Burmese Activist Awaits Ruling on Asean Meeting

CHA-AM, Thailand—Burmese activist in exile, Khin Ohmar, who is due to represent Burmese civic groups at a meeting with heads of state at the 15th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) in Thailand on Friday, is waiting to hear if she has been accepted to participate.

Known as a tireless campaigner for human rights, Khin Ohmar is the chairperson of the Network for Democracy and Development (Burma), the vice-chair of Burmese Women’s Union and a policy forum member of the Forum for Democracy in Burma—an umbrella organization of Burmese political groups in exile.

A Thai soldier stands guard under the flags of the Asean summit meeting participants in the southern Thai resort town of Hua Hin. (Photo: Getty Images)

She is a also a founding member of the Women’s League of Burma and served as the women’s affairs coordinator for the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma.

Khin Ohmar took part in Civil Society Organization (CSO) meetings on Oct.18-20 at the Asean People’s Forum in Cha-am in central Thailand. However, a draft of her speech for Fridays’ meeting was rejected by the Burmese military government, and she now awaits a ruling by the Thai foreign ministry.

“We are waiting to know the result of the Asean officials, particularly the host Thailand,” Burmese civic activist Thwin Lin Aung said. “Last time [14th Asean Summit], Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs barred her from the CSOs’ meeting with heads of state.”

During the 14th Asean Summit in February in Cha-am, Khin Ohmar and a Cambodian activist were denied participation at a civic forum with Asean leaders when Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein and Cambodia’s Hun Sen threatened to boycott the meeting with the civil society group if the two activists were allowed to take part.

The 15th Asean Summit is, however, an important event in the Asean’s history. Southeast Asian heads of state are due to adopt a declaration on human rights in the coming days.

However, many civil society groups in the region expect that the development of Asean’s human rights charter will be a gradual process. Many journalists at the summit remain skeptical about the Asean Human Rights Body and have highlighted the poor human rights record of countries in the region.

The Burmese military junta chose its loyal Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) to represent Burma at the civic forum. The USDA is accused by human rights groups of brutal attacks on opposition members and activists in Burma, not least of all an attack on Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy in Depayin in upper Burma in May 2003 and on monk-led demonstrations in Sept. 2007.

“Although the Burmese junta endorsed the USDA as the Burmese civil society group, the Asean People’s Forum selected Khin Ohmar as the Burmese CSO representative,” Thwin Lin Aung said.

Apart from an informal meeting between Asean leaders and representatives of CSOs from the region, Burmese groups will meet with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday.

“A Thai civic group arranged for Mr Abhisit to hold a separate meeting with Burmese CSO representatives both from border-based groups and government-sponsored representatives from the USDA,” Thwin Lin Aung said. “Ma Khin Ohmar and a Buddhist monk will be at the meeting on behalf of the border-based Burmese CSOs.”

Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein arrived in Cha-am on Thursday to attend the 15th Asean Summit. He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Nyan Win and Soe Tha, the minister of National Planning and Economic Development.

If Khin Ohn Mar is approved for the meeting on Friday, she will be the first Burmese pro-democracy activist to sit face-to-face with a ruling general at an important international event.