The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolution of 10 October 1990 on the situation in CambodiaOJ No. C 284, 12.11.1990, p. 59,

- having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mrs Muscardini and others on the situation of Kampuchean refugees in Thailand (B3- 0049/90),

- having regard to its resolutions of 13 September 1990 and 14 March 1991 on the military dictatorship in BurmaOJ No. C 260, 15.10.1990, p. 136,OJ No. C 106, 22.4.1991, p. 118,

- having regard to its resolution of 17 May 1990 on relations with VietnamOJ No. C 149, 18.6.1990, p. 163,

- having regard to its resolutions on human rights violations in this region,

- having regard to the military putsch in Thailand,

- having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report by the Political Affairs Committee and the opinion of the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A3- 0219/91),

A. whereas fresh impetus must be given to cooperation between the Community and the countries of Asia,

B. whereas the cooperation which has been in force since 1980 between the Community and the countries of ASEAN (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) constitutes a model of satisfactory interregional cooperation, which has been generally successful,

C. whereas the European Parliament played a decisive role in establishing that cooperation,

D. whereas the prospect of a European Union requires precise guidelines for relations with certain regions, in particular with the countries of South-East Asia,

E. bearing in mind the strategic position of this region and the role played by most of these non-aligned countries in seeking a peaceful solution to the Cambodian problem,

F .noting the efforts made by the ASEAN countries to make the region an area of peace and stability,

G. whereas these countries expressed the wish at their round table in March 1990 to seek a better equilibrium in their economic and trade - and also political - relations, so as to avoid finding themselves in a situation of excessive dependence on Japan or the United States, and possibly in due course on China,

H. whereas human rights' abuses are still frequently reported in Indonesia, Malaysia, and in the Philippines,

I. whereas with reference to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma, some changes for the better are occurring in Laos, but all four countries are currently characterized to a greater or lesser extent by international isolation and violations of fundamental human rights, which are still particularly frequent and flagrant in Burma,

J. whereas the military dictatorship is still in power in Burma,

K. whereas the peoples of these countries, in particular those of Cambodia and Vietnam, have suffered badly from years of war,

L. having regard to these countries' enormous needs but, at the same time, to their great human potential,

M. having regard to the humanitarian aid granted to these populations by the NGOs and also to the direct aid provided by the Community to Laos and to Burma (currently suspended to the latter because of the political situation),

As regards the countries of ASEAN:

1. Considers that the present level of cooperation must not only be stepped up but be supplemented by a bilateral approach which takes account of the specific problem of the various member states of ASEAN and their different levels of development;

2. Reiterates its request to the Commission and the Council to programme development aid multiannually by responding to specific needs and allocating aid according to objective requirements; such aid should continue to be concentrated on the poorest countries of South East Asia and on the poorest regions and sections of the population;

3. Welcomes the joint communiqué of the recent EC-ASEAN ministerial meeting in Luxembourg in June 1991;

4. Considers that the European Community must strengthen its diplomatic and economic presence in and its direct dialogue with this region;

5. Stresses the importance of increased economic cooperation between the EC and ASEAN and of greater coordination between the Community's instruments of economic and development cooperation;

6. Supports the programmed objectives of economic and trade cooperation between the ASEAN countries for the 1990s, in particular the introduction of a system of free trade between the various countries, making possible an increase in trade flows, and calls for Community aid to be planned in such a way as to promote this objective to the greatest possible extent; regrets, however, that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers, at their annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July 1991, failed to make any significant progress in this direction;

7. Considers that an increase in European investment in this region of the world is particularly desirable - as had been made clear by the ASEAN countries themselves - that there are, of course, notable differences as regards the climate for private investment (a liberal climate in Singapore, but cumbersome bureaucracy in Indonesia) and therefore calls on the governments of the countries concerned to introduce favourable conditions for foreign investment and better conditions of access for European products to the markets of the ASEAN countries; calls also for streamlining of the Community's own bureaucratic procedures in this regard and for an improvement in the access of ASEAN exporters to the Community's markets;

8. Welcomes, and wishes to see further developed, mechanisms such as joint investment committees and approaches in which European banks would act as intermediaries, which have yielded valuable results, notably in increasing the supply of risk capital from the Community and fostering joint investment projects;

9. Stresses the importance of measures to facilitate industrial and scientific cooperation, technological exchanges, trade promotion and technical assistance, in particular for medium-income countries, and calls on the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States to step up their efforts in these areas; urges the Community to make greater use of local technical expertise available within the ASEAN region and to step up cooperation with local NGOs;

10. Considers that aid for vocational training by the provision of grants constitutes an effective, low-cost means of cooperation and should be increased;

11. Suggests that the Commission examine with the Council the possibility of setting up a new financial institution to operate in Asia (as already proposed by the European Parliament);

