Asean in the spotlight again

Asean’s path: A file photo from March of police in a stand off with anti-coup protesters in Mandalay, Myanmar. If Asean is to act on Myanmar’s military junta, it will need to signal clearly that the action is on a situation forced by the government and not on the country itself. — Reuters

ONCE more, the principle of non-intervention in the affairs of a nation state is being called into question when Asean observes it. We have been down this way before without gaining anything from the experience.

The early 1990s was a fluid time for state policies and diplomatic language in South-East Asia. Cambodia was mired in civil war and on the verge of rupture; Myanmar was a thorn in regional diplomacy and another challenge for Asean.