Year ender - ASEAN's concrete actions paramount to ending prolonged misery of Rohingya by Fardah

Jakarta Des 25, 2020 (ANTARA) - Some 399 Rohingya boat people, including women and children, were stranded in Aceh, Indonesia's westernmost province, in 2020, after being denied entry into Malaysia, the preferred destination, over concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The refugees, adrift in the middle of the sea for weeks aboard damaged boats, were rescued by Aceh fishermen. 

Currently, 364 of them remain in Aceh, as 31 had escaped in order to reach Malaysia, which shares its marine border with Aceh, while four had died in the Aceh refugee camp.

Indonesia currently hosts over 900 Rohingya human trafficking victims, who have become refugees on the high seas.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority in Myanmar that have faced persecution at the hands of the Buddhist majority for decades. In fact, the UN reports show that Rohingya are the most persecuted minority in the world.

In May 2015, the Rohingya refugee crisis had grabbed international headlines when tens of thousands of Rohingya fled from genocide in Myanmar in overcrowded boats heading toward Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Facing a genocide in their hometown of Rakhine State, Myanmar, nearly one million of them fled to the neighboring country, Bangladesh, in 2017, and were accommodated in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, the biggest refugee camp in the world today.

Their tragedy continues unabated, as the Rohingya refugee crisis has become a ripe ground for human trafficking since they were moved to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal, which could be inundated by a single strike from a cyclone. 

Since January 2020, at least 2,400 refugees took to boats in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. 

Some 36 percent of the refugees are children. The vast majority are Rohingya people leaving from camps in Bangladesh – many of them victims of human trafficking – who had earlier fled violence and persecution in Myanmar. 

Conditions on the boats are appalling, with a dearth of food and water and zilch healthcare, while survivors spoke of beatings and other abuse by traffickers on board.

Even in Aceh, they remain prone to the human trafficking network. Last November, the North Aceh District Military Command had thwarted an attempt of 14 Rohingya refugees to flee a temporary refugee camp at the vocational training center in Meunasah Mee Kandang Village, Lhokseumawe.

The military personnel also arrested eight suspected members of a human trafficking ring allegedly smuggling Rohingya immigrants into Aceh, according to spokesman for Aceh’s Rohingya Handling Task Force Lieutenant Colonel Am Oke Krisyanto.

The Rohingya misery has lingered on, as the Myanmar Government has allowed the atrocities to continue, while other ASEAN member countries could not stop it due to the regional grouping’s principle of non-interference in the affairs of the 10 member states.

REJECTING TO HELP ROHINGYA AKIN TO REJECTING ASEAN COMMUNITY by Fardah

Jakarta, 16/5/2020 (Antara) - The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has again placed the Rohingya under the media spotlight, as several ASEAN members are refusing helpless Rohingyas aboard boats from landing on their lands on pretext of the disease outbreak.
On April 16, 2020, the Malaysian navy had intercepted a boat, carrying aboard some 200 Rohingya refugees, off the coast of Malaysia and prevented it from entering the Malaysian waters.
Bangladeshi coast guards had earlier intercepted another boatload of refugees that, the survivors averred, had been turned away from the Malaysian waters almost two months earlier. A total of 382 starving Rohingya refugees were taken off the boat, and survivors reported that at least 30 people onboard had died before the rescue.
Following those incidents and fueled by misinformation, fake news, and provocations, the rising hostility towards refugees in Malaysia surfaced through several anti-Rohingya petitions and hate speeches on social media.
The COVID-19 pandemic does not create a justification for risking the lives of refugees on overcrowded boats, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated while expressing its concern.
Malaysias claims to support the rights of Rohingya mean shockingly little when they push desperate refugees back to sea, Phil Robertson, the deputy director of HRWs Asia division, affirmed.
In Indonesia, Acehs waters and air police currently intensified patrolling to stop some 500 Rohingya refugees aboard two boats, reportedly sailing nearby while en route to Malaysia, from making transits on Aceh soil.

New ASEAN Secretariat building marks bloc's 52nd anniversary by Fardah

Jakarta,Aug 9, 2019 - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has a new multi-storey building emblematic of regional harmony, dialog, and unity in Jakarta, as the grouping celebrated its 52^nd anniversary on Aug 8, 2019.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the new ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC) building in the presence of ASEAN Secretary General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, foreign ministers, and representatives from its 10 member countries, as well as some 600 other guests, including former ASEAN secretaries general: Tan Sri Dato Ajit Singh and Ambassador Le Luong Minh.
ASEAN members comprise Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
After signing the stone marker, Jokowi, accompanied by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi, symbolically handed over the new building’s key to Dato Lim.
Jokowi, in his remarks, admitted to his personal attachment to the construction of the new ASEC building since he was the governor of Jakarta some seven years ago, and thus, he has monitored the construction progress closely.
"Indonesia has endeavored to facilitate the ASEAN to work in a fast, solid, effective, and efficient manner. Based on that thought, we construct this building," he emphasized.
The president expressed hope that most ASEAN activities would be conducted in the building, so it could cut travel spending, and the fund would be utilized for other activities.
Jokowi lauded the regional grouping for playing a central role among countries by promoting unity, the very reason it has lasted for 52 years.

