The East Asia Summit: What the Key issues Are

Posted by AsiaViews | Nov 20, 2017 | 0 |

By Chheang Vannarith*

Khmer Times

Nov 14, 2017

The 12th East Asia Summit, the leaders-led forum, will take place today in the Philippines, with the participation of 18 heads of state and government from the Asia-Pacific region.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be attending the summit.

The summit will focus on a wide range of international issues, including the Korean Peninsula, maritime security in the South China Sea, terrorism and violent extremism and the forced displacement of ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar.

On the North Korea issue, the leaders will reaffirm their commitments to fully implement the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, call for the exercise of self-restraint and the complete, verifiable and irreversible de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

President Trump has shown self-restraint and softened his rhetoric, sticking to the scripts, during his state visit to Asia, while exercising a show of force with the participation of three aircraft carriers in routine military exercises in the region.

A dual-track engagement strategy – diplomatic dialogue and economic pressure – are required to ease the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

ASEAN has shown a strong commitment to putting more pressure on North Korea to peacefully de-nuclearize.

As for the South China Sea, the US remains committed to taking measures to ensure that freedom of navigation (FON) is respected. China has accused the US of using FON exercises to contain China’s maritime power projection.

After reaching a framework agreement on the Code of Conduct (COC) on the South China Sea, China and Asean will start negotiations on the elements and substance of the COC next year.

Under the chairmanship of the Philippines, the South China Sea issue has been, arguably, well managed. Mutual trust and cooperation have been gradually fostered.

Some believes it is a new era of China-ASEAN cooperation in the disputed waters, particularly with regards to non-traditional security concerns such as piracy, illegal fishing, drug and human trafficking, search and rescue, natural disasters and humanitarian relief and maritime terrorism.

Concerning terrorism and violent extremism, regional countries will express their concerns over the rise of violent radicalism and extremism in the region.

A holistic approach to address both the root causes and symptoms of terrorism needs to be developed, such as intelligence sharing, capacity building, education and inclusive development.

The Rohingya crisis, one of the worst humanitarian issues in the modern history of Southeast Asia, has gained international attention over the past few months.

It is one of the most complex regional issues to be tackled, involving historical, socio-cultural and political dimensions.

Many hope the member countries of the East Asia Summit will develop a short-term and long-term plan to address the Rohingya crisis.

Humanitarian assistance is urgently needed, while domestic socio-political and economic conditions need to be restored to accommodate and reintegrate the returnees.

All these regional security concerns need to be addressed in a comprehensive manner. International cooperation and partnerships, based on trust and shared vision, are poised to work best in addressing complex transnational issues.

Collective leadership is required. Major powers, middle powers and small states need to work together to strengthen multilateral cooperation frameworks and mobilize resources to build a more resilient, peaceful, sustainable and inclusive society in Asia.

ASEAN, a group of middle and small powers, has proven its role in maintaining peace and stability in the region through promoting trust, mutual understanding and international cooperation.

While its unity and centrality are being challenged by the power rivalry between the major powers, ASEAN has to take bold steps in standing with the principles of international laws.

Advancing a rules-based international system serves the best interests of ASEAN member countries, while in the meantime collectively hedging against dominant powers or hegemons.

While the US is retreating from multilateralism and globalization, China is projecting its global role as a defender of globalization and multilateralism.

China’s political and economic clout in the region is rising, while the US seems to be relatively declining.

*Chheang Vannarith is a Southeast Asia analyst based in Singapore and Cambodia.

(source:http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5090392/east-asia-summit-key-issues/)

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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.”

The East Asia Summit: What the Key issues Are