By Luke Hunt
The bloc takes some tentative steps, with a welcome dose of common sense from Mahathir Mohamad.
For decades ASEAN and its policy of non-interference in a neighbor’s affairs has been the focus of heated criticism, widely seen as an excuse that allowed countries behaving badly on the human rights front to carry on without fear.
That came to a head with Myanmar’s abysmal treatment of its Rohingya population, the exodus of an estimated 25,000 people, and the subsequent discovery 139 graves at 28 hidden transit camps along Malaysia’s northern border with Thailand. Another 3,000 swam ashore from rickety boats.
Improved cooperation between the countries followed an international outcry and demands that ASEAN must help in resolving the issue. That resulted in Thailand handing over suspected leaders of several human-trafficking syndicates to Malaysia.
Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says authorities are now compiling cases and investigating the suspects before they launch any prosecutions.
Read the full story at The Diplomat