12. Stresses that any cooperation scheme must take into account environmental protection in the ASEAN countries, conservation of the tropical rain forest, which implies shared responsibility, drastic restrictions on the use of tropical hardwoods, appropriate technology transfer, the training of skilled staff and the appropriate reafforestation of deforested areas, together with the institution of a United Nations monitoring body, which would make it possible for the forest to be exploited commercially, even if on a much more limited scale, without adverse consequences, together with appropriate aid for the indigenous forest inhabitants, whose traditional habitat the forests are; and finds unacceptable the attitude of certain trade partners who do not, in the framework of their cooperation with the ASEAN countries, respect the environment;

13. Urges the Commission to respond to the long-standing demand of the Parliament for import restrictions on tropical timber by putting forward concrete trade proposals to save the remaining tropical rain forest and the populations whose lives are dependent on it;

14. Stresses the importance of an immediate moratorium on tropical timber imports from Sarawak, Malaysia, until a scheme of truly sustainable forest management has been devised;

15. Urges the governments of Japan and the United States to start restricting the import of tropical hardwoods;

16. Is convinced that in the context of moves towards integration of the countries of ASEAN, and of the various cooperation projects currently under way in this region, involving new partners (e.g. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), the political dimension of EC-ASEAN cooperation must be strengthened, and that a human and cultural dimension must be included in cooperation, in particular by establishing programmes of traineeships and study grants for nationals of the ASEAN countries;

17. Considers, therefore, that the regular EC-ASEAN ministerial dialogue should systematically include exchanges of views on international and regional political problems of common interest;

18. Insists, to this end, on the need for the question of respect for human rights, wherever this is an issue, to be automatically included on the agenda of these meetings - and also in the interparliamentary dialogue between the EP and AIPO - and for a link to be established between the granting of Community aid and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the countries of South-East Asia, though without this leading to an abrupt breaking off of Community aid to any of the peoples of that region;

19. Recalls, in this connection, that the rights of freedom of association and of collective bargaining, as enshrined in the Conventions of the ILO, constitute an integral part of basic human rights.

20. Considers that the efforts of the various countries to establish genuinely democratic regimes based on political pluralism must be encouraged;

21. Calls on the military junta which has seized power in Thailand to ensure a rapid return to democracy and the holding of free elections at the earliest possible date;

22. Recalls that Thailand has become the biggest 'supermarket' for trade in endangered animal species and calls on the Thai Government to amend its national endangered species acts so as to prohibit the trade with non-indigenous species;

23. Notes the difficulties being encountered by the Aquino government in the Philippines from armed insurgency and urges the organization of strict control by the Member States over arms sales to rebel groups in this country;

24. Stresses that the invasion and continuing occupation of East Timor by the Indonesian armed forces is totally contrary to international law and must be brought to an end; expresses its dismay at the reports by Amnesty International and other reliable sources of executions and arrests of East Timorese who are opposed to Indonesia's annexation of the former Portuguese colony (in July 1976) and, therefore:

- calls for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions for the withdrawal from East Timor of the Indonesian army of occupation;

- calls for the holding of a free referendum in that region under UN supervision in order to settle the issue once and for all;

25. Expresses its concern at the situation of the indigenous population of West Papua who are suffering greatly as a result of Indonesia's transmigration policy and at recent Amnesty International reports that many West Papuans have been given heavy sentences, including life imprisonment, in the past year on anti-subversion charges because of their opposition to Indonesian rule;

26. Is deeply concerned by reports of mass arrests and killings in Aceh (North Sumatra), since last year, and of orders of the local military commander to shoot Aceh Liberation Movement suspects on sight; is further concerned about the fate of more than one hundred Acehnese refugees who, after landing in Malaysia in April this year, were refused asylum by the Malaysian Government and were sent back to Indonesia;

27. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Governments of the Member States to make representations to the Government of Indonesia about these human rights abuses and to suspend the sale of arms to Indonesia until Indonesia's record on human rights has improved and, in particular, the UN resolutions on East Timor have been implemented;

28. Expresses its concern at the continuing misuse of the Internal Security Acts in Singapore and Malaysia and calls on both governments to repeal these acts;

29. Calls for an increase in cultural exchanges and in the number of projects to improve the situation of women in the region;

30. Considers, in particular, that measures against sex tourism should be taken to help end the trafficking in women and prostitution of minors which are taking on alarming proportions in certain countries;

31. Calls on the member countries to end deportations of Asian women who have been forced into prostitution in Europe, and to undertake prosecution of 'traffickers in women';

32. Believes that help should be given where needed in dealing with the problem of AIDS, in particular through joint measures (on medicines, training for doctors, qualified staff, etc.);

33. Wishes the political dialogue to deal more thoroughly with the serious problem of drugs, and in particular, to seek practical solutions to encourage the conversion of drug production, and to strengthen cooperation against the traffic in drugs; and that the budget allocation for this purpose should be increased, subject to the possibilities of effective use of the sums provided;

34. Considers that, in this context, the problem of the particularly severe punishments for drug traffickers in the ASEAN countries (death penalty or long prison sentences), should be discussed with the legal authorities concerned;

35. Supports the initiatives in Filipino society seeking to bring to an end the civil war and to open a genuine dialogue for peace;

