Allow Timor into ASEAN

Posted by AsiaViews | Dec 10, 2017 | 0 |

The Bangkok Post

5 Dec 2017

A meeting in Indonesia has all the signs of becoming a talkfest without result. And that is a shame, since the senior officials from the 10 ASEAN countries will be talking — again — about admitting East Timor as the 11th member. The ASEAN summit in Manila three weeks ago should “continue assess” the application by Dili to join. Tuesday’s talks are disappointing, because the group should have already decided to admit Timor, and should be discussing details.

East Timor, official name Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste from its Portuguese colonial roots, exists because of ASEAN. Largely thanks to the late Surin Pitsuwan’s efforts as foreign minister and then as ASEAN secretary-general, Indonesia after much bloodshed agreed to abandon its questionable claim so that Timor could become free in 1999. Thai troops in blue helmets, led by Gen Boonsrang Niumpradit, secured the emerging nation as UN peacekeepers.

Because of war and bloody-mindedness by ex-dictator Suharto and others, Timor began from almost nothing. Its first-generation legislators and executives were almost all from the bush, fresh from guerrilla warfare. But Timor Leste has made admirable progress towards independent nationhood. In September 2002, the UN General Assembly briefly debated and then voted unanimously to admit Timor.

It must be repeated that every country, including Singapore, voted in favor of accepting Timor as a member of the world community. That is important, because Singapore is the major naysayer in the curious debate that will continue Tuesday over whether Timor should become a member of ASEAN. Singapore says “no” on two grounds. One is that Timor lies too far from the center of the ASEAN group. The other is that it is not yet developed enough to qualify.

Both these claims are subjective, and other countries including Thailand are properly contesting them. The general mood among the 10 ASEAN members is to welcome East Timor. As so often occurs, Timor won’t get in any time soon because of the pernicious “ASEAN way”, which requires a unanimous vote or consensus on any step at all.

Serious diplomatic discussion could quickly shred both these Singaporean arguments. The distance reasoning is easily dismissed. Dili, the Timorese capital, is slightly farther from Singapore than are Nay Pyi Taw and Manila, where “slightly” is not at important. The distance from east to west within ASEAN is well over four hours in a passenger jetliner. Timor would add no more than 30 minutes. The claim is more obstructionist than serious.

On economic development, Singapore’s argument is only slightly better. It is true that Timor is not a developed country. Neither are the economies of other ASEAN members, notably Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. One of the reasons for the very formation of ASEAN 50 years ago was to encourage faster development of all member countries through joint actions and encouragement. It is the main reason for the existence of the new ASEAN Economic Community. Uneven development of its members has always been considered a plus.

Timor ranks low in economic and human development, as measured by accepted agencies. Its entire GDP totaled $1.4 billion for 2015, barely 1/100th of Thailand’s. The Laos GDP is 10 times as large. But the Singaporean reasoning is flawed. If left out of ASEAN, Timor is certain to continue to develop at a glacial pace. Brought into the group, it could be expected to begin to flourish, as have other members.

Today’s meeting in Indonesia of senior officials should decide finally to recommend membership in ASEAN for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. Then proper negotiations can begin on just how and when to embrace the 11th member.

(https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1372587/allow-timor-into-asean)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Allow Timor into ASEAN