Migrant Crisis Tests Southeast Asia’s Timid Diplomacy

Manila Bulletin

21 May 2015

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Southeast Asia’s timid diplomacy and a see-no-evil approach to human-trafficking is to blame for its boatpeople influx, and overcoming the crisis will pose a severe test for a region loathe to address divisive issues, diplomats and analysts said.

In particular, the region has allowed the problem to fester by failing to curb Myanmar’s systematic abuse of its unwanted Rohingya people, which has sent masses of the Muslim ethnic minority fleeing abroad, they said.

One of the most cherished core principles of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — to which Myanmar belongs — is its pledge of non-interference in other members’ internal affairs.

… To stem the migrant “push’’ factor, ASEAN will likely pursue a “quiet diplomacy’’ that lets Myanmar save face, said Alan Chong of Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Categories:

CMS / GPO / Online