VERA Files
“The old solutions are not working anymore.” – Mahathir
“There are now very strong moves for members of ASEAN to get out of so called ASEAN way” – FVR
Timeline of key events dating back to 1992, when the goal of having a COC in the South China Sea was first set.
The Philippine chairmanship of the golden anniversary of Asean adopted for its theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”
In this Q & A, with Reporting ASEAN founder/editor Johanna Son, Malaysia’s MP Charles Santiago, head of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), argues that ASEAN’s record on pushing human rights has lagged way beyond the attention it gives to economic and business interests. ASEAN needs to adapt to the times – and outgrow habits that in the long run, threaten the contributions it has made the regional stability thus far, he says
BANGKOK (Reporting ASEAN) – It is now possible to go by car in any weather from Yangon (the commercial capital of Myanmar and formerly known as Rangoon) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam’s commercial capital, formerly known as Saigon) by the East-West Economic Corridor and its southern extensions. The 2,000-kilometre plus route connects the five mainland Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, of which only the last is a founding member of ASEAN.
Last week’s smooth, relatively uneventful retreat by ASEAN’s foreign ministers appears to have put the grouping’s agenda on track for its 50th year, choosing to focus beyond the South China Sea disputes and set the stage for an April leaders’ summit that will put the spotlight purposefully on ASEAN’s golden anniversary.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations starts discussions on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea this month with two contentious issues: the non-militarization of occupied features, and restraint in the activities in the SCS, specifically those involving China.
ASEAN is 50 years old this year. That is a milestone for a loosely constructed regional organization, which five countries created at the height of the Cold War, to have come this far.
By KAVI CHONGKITTAVORN BANGKOK, Jan 8 (Reporting ASEAN) – ASEAN is 50 years old this year. That is a milestone for a loosely constructed regional organization, which five countries created at the height of the Cold War, to have come this far. Since then, its member countries have since transformed ASEAN into a […]