ASEAN SUMMIT A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PUT BRAKES ON PLASTIC WASTE IMPORTS

Jumat, 21 Jun 2019 23:30

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 21/6 (Antara) - The ASEAN leaders are set to meet in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 22-23, 2019, for the 34th ASEAN Summit, themed Advancing Partnership for Sustainability, which is expected to produce 16 documents.
These include the ASEAN Leader's Vision Statement on the Partnership for Sustainability, ASEAN Joint View of the Indo-Pacific, the ASEAN Leaders' Statement on the ASEAN Culture Year, and the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Waste in the ASEAN Region.

The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN region was proposed by the ASEAN member countries environmental affairs ministers who met in Bangkok, on March 5, 2019, for the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Marine Debris (SAMM-MD).

The meeting was an initiative of Thailand, as the Chair of the ASEAN in 2019, to provide the ASEAN a platform to explore and pursue concrete action on combating marine debris and strengthening collaboration between the ASEAN and supportive partners to address marine debris issues in the region effectively.

Ironically, while the ASEAN member countries are concerned about marine debris, which mostly comprises plastic waste, imports of a deluge of unwanted and toxic plastic waste have flooded the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand over the last several years.

During the 2016-2018 period, the ASEAN region saw plastic waste imports grow by a staggering 171%, from 836,529 tons to 2,265,962 tons. Thats equivalent to around 423,544 20-foot shipping containers, according to data quoted by Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

GREATER ROLE OF ASEAN EXPECTED IN ADDRESSING ROHINGYA ETHNIC CLEANSING by Fardah

Jakarta,  Nov 15, 2018 (Antara)- A report released by United Nations-appointed investigators in August 2018, underlined the horrific and organized nature of the brutality meted out on civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2011, as well as Kachin and Shan states.

        The investigation was conducted by  a team called the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, following the mass exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh last year - events previously described by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing", according to UN News.

        The investigators - Marzuki Darusman, Radhika Coomaraswamy and Christopher Sidoti - recommended that top military commanders in Myanmar should be investigated and prosecuted for the "gravest" crimes against civilians under international law, including genocide.

        Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report.

       The genocide in Rakhine State  is a disgrace to ASEAN as it happens in its own yard, namely Myanmar, one of  the 10 member countries of ASEAN - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

         During the 33rd ASEAN Summit held in Singapore on Nov 11-15, 2018,  ASEAN called the refugee crisis in Myanmar "a matter of concern" , a rare departure from ASEAN's principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of members.

        "We discussed and received a briefing from Myanmar on the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, which is a matter of concern," said the chairman's statement from the ASEAN summit held on Nov 13, without mentioning the word "Rohingya," the name of the Muslim minority group fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

ASEAN TO FORGE CLOSER COOPERATION ON CYBER SECURITY by Fardah

 Jakarta, May 31, 2018 (Antara) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), under the chairmanship of Singapore this year, is giving a priority to cyber issues, especially cyber security.

        Cybersecurity was under the spotlight during the 32nd ASEAN Summit held in Singapore on April 28, 2018. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore emphasised the importance of cyber issues in his remarks, noting that deeper regional cooperation and coordination was needed to keep up with the rapid pace of digitalisation.

         New regional initiatives have been introduced - from the ASEAN Cyber Capacity Programme (ACCP) in 2016 to the new ASEAN Cybersecurity Cooperation Strategy adopted in 2017.
   A number of regional partners and international organisations such as Interpol and the United Nations have also been working with Southeast Asian states on cyber issues.

        Besides, several member-countries of ASEAN have set up new cyber agencies. In Indonesia, for instance, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated a national cyber agency called the National Cyber and Encryption Agency (BSSN) in June 2017.

         The number of internet users in Indonesia has reached some 132 million, making it is crucial for the country to develop reliable cybersecurity mechanisms.     President Jokowi at the Singapore summit underscored the need for ASEAN to stay alert against cyber attacks. To that end, member-states needed to work more closely on digital technology and cyber security, he said while addressing a plenary of the 32nd ASEAN Summit.

          "We know there has been abuse of personal data by Facebook users. In ASEAN, we need to ensure the framework of cooperation in cyber security, which also contains the protection of personal data. Hence, cooperation in the cyber field is a must," he said.

