No changing ASEAN's consensus method: ex-deputy secretary-general

MANILA - There's "no way" the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would change its consensus-building method in making decisions, a former deputy secretary-general said Wednesday.

Most nations of the regional bloc are "authoritarian regimes" which would not allow changes, said Manila's former ambassador to the ASEAN, Wilfrido Villacorta.

"All the member-countries were victims of the colonial past, and so all of them are jealous of their sovereignty and independence and very conscious or sensitive about interference in their domestic affairs," he told ANC.

This year, Manila hosted the series of meetings of the 10-member bloc, where a landmark treaty to protect the rights of migrant workers was signed.

• READ: ASEAN signs pact for migrant workers' protection

A draft of the statement to be issued after the summit, however, made no mention of the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine state following a military crackdown.

• READ: Southeast Asia summit draft statement skips over Rohingya crisis