Southeast Asian embassies 'share the love' in Amman

By Jakob Jessen

AMMAN - Hip-swinging, umbrella-waving and muscle-flexing performances were among the cultural highlights at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Night 2010 on Saturday.

Hosted by five Southeast Asian embassies and held at the residence of Indonesian Ambassador in Amman Zainulbahar Noor, the event aimed to "commemorate the genuine friendship with our host [Jordan], and highlight how we will grow as enduring partners into the long future", Thai Ambassador to Jordan Isinthorn Sornvai said in his opening remarks.

Sornvai, who also serves as vice chair of the ASEAN committee in Amman, commended the association’s accomplishments over the last 43 years. ASEAN is made up of 10 member states, five of them with a diplomatic presence in the Kingdom.

In her opening address, HRH Princess Basma cited "fundamental values" such as "respect for sovereignty and equality" and "social progress and economic growth" that are the common denominators for both Jordan and ASEAN countries.

"Let us find inspiration in the principles which unite us, and in so doing, draw strength from the ASEAN spirit," she said, highlighting the "steady cooperation" between ASEAN countries and Jordan in trade, education, tourism and culture.

"Tonight we celebrate the close relationship between our countries," the Princess said.

And so they did.

Festivities kicked off with the ASEAN anthem - "ASEAN We Are One" - performed by ASEAN embassy staffers with ambassadors assuming the role of lead singers. If not pitch-perfect, the ballads were sung in perfect harmony.

Following the anthem, dancers, singers and actors from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei took to the stage.

Philippine boys danced onto the stage to a wave of rhythms from hammering cups of coconuts plastered to their bodies while Malaysian women glided across the floor dressed in colorful gowns performing the traditional "Ulek Mayang" dance.

An entire ensemble of Indonesians playing bamboo instruments gave a charming insight to traditional Indonesian music and a Brunei wedding was recreated in all its pomp and solemnity.

Before the night came to an end, a monkey tried to capture a sea king's daughter in a dramatic reenactment of an ancient Thai fairytale.

Southeast Asian cuisine was also on display during the event: from Philippine chicken adabo to Malaysian mee hon, spring rolls and rainbow colored pastries, while a colorful Indonesian fashion show captivated the crowd.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the musical performance of the Malaysian ambassador, Dato Abdul Malek Bin Abdul Aziz, who - in a duet with his wife and backed by a group of embassy staff dancers - performed traditional and modern songs.

Channeling the spirit of an Asian crooner, they delivered a rousing rendition of John Paul Young's "Love is in the air" with a Southeast Asian twist.

1 November 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=31442.

Asian leaders arrive in Hanoi for ASEAN summit

Wed, 27 Oct 2010

Hanoi - Heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) arrived Wednesday in Hanoi in preparation for the organization's 17th summit, scheduled to open Thursday.

Topping the official agenda will be economic and transportation agreements intended to knit the fragmented region closer together.

The meeting is overshadowed by tensions over upcoming elections in Myanmar, and conflicts with China over maritime territory in the South China Sea. But it was not clear how much of a hearing these controversial issues would get at the summit.

Foreign ministers from the 10 ASEAN nations met Wednesday afternoon in advance of the summit to consider a series of agreements and working papers.

One was a report from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), which has in the past been critical of human rights abuses and anti-democratic conduct in Myanmar.

A draft document prepared by the Philippine's delegation to the summit reportedly said the elections in Myanmar, scheduled for November 7, would be "a farce."

The foreign ministers also considered the final statement of the ASEAN People's Forum, a civil-society gathering in September that included groups affiliated with Myanmar's democracy movement.

But the official statement following the foreign ministers' meeting Wednesday made no mention of Myanmar. The only significant document the ministers signed was an agreement on cooperation in search-and-rescue operations in the South China Sea.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The body was long regarded as an ineffectual talk shop, but has moved in recent years to exercise more power on both economic and diplomatic fronts.

In 2007 the group adopted a binding charter, including provisions for a human rights body. But ASEAN meetings are still known for their aversion to conflict or to taking up issues that may embarrass any of the organization's member states.

The issues of Myanmar and of conflict in the South China Sea may receive a fuller airing on Saturday, when the follow-on East Asia Summit convenes. The group includes the ten ASEAN member states along with Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

The United States and Russia have been invited to join, and will send representatives this year.

The US is sending Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been urged in recent days by human-rights advocates and US congressmen to put human rights on the summit's agenda.

In a letter Wednesday, US senator Barbara Boxer urged Clinton to demand the "immediate release" of over a dozen Vietnamese political prisoners.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350709,arrive-hanoi-asean-summit.html.

ASEAN ministers sign dispute-resolution protocol

Hanoi - Foreign ministers of the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Thursday signed a protocol on dispute resolution that could be used in several ongoing regional conflicts.

The ASEAN ministers are attending the organization's annual summit meeting in Hanoi amidst disagreements over handling human rights issues in Myanmar and several territorial disputes.

In a press release, the organization said the protocol on dispute resolution would help transform ASEAN into a "rules-based organization."

The procedures and terms of reference of the protocol have not been finalized.

