Cambodia to join ASEAN in May

Cambodia to join ASEAN in May

PHNOM PENH (AP): A ceremony to make Cambodia the 10th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has been rescheduled for early May, Cambodia's foreign minister said on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong said the ceremony will be held in Hanoi on May 5 or May 6.

The ceremony was set for mid-April, but had to be pushed back because of conflicting schedules of Southeast Asian foreign ministers who will attend the event.

The announcement came a few hours after the inauguration of Cambodia's new Senate at the Royal Palace. Formation of the Senate, the final plank of a November agreement among political parties that ended a year and a half of turmoil, was made a condition for membership by several ASEAN members during a December summit in Hanoi.