WRAP Myanmar backs Southeast Asian charter, Wen ADDS state dinner

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Wide of leaders from (left to right) Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi 2. Various of summit meeting 3. SOUNDBITE: (Laotian) Bouasane Bouphavanh, Prime Minister of Laos: "Regarding these questions I think you should seek a response from the Myanmar government. Nevertheless I think all countries should respect the principle policy of non-interference and consensus." 4. Wen touching glass ball, pulls out to wide of stage and sign reading: "Business China" 5. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Wen Jiabao, Chinese Prime Minister: "When we didn't have much in currency reserves, we were not under so much pressure. And we haven't worried about how to increase the value or preserve the value of the foreign currency reserves. But now we have to worry about our foreign currency reserves as it reaches 1.4 trillion (t) US dollars. This is a problem, but also a good thing." 6. Wide of assembly hall rising to applaud Wen 7. Assembled leaders 8. Leaders seated around dinner table 9. Close-up of Arroyo 10. Leaders at dinner table 11. Close-up of Prime Minister of Myanmar Thein Sein with pull out to wide of dinner STORYLINE: Southeast Asian nations on Monday put the finishing touches on a landmark charter in Singapore on Monday - a move that will create an agency to review the region's human rights though it contains no powers to punish notorious violators like Myanmar. The regional constitution will be signed by the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar, at their annual summit on Tuesday. Myanmar, one of the 10 members of ASEAN, was pleased with the charter despite calls for a human rights arm that could focus on abuses by its junta, Myanmar's senior diplomat U Aung Bwa told The Associated Press. The long-overdue ASEAN Charter is aimed at formally turning the 40-year-old organisation, often derided as a powerless talk shop into a rules-based legal entity. That means ASEAN can sue and be sued, and will be held accountable for all the treaties and agreements it signs. The charter still needs to be ratified by parliaments of member countries, a process that will take a year. One of the most significant pledges in the charter is to set up a regional human rights body. Critics note that it will have limited impact, given that it will not be able to punish governments that violate human rights of their citizens. An obvious candidate for discussion under the human rights body would be Myanmar, whose military-ruled junta used troops and police to crush peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in late September, killing at least 15 people. The junta's actions have greatly embarrassed ASEAN, which is under pressure from the West and its own people to force change in the isolated Southeast Asian nation once known as Burma. A glimmer of hope for democracy in Myanmar has been raised by the recent efforts of UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who met with junta leader General Than Shwe and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after the September crackdown. The junta has indicated it will restart the process of national reconciliation. Bouasane Bouphavanh, the Prime Minister of Laos however refused to be drawn on international efforts to bring democracy to Myanmar. "Regarding these questions I think you should seek a response from the Myanmar government. Nevertheless I think all countries should respect the principle policy of non-interference and consensus," he said. ASEAN was founded during the Cold War years as an anti-communist coalition, eventually evolving into a trade and political bloc. However, the large reserves presents a two sided problem to for the China. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/fdd74f993d9023f82c359144997c65d5 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork