Hundreds of protesters,also including members of the Burmese,Vietnamese and Lao communities,converged on the steps of Victoria’s Parliament House ahead of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit early next week.
Demonstrators highlight human rights abuses in their birth countries at a rally outside Victorian parliament ahead of the ASEAN-Australia summit.Chris Hopkins
Leaders from Indonesia to Thailand will travel to Melbourne for the summit,which marks 50 years of relations between Australia and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Among the visiting leaders will be Hun Manet,the 46-year-old son of long-time Cambodian strongman Hun Sen,who.
A death threat was before Cambodia’s July elections,naming him on a hit list that also included Hong Lim,a long-serving ex-state politician in Melbourne,and “any Australian member of parliament” who took on the regime.
During Saturday’s demonstration,Tak said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had an opportunity to use the ASEAN summit to push Cambodia’s new leader to restore democracy and release political prisoners.
Protesters called for an end to intimidation of South-East Asian diaspora communities by regional governments.Chris Hopkins
He said Cambodian-Australians had travelled from across the country to rally in Melbourne,knowing they risked persecution at home and that there could be consequences for their families in Cambodia.
“[But] if we keep silent then things will not be improved,” Tak said.
In between chants of “free Burma” and “down with the Burmese military dictatorship”,a moment of silence was held on Saturday to remember those killed fighting for democracy since the Myanmar military’s first coup in March 1962.
Burmese-Australian doctor Yu Yu Chit said the Australian government had a responsibility to advocate for democracy and human rights in Myanmar,and ending intimidation of its diaspora populations in Australia.
Members of the Burmese community plan to demonstrate outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on day one of the ASEAN-Australia summit.Chris Hopkins
Dressed in blue and with dyed blue hair – a throwback to the blue-shirt protests after the military seized power from democratically elected leader in 2021 – Chit said she was representing political prisoners. Human rights groups said last month that the number of political prisoners in Myanmar was more than 20,000.
Despite the risk,Chit said her family had encouraged her to speak out against the military dictatorship and fight for her brother who remained detained by the junta.
“I have hope for my brother. Whatever it takes,I will take the risk,” she said.
During the summit,leaders will discuss bolstering Australia’s economic links with the region and addressing shared challenges across South-East Asia.
Members of the Burmese community plan to demonstrate outside the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on day one.
Federal Labor MP Julian Hill said the Australian government did not tolerate the interference or intimidation of its citizens from the Burmese regime or any other government when he addressed demonstrators on the steps of Victorian parliament.
Hill told this masthead he was confident Australia that could use the ASEAN summit to deepen relations in the region in a way that did not diverge from its national values and protecting human rights.
He said the ASEAN summit provided an important opportunity for Australia to strengthen ties in the region,with representation from all member states except Myanmar. Timor-Leste will participate for the first time.
Greens Senator Janet Rice holds a sign as Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos jnr addressed federal parliament this week.AAP
Hill said he thought countries in the region knew Australia took human rights commitments seriously and would call out abuses elsewhere.
“For countries or foreign governments who want to interfere with the rights of Australians,their democratic right of free speech and to express their view,when you try and do that here in our country,our police,security and intelligence agencies are on to you and we will push back,” he said.
Laos community spokesperson Deth Sysengrath said Australia should ban leaders of repressive regimes from visiting Australia to prevent threats against diaspora communities.
Outside parliament on Saturday,demonstrators echoed the call for Australia to put human rights ahead of economic or business opportunities.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos jnr addressed a joint sitting of federal parliament on Thursday,using a speech to urge Australia’s cooperation in standing up to aggression in the Indo-Pacific.
Greens senator by the Senate for her protest during the address,after she held up a sign reading “stop the human rights abuses”.
Road closures and traffic disruptions are expected around Melbourne until March 8 due to the ASEAN summit. Motorists are advised that delays may occur as Victoria Police assist with motorcades travelling through the CBD.
Close to 500 people demonstrated outside Parliament House in Melbourne on Saturday.Chris Hopkins
People travelling around Melbourne during the summit have been asked to consider using City Loop trains,as tram and bus services may be disrupted at short notice at the request of police.
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