ABSTRACT
International organizations, human rights bodies and all others concerned are in a position to come to an objective understanding of the promotion or denial of natural rights by states to their citizens. The human rights scenario in the developing countries is further complicated by the low level of economic development which has led to widening income disparities. In South-East Asia, the development process has marginalized many, including the indigenous people and the urban poor. Aid with strings has always been a sore point in the North–South relations, more so when concepts such as human rights and good governance come into the picture. The developing countries have always maintained that political conditionalities, or for that matter any string attached to aid, is an attack on the sovereignty of nations. The developed world has supported military governments and all forms of dictatorships when it suited their convenience, while at the same time preaching the inherent merit of democracy and political pluralism.
