma must remain in Asean as this is the best way to exert influence on its military rulers.
But calls from the international community and within Asean have been growing for the association to take concrete measures against Burma, which joined in 1997. As Asean pursues more regional economic integration and stronger trade ties around the globe, Burma has been seen by some members as an irritant.
In an open letter last week addressed to Asean leaders - as well as those of China and India, neighbours with strong trade links to Burma - a group of parliamentarians from the association called for a tough line on the junta.
"In the 10 years that [ Burma] has been a member of Asean, the threats it has posed to regional stability have worsened," they wrote. "Asean, China and India are being hurt and damaged by these cross-border impacts."
The Burma issue threatens to disrupt the annual meeting of the region's leaders next month in Singapore. The summit had been expected to focus on approving the Asean charter, the group's first constitution, but the dispute over Burma underscores what some believe are the limited powers the document gives the association.
"It's an embarrassing situation. There had been a proposal to include in the Asean charter a provision to allow the suspension of a member, but it was dropped from the final draft. The new situation in Burma may force Asean to rethink the issue," says Denis Hew, of the Institute of South-east Asian Studies in Singapore.
Barry Desker, an influential former Singaporean diplomat and head of the city-state's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says Asean leaders could nevertheless suspend Burma as an emergency measure.
Rodolfo Severino, former Asean secretary general, believes sanctions would be ineffective as the Burmese military leadership is isolated and not dependent on other countries to help maintain its rule.
But proponents of a harder line argue there are other options. Razali Ismail, former UN envoy to Burma, suggests that Asean should send its own observer to Burma to complement the efforts of his successor, Ibrahim Gambari. He says a tough stance by Asean would likely persuade China, one of the Burmese junta's biggest protectors, to follow suit.
Some officials suggest individual Asean countries could take measures against Burma if the group failed to find a uniform approach. "There are several countries in the region, such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, that might have some leverage," says Zaid Ibrahim, a Malaysian politician.
Proposed measures could include Singapore denying Burmese leaders and their families permission entry for medical treatment, for example.