ASEAN spotlight turns to Bangkok

ASEAN spotlight turns to Bangkok

BANGKOK: When the heads of government from the ASEAN countries
meet in Bangkok from Dec. 14 to 15, it will be a milestone in the
history of Thailand's foreign relations -- the first top-level
gathering Thailand has hosted for ASEAN leaders.

The fifth summit also provides the rare opportunity for the
leaders of Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to meet their ASEAN
counterparts at one sitting. It is a godsend for Thailand -- as
the host and with its location in the heart of Southeast Asia --
to be able to organize this meeting at this time.

Apart from the diplomatic pleasantries and fanfare, the fifth
summit will seek to demonstrate the active role Thailand is
playing in promoting cooperation and setting the future direction
of ASEAN.

Domestically, it will also boost the image of the beleaguered
Banharn government. Prime Minister Banharn Silapaarcha will be
able to discuss and rub shoulders with other veteran ASEAN
leaders.

Of all the ASEAN leaders, Banharn is the least exposed to and
has very little experience in regional politics. He will be
attending his first summit while all the others have attended at
least two. Indonesian President Soeharto is the only ASEAN leader
who has attended all the previous four summits.

For the Thai public, it will also be an opportunity for them
to show their hospitality and, most of all, maturity. Everybody
can play a role in the summit.

Trying to comprehend what the country is seeking to achieve is
the first step. Thais must also show the ASEAN leaders their
vitality and dynamism in a society which is striving to become
democratic.

Moreover, despite the usual headaches associated with the
traffic jams and other social problems, Thais live in a country
that respects freedom of speech and transparency.

With such wide-ranging objective in mind, it is not surprising
that the host is working hard to advance its agenda. As in
previous ASEAN summits, the hosts will play an influential role
in shaping the form and substance of these high level meetings.

Both Indonesia and Malaysia, as hosts of the first and second
ASEAN summits in 1976 and 1977 respectively, were able to promote
political solidarity among ASEAN countries in responding to
changes in regional politics. The Bali Concord and the Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation were signed.

The Philippines used the third summit in 1987 to boost the
stability of the government of President Corazon Aquino and push
for the realization of a Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapons Free
Zone. With the strong support of Singapore, the host of the
fourth summit in 1992, the ASEAN Free Trade Area was launched
with gusto.

Without exception, Thailand has already made clear that the
highlight of the fifth summit will be the meeting of the leaders
of Southeast Asian countries on Dec. 15, 1995. Thailand wishes to
see the informal meeting between the leaders of ASEAN and Laos,
Cambodia and Myanmar as being the first towards the realization
of one Southeast Asia.

When the founding fathers of ASEAN signed the Bangkok
Declaration on Aug. 8, 1967, they hoped that other Southeast
Asian countries might one day join ASEAN. Therefore, it is a
dream come true that this historic meeting will take place on the
banks of the Chao Praya river.

At the sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Pattaya in April
1973. Gen. Chatichai Choonhavan, who was serving as deputy
foreign minister, proposed a conference of all Southeast Asian
nations. He said that informal gathering could afford
opportunities for the leaders of all the countries in this region
to have close consultations for the common benefit of all.

Throughout the preparations for the summit, Thailand
vigorously defended the idea of integrating Laos, Cambodia and
Myanmar into the mainstream of ASEAN. Thailand has officially
tabled an ASEAN Development Cooperation Program for the
consideration of ASEAN.

The program is designed to help lesser developed countries in
Southeast Asia in areas of human resources development. Together
with this proposal, Thailand has put forward the idea of creating
an ASEAN Volunteer Corps, fashioned along the lines of the U.S.
Peace Corps, to provide assistance to ASEAN's neighbors.

These two plans are now being considered by ASEAN. Although
ASEAN has welcomed the Thai initiatives in principle, some of
them have questioned Thailand's motives. Others argue that it
would be difficult to implement the ideas effectively as ASEAN-
led projects because of member countries's limited funding. They
said ASEAN should not change its status from being a recipient to
being a donor group of countries.

Almost all ASEAN countries have bilateral assistant programs
with Laos, Cambodia and to a certain degree with Myanmar. ASEAN
has yet to agree on a common program under the ASEAN banner to
assist these countries. Doubtless, it is incumbent on Thailand to
convince the ASEAN countries that these proposals would benefit
the region as a whole more than they benefit Thailand.

While Thailand is pushing its agenda, other ASEAN countries,
have chosen to move cautiously. Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia
have indicated they want to see the Bangkok summit making further
progress on intra-ASEAN economic cooperation. Their leaders have
expressed support for the acceleration of the ASEAN Free Trade
Area (AFTA). The Sultan of Brunei expressed the hope in July of
this year that ASEAN should try to complete the AFTA scheme by
the year 2000. Indonesia, the Philippines and to some extent,
Thailand, were less enthusiastic. They are more into development
cooperation.

Nonetheless, as in the fourth summit, the Bangkok Summit will
attempt to speed up the implementation of AFTA and at the same
time come up with new areas of cooperation. Two draft agreements
on services and intellectual property rights are being finalized
by the ASEAN senior officials. The ASEAN leaders are expected to
sign the two agreements at their summit. At the summit, the ASEAN
leaders also plan to enhance cooperation in finance, banking,
investment and industrial policy.

The fifth summit's agenda will not be confined to political
and economic issues. Other pertinent topics such as the
environment, education, AIDS and the role of non-governmental
organizations will also be taken up. Towards this end, Thailand
has already proposed a plan to establish a grassroots advisory
forum, which will form a network of non-governmental
organizations, academic and other interested groups so that they
can provide input to ASEAN.

The idea was first mooted by Foreign Minister Kasem Kasemsri
at the annual ASEAN meeting in Brunei in July this year. ASEAN
countries, such as Singapore and Brunei, which do not have non-
governmental organizations, think this proposal is premature.
Indonesia, which has over 10,000 government-sponsored NGOs, has
been equally reluctant. Only the Philippines is receptive to the
idea.

Obviously, Thailand would like to promote this proposal as a
common endeavor to encourage the participation of grassroots
organizations in shaping the future of ASEAN. Thailand sees this
process as an essential part of the democratic process. For
others, the plan might sound a bit too ideal and too political.

In pursuing Thailand's objectives, the Thai leaders must not
lose sight of the common ASEAN interest in the fifth summit.
There is an unhealthy tendency among concerned authorities to
"overdo" things during the so-called "big events". In the case of
the summit, it could turn into a farce if the hosts become too
self-indulgent. Secondly, the summit must be free from political
interferences. Remember, this is not a summit to promote the Chat
Thai Party or the Nam Thai Party, or for that matter, its
leaders.

In the end, Thailand and its people must make sure that the
fifth summit is a success as its outcome will have far-reaching
ramifications for the future of Thailand and Southeast Asia. The
first brick must be laid firmly in Bangkok in order to move
toward these ultimate objectives. If Thailand fails, it will have
to wait another 21 years for the opportunity to host another
ASEAN summit.

-- The Nation