IBON research head Sonny Africa pointed out that Myanmar was supposed to take its turn in chairing the association in July this year, until criticism of its human rights record - including the continued detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the crackdown on political participation by her party, the National League for Democracy - forced it to forego its turn in favor of the Philippines.

Africa said the Philippines is similarly unsuitable to chair the ASEAN this year because of the poor and worsening human rights record of the Arroyo administration. He pointed out that the Arroyo administration is being called to account for some 750 extra-judicial killings and around 190 enforced disappearances since it came into power in 2001. These have already attracted the attention of international groups including the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, International Federation of Journalists and World Council of Churches, among others, as well as the European Commission and the US State Department.

The Arroyo government has also been criticized by parliamentarians, ministers, human rights advocates, church groups, non-government organizations, and social activists in over a dozen countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, Africa added.

He also pointed out that the situation of Suu Kyi and her political party is paralleled by government's crackdown on progressive groups critical of the present administration. Anakpawis party-list representative Crispin Beltran has been detained on trumped-up charges for some seven months already, while members of Anakpawis, Bayan Muna and Gabriela Women's Party have also been among those subject to violent attacks and political repression.

On those grounds the decent thing for the Philippine government to do is to similarly forego its turn, Africa said.

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