CALD Secretariat joins Philippine House of Representatives Hearing on Burma

(April 21, 2005/ Manila) The CALD Secretariat attended today the hearing of  the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. CALD served as one of the resource organizations regarding the final drafting of a comprehensive House Resolution on the forthcoming chairmanship of the military junta government of Myanmar (Burma) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Chairs of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and House Committee on Human Rights, Representatives  Antonio Cuenco and Rep. Etta Rosales, respectively, held the hearing following the recently concluded ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Cebu City, Philippines. There is still a dead lock on what kind of action ASEAN members should take with the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore taking a more critical stance on the issue.  The House of Representatives is drafting a consolidated House Resolution to be presented to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President to take measures that would halt the assumption of Myanmar’s ASEAN chairmanship next year. To date, there are at least 3 resolutions at the House of Representatives regarding Burma’s undemocratic practices and its upcoming chairmanship of the ASEAN in 2006.

At the 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar (AIPCM) meeting both in Manila, CALD and its member parties (Liberal Party of thePhilippines, Sam Rainsy Party of Cambodia and the National Council of the Union of Burma) supported two resolutions presented by both parliamentary organizations. “The two resolutions carry the sentiments not only of its parliamentarians of ASEAN but also of the Governing Council of the IPU, presenting its member parliamentarians from 144 countries, and through them, the voices of the people they represent,” said Rosales and Cuenco, who were delegates to the IPU and AIPMC, referring to the resolutions passed by the IPU AND AIPCM.

CALD recently hosted a high-level delegation from the National Council of the Union of Burma and its exiled parliamentary arm, the Members of the Parliament Union of Burma (MPU) during the side-events of the Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly here in Manila.

The CALD Secretariat was represented by Program Officers Brian Gonzales and Andrea Yang. The newly appointed Program Officer of the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia, Ms Anne Elica�o also attended the event.

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This post was written by CALD