By JIM GOMEZ,

AP

Posted: 2007-11-21 04:27:41

SINGAPORE (AP) – The president of the Philippines took a parting shot at Myanmar’s junta Wednesday, deploring the pace of democratic reforms in the Southeast Asian nation as she hastily returned home to oversee preparations for a looming tropical storm.

“Let me be very clear. We … remain concerned about the pace of progress of Myanmar on the issue of human rights,” President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said.

“We particularly deplore the treatment of Aung San Suu Kyi,” the pro-democracy leader who remains under house arrest. “She must be released, now,” Arroyo told reporters before cutting short her visit to Singapore by a day.

Philippines is the most vocal critic of Myanmar among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Myanmar dominated discussions at ASEAN’s annual summit this week but scored a diplomatic victory when it blocked a planned briefing by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari to Asian leaders.

But Arroyo said Myanmar was still not off the ASEAN hook.

“We will not rest in the pursuit of justice and reconciliation in Myanmar. We must be active in advocating peaceful reforms in that nation. It is good for Myanmar, for ASEAN and the world,” she said before heading to the airport.

During the summit, ASEAN adopted a charter that calls on member nations to respect human rights and democracy.

Arroyo said her government is pleased that the charter incorporated language that advances these values.

But “we remain concerned that the forces of authoritarianism still move rather slowly toward democracy in Myanmar,” she said.

Arroyo was returning home early to focus on the needs of the people likely to be hit by a typhoon that is expected to make landfall in eastern Philippines this week.

Arroyo will miss a summit Thursday of ASEAN leaders and the European Union.

In Manila, Arroyo’s executive secretary, Eduardo Ermita, said Arroyo will fly directly to the southern Philippines to meet with heads of disaster-response agencies.

She has already ordered the evacuation of thousands of people in the eastern Philippines. The area is bracing for tropical storm Mitag, which is packing sustained winds of 85 kph (53 mph) with gusts of up to 100 kph (63 mph).