ASEAN must act on fishermen’s behalf, says ASEAN People’s Forum

Among the recommendations that will go to the ASEAN Summit from the ASEAN People’s Forum is one on the security of Southeast Asian fishermen, reports VietNamNet’s Phuong Loan.

Le Quang Binh of the Social, Economic and Environment Institute, a Vietnamese NGO (non-governmental organization), told the Forum that it must not just consider security on the mainland.  He called attention to threats to the security and livelihood of fishermen in the East Sea .< />

Though it was not a central topic at the 2^nd ASEAN People’s Forum in Hua Hin, Thailand, the security and the livelihood of fishermen in the South China Sea (East Sea) was mentioned in the forum’s joint declaration.

Le Quang Binh of the Social, Economic and Environment Institute, a Vietnamese NGO (non-governmental organization), told the Forum that it must not just consider security on the mainland.  He called attention to threats to the security and livelihood of fishermen in the East Sea.

Many Vietnamese and Filipino fishermen have recently been  attacked and harassed in the East Sea, Binh said. He asked if ASEAN has established principles of behavior in the East Sea for its members and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners in urgent cases? What, in short, is the role of ASEAN in the East Sea?

Though these questions were not discussed properly at the ASEAN People’s Forum, its joint declaration expressed concern and urged specific actions by the ASEAN leaders in the interest of the community of ASEAN fishermen.

The joint declaration said: “Millions of fishermen, especially fishermen in the East Sea, need to be listened to and assisted by ASEAN through law enforcement and in practical actions and policy directions.”

ASEAN and China signed an agreement in 2002 on common principles of conduct in the East Sea,  but sad stories about the treatment of ASEAN fishermen in the East Sea still worry the public in affected countries.

Other concerns

Once again, the ASEAN People’s Forum called on the Summit to establish a Council of Farmers, Fishermen, Businessmen and Small Producers to look out for the interests of these groups.

Regarding regional security, the ASEAN People’s Forum called on ASEAN to “work together to develop and strengthen a specific mechanism to ensure a peaceful ASEAN”.

“ASEAN needs to support and institutionalize mechanisms to ensure that peaceful principles are used, including the abandonment of using force, nuclear disarmament and abolition of other weapons of mass destruction” the declaration said.

Gus Muclat from the International Dialogue Initiative (Philippines) pointed out that in the last five years, ASEAN’s military spending has continued to rise, reaching some $18.6 billion in total.  By comparison, the entire UN budget in 2008 was only $15 billion. “With that much money for weapons, do ASEAN people feel safer?” Musclat asked.

The ASEAN People’s Forum urged the ASEAN leaders to expand the organization’s conflict- solving mechanism.  It should address conflict prevention, dealing with post-conflict problems, and also have the means to deal with national internal conflicts, ongoing conflicts and emerging threats in the East Sea.

Viewing the East Sea as an emerging threat, participants in the Forum stressed that for a peaceful ASEAN, it is especially important to implement the ASEAN Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, which was agreed in 2002 by all the ASEAN countries as well as China.

“ASEAN needs to play a more active role in dealing with regional conflicts like south Thailand, Mindanao and the East Sea…” the joint declaration said.

The resolutions of the People’s Forum will be submitted to ASEAN leaders and the ASEAN Secretariat.  Time has been scheduled on October 23, for a brief dialogue between ten representatives of the ASEAN People’s Forum and the assembled leaders at the ASEAN Summit 2009. 

Phuong Loan 

Tags: Asean People, East Sea, In The East, In The East Sea, Joint Declaration, The Asean, The Asean People, The East, The East Sea, The Forum, The Security And, Physics games

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