The 4th ASEAN Think Tank Dialogue ( November 26, 2002 ) Mizzima

The 4th ASEAN Think Tank Dialogue

November 26, 02: Under the heading of the “EU-ASEAN Integration and
Solidarity”, the 4th Asian Think Tank dialogue (the 3rd was in Bangkok) was kick
off at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, from the 25th to 26th. It was
sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the European Institute of Asian
Studies (EIAS) and was attended by about 80 delegates, diplomats and scholars
mainly from the IISS (Institute of International Strategic Studies). It has four
sessions, the first is about “the advanced countries and Regions in EU and ASEAN”,
the second is about the “Political and Strategic Dimensions”, the third is “the
EU-ASEAN Perception on WTO Doha Development Round” and lastly it touched
on the “ASEAN-EU Relations with China”.

Among the many problems the most conspicuous one is Burma, because Burma
was in the ASEAN group the EU has refused to talk with ASEAN and for five
successive years, the EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting has been terminated.
The think tank deliberated on this to bring together once again on the two groups but
without much success. The Malaysian ambassador Dato Deva Md, Ridzam,
representing the ASEAN Brussels committee insisted that the EU should adopt the
name of Myanmar instead of Burma and should be called in its proper name. At this
the Burmese academic Prof. Ba Thann Win, explain the difference between,
Myanmar and Burma. He explains in length why the word Myanmar is politically and
phonetically wrong. He also pointed out that since the conference is communicating
each other in English it should us recognize the country’s name in English and not in
other languages, such as Deutchland for Gemany, Espania for Spain, Chung Gao for
China and Myanmar for Burma.
In the EU common position it always wrote as Burma/Myanmar, that does not
tantamount to legitimizing the Burmese Junta. He then challenged the ASEAN
countries to follow the footsteps of EU to close the gap between the two regional
organizations by compromising and adopting the EU common position by using
Burma/Myanmar. Ethnic cleansing, the flood of illegal and refugee outflow together
with narcotic production cannot be construe as an internal affairs of Burma as it is
affecting the whole region of ASEAN and the world at large.

The keynote speaker was Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, the director General of the
World Trade Organization (WTO). Based in Geneva and spoke in length of
coherence and globalization. He is endeavoring to put the human face in the WTO
by tackling the common disease of HIV, Malaria and TB. He will also put up the
status of the LDC (Least Developed Countries) such as Nepal and Cambodia into
the WTO with a special status so that they could also share the benefits of WTO.

In the closing session Dr Willem van der Geest of Germany challenge the ASEAN
countries to come up with something tangible concerning since they have taken the
risk of welcoming Burma into their fold. This albatross is hindering the Integration
and Solidarity process of the two groups. It was decided that the next 5th
EU-ASEAN think tank in 2003 should be at Singapore.