Surin Cancels Appearance at Press Conference

By WAI MOE

Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has cancelled a scheduled appearance at a press conference where he was to receive a critical report by Burmese pro- democracy groups evaluating the post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) report compiled by Asean, the United Nations and Burma’s junta.

Organizers of the press conference in Jakarta said Surin cancelled his appearance as well as a scheduled meeting with Burmese dissidents because of an emergency.

Mira Maruto, a press conference spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that Surin Pitsuwan was scheduled to attend the conference organized by the Burma Partnership, the Asean Inter-Parliament Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) and the National Press Club of Indonesia.

A media advisory said Surin would attend and officially receive the Post-Nargis Analysis Report, which was to be presented by Burmese dissident Sann Aung, who won an electoral seat in the 1990 election.

The critical report was written by Yuki Akimoto, the director of the Burma Information Network, based in the US, and supported by a workshop conducted by the project Another Development for Burma held in August-September. The report is critical of the PONJA report assembled by Asean, the United Nations and Burmese authorities.

“The Post-Nargis Analysis Report explores the obstructions to aid and human rights abuses committed by the Burmese military regime and the corruption that has occurred in the cyclone-hit region,” said a media advisory.

Thai member of Parliament Kraisak Choonhavan, the president of AIPMC, and Khin Ohmar, the coordinator of Burma Partnership, were speakers at the press conference. Both Kraisak and Surin are members of Thailand’s Democrat Party.

Some observers suggested Surin may have felt pressure from the Burmese regime not to attend the press conference which was organized by groups supporting the pro-democracy movement in Burma.

Meanwhile, Burmese activist Ko Shwe, who provided information for the critical report, was forced to miss the conference because of a failure to receive a visa from the Indonesian embassy in Bangkok. Ko Shwe was one of the main speakers scheduled to appear at the press conference.