THE COMPLETE AUDIO-VIDEO OF THE CONFERENCE
The Conference on South-east Asia, held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 16 and 17 September 2002, on the initiative of the National Council for the Union of Burma, the Lao Movement for Human Rights, Quê Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam, the Asia Democracy Forum and the Transnational Radical Party,Concerning the situation in Burma, - recalling that over 1000 political prisoners and prisoners of opinion, including 18 members of parliament, are still under detention;
- calls for the fundamental rights of the individual to be respected, for all restrictions on the freedom of the press, of association and of gathering to be eliminated, for all political prisoners to be released unconditionally and for all political parties to be able to conduct their political activities without restrictions;
- calls for the resumption of the political dialogue begun with the National League for Democracy and Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, providing the Burmese people with full, public information about the solutions proposed, the reforms foreseen and the questions still to be resolved;
- calls for the opening of a process of reconciliation with the leaders of the non-Burmese ethnic groups, and in this context calls on the European Parliament to send a delegation charged with reporting on the massacres, rapes and the serious violations of fundamental rights in the Shan State, Karen State;
- calls on the European Union, on the basis of an agreement with the NLD and the SPDC, to provide for a wide-reaching programme of humanitarian aid for the populations most exposed in the conflict zones;
- calls on the European Union to send a high-level delegation to Rangoon charged with drawing up the guidelines for a new EU policy of support for the process of democratic transition, on the basis of the proposals of the National League for Democracy;
- calls on the European Union to maintain the mechanisms currently in force until such time as this new strategy of support for the process of transition is finalised,
- calls on Thailand not to hinder the peaceful activities of the Burmese democrats and of the representatives of the ethnic minorities of Burma;
- calls on Thailand not to proceed with the repatriation of Burmese refugees until such time as the NLD and the SPDC have agreed on a global political process of democratic transition;
Concerning the situation in Laos, - recalling that the Co-operation Agreement signed between the EU and the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos is based on "the respect of the principles of democracy and of the fundamental human rights, as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" (article 1) and that the failure to respect this condition constitutes a "case of substantial violation", according to the terms of article 19 and of Annex 1, and consequently the failure by one of the parties to implement the Agreement;
- recalling that the peaceful demonstrations held on 26 October 1999 in Vientiane, on 17 November 2000 in Champassak, and on 28 October 2001, were all violently suppressed;
- expressing its indignation at the condemnation to civil death, without any trial, even iniquitous, of the leaders of the "26 October 1999 Movement", and of the many other prisoners of opinion turned into veritable "desaparecidos";
- underlining the fact that the conduct of the Lao authorities in relation to the arrest and the disappearance of the five leaders of the 26 October 1999 Movement
- Thongpaseuth Keukoun, Bouavanh Chanmanivong, Khamphouvieng Sisa-AT, Sengaloun Phengphanh and Kèochay - constitutes one of the most serious, if not the most serious violation of the principles of democracy as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and must therefore be considered as a case of flagrant violation of the Co-operation Agreement between the EU and Lao PDR,
- deeply concerned at the general political situation in Laos, in the grip of a single party since 1975, and with a population - among the poorest on the planet - forced to live without democracy and the Rule of Law,
- noting the persistent violation by the Lao authorities of the clauses relating to the respect of the fundamental rights in the Co-operation Agreement with the EU;
- recalling that the Laos National Internet Committee has decreed that it is prohibited to use the Internet “to protest against the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and against the government of Lao PDR ... on pain of fines, re-education, expulsion or sentence according to the law of Lao PDR”.
- Seriously concerned about the violent and continual repression of the religious minorities in Laos, in particular the Protestant Churches not recognised by the State, repression that includes the destruction of churches and the arrest and torture of members of these Churches;
- calls on the government of Lao PDR to guarantee the full respect of the civil and political rights recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to comply with the requests contained in the resolution of the EP adopted on 15 February 2001, including the abolition of article 59 of the Lao penal code that provides for a penalty of one to five years’ imprisonment for "propaganda against the government";
- calls on the European Union to do everything possible to ensure that the trial against the 5 Lao student leaders will take place swiftly and in full respect of the international laws as well as of the Constitution of Lao PDR itself;
- believes that if the Lao authorities do not rapidly demonstrate a desire to undertake serious reforms in the direction of the establishment of the Rule of Law and of democracy, the Commission should call for the convocation of the joint commission provided for in article 14 of the Co-operation Agreement;
Concerning the situation in Vietnam, - recalling that Vietnam continues to be founded on a one-party system in which the Vietnamese Communist Party holds strict control over all the areas of political, economic and institutional life, and confiscates the sovereignty of the people for its own advantage alone;
- recalling in this respect the modifications to the Sino-Vietnamese borders (Treaties with China of 1999 and 2000) without any consultation with the population, and the elections of 28 May 2002 which did not permit any truly independent candidate to stand, let alone to be elected to the National Assembly;
- recalling that the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, in its 75th session, demanded that Vietnam "should take all the measures necessary to allow national and international non-governmental organisations as well as political parties to operate without hindrance";