CLOSER COORDINATION, COOPERATION NEEDED TO COUNTER TERRORISM, EXTREMISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Sept 8, 2016 (Antara)- Terrorism is still considered to be a major potential threat, and thus, it was selected as an important topic of discussion at the ASEAN Summits and ASEAN Plus dialog partners' Summits in Vientiane, Laos.

          In almost all speeches and presentations during the summits, every leader highlighted terrorism and extremism as a common enemy that should be tackled through regional and international cooperation.

          President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was one of the ASEAN leaders whose speeches also warned of the dangers of extremism and terrorism in Southeast Asia.

          He, therefore, called on every ASEAN leader to optimize all ASEAN mechanisms to counter terrorism and extremism.

          The ASEAN member nations must take common actions and strengthen security in their respective countries, Jokowi, who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, stated during the ASEAN Leaders' Retreat in Vientaine, on Sept. 7.

          Meanwhile, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned ASEAN leaders of the changing face of terrorism and its growing threat to the region that makes it one of the three big issues confronting the ASEAN.

          "The conclusion is we have to work together more closely, share intelligence and our analysis of threats, counter extremist doctrines and exchange views, and take concerted actions against terrorist groups," Lee was quoted as saying by Straitstimes.com.

JOIN HAND IN REALIZING DRUG-FREE ASEAN by Fardah

           Jakarta, Sept 8, 2016 (Antara) - A drug-free ASEAN by 2015 might deem a failure, but it does not mean that the ASEAN member countries have abandoned the dream. The ASEAN countries, in fact, have determined to pursue the goal.

         It was at the 31st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July 1998, when ASEAN foreign ministers signed the Joint Declaration for a Drug-Free ASEAN by 2020 that affirmed the Association¿s commitment to eradicate illicit drug production, processing, trafficking and abuse by the year 2020 in ASEAN.

           And two years later, at the 33rd ASEANMinisterial Meeting in July 2000, the governments agreed to advance the target year for realizing a Drug-Free ASEAN to 2015. 
     In 2015, many ASEAN countries were still struggling to deal with the drug abuse and trafficking that have many young people and could threaten the regional security and stability due to the transnational crimes.

         In Indonesia, for instance, drug abuse is responsible for the deaths of 50 Indonesians, mostly youngmen, every day.

          Indonesia is one of the few countries to have imposed the harshest drug laws in the world. And President Joko Widodo had emphasized that he would not grant clemency to drug convicts, , despite protests from several countries and parties at home.  The country executed 14 drug convicts last year, and four this year.    
   Indonesia is not the only ASEAN member countries that have declared a war on illicit drug abuse and offences.

CREATIVE ECONOMIC SEEN AS KEY ASPECT TO FACE AEC by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 11, 2015 (Antara) - On December 31, 2015, the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will begin implementing a regional economic integration, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), to establish a common market.

        The AEC will lead to a freer flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labor among Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

        The common market, if successful, would create 14 million jobs by 2025 and improve the livelihood of 600 million people across all the 10 states, according to a joint study by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) last year. 
   The government of Indonesia, the largest nation in the regional organization, has claimed that it is ready to carry out the AEC agreement.    

ASEAN URGED TO HELP LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AT AMF FORUM By Fardah

Jakarta, Sept 18, 2015 (Antara) - Some 60 mayors from ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries participated in the ASEAN Mayors Forum (AMF) and City Expo 2015.

        The forum was based on the theme, "Adaptive and Intelligent Cities for an Integrated Borderless Prosperous Region," and was jointly organized by the United Cities and Local Governments of Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC), the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN, and the City of Makassar, which is also the host. The event was held from September 8 to 10.

        In a declaration issued on the last day of the meeting in Makassar, the mayors affirmed that local governments played an important role in ASEAN, particularly in building a stronger ASEAN Community.

        They urged ASEAN to reach out to local governments, to assess their needs and to support them through necessary actions that would help achieve solutions for the region's common problems.

        For this purpose, they call upon on the regional group to strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat for dealing with local government issues, and to create a specific unit to coordinate regional action.

News Focus - EU-ASEAN TIES: SUPPORTING, SHARING AND INSPIRING by Fardah Assegaf

  Jakarta, Dec 31, 2013 (Antara) - The European Union (EU) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been working closely to strengthen the ASEAN-EU Partnership and to support ASEAN's goal of building ASEAN Community by 2015 and beyond.

        ASEAN and EU are both often seen as examples of two successful regional groups. However, ASEAN and the EU have very different historical backgrounds, development levels and perspectives as well as approaches on political, economic and security issues.

Year Ender: PEOPLE-CENTERED ASEAN - BETWEEN RHETORIC AND REALITY by Fardah Assegaf

    Jakarta, Dec 26, 2013 (Antara) - Over the last several years, ASEAN has proclaimed the rhetoric of becoming "people-oriented" or "people-centered" in a number of documents, speeches and meetings.

