Bangkok - Indonesia's move to block a resolution in the United Nations' Security Council over Myanmar's cyclone crisis was "unbelievable and unacceptable," Sunai Phasuk, a representative of rights group Human Rights Watch, said Saturday. Indonesia has no excuse for its cynical tactics because it received massive lifesaving international help after the tsunami disaster in December 2004, said the New York-based agency's international representative.
Myanmar's deeply suspicious military regime has refused to allow most foreign aid workers to distribute aid in the crisis zones despite estimates that hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and in need of food, medicine and shelter.
It was "no surprise" that China also helped block attempts to force Myanmar's reclusive generals into responding asChina habitually protected the authoritarian ally, Sunai said.
China and Indonesia on Thursday rejected a French proposal allowing the Security Council to ratchet up the pressure on Myanmar to let aid workers have full access to survivors. The proposal said the Security Council might invoke "responsibility to protect" resolutions so that aid could be delivered whether the government in Yangon accepted it or not.
Human Rights Watch called Saturday for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as China and India, to convince Myanmar to lift restrictions on international aid.
"But where is Asean? Asean wants nothing more than a quiet life and peace and stability, but this is a very foolish position," Sunai said, adding that "There is clearly the risk of a popular explosion in Burma (Myanmar) as anger rises over the military's lack of care for the people."
Asean's "shocking" delay in condemning last September's brutal crackdown in Myanmar against protesting monks showed its true lack of heart, he added.
Human Rights Watch's Asia director Brad Adams said in New York criticized China over its reaction to the Myanmar crisis. "The World is watching to see if China does the right thing for Burma's cyclone victims," he said.
If China fail's do to everything in its power to get aid into Burma "it will share responsibility for the deaths of tens of thousands of people," Adamas added.
