WHAT IS 'ASEAN'?
The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok,
Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7
January 1984, Viet Nam 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.
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| MALAYSIA |
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| INDONESIA |
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| FILIPPINA |
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| SINGAPORE |
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| THAILAND |
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| VIETNAM |
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| KEMBOJA |
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| LAOS |
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| BRUNEI DARUSSALAM |
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| MYANMAR |
AIM AND PURPOSE OF ASEAN:
- To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural
development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of
equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a
prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations
- To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for
justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the
region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
- To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of
common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific
and administrative fields;
- To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research
facilities in the educational, professional, technical and
administrative spheres;
- To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their
agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the
study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement
of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of
the living standards of their peoples;
- To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
- To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing
international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes,
and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves
