Ganging up on Burma

One of the core principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is non-interference in members' internal affairs. With Burma scheduled to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2006, some members are breaking that vow of silence. Last month, Malaysian ruling-party lawmaker Zaid Ibrahim said his country's legislature would vote on a motion objecting to the chairmanship going to Burma. Since then, the Philippines and Indonesia have added to the chorus. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Rangoon last week, where, according to his spokesman, he warned Burmese leaders: "In an interdependent world, developments in one ASEAN country...