Not even one of the ASEAN nations supported the recent proposal presented jointly by Japan and the EU - The Japanese government and human rights NGOs face a difficult challenge
At the plenary session of UN General Assembly held on Dec. 18, 2009, the Resolution on Human Rights in North Korea was adopted. As the representative of ARNKA based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I am very disappointed to see that none of the ten ASEAN member nations voted for the resolution. It was a deep disappointment that four ASEAN member nations actually voted against the resolution, indicating that the ASEAN nations express influential disagreement.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press release, stated their response to the resolution adopted by the Third Committee of UN General Assembly on Nov. 19, 2009:
“In order to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, it is important that the international community continue working together to urge North Korea to implement specific measures for the improvement. (…omission…) This resolution has reconfirmed a clear message from the international community to North Korea.” (Press release on Nov. 20, 2009)
ASEAN demonstrated that it is a “less developed” area which is not only unresponsive to “this clear humanitarian message from the international community,” but four of the member nations actually opposed it.
Persuading ASEAN to drop this regrettable attitude is a challenge for Japan’s MOFA, which proposed the resolution in cooperation with NGOs involved in the North Korean human rights issue.
| Tally of votes on the resolution: |
| |
UN member states: |
192 |
| |
For: |
99 |
| |
Against: |
20 |
| |
Abstaining: |
63 |
| |
Absent: |
10 |
| |
|
|
| Here is how the 10 ASEAN nations voted: |
| |
For: |
None |
| |
Against: |
4
(Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar) |
| |
Abstaining: |
5
(Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, and Cambodia)
|
| |
Absent: |
1
(Laos) |
Not even one of the ten ASEAN nations voted to approve, and four (almost half) didn’t merely abstain. They actively voted against the resolution. One fifth of the 20 votes cast against the measure came from ASEAN nations.
Other than the four ASEAN states, the only other votes against the resolution by nations in the Asia and Oceania region were by North Korea and China. This illustrates how large a role the 4 ASEAN nations played in the voting.
Although Japan and the EU were the major participants in the Resolution on Human Rights in North Korea, the ASEAN nations are purportedly “friendly nations,” with which Japan has close ties.
Improving the recent reactions of these friendly ASEAN nations will be a serious challenge for the Japanese government in any movement toward another resolution on human rights.
While the Japanese public is not widely aware of the relationship between the ASEAN nations and North Korea, all the ASEAN nations have more or less close ties, including diplomatic relations, with North Korea. This means that any significant changes in policy by the ASEAN nations toward North Korea would be sure to lead to substantial influence.
For example, Singapore has ranked as North Korea’s third or fourth largest trading partner since 2008. Thailand held that position before 2008. Malaysia is also an important trading partner for North Korea. As already reported by media, Myanmar continues its close relationship militarily, including nuclear development and illegal sale of weapons. In addition, the longstanding relationship between North Korea and the antigovernment underground in the Philippines is well known.
The ASEAN nations are also deeply involved in the human rights situation in North Korea. Most of the countries in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar), who are geographically near China, are destinations into which North Korean refugees seek to escape. Thailand, in particular, is the second most common escape destination following China, and I estimate that over 1,500 North Korean defectors entered Thailand in 2009.
Regarding the abduction issue, credible testimony has shown that at least one Thai has been abducted by North Korea. The abduction of Malaysian and Singaporean citizens is also strongly suspected.
The ASEAN nations officially launched the first international human rights framework “ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism” in 2009. At the same time, these same nations have their own human rights issues, which cause them to be extremely cautious about a resolution that accuses a particular nation in an international forum.
However, the ASEAN nations still exert specific influences on North Korea, so it will be necessary to come up with effective approaches for switching their attitude of opposition before the next human rights resolution is adopted.
To this purpose, lobbying activities by NGOs are important. In tackling the abductee issue in particular, international tie-ups has been a key concept. I believe that it is vital for us to deploy specific strategies for working together, not only in Japan, but throughout the international community. We need results.
Since I am based outside Japan and have been working with foreign governments and NGOs in dealing with the North Korean human rights issue, I strongly feel that the results of the 2009 UN Resolution on Human Rights in North Korea has clarified the current situation and spotlighted the challenge described above.
