Seminar on ASEAN financial initiatives

Seminar on ASEAN financial initiatives

JAKARTA (JP): The ASEAN Business Forum, a nonprofit group
consisting of firms from Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), is to stage a conference on ASEAN Financial Initiatives
for the 21st Century in December.

The ABF's executive director, Kho Hock Aun, said here
yesterday that the conference, co-organized by the ASEAN
secretariat would be held in Kuala Lumpur from December 1-3 in
tandem with an exhibition on banking and finance. .

Some of the world's top policy-makers and corporate executives
will speak at the event, he said.

Scheduled speakers include executives of the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund and Moody's Asia-Pacific, he said.

Kho added that ABF would also hold the Fifth ASEAN Achievement
Awards on Aug. 7, at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta.

Two Indonesians will receive awards this year, businessman
Aburizal Bakrie (ASEAN Businessperson of the Year) and Emil Salim
(Environmental Protection).

Bakrie is the chairman of both the Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry and of the ASEAN Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. He also chairs the diversified Bakrie Group.

Emil Salim, former minister of population and environment, is
now chairman of the board of trustees of the Indonesian
Biodiversity Foundation and the U.S.-based Council of Appropriate
Technology.

The awards are presented to outstanding individuals from ASEAN
for 12 categories: architecture, business, community service,
education, engineering, environmental protection, information
technology, medicine, research and development, science, sport
and visual and performing arts.

Nominees must be ASEAN citizens who have made significant
contributions to the community. Nominees are reviewed by a
selection committee and a short list is forwarded to a panel of
judges for the final decision.

This awards have been held annually since 1992.

Kho said the general public and selected national and regional
organizations and were invited to make nominations for this years
awards over the last two months.

He said no award in architecture would be presented in 1997.
"Sometimes, it's hard to select a winner in certain fields."he
said.
Besides Bakrie and Emil Salim there have been six other
Indonesian winners since 1992: Didi Suwardi (engineering, 1992),
Johan Silas (engineering, 1993), Susi Susanti (sport, 1993 and
1994), Wiratman Wangsadinata (engineering, 1994), Aditya
Indradjaja (architecture, 1995) and Ibnu Sutowo (community
service, 1995).

As of last week, the ASEAN group has included nine countries,
Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (icn)