Yudhoyono re-elected as president of Indonesia; Thailand hosts 42nd ASEAN Ministerial meeting and 16th ARF; Clinton urges US and ASEAN countries to work together to solve common problems
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    • In Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was re-elected as President, securing nearly 61 per cent of the vote, ahead of his nearest rival and ex-president Megawati Sukarnoputri, who secured 26.8 per cent. Vice President Jusuf Kalla could manage 12.4 per cent of the vote1.

    Thailand hosted the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, post-Ministerial Conference and the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva inaugurated the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) on July 20. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers among other initiatives endorsed the establishment of a landmark regional commission on human rights2.

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the US and ASEAN member states to work together to deal with emerging challenges in the present day world. On the Myanmar situation, she stated that the US looked forward to work with the ASEAN member states to bring about a positive change in the positions held by the ruling junta and called for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi3. Mrs. Clinton’s comments were severely criticized by the junta as “interference” in the internal affairs of the country. In a report published by the state-run newspaper, the authorities termed Clinton’s call for the release of Suu Kyi as a part of the US grand strategy to replace the present junta with a puppet government4.

    Reports noted that the Burmese Army was transporting more troops to the country’s north, where the insurgent group, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) had a strong presence. The move followed the rejection by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) of the ruling junta’s proposal to transform its armed wing, the KIA, into a Border Guard Force (BGF), which would function as a border security force under the control and administration of the junta5.

    In other developments, a two-day meeting of economic and trade ministers of APEC was held in Singapore from July 21-22. Measures to resist protectionism in developed countries and increased support for the multinational trading system were two of the central themes of the gathering6.

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