SE Asian countries seek unity through technology

SE Asian countries seek unity through technology

SINGAPORE (AP): The nations of Southeast Asia - ranging from
poor, agrarian Laos to ultra-modern, Internet-savvy Singapore -
might seem worlds apart when it comes to economic development.

But their leaders will try to bring them closer together this
week through technology.

Officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are
scheduled to sign a free-trade pact on Friday aiming to eliminate
duties on information technology goods and services by 2010. The
accord also seeks to facilitate e-commerce among the region's
citizens.

A draft of the "e-ASEAN Framework Agreement," released to the
media on Wednesday, said member states would work to establish
high-speed Internet connections within the region.

The draft said the group would also provide information about
ASEAN to tourism Web sites and digital libraries.

It said member countries should enact laws and policies to
make electronic commerce safe and effective for consumers. It
urges ASEAN members Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei and Myanmar to pass
legislation making digital signatures as legally binding as their
pen-and-paper counterparts.

A digital signature is a copy of a person's signature saved in
a computer as an image. If a coffee grower in Vietnam wanted to
make a deal with a buyer in the United States, they could seal
their pact by attaching a digital signature to an e-mailed
contract.

Several ASEAN countries, including Thailand and Singapore,
have some form of digital signature legislation on the books. The
United States, Germany and Ireland recently passed digital
signature laws.

The draft's call for greater legal protection is important
because many Asians are afraid to buy or sell things over the
Internet. Often, they don't have legal recourse if an online
transaction is not honored.

The e-ASEAN draft also said the grouping should work "to adopt
measures to protect intellectual property rights arising from e-
commerce" and to promote consumer privacy. Intellectual property
theft is common in Southeast Asia.

The draft said ASEAN would work in stages to liberalize cross-
border trade in information technology products. Less developed
members Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam would be given more
time and help to open their markets and develop infrastructure.

The other ASEAN countries - Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei,
Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines - will begin eliminating
e-commerce barriers in January 2003. Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and
Vietnam will start in January 2008, according to the draft.

The draft said the pact was part of the grouping's vision to
create an ASEAN Free Trade Area - a goal which has been stalled
by protectionist measures such as Malaysia's insistence on
maintaining automotive tariffs.