- recalling that the United Nations Committee on Human Rights also expressed its concern at the "the extent of the limitations on the right to freedom of expression in the media (...)", "the restrictions on public gatherings and on demonstrations", the "harassment and detention of religious leaders" and "the political pressure" on judges;
- recalling that the demonstrations of the ethnic minorities of the Central Highlands (Montagnards), in particular in February 2001, who were protesting about the forfeiture of their ancestral lands and against religious persecution, were suppressed with the help of the army by the Vietnamese authorities;
- recalling the common use by the Hanoi authorities of torture and of the forced repatriation of refugees fleeing Vietnam;
- recalling the persecution of the followers of all "non-recognised" Churches, in particular the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Hoa Hao Church, the Protestant Churches and the Cao Dai Church, persecution that includes the destruction of churches and of sacred objects, the confiscation of the property of religious communities, and the imprisonment of religious leaders and followers;
- recalling that the Hanoi authorities impose serious restrictions on the use of the Internet and have shown their desire to intensify their control over the Internet and over new technologies in general;
- underlining the importance of the '"Appeal in favour of Democracy in Vietnam" launched by the Venerable Thich Quang Do and signed by numerous leading figures and by over 300,000 Vietnamese people, and of the Appeal by 21 intellectuals, former members of the Communist Party, urging the government to create a Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of laws and to punish violations of the fundamental rights by the State;
- recalling that the European Commission recently adopted a new strategy of co-operation with Vietnam for the period 2002-2006, with funding of approximately €162 million, and that the promotion of human rights and democracy is an integral part of this strategy;
- underlining the fact that in the framework of this EU-Vietnam Co-operation Agreement the Commission attaches no particular importance to violations of human rights, despite the repeated denunciations of the European Parliament and its appeals for the respect and the promotion of the Rule of Law and of democracy;
- calls on the Vietnamese government to comply with the recommendations of the 75th session of the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, and in particular to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, beginning with the Most Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Venerable Thich Quang Do, the Catholic priest Nguyen Van Ly; and Doctor Nguyen Dan Que;
- calls on the Vietnamese authorities to carry out as swiftly as possible the political reforms to allow full enjoyment of civil and political rights and the fundamental liberties of the individual in keeping with the international treaties;
- calls on the European Commission to inform the Vietnamese authorities that the EU will suspend the Co-operation Agreement if, by the end of 2002, no action has been taken to meet its requests;
- calls on the European Commission to present a report to the European Parliament, by the end of 2002, on the new measures adopted in this respect, and to inform the government of Vietnam of the intention of the EU to proceed to the suspension of the Co-operation Agreement if, by the end of 2002, the Vietnamese authorities have not taken any action to comply with the present requests;
Concerning the policy of the European Union with regard to these three countries, the Conference on South-east Asia - supports the World Day of Non-violent Gandhian Struggle for freedom and democracy in Vietnam on Saturday 21 September, organised by the Transnational Radical Party, for which thousands of citizens and leading figures from around 100 countries have already pledged their support;
- is firmly convinced that the respect of the principles of democracy, of the fundamental rights and of the principle of legality in Laos and in Vietnam, as laid down by the EU-Laos and EU-Vietnam Co-operation Agreements, cannot be considered as an internal matter for Laos and Vietnam but directly concerns the Union and its citizens;
- decides to organise rallies outside the Lao embassies for freedom, democracy and national reconciliation in Laos and for the immediate release of Thongpaseuth Keukoun, Bouavanh Chanmanivong, Khamphouvieng Sisa-AT, Sengaloun Phengphanh and Kèochayon, to be held on 26 October 2002, the 3rd anniversary of the "26 October 1999 Movement";
- is profoundly shocked by the growing discrimination and repression of the religious, ethnic, and cultural identity of the ethnic minorities of Burma, Laos and Vietnam, in particular of the Karen in Burma, the Hmongs in Laos, and the Montagnards in Vietnam;
- believes that the EU policy of co-operation based on the funding or co-funding of so-called development projects brings no substantial benefit to the populations of the countries concerned, and actually constitutes an important form of support and political legitimisation of the anti-democratic regimes currently in power;
- decides to support the non-violent demonstrations of 16 October 2002 outside the seats of the European Commission to inform the institutions of the EU of the refusal of European taxpayers to accept any EU co-operation policy likely to strengthen the dictatorial, repressive regimes in power in South-east Asia;
- calls on the European Union to completely review its policy of co-operation towards Laos and Vietnam, replacing the policy founded on the funding of so-called development projects with a policy consisting on one hand in the granting of subsidies linked to the implementation of reforms in the direction of the establishment of the Rule of Law, democracy and the market economy, and on the other hand in a widening of access to the European market for Burmese, Laotian and Vietnamese products linked to the implementation of precise political and economic reforms in these countries;
- decides to draw up a detailed critical study of the policies pursued by the EU and by the Member States in Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia;
- decides to relaunch the campaign in favour of the creation of a "Voice of Europe" radio station with the purpose of informing the peoples of Burma, Laos and Vietnam in their own local languages.
