Agence France Presse
July 26, 2005
VIENTIANE
SE Asia cannot afford to isolate Myanmar: S'pore
ISOLATING Myanmar would not be in Southeast Asia's interests because the military regime has its "gates" open to emerging regional giants China and India, Singapore's foreign minister said Tuesday, July 26.
Foreign Minister George Yeo said he did not believe that with ramped up pressure and "the wave of a wand, all the problems (in Myanmar) will be solved and everybody will live happily ever after."
US and EU sanctions on Myanmar's internationally condemned junta have done little to bring real change to the country.
"But Myanmar has the back gate to China wide open. India, in its own geo-strategic calculation, has decided to keep its side gate to Myanmar open," Yeo said at a news conference.
"So it must be in the interest of ASEAN to keep our side gate open whatever happens in Myanmar.
Nonetheless, "Myanmar has decided from very early that it would rather be a part of Southeast Asia than be a part of South Asia and we welcome that," he said.
Yeo was speaking after foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced that Myanmar had taken the unprecedented decision to skip the chairmanship of the grouping next year.
Myanmar said the decision, which came after months of pressure from the United States and European Union, was to enable it to concentrate on its "democratisation process".
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Views ?Do you think Burma is willing and sincere to walk the path of democracy?
