THE ROLE OF ASEAN IN RESPONDING TO THE RAKHINE HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS THROUGH THE ASEAN MECHANISM (2012 - 2018)

Abstract

This research seeks to understand the role of ASEAN in responding to the Rakhine human rights crisis within 2012 – 2018. In 2012, the Rakhine human rights crisis began to surface as a state riot broke out in Rakhine caused by an inter-communal clash between the Rakhine and Muslim communities, which resulted in the displacement of thousands of people in Rakhine, particularly the Muslims. Considering the numbers of the victims belonging to the Muslim community in Rakhine, external parties such as the international community, which includes ASEAN, would be needed to respond to this issue in order to protect the human rights of the Muslim community. ASEAN, as an intergovernmental organization, indeed believes in the necessity to protect human rights and at the same time it also believes in the sacredness of state sovereignty. This then seemed to cause a dilemma for the Association in terms of how it should respond to the Rakhine human rights crisis. Using formal institutionalism, understanding on the regional human rights regime perspective as well as constructivism, this research would try to explain how ASEAN responded to the Rakhine human rights crisis from 2012 until 2018 by understanding how the important position of ASEAN Member States in ASEAN decision-making and how ASEAN plays as a human rights regime affect what ASEAN did towards the Rakhine human rights crisis. In 2007, Myanmar had made it clear that the situation in Myanmar, including the human rights issue in Rakhine, would be under its own responsibility and that it wanted to handle the condition by itself; such kind of statement was again reiterated by the country in 2014 and 2016. Along the years within 2012 – 2018, ASEAN had not been discussing so much on the human rights issue in Rakhine during ASEAN Summits and whenever it had to address the issue in the Summits, it would carefully address it to prevent offending the sovereignty of Myanmar. ASEAN had only mostly helped in addressing humanitarian concerns and it was done upon the request of Myanmar. Further, ASEAN continued its programs on the promotion of human rights. At the end of 2018, Myanmar finally extended a hand towards ASEAN in order for the organization to directly be involved in the repatriation process by taking the lead in needs assessment, which signified its trust towards ASEAN.