ASEAN law schools plan tie-up

JAKARTA (JP): ASEAN's members may have different legal systems, but law educators have begun efforts to develop a common curriculum for the law schools of the seven countries.

On Saturday representatives of the ASEAN Law Schools Association (ALSA) began hammering out their ambitious plan, which is to have a modest beginning -- the development of a common curriculum for business law studies.

ALSA president Ponciano D. Subido of the Philippines said that increasing economic integration, not only among Southeast Asian countries, but also globally, merited the effort to develop a common curriculum on business law and regulations.

He conceded that the task was not be easy. "But we could start with a simple thing, one subject," he said, referring to business law.

The subjects involved will include the law of contracts, property law and the basic business rules and regulations of the ASEAN countries.

Taking part in Saturday's brainstorming session were legal experts and educators from the seven ASEAN member countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. (03)