ASEAN leaders likely to debate Rohingya

Manila, Nov 13: The Southeast Asian leaders during their summit meeting here on Monday could skip major deliberations of South China Sea dispute, but are expected to raise the Rohingya refugee crisis that hit its member nation Myanmar in a big way.
"It will be taken up by our leaders, but it is always good start when the state which is dealing with the internal problem brings it up and opens up the topic," Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters here on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit and other related high-profile meetings. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said that even Prime Minister Najib Razak was very concerned about what was happening in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. 'And in all probability it will be one of the agendas, but it also depends on the circumstances. Maybe there is a closed door meeting, that could be more effective," he told the Malaysian media covering the summits. For her part, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday steered clear of the Rohingya crisis and in her address at the Business Investment Summit instead said that countries must continue to pursue reforms that will empower women.
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said, 'The empowerment of women toward economic and social development can be significant not only in my country but throughout our region'. More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have been displaced from their homes and have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 25, when an army crackdown against the Rohingya intensified. Leaders from the 10 Asean member countries and its dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, United States, Canada, the European Union are here in Manila for the important summits. The Centre for Human Rights Research and Advocacy (CENTHRA) urged ASEAN to appoint a special envoy to the Rakhine state for resolving the Rohingya crisis. Its chief executive Azril Mohd Amin said the appointment of a special envoy would be the best immediate plan for the regional bloc in dealing with crisis of the ethnic minority. ASEAN, he said, must use all possible diplomatic channels in stopping the systematic persecution of the Rohingya Muslims. The Philippines Foreign Secretary, however, said while discussing and debating the Rohingya crisis, the ASEAN leaders would keep balance between the "relevance" of the bloc and also the cherished principle of non-interference in domestic affairs. The regional bloc would probably not discuss much about South China Sea dispute as the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday suggested that, "The South China Sea is better left untouched. Nobody can afford to go to war". Mr Duterte told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Investment Summit that Chinese authorities have agreed with his stance to pursue diplomatic channels and cooperation to deal with the maritime row. The investment meet will continue on Monday as well, and among others Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address it. According to experts, a major challenge for the regional bloc will be to set aside purely national concerns and to be able to unify for a wider front in confronting the terror threat. National Defense College professor Chester Cabalza said here that addressing terrorism within the region will have to contend with the ASEAN principle of non-interference as a vital principle. Mr Cabalza said that such stance often can make coordinated action difficult despite the clear and present threat of terrorism in the region.
The Philippines forces lately were credited for ending the siege of Marawi city decisively even as the IS employed resources and launched a call for its followers to launch a jihad.  UNI