Sihanouk not against ASEAN

Sihanouk not against ASEAN

PHNOM PENH (Reuter): King Norodom Sihanouk is not opposed to Cambodia's entry into the Association of South East Asian Nations, the royal palace said yesterday.

But the king, in documents released by the royal palace, said he fears the social and economic costs of joining the powerful regional bloc.

Earlier this month the king's son, co-Premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh, was quoted as saying Sihanouk regarded ASEAN as a political and military alliance and had strong reservations about entering the group.

"I am certainly very old but not 'senile' to the point of believing that the calling of ASEAN is of a military nature. I know full well that this calling is of an economic order," the king said.

ASEAN diplomats in Phnom Penh said this week that they expect that Cambodia. Laos, and Myanmar to join this year, possibly as early as July when the regional club celebrates its 30th anniversary.