ASEAN to boycott EU meeting if Myanmar, Laos excluded

   MANILA, Oct. 23 (Kyodo) -- The Association of Southeast 
Asian Natios  (ASEAN) will boycott a scheduled meeting with 
the European Union (EU)  next month in Bangkok if the EU 
refuses to accept Myanmar and Laos as  full members of the 
ASEAN-EU Joint Cooperation Committee (ASEAN-EU  JCC), an 
ASEAN source said Thursday.
   The ASEAN Standing Committee decided at a three-day 
meeting in Manila  that ended Thursday it would ask for the 
meeting to be postponed if the  EU continues to reject 
participation by the two countries, the source  said.
   The ASEAN-EU JCC oversees development cooperation 
projects between the  two groups and is the conduit for EU 
financial assistance to ASEAN countries.
   The EU says Myanmar and Laos, which only joined ASEAN 
this year, will  have to accede to the 1980 ASEAN-EU 
Cooperation Agreement that formalized ties between the two 
groups for the two countries to attend  the Nov. 17-18 
meeting in Bangkok as full members.
   The EU has told ASEAN it is only prepared to accept the 
two countries  as observers to the meeting.
   Although Thailand, the host of the Bangkok meeting, 
earlier agreed to  the demand, Myanmar's delegation to the 
ASC meeting in Manila lobbied  for and obtained ASEAN's 
support for its attendance as a full member,  the source 
said.
   ASEAN expects the EU to rethink its position, the source 
said, but  added, "If EU does not back down that might 
spell the end of the  ASEAN-EU dialogue relationship."
   The EU is primarily opposed to Myanmar's participation 
in the meeting  as a full member, because of its human 
rights record, the source said.
   The source noted that the EU sat down with Myanmar at 
the most recent  meeting in Kuala Lumpur of the ASEAN 
Regional Forum, a consultative mechanism.
   But he conceded that the EU might find Myanmar's 
presence at the  ASEAN-EU JCC harder to accept because 
release of development funds  through the committee must be 
approved by the EU's parliament, which  has called for 
sanctions against Myanmar over its human rights record.
   The source said one solution might be for the EU to 
stipulate that  Myanmar will not benefit from funds it 
releases to ASEAN through the  committee.


BKK Post / 24 October 1997  
DIPLOMATIC ROW  
Laos wants payout for Thai release  

Chiang Rai

   Laotian officials want 1.7 million baht compensation for 
releasing six Thais held in Laos for the past fortnight.
   The compensation is for damage done to four Laotian 
vessels and for the family of a father and son who went 
missing during the exchange of gunfire on October 7.
   Bavorn Rattanaprasit, the provincial district clerk who 
heads negotiations, said the local authorities also 
demanded that Thailand return to Laos two vessels 
intercepted after the clash.
   He said he is not at liberty to make a deal and will 
report the results of the negotiations and conditions to 
the provincial governor, Wicharn Chainan.
   The six Thais are Pol Capt Sukhet Vetchayanon, assistant 
inspectors with the Chiang Saen immigration police units 
Decha Thiamphat, Manee Oosplaymanon, Sompol Watanachan and 
Somchai Prangprempree, plus Thawee Kawee, a janitor 
attached to the immigration police unit.
   Relatives of the six expected immediate release 
following the foreign minister's interview in which he said 
the Laotian government agreed to free the detainees.
   Laotian authorities accused the six of encroaching on 
territorial waters, while Thai police said Laotian vessels 
where the six were on board were under arrest and fled 
while being led to a patrol station.