'ASEAN Peoples' Camp' to push through despite warnings from Gonzalez

Release: 2006-11-26

Civil society groups strongly condemned today the statement issued by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez that the Philippine government will follow the lead of the Singapore government, prevent international and local groups from holding protests, ban the entry of foreign 'troublemakers' into the country, and make special target of Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans. They vowed to continue their planned activities in time for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Cebu next month.

"Secretary Gonzales is overreacting, misdirected, without regard for basic civil liberties and guilty of racial discrimination. His statements are an embarrassment not only to the Filipino people, but also to the international community. We will continue with our planned activities despite these pronouncements," said Lidy Nacpil, international coordinator of Jubilee South and vice president of Freedom from Debt Coalition.

"This brazenness of Secretary Gonzalez makes a mockery of the ASEAN theme this summit, which is to foster 'a caring and sharing community,'" stressed FDC president Ana Maria R. Nemenzo, adding that Gonzalez's remark exemplified the perception that the ASEAN is an "elite club of insecure dictators."
Nacpil also revealed that many local and international non-governmental organizations have already signified their intention to participate in "ASEAN Peoples' Camp" on December 12-13 in Cebu as part of their "Week of Action Challenging the ASEAN."

Nacpil said that social movements and NGOs from various Southeast Asian countries would be traveling to Cebu to ensure their voices are heard during the ASEAN Summit. The Summit on December 10 to 14 will be deciding, among other concerns, the framework of the ASEAN Charter.

"Millions of people will be affected by the outcome of this ASEAN Summit and yet this despotic government intimidates us with outrageous threats," said Nemenzo, adding: "Go ahead. We are not intimidated. I dare him (Secretary Gonzalez) to do that." Gonzalez reportedly said that the government would impose an 'iron curtain' during the summit and would "throw them ('troublemakers') into the Mactan Straits and let the sharks eat them there."

He also said the government would emulate what Singapore did in ensuring the security of an international conference of foreign leaders in its territory when it banned all the "trouble makers" from entering the city-state during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank Group meetings last September.

Nacpil said at least 54 people representing 17 organizations from 17 nationalities were either banned, interrogated or deported during the IMF-WB meet in Singapore. Their various areas of expertise include development, debt, and trade, among others. Nacpil and Nemenzo were two of those banned activists.