ABSTRACT
In the early 1990s, "Asian values" became a hot topic in the international human rights debate. The Asian values proponents argued that their countries had a different understanding of human rights due to their specific culture and history. According to the representative of Singapore, Bangkok declaration outlined the unique stance of the Asian nations towards the human rights question. The signatories of the declaration assert that, because of Asian nation's belief in the uniqueness of Asian values and the nature of their historical conditions, Asian people's understandings of democracy and human rights are different from Westerners. Some people try to use the Asian values argument to prove that the values of human rights, freedom, and democracy are inappropriate for Asian societies. The nucleus of the Asian values argument is that stability and harmony are above individual rights and freedom. The supporters of the Asian values argument consider that the Asian values meaning lie in their being beneficial for economic development.
