IPSEurope.org, 26 Oct 2009
Civil society representatives from South-east Asia's developing democracies delivered an unequivocal message to the region's leaders at a summit held here - they will not succumb to the whims of governments that suppress political and civil liberties at home.
They did so by boycotting a carefully choreographed encounter between government leaders and civil society representatives at the summit of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). Those who refused to participate at this meeting came from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, host of the 15th ASEAN summit that runs from Oct. 23-25 in this resort town south of Bangkok.
The countries that had representatives at this session on Oct. 23 ranged from military-ruled Burma, the city-state of Singapore - ruled by one party that tolerates little criticism - to Vietnam, which is under the grip of a communist government.
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