Post by Logan on Feb 12, 2016 17:41:13 GMT -6
President Obama is about to host a cavalcade of dictators in Southern California.
On Monday and Tuesday, Obama will meet heads of state from the 10 Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, marking the first U.S.-ASEAN summit to be held on American soil. Obama will focus on deepening political and economic ties to the region, primarily to bolster his Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and form buffers against China’s growing regional clout.
Yet human rights groups have noted that only three participating countries — Indonesia, the Philippines, and arguably Singapore, a de facto one-party state — will be represented by elected leaders. They have raised concerns that the meeting could serve as an endorsement of repressive regimes.
“President Obama knows that human rights are under assault in Southeast Asia; the question is whether he’s going to say or do something about it,” John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The risk is that the Sunnylands summit will empower and embolden ASEAN leaders who have been responsible for jailing journalists, cracking down on peaceful protesters and dismantling democratic institutions after coups.”
Read more: www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-parade-of-dictators-20160212-htmlstory.html
On Monday and Tuesday, Obama will meet heads of state from the 10 Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, marking the first U.S.-ASEAN summit to be held on American soil. Obama will focus on deepening political and economic ties to the region, primarily to bolster his Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and form buffers against China’s growing regional clout.
Yet human rights groups have noted that only three participating countries — Indonesia, the Philippines, and arguably Singapore, a de facto one-party state — will be represented by elected leaders. They have raised concerns that the meeting could serve as an endorsement of repressive regimes.
“President Obama knows that human rights are under assault in Southeast Asia; the question is whether he’s going to say or do something about it,” John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The risk is that the Sunnylands summit will empower and embolden ASEAN leaders who have been responsible for jailing journalists, cracking down on peaceful protesters and dismantling democratic institutions after coups.”
Read more: www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-parade-of-dictators-20160212-htmlstory.html