The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has prided itself, and rightly so, in absolute commitment, since its founding in 19687, to the principle of non-intervention in the eternal affairs of the member nations. No longer — with an 38th ASEAN Summit scheduled to be on Oct. 26-28, they have broken this standing policy, informing Myanmar that they will not invite the head of government to attend — and even said they will only accept a delegate who does not represent the government.
There is little good that can be said of the junta which seized power in Myanmar in February, and has opened fire on young demonstrators demanding a return of the elected government under Aung San Suu Kyi. But that is not the point. Non-intervention, a critical part of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which are the foundation of the UN Charter, has been broken, as it is broken constantly by the imperial powers. Once broken, ASEAN will have even greater difficulty standing up to the Anglo-American imperial demands that they break it further, using “human rights” and the “R2P” to demand they join in imperial adventures, against fellow ASEAN members and even against China. They would be wise to reverse the decision.
