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By Efren L. Danao Senior
Reporter
The Inter-Parliamentary Union has
adopted a resolution condemning the “repressive” military junta
of Myanmar and demanding the adoption of democratic reforms,” Sen.
Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Friday.
Pimentel, a member of the
Philippine delegation to the Union, said the Philippines fully
supported the resolution initiated by Indonesia. Myanmar, just like
the Philippines and Indonesia, is a member of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
“Perhaps, it is time for the
Asean to suspend the membership of Myanmar from the organization,”
Pimentel said. “If Myanmar does not ease up on their repression of
their people, then it should be expelled from the Asean.”
He urged the Department of
Foreign Affairs to ban members of the Myanmar military junta from
entering the country.
He deplored the “brutal and
merciless” manner by which the military junta had retaliated
against the Buddhist monks and others who had staged protest rallies
and marches.
He said the international
community should sanction Myanmar if its military junta does not
stop the atrocities against its people.
Pimentel has been urging the
government to take stronger action against Myanmar even years before
he attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union conference last week. He
was the main proponent of the resolution against the Myanmar junta
that was adopted by the Senate two weeks ago.
Pimentel rose to national
prominence for his political fight against the authoritarian regime
of former President Ferdinand Marcos. He was arrested three times
during his presidency, first when martial law was declared in 1972
and then in 1982 and 1985. Marcos was ousted in 1986 after People
Power Revolution.
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