Origins

In 1967, the leaders of five Southeast Asian Nations gathered in the tranquil Thai beach town of Bang Sean to golf, relax and negotiate. The resulting Bangkok Declaration enabled one of the most promising regional organizations of our time: the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

There is nothing fancy about the mechanisms created by the declaration: the Foreign Ministers would meet once a year. Far from building a supra-national state, the declaration's principle achievement was to refute external domination of the region.

To put this into context, Southeast Asia had just thrown off the colonial yoke, and following WWII, successive attempts to reestablish European domination. China was supporting communist insurgencies within their Southeast Asian diaspora and the US and USSR were vying for global hegemony, notably in Indochina.

For fear of being the subject of perpetual foreign domination and their proxy wars, the Bangkok declaration can be best described as Southeast Asia's Declaration of Independence.

Legal obligation would not follow until 1967, when the members concluded the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. The Treaty spells out the rules of good conduct between member-states, and creates a High Council to mediate any disputes. In acknowledgement to the commitment of ASEAN states to follow the treaty, the High Council has never been constituted. The Treaty has also become compulsory for states wishing to accede to ASEAN. Non-regional members may sign the treaty, but without High Council privileges.

To further the cause of creating a peaceful and prosperous region, the grouping concluded the ASEAN Free Trade Area in 1992, and the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in 1995. The first binding environmental agreement came in 2002, with the signing of the Agreement on Trans-boundary Haze Pollution.

The ratification of the ASEAN Charter in 2007 represents the maturation of ASEAN from a gentleman's club to a fledging rules-based supra-national organization. The charter clarifies the purpose and function of the Association, grants it legal personality– enabling it to sign treaties, and creates a Human Rights Body.

The world awaits to see how the Human Rights Body will function, and how it will improve the lives of Southeast Asians.

Asian leaders urged to pressure Burma at Asean summit

04.08.2010

Leaders of 10 South East Asian nations meeting for a summit in Vietnam have been urged to put Burma's coming elections at the top of their agenda.

Vietnam puts Paracel row on summit agenda

04.08.2010

As host of the Asean summit, Vietnam is pushing hard to put the arrested fisherman and territorial disputes on the agenda to achieve a multilateral approach to the South China Sea disputes.

Vietnam takes the helm: Interview with Vietnamese ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Duy Hung

02.20.2010

As Vietnam prepares to chair ASEAN, the ambassador discusses upcoming priorities, objectives, and his perspective on an expanded East Asian Community with the Bangkok Post

ASEAN integration going slow due to trust issues -- Puno

02.19.2010

Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno said the slow fulfillment of the integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is caused by the members’ low "trust-level" in foreigners and their irreconcilable viewpoints regarding human rights.

India-Asean services pact may be inked in October

02.16.2010

India and the 10-nation South East Asian trading bloc Asean are expected to widen their trade engagement by signing in October, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that will cover services and investment.

China and Asean free trade deal begins

01.01.2010

A new free trade area comes into effect on Friday, incorporating China and the six founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). In terms of population it will be the largest trade area in the world, with nearly 1.9bn people and it includes some of the leading export driven economies.

Taiwan seeks closer ties with ASEAN by opening research centre

12.15.2009

Taiwan will open a research institute on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to seek closer ties with the regional group.

ASEAN chief pleas for bloc's 'centrality'

11.20.2009

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must remain at the core of regional affairs despite competing visions for a new Asia-Pacific diplomatic framework, the bloc's chief said Friday.

Asian EU a 'long-term' goal

11.03.2009

Japan's call for an East Asian Community similar to the European Union has been welcomed by a senior Chinese official.

Future Path For An East Asian Community

11.01.2009

The clearest message from the 15th Asean Summit in Thailand’s coastal city of Cha-am over the weekend was about the future of regional architecture in East Asia.