A group of Southeast Asian politicians says Burma's military regime should be kicked out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations unless it frees political prisoners and enacts democratic reforms.
Meeting in Thailand, members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus said they cannot tolerate the continuing detention of pro-democracy activists, including Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and stifling political controls.
The group said they will campaign to suspend Burma from the ASEAN bloc unless significant reforms are realized within one year. It also endorsed a report submitted Tuesday to the United Nations by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu that said the situation in Burma was far worse than in seven other countries in which the Security Council has previously intervened.