36. Calls on the Government of the Philippines to implement the land reform programme generously and without delay for the benefit of poor farmers and those without land;

37. Is disturbed at the large number of disappearances and murders of activists, trade union leaders and human rights lawyers in the Philippines, and stresses the need to curb paramilitary groups;

38. Regrets that logging is still continuing on a large scale in the Philippines, especially on Palawan, Mindanao (Mount Apo) and in northern Luzon;

39. Expresses its opposition to the fact that the Government of the Philippines wishes to reintroduce the death penalty;

40. Regrets that, while the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Kuala Lumpur welcomed the European Community's decision substantially to increase its aid to the developing countries in Asia and Latin America, they expressed firm opposition to the Community's proposals to link this aid to the respect of human rights;

As regards Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma

Cambodia

41. Warmly welcomes the agreements reached between the four Cambodian factions (including the Hun Sen Government) at their meetings in Pattaya, Thailand, in June and August 1991 in accepting the terms of the peace plan of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, including the setting up of a Conciliation Council and a Supreme National Council chaired by Prince Sihanouk to rule Cambodia until democratic elections are held, and the disbanding of 70% of their respective armies under UN supervision;

42. Welcomes also the acceptance of an indefinite cease-fire and the agreement of the four factions to end all foreign supplies of arms to the country;

43. Calls on the new authorities to accept formally the UN peace plan - and in particular, outside monitoring of the cease-fire; calls also on the UN to agree to ensure full UN supervision of the elections;

44. Call on the new regime, assisted by the UN, to take immediate steps to ensure that no faction seizes power by military means, and, in particular, that members of all military forces - notably those of the Khmer Rouge - are either incorporated into a national army under full control of the civilian government, or integrated into civilian life;

45. Calls on the Commission to begin drawing up a programme of economic and technical cooperation to come into force as soon as a treaty regulating the overall questions has been signed, to help restore the country's essential infrastructure;

46. Calls on the Council and the Commission to immediately put into action a programme of humanitarian aid for the Cambodian population in order to support and increase the long-standing efforts of the NGOs;

Vietnam:

47. Welcomes the decisions of the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in June 1991, to reinforce the programme of economic reforms begun in 1986 but insists that the process of political liberalization, which was also begun at that time, now be resumed, in particular to ensure respect for human rights, including the release of political prisoners, in order that the Commission is in a position to negotiate a trade and cooperation agreement with Vietnam;

48. Welcomes, however, the resumption of official diplomatic relations between the Community and Vietnam and the withdrawal of Vietnamese forces from Cambodia (September 1989);

49. Calls on the Commission to increase humanitarian aid programmes to Vietnam;

50. Notes the importance of the role played by Vietnam in the efforts to solve the Cambodian problem;

51. Notes with satisfaction the programme established by the Commission - which began in February this year - to assist the voluntary return to Vietnam of refugees, and wishes to be informed of the results of this programme;

52. Wishes an interparliamentary dialogue between the European Parliament and Vietnam to be initiated either via an existing delegation (such as D22), or a new delegation; notes that the Government of Vietnam has expressed its intention to apply for membership of ASEAN;

Laos:

53. Welcomes developments in Laos which is moving towards a more open political attitude and a more liberal economy;

54. Appreciates the development aid schemes currently financed by the European Community in this country in rural development, water supplies and the fight against drugs;

55. Asks the Commission, however, in view of the country's particularly difficult economic situation, to envisage a trade and cooperation agreement with Laos, which would provide increased aid from the Community with a particular view to improving the country's competitive position on world markets;

56. Suggests that political dialogue at parliamentary level also be established with this country, which has official relations with the European Community;

Burma:

57. Denounces the apparent international indifference which allows the Burmese military dictatorship (SLORC) to carry out brutal repression in all areas; and deplores its behaviour in refusing to accept the results of the election of 27 May 1990, in declaring the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party which won the election with over 80% of the votes cast, to be illegal, and in placing Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for an indefinite period and imprisoning various leaders of the movement;

58. Calls on the SLORC immediately to release Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi, to whom the Parliament has awarded the Sakharov Prize, and other leaders of the democratic opposition;

59. Is seriously concerned at the massive increase in drug trafficking, which appears to be acquiesced by the authorities in that an unofficial taxation system is operating for opium (the opium poppy is the main source of revenue for Shan province in NE Burma);

60. Deplores the ecological indifference of the military junta, which has sold off the forests of the border regions;

61. Calls on the Governments of Burma, Laos, and Vietnam to sign the CITES-Convention on the trade and protection of endangered species;

62. Considers that the long civil war between the Burmese central government and the ethnic minorities can only be solved through the establishment of a democratic government in Burma and welcomes the steps already taken by the democratic opposition parties to reach a peaceful settlement;

63. Calls on the Commission and on the Foreign Ministers of the Member States meeting in Political Cooperation to open contacts with the national coalition of the Union of Burma which has been set up by a designated representative body of the Members of the National Assembly who were elected in May 1990;

64. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Ministers meeting in European Political Cooperation, and the governments of the ASEAN countries and of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Japan and the United States.