       After 46 years, ASEAN leaders have now started talking about shifting the focus from state-centric to people-centric activities that would benefit people in the regions. However, it seems like this realization and its implementations are rather slow.
  "I know only a little about ASEAN; it was from school. But, whether I have benefited from ASEAN, I don't know because it was not taught in school," stated Irma, 22, an Indonesian migrant worker who has been working in Singapore for the last two years.

AIPA HELPS STRENGTHEN ASEAN INTEGRATION by Fardah

        Jakarta, Sept 22, 2012 (ANTARA) - Having a conference on the beautiful island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara Province must be inspiring and refreshing for ASEAN legislators taking part in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

       Bearing the theme of "Strengthening the Parliamentary Roles Towards ASEAN Community 2015", the 33rd General Assembly of AIPA was held September 16-22, 2012 and attended by delegations from the ten ASEAN member nations - Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

RI'S SUPPORT TO ASEAN SECRETARIAT REFLECTS ITS STRONG COMMITMENT by Fardah

      Jakarta, April 7, 2012 (ANTARA) - The Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened its own building for the first time in 1981, almost 14 years after the establishment of the regional group on August 8, 1967.
       Thanks to the Indonesian government`s gesture, the ASEAN Secretariat`s staff had finally moved to the new eight-storey building, located on Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, after previously being housed in temporary offices at Indonesia`s Foreign Affairs Ministry compound on Jalan Taman Pejambon.

Year-Ender: INDONESIA SUCCESSFULLY TAKES ASEAN TO GREATER HEIGHT by Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 3, 2011 (ANTARA)- When Indonesia assumed the ASEAN chairmanship in January 2011,  ASEAN Secretary General  Dr Surin Pitsuwan expressed optimism that the country could take ASEAN to a greater height.

"Indonesia has weight,  international legitimacy and  global appeal to draw tremendous support and attention from around the world to the ASEAN community building efforts that we are all engaging in now," Dr Surin said as quoted on the official website of the ASEAN Secretariat early this year.

ASEAN LEADERS AGREE TO ENHANCE COOPERATION IN FLOOD PREVENTION by Fardah

      Jakarta, Nov 18, 2011 (ANTARA) - Floods hitting several Southeast Asian nations, Thailand in particular, received special attention from ASEAN leaders and led them to agree on the need to forge regional cooperation in flood prevention and mitigation

         The ASEAN leaders at the 19th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Bali on Thursday (Nov 17) adopted a Chairman`s Statement on Cooperation in Flood Prevention, Mitigation, Relief, Recovery, and Rehabilitation, initiated by Thailand which is the hardest hit by the floods in the region.

TNI, POLRI TAKE SECURITY MEASURES FOR ASEAN SUMMIT by Fardah

    Jakarta, Nov 14, 2011 (ANTARA) - The National Defense Forces (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) have put in place measures to ensure the security of the 19th ASEAN Summit, the Sixth East Asian Summit and related meetings to be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, from November 17 to 19, 2011.
        The summits` security is crucial due to the planned participation of around 16 heads of state/government from ASEAN member countries and dialog partners, namely India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

BALI SUMMITS EXPECTED TO YIELD HISTORIC DOCUMENTS by Fardah

       Jakarta, Nov 9, 2011 (ANTARA) - To make sure maximum efforts were being made to ensure the success of the upcoming ASEAN and East Asian Summits in Bali, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for a second time personally checked the preparations and venues of the summits in Nusa Dua, Bali Island, on November 8-9, 2011.
       Yudhoyono wanted to see to it that the ASEAN Summit and its related meetings in Bali would proceed successfully not only in organizational but also in substantive terms.

ASEAN MOVES CLOSER TO ADOPTION OF COMMON VISA by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 31, 2011 (ANTARA) - The 19th ASEAN Summit to be held in Bali on November 17-19, 2011, is expected to discuss among other things the proposed common ASEAN visa system as part of the ASEAN connectivity plan.
       ASEAN foreign ministers at their 44th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Bali recently agreed to study further the common visa proposal, Widya Rahmanto, an official of the foreign ministry`s ASEAN cooperation directorate general, said in Jakarta on October 27, 2011.

INDONESIA GREETS ASEAN PEOPLE THROUGH ASEAN FAIR by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 25, 2011 (ANTARA) - Do you want to see cultural , culinary and creative products of the ten ASEAN member countries? Just visit the ongoing ASEAN Fair 2011 and one can satisfy one`s curiosity without actually having to travel to those countries.
        The ASEAN Fair 2011 featuring music and food festivals, theatrical performances, and book and handicrafts expos, was officially kicked off by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Nusa Dua, Bali, on October 24.