Debated in Parliament on 13 Jul 2015.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether Myanmar can be compelled to remedy the human tragedy facing the Rohingya people under Articles 1, 4, 39 and other relevant articles of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD); and (b) what other kinds of diplomatic pressures can be applied on Myanmar to curb the discrimination against alleged human trafficking of the Rohingya people pursuant to Articles 13, 14, 18 and 22 of the AHRD.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of recent reports linking the multiple mass graves found along the Thai-Malaysian border to human trafficking syndicates, whether ASEAN will give effect to Article 13 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration by taking collective and responsible efforts to deter cross-border human trafficking and, if so, what actions will ASEAN take.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked two questions which I will address together. His questions contain three parts: (a) whether Myanmar can be compelled to remedy the human tragedy facing the Rohingya people under Articles 1, 4, 39 and other relevant Articles of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD); (b) what other kinds of diplomatic pressures can be applied on Myanmar to curb the discrimination against alleged human trafficking of the Rohingya people pursuant to Articles 13, 14, 18 and 22 of the AHRD; and (c) what actions ASEAN will take to deter cross-border human trafficking, especially in light of the recently discovered mass graves along the Thai-Malaysian border. I will address both questions together as they are related to the crisis on irregular migration in the region.
The AHRD is an aspirational document. It establishes a framework for human rights cooperation in the region. It is not a document that imposes legal obligations. Nonetheless, we hope that countries will observe the spirit and letter of the AHRD and aspire towards it.
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But we cannot force anyone to do so.
We have to ask Myanmar to treat its minorities in a way consistent with international norms. That is the way ASEAN approaches discussions with member states. The question also is what can be done to help the Rohingyas. The process of human trafficking involves many criminal groups and takes places across multiple countries. Resolving the matter requires the cooperation of all countries concerned – whether they are source, transit or destination countries. Therefore, while we urge the Myanmar government to be mindful of the plight of all people within its borders, other countries in which these traffickers operate also need to take action against such criminal syndicates.
The international community must come together. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have met to find ways to tackle the problem. ASEAN has also been coordinating an intergovernmental approach. A Convention and an ASEAN Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons were adopted at the 15th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 7 to 12 June 2015. ASEAN has also explored measures to help Indonesia and Malaysia – countries providing temporary shelter to the migrants – to cope with the challenges.
The recent Emergency ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in Kuala Lumpur on 2 July supported Singapore’s proposal for ASEAN to establish a trust fund. The ASEAN Secretariat will administer this trust fund comprising voluntary financial contributions from ASEAN Member States and members of the international community to support relief efforts. Singapore has committed US$200,000 to this ASEAN trust fund. ASEAN is also considering setting up a Task Force to respond to crisis and emergency situations arising from the irregular movement of persons. Beyond ASEAN, there is a need to involve wider forums. For example, the Bali Process, which is a regional Ministerial-level conference involving ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries. We will continue to encourage all countries involved to work together towards resolving this issue.
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