ASEAN Update 2012

ASEAN  WHAT IS ASEAN? – The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) is an association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in Southeast Asia countries.  BACKGROUND - ASEAN was established on 8th August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Members of ASEAN, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997 and Cambodia on 30 April 1999 making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN. 

The ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, a combined gross domestic product of almost US$700 billion and a total trade of about US$ 850 million

GOALS OF ASEAN To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors

To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law.

To encourage active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in Economic, Social, Cultural, Technical, Scientific and Administrative fields.

To provide assistance to each other in terms of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative areas.

To work together for a greater utilization of agriculture and industries in order to expand the trade both locally and internationally.

To study the problems of international community trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of the nations.

To promote Southeast Asian studies.

To maintain close and positive cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.

ASEAN’S Member Countries

1. Brunei Darussalam

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Background Information Official Name - Negara Brunei Darussalam Government – Brunei is a Malay Muslim ruled by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th monarch in succession to the throne. The Sultan is also the Prime Minister heading a team of cabinet ministers and also the Defence and Finance Minister.

National Language – Malay or Bahasa Melayu is the national and official language. However English is widely spoken and understood especially in business community.

Area – The country covers an expanse of 5,800 square kilometer where about 75% of the land is covered in Jungle. The country is divided into 4 main districts namely Brunei- Muara District, Tutong District, Belait District and Temburong District.

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Capital City – Bandar Seri Begawan Climate – Brunei has a tropical equatorial climate with a high mean temperature of about 28 degree Celcius.

Population – 388,190 (July est) Currency – B$ (Bruneian Dollar) Outstanding facts – Brunei is free from Malaria and other tropical diseases, is outside the typhoon belt, has no volcanoes and is not prone to earthquake or other major natural disasters. The country also enjoys government stability and economic prosperity, resulting in a very low crime rate.

2. Cambodia

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Background Information Official Name – Kingdom of Cambodia Government – Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy. Head of state is King Norodom Sihamoni and the Prime Minister is Hun Sen. National Language – Khmer is the official language spoken by more than 95% of the population as some French still spoken in urban area. English is increasingly being used.

Area – The country covers about 181,040 square kilometer.

Capital city – Phnom Penh with the population of 1.3 million.

Climate – Tropical Monsoon with rainy season June to October and dry season from November to May. Population – 13.4 million (2008 census) Currency – Riel Outstanding Facts – Angkor Wat is a best preserved temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It remains as the world’s largest religious building with walls nearly one-half mole on each side that portrays the Hindu cosmology with the central towers representing Mount Meru, home of the gods and the outer walls as the mountain enclosing the world besides the moat, the oceans beyond.’

3. Indonesia

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Background Information Official Name – Republic of Indonesia.

Government – Independent republic with the Head of State, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Embodies five principles of the state philosophy called Pancasila.

National Language – Indonesian is the official language amongst with local languages and the moist prevalent of which is Javanese.

Area – It covers about 2 million square kilometers.

Capital city – Jakarta is the capital city with the estimation of 9.7 million people.

Climate – Equatorial but cooler in the highlands.

Population – 237.6 million (2010 est) Currency – Rupiah Outstanding facts – Adventure looms large in this vast and steamy archipelago where the best of Southeast Asia’s Spicy mélange simmers tantalizingly. Rippling across the equator for nearly 5000km, Indonesia encompasses more than 17,000 islands, two-thirds of which are inhabited and richly layered with character.

4. Laos

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Background Information Official Name – Lao People’s Democratic Republic Government – Laos is a communist single-party socialist republic. The head of state is President Choummaly Sayasone who is also the General Secretary of the

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Lao People’s Revolution Party. The head of government is Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong.

National Language – Lao is the official language in Laos.

Area – It covers 236,800 square kilometers.

Capital city – Vientiane Climate – Tropical Monsoon Climate with a pronounced rainy season from May through October, a cool dry season from November through February and a hot dry season in March and April.

Population – 5.6 Million Currency – Kip Outstanding Facts – The Lao wilderness is drawing travelers looking for nature, adventure or both. Kayaking, rafting rock climbing and biking area all available but it’s the community-based trekking that is most popular because it combines spectacular natural attractions with the chance to experience the real Laos with a village home stay.

5. Malaysia

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Background Information Official Name – Malaysia Government – Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the king. The Prime Minister, The Honourable Dato’s Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak is both the head of cabinet and the head of government.

National Language – Bahasa Melayu is the official language. Others are such as Chinese (Hakka and Hokkien dialects) Tamil and English.

Area – Malaysia is the 66th largest country by the total land area of 329,847 square kilometers.

Capital City – Kuala Lumpur Climate – Equatorial, being hot and humid throughout the year.

Population – 26 million Currency – Malaysian Ringgit Outstanding facts – Malaysia is really like two countries in one, cleaved in half by the South China Sea. The peninsula is a multicultural buffet of Malay, Chinese

and Indian flavors while Borneo hosts a wild jungle smorgasbord of orang-utans, granite peak and remote tribes. Within and throughout these two very different regions are an impressive variety of microcosms ranging from the space-age rises of Kuala Lumpur to the smiling longhouse villages of Sarawak.

6. Myanmar

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Background Information Official Name - Republic of the Union of Myanmar Government – Presidential Republic with a bicameral legislature with President Thein Sein as the Head of State.

National Language – Myanmar is the official language.

Area – 676.578 km2. It is the 40th largest country in the world and the second largest country in Southeast Asia.

Capital City – Nay Pyi Taw Climate – Tropical Monsoon Climate.

