Southeast Asian leaders are calling for an early lifting of economic sanctions on Burma following historic by-elections in which Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy movement won a sweeping victory.
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia, last year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, issued the call Tuesday during an ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.
“One thing that we are very much keen on now, is to ensure that the sanctions against Myanmar be immediately lifted. It is extremely important as a symbol, a democratic dividend for a country that has begun the process of change, and this process of change must be acknowledged.''
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong of Cambodia, the current ASEAN chair, also urged the international community to consider lifting sanctions after the Burmese by-elections in which at least 40 of 44 contested seats were won by the National League for Democracy. The group's leader, long-time political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, who will enter parliament for the first time, said Monday she hoped the result will mark the beginning of a new era for Burma.
Burmese President Thein Sein told the Associated Press on Tuesday in Phnom Penh that he considered the election a success despite the overwhelming defeat of his party's candidates.
The balloting, deemed free and fair by most observers despite some irregularities, capped a year of rapid-fire reforms that have transformed what was one of the world's most isolated and repressive countries.
Critics point out that the government is still controlled by allies of the former military junta and that political prisoners are still in jail. But supporters say the lifting of international sanctions will help the nation's reformers against entrenched hard-liners.
The conduct of the elections has been praised by numerous countries, including the United States. At the White House on Monday, spokesman Jay Carney congratulated the Burmese people on the balloting and said, “We hope it is an indication that the government of Burma intends to continue along the path of greater openness, transparency and reform.”
The election was also a victory for ASEAN, which has for years suffered criticism over its gradual approach to pressing for reform in member country Burma.
Analyst Larry Jagan said in Phnom Penh that leaders of the grouping were noticeably “smug” on Tuesday.
“Many of them are saying 'We actually pushed Burma towards democracy.' They're taking credit for the changes that are taking place and the successful by-elections. I think to some extent, Burma has been an embarrassment in the past, and now it's a shining success. So I think, that as far as ASEAN is concerned, and as far as most of the countries of the region are concerned, this is great news.”
The NLD won a landslide victory in 1990 general elections, but military leaders at the time refused to relinquish power and the victors were refused entry into parliament. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was held under some form of confinement by the military government for most of the past 22 years.
