緬甸在東協的角色及影響

The Role and Influences of Myanmar in ASEAN

東南亞國協成立迄今已三十餘年，其宗旨在促進各成員國之間的社經發展與文化交流，也期許能維護區域的安全、和平及穩定。多年來的運作尚稱良好，深受東協區內政府與人民支持，以及國際社會所肯定。隨著冷戰結束，前蘇聯瓦解，東南亞政經與軍事權力關係丕變，東協逐步擴大，接納越、寮、柬、緬四國加入。但是因為緬甸的國內政治民主不彰、人權紀錄不佳，引起美、歐、加、澳等國強力制裁。然而，東考量接納緬甸可以減低中共對東南亞積極滲透的影響、和緩泰緬邊境軍事衝突、壓制煙毒栽植及販運，並促進東協對緬甸的貿易投資機會，將有助於東南亞長期的和平與穩定。因此，東協各國仍堅定地支持緬甸在國際間的地位。

ASEAN's major goals as set out in the 1967 Bangkok Declaration were two-fold. First was to reconcile intra-regional strife which characterized Southeast Asia at that time. Second was to manage those conflicts and tensions and to create a Southeast Asian regional order on the basis of the social and eco-nomic systems of each member country in order to 'promote regional peace and stability.'As Myanmar applied for participation in ASEAN in 1995, there had been controversial debates over both her negative human rights situation under the governance of Yangon's junta and about probable sanctions from the West. Based on considerations on military, economic, social and antidrug necessities, ASEAN members made their decision, however, to invite Myanmar to join the regional organization in 1997. Thereafter ASEAN started to struggle against the western bloc in the diplomatic field and to defend the collective interests and identity of ASEAN.