Population – 56 million Currency - Myanmar Kyat Outstanding facts – Myanmar is the authentic Asia with creaking buses, potholed roads, locals who greet you like long lost family and not a 7-Eleven insight. Forget the internet for a moment and connect with a culture where holy men are more revered than rock stars and golden Buddhas are bathed every day at first light.

7. Philippines

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Background Information Official Name – Philippines Government – Democratic government. Head of state is President Benigno S. Aquino III. National Language (s) – Filipino, English and Spanish.

Area – It covers 300,00 square kilometers Capital City - Manila Climate – Tropical Maritime Climate and is usually hot and humid Population – 94.013.200 (2010 est) Currency – Peso Outstanding facts – The second-largest archipelago in he world with over 7000 tropical islands, the Philippines is one of the great treasures of Southeast Asia. It is a great place to escape the hordes that descend on other parts of Southeast Asia.

First and foremost, the Philippines is a place of natural wonders; a string of coral fringed islands strewn across a vast expanse of the western Pacific.

8. Singapore

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Background Information Official Name – Republic of Singapore Government – Parliamentary Republic. Head of state is President President Tony Tan Keng Yam and the Head of Government is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong National Language (s) – English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.

Area – It covers 697 square kilometers.

Capital City - Singapore Climate – Tropical Rainforest Climate (Koppen climate classification)

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Population – 4.198 million (2004) Currency – Singapore Dollar (S$) Outstanding Facts – Singapore delivers Southeast Asia’s best shopping and innovative stylish restaurants plus a swathe of top-notch hotels. Top of the tree is Raffles, a timeless symbol of colonial opulence. Singapore’s mouthwatering food is the number one draw card.

9. Thailand

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Background Information Official Name – Kingdom of Thailand Government – Constitutional Monarchy whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and a heredity monarch is head of state. Head of state is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the Head of Government is Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra National Language – Thai is the official language.

Area – It covers about 513.254 square kilometers. Thailand is the world’s 51st largest country by total area. It is slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain.

Capital City – Bangkok Climate – Warm, tropical climate affected by an annual monsoon with a rainy season from June to October and a dry season the rest of the year.

Population – 67.8 million Currency – Baht Outstanding Facts – Thailand is often referred to as a golden land because the country gives off a certain luster, be it the fertile rice field of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of its citizens.

10. Vietnam

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Background Information Official Name – Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Government – Single Party state. Head of State is President Nguyen Minh Triet and the Head of Government is Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

National Language – Vietnamese is the national language.

Area – It covers 330.363 square kilometers.

Capital City – Ha Noi Climate – Tropical Monsoon Population – 83.1 million.

Currency – Dong Outstanding facts – Nature has blessed Vietnam with a bountiful harvest of soaring mountains, a killer coastline and radiant rice fields. Vietnam is a cracker, Inland, peasant women in conical hats still tend to their fields, children ride buffalos along country paths and minority people scratch out a living from impossible gradients.

Past Achievements ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Economically the main achievement of ASEAN has been the maintenance of an uninterrupted period of peace and stability during which the individual Member Countries has been able to concentrate on promoting rapid and sustained economic growth and modernization. Over the years, ASEAN’s overall trade grew from US$ 10 Billion in 1967 to US$650 billion in 1995. With its combined trade value, ASEAN is the fourth largest trading entity in the world after the European Union, the United States and Japan.

ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) The establishment of ASEAN University Network (AUN) was initiated to serve as an ASEAN mechanism that has the ability to promote cooperation among ASEAN scholar, academicians and scientist in the region. One of its successful programs is the student exchange program amongst its member countries that enhances a great mobility of students outside the border. The program aims to provide opportunities for AUN students and perform as an indicator of student mobility to see the flow of the inbound and outbound students among AUN Member Universities. In terms of literacy rate, it is relatively high level with 95.1% in Thailand (as for 1998) Furthermore between 2002 and 2005 the number of out-of-school children of primary school age in the region has declined by 40% - an impressive achievement for such period of time. There was also a substantial increase in enrollment rates at the secondary level though the overall numbers are still low. At the tertiary level, enrollment rates in the region increased to 10 percent

ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Since 1967 ASEAN has forged major political accords that have contributed greatly to regional peace and stability and to its relations with other countries, regions and organizations. Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality was signed to commit Southeast Asia as a free zone from any manner of interference by outside powers and to make concerted effort to broaden the areas of cooperation which would contribute to the strength, solidarity and closer relationship. Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia enshrines the mutual respect of one another’s sovereignty, noninterference in internal affairs, the peaceful settlement of intraregional disputes and effective cooperation.

Current Highlight ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) The ASEAN Economic Community shall be the goal of regional economic integration by 2015.

AEC adopts the following key characteristics that are a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development and a region of fully incorporated into the global economy. ASEAN is being actively involved in initiating and building regional economic linkages, engaging some of the most dynamic economies in the world.

ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community aims to contribute to realizing an ASEAN community that is people oriented and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the peoples and Member Stated of ASEAN. It seeks to forge a common identity and build a caring and sharing society which is inclusive and where the well-being, livelihood, and welfare of the peoples are enhanced.

ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) ASEAN Political-Security Community aims to construct on what has been build over the years in the area of political and security cooperation. It aims to ensure that countries in the region live at peace with one another and with the world in a just, democratic and harmonious environment.

It has the following components of political development, shaping and sharing of norms, conflicts prevention, conflicts resolution, post conflicts peace building and implementing mechanism.

Direction The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on a shared vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies align with its motto of “One vision, One Identity, One Community