The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) chairman, however, said conversations around human rights have become “more normalised” recently, even when they involve scrutinising the records of member states.
He said such matters were far more difficult to discuss in the past, with certain member states opposed to making the commission’s findings publicly available.
“But the situation now at AICHR has changed and we are more open to talking about sensitive issues along Asean principles and lines,” he told FMT.
For instance, Bon said AICHR has created constructive space in its programmes to discuss the challenges faced in Aceh, Timor-Leste, Papua, the Cambodia-Thai border, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines and Myanmar.
He said he himself had raised the issues of the unrest in Indonesia, genocide in Gaza, and Singapore’s use of the death penalty following its execution of a Malaysian convicted for drug trafficking.
Bon said no country had a perfect human rights record, adding that human-induced conflicts and disasters in Southeast Asia were not new.
“We are not blind to reality,” he added.
Bon’s comments followed the conclusion of a regional meeting aimed at strengthening the mechanisms for the effective promotion and protection of human rights.
The meeting, held in Putrajaya from Sept 22-23, saw the participation of representatives from the AICHR, various Asean sectoral bodies and civil society organisations, as well as experts in the fields of human rights and development.
Bon said AICHR will be pushing “as hard as we can” this year to deliver tangible change on the ground and strengthen human rights protections across the Asean bloc.
The commission, he said, has received 131 cases since its inception in 2010 and has seen a marked increase this year alone. He added that the surge in the number of cases was indicative of AICHR’s growing relevance within Asean.
“We are getting letters from survivors and victims and civil society organisations over many different human rights issues.”
According to Bon, the commission has been contacted on a wide range of issues, including refugee rights, freedom of assembly, the protection of human rights defenders, and conflict-related concerns.
Such issues will “only grow in complexity and urgency”, he said.
“In this light, it is imperative that AICHR continues to be the early warning mechanism for Asean with modalities for systematic follow-up.”