4/05/2011
Achara Ashayagachat
JAKARTA - Civil society groups say Asean governments have again thrown cold water on any attempt at engagement and taken control of nominations and agenda-setting for Saturday's Interface meeting between leaders of the two sides.
Thai NGO Coordinating Committee secretary-general Suntaree Saeng-ging said on Wednesday the Thai government, and many other governents, had independently appointed representatives and it was not clear who would attend.
Thai civil society participants at the Jakarta 2011 Asean Civil Society Conference (ACSC) and the Asean People’s Forum (APF) had chosen Sureeporn Yupa, of Disabled Peoples' International Asia Pacific (DPI/AP), to represent Thailand during the May 7 Interface dialogue with the government leaders.
Ms Suntaree said should there be any problem with any individual NGO-selected delegates, Asean civil society would compromise by not sending those persons into the meeting room and the rest of the team would go ahead with the talks.
"But if the Asean governments still insist on sending their own nominated representatives to replace our chosen representatives we will boycott the Interface meeting," said Ms Suntaree.
This problem occurred during Thailand's chairmanship (2008-2009) when Cambodia and Burma strongly opposed the NGO-nominated list. As a result not all 10 NGO representatives showed up at the 15-minute formal encounter between the Asean leaders and the NGOs.
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