The dispute mechanism could be invoked in Thailand's border dispute with Cambodia over an area near the temple at Preah Vihear, which led to armed clashes in 2008 and 2009.

It could also help settle maritime territorial disputes between a number of members states in the South China Sea.

The mechanism is, however, likely to be limited to disputes between ASEAN member states, not internal issues.

Host country Vietnam is seeking to convince ASEAN members to settle their internal disagreements over maritime territory in the South China Sea so that the group can negotiate as a bloc with China, which claims most of the sea for itself.

China has resisted that approach and insists on bilateral negotiations with each country.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317640,asean-ministers-sign-dispute-resolution-protocol.html.

Yearender: ASEAN integration process moving forward in 2009

by Li Xiaoyu

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has gained significant headway in many areas. With the ASEAN Charter and the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community, the 10-member regional group succeeded in making achievements in its 14thsummit and 15th summit respectively in this March and October, which brought the ASEAN integration process into a new stage.

At the 14th summit, ASEAN leaders signed the Second Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan II for the period 2009-2015 and noted that the Work Plan, together with the three Community Blueprints, would help move forward the community-building process in a more balanced, inclusive and sustainable manner.

Meanwhile, the leaders also discussed the international economic and financial crisis and the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) and the Protocol of the 7th Package of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) commitments, which, together with other economic cooperation documents, will facilitate liberalization in the goods trade sector, service sector, investment sector and labor force sector.

And at the 15th summit, ASEAN leaders deliberated the progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Charter particularly the operationalization of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) in Jakarta, and welcomed the establishment of the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Councils which will help coordinate ASEAN cooperation in all the three pillars.

As mandated by the ASEAN Charter, the inauguration of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is a highlight and reflects ASEAN's determination to realize a truly people-centered community by 2015.

The leaders emphasized that the successful building of an ASEAN Community that is truly people-oriented by 2015 requires the cooperation and contribution of all sectors of ASEAN society and the participation of ASEAN peoples in all aspects of community-building.

As for the ASEAN, the two summits are meaningful as they were the first two most important conferences after the ASEAN Charter entered into force in Dec. 15, 2008. The Charter provides the legal and institutional framework for the ASEAN to be a more rules-based, effective and people-centered organization paving the way for realizing an ASEAN Community by 2015.

With the Charter, the ASEAN leaders recognized that enhancing intra-regional connectivity would benefit all ASEAN member states and their peoples, contribute to promoting ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, facilitate the building of an ASEAN Community that is competitive and increasingly interlinked with the wider Asia-Pacific region and the world, and serve as a foundation for a more enhanced East Asian connectivity.

Through the two summits, the ASEAN member countries began to implement the Charter jointly, which will guide the construction of ASEAN community. Meanwhile, to respond effectively to the financial crisis, the ASEAN member countries not only reached a series of economic and trading cooperation agreements, but also agreed to continue domestic stimulus packages to ensure sustained recovery, to support the G-20 Statement to implement the transparent and efficient management reforms of the International Financial Institutions, and to support that the ASEAN Chair and the Secretary-General of ASEAN should be invited to participate in future G-20 Summits.

These agreements showed the collective views of ASEAN members on global economic issues, which is a sign that the ASEAN economic integration is processing to reality step by step. This was also approved by an ASEAN document issued later in November, which said six ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore will cancel taxation of most products since Jan. 1, 2010, and the other four will do the same by 2015.

Surin Pitsuwan, secretary-general of the organization, said that the becoming operational of ASEAN free-trade agreements is a fruit of all ASEAN members' efforts, which shows ASEAN's correctness during the world's trend against protectionism.

Apart from that, Surin also said that the would-be enacted ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) pact would pave the way for more efforts to build the community in the ASEAN. The pact is scheduled to take into effect on January 1, 2010.

One of the ways to strengthen ties between ASEAN nations is to create the ASEAN Community. Being an ASEAN Community is advantageous since it can lead to international collaborations in mitigating and preventing problems such as terrorism, migrant workers, transnational crime, energy and territorial disputes.

However, the ASEAN integration still sees some obstacles on its way. On one hand, ASEAN member countries have an inconsistency in terms of security, economy and social culture. On the other hand, the construction of ASEAN Economic Community is also in trouble, because some ASEAN countries are trying to postpone the operation of the ASEAN free trade zone so as to protect their domestic industry. Aria Bima, an Indonesian parliament member, said on Nov.30 that the free trade zone would harm 10 of the country's industrial sectors.

Later in December, Indonesia's Vice President Boediono and some other senior officials also said that they were discussing with industrial associations to readjust the exception list for the free trade zone and may try to change the free trade zone opening schedule. As the largest economy in the ASEAN bloc, Indonesia has a non-ignorable influence in the ASEAN Economic Community construction. If the country shows any tendency to protectionism, the future of this community will be affected.

At present, analysts say that these troubles still have no clear solutions and are fragile to the nationalism feelings. There are new problems and new challenges for ASEAN member countries to consider and overcome the uncertainty to seek for trustworthiness.

Source: People's Daily Online.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6853033.html.