The Malaysian chapter of an international human rights group today lauded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's proposal for a people-centred Asean Charter but said it must be translated into action by acknowledging Burma's elected leadership.

"Amnesty International Malaysia welcomes the PM's move to put the people of Asean first by recognising the power of the people in making decisions effecting the country and hope that it starts with Burma," said its campaign coordinator Josef Roy when contacted.

He said in countries like Philippines and India the power of the people have been clearly demonstrated when calls for democratic changes and human rights have been heard by its governments.

"In view of this the governments of Asean should respect the choices made by the Burmese people during its 1990 national election and recognise the people's elected government," he stressed.

In the 1990 Burmese elections the nation voted in democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi and her political party the National League of Democracy (NLD) as their ruling government.

However the military regime which ruled the county for 26 years refused to recognise the results which saw Suu Kyi's party securing 82 percent of the parliamentary seats and continued to assume power.

Equal protection

On Saturday, Abdullah proposed the charter while addressing the National Colloquium on Asean. Malaysia will take on the regional group's chair in July 2005 and host the 11th Asean summit next November.

"Until the voices of the Burmese people who elected the NLD are heard by Asean heads of governments, human rights violations evident in the country will remain a perennial problem," said AI Malaysia's refugee coordinator K Shan.

He added that the charter must address the growing issue of refugees in the region by providing equal protection to those moving within Asean and not treat them as "aliens".

"Proper migration policies should be looked at as Asean has a poor human rights track record and it is high time this is eradicated while gaining respectability in the international community," he said.

Asean has come under severe criticism from the world for allowing Burma membership in its group which was founded 37 years ago and most recently for awarding the 2006 Asean chair to the military ruled nation.

This led the European Union to cancel two summits this year involving the Asean-Europe Meeting (Asem) citing non-acceptance to the attendance of Burma's military leadership.

8.8.88 uprising

In a related matter, members of Amnesty in Malaysia were involved in a campaign drive yesterday to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the Burmese people's uprising on Aug 8, 1988.

The members distributed pamphlets and petition letters, carrying details of the bloody massacres in Burma, to churchgoers in the Klang Valley.

"We have 2,000 of these leaflets and we hope that people will sign the petition slips and mail it to the Burmese embassy in Malaysia to remind the authorities to bring all those responsible for the atrocities on and after that day in 1988, to justice."said Josef Roy when met yesterday.

On Aug 8, 1988, after 26 years of one-party military rule, hundreds of thousands of Burmese nationals took to the streets in peaceful protests calling for democracy. Hundreds were shot dead by the police and army in the streets.

Josef Roy also urged the Burmese government to immediately release the 1,350 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience being held by the military regime for peacefully exercising their rights.

Yesterday's campaign was also assisted by volunteers from a youth group called 'Food Not Bombs'.