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