After decades of turning a blind eye to the Burmese junta's authoritarian abuses, south-east Asian nations announced today that they could no longer defend the indefensible.
Malaysia's foreign minister, Syed Hamid Albar, the current chairman of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), said the group's fortunes were being held hostage by Burma, which has refused to initiate a transition to democracy despite repeated pledges to do so.
The military regime also refuses to heed calls to release Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. Her National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won Burma's last general election, in 1990, but has never been allowed to take office.
"Asean now has reached a stage where it is not possible to defend its member when that member is not making an attempt to cooperate or help itself," Mr Syed Hamid said in a speech at a conference of Asean legislators. "[There is a] general feeling among Asean members that the maximum benefits to be gained by Asean through its co-operation with some of its dialogue partners are being held hostage by [Burma]."
Last year, US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice snubbed the annual foreign minister's gathering, which her predecessors have attended for more than a decade. It is thought the less than robust Asean attitude towards Burma was a contributing factor.
Asean holds its annual gathering of foreign ministers next week after which it is joined by foreign ministers from, among others, Europe, Australia, China and the US for a regional security forum.
Mr Syed Hamid also urged China and India, who are investing in Burma, with little regard to its human rights record, to further pressure the junta.
He said later that Asean would not intervene in Burma but would approve of UN action. The UN security council has twice discussed Burma in the last few months but Chinese objections are preventing a formal resolution being passed.
Debbie Stothard, a Burma rights activist attending the conference, hailed the change of policy and said it would give the green light to individual member states to pressurise Burma.
"Previously they all had to toe the consensus line," she told the Guardian. "Now there's a potential that they are going to take action."
The Philippines president, Gloria Arroyo, has already stated she wants to see tougher global action against the junta.
"This is a significant step in the right direction," Ms Stothard said. "Now we need to see some action."
