Ganging up on Burma

One of the core principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is non-interference in members' internal affairs. With Burma scheduled to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2006, some members are breaking that vow of silence. Last month, Malaysian ruling-party lawmaker Zaid Ibrahim said his country's legislature would vote on a motion objecting to the chairmanship going to Burma. Since then, the Philippines and Indonesia have added to the chorus. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Rangoon last week, where, according to his spokesman, he warned Burmese leaders: "In an interdependent world, developments in one ASEAN country could impact on ASEAN as a whole."

With ASEAN's code of omertà crumbling, a litany of complaints is pouring out about the flood of drugs and refugees crossing Burma's borders, the junta's campaigns against ethnic minorities and the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Philippine Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. says the military regime "has lost all moral authority to lead ASEAN." However, the association is also famous for consensus—and a decision to take the chairmanship away has to be unanimous.