A HISTORIC DAY in Southeast Asia

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EDITORIAL
A HISTORIC DAY in Southeast Asia

Let the fireworks proclaim the birth of the Asean Economic Community - neighbours moving forward together as equal partners

BANGKOK: -- The much-anticipated Asean Economic Community (AEC) comes into being today amid high hopes that the new economic bloc will loosen business restrictions and enhance trade opportunities for the 10 member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The AEC now becomes a reality in the seven countries prepared for it, while Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have been granted a two-year extension. For Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, this is an important milestone in a regional grouping founded 48 years ago.

A recent survey by the Straits Times newspaper of Singapore and members of the Asia News Network found that citizens across the region are generally upbeat amid expectations of increased work and travel opportunities and other improvements in lifestyle.

The opinion poll did uncover concerns about the challenges lying ahead. These focus mainly on protectionist non-tariff import measures, regulations that might block the free flow of skilled labour, and the speed of integration, given current realities. Such fears could in themselves pose an obstacle to integration, but they will only be overcome through progress that is visible to and accepted by all.

Meanwhile only a quarter of the respondents in the survey believe that the AEC will bring Asean closer to becoming a "community". More than a third are convinced it will not. The rest are uncertain.

Singapore ambassador-at-large Ong Keng Yong has said, more optimistically, the survey indicates general acceptance that having the 10 countries working together will improve everyone's lot, but he acknowledges "insufficient awareness" among the public of how the nations can forge a cohesive system that will do so. That insufficiency also needs to be addressed.

It is of course natural and understandable for countries to protect their sovereign interests and native industries. Being overprotective, however, carries a cost for the grouping as a whole. This is the rationale behind giv

ing less-developed Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar extra time to prepare. They must be well prepared for the machinations of the AEC in terms of trade freedoms and labour in order to not only safeguard their people but assist them - and then to contribute further to Asean's success.

This is not to say that Thailand and the other countries are fully prepared as yet. Thais could do much better in terms of understanding foreign languages, for example, and in bracing for the inevitable influx of skilled workers. We need to be open-minded about unfamiliar cultures and beliefs. The success of the regional endeavour depends on everyone being ready to do business openly and with confidence.

In 2016, as the AEC settles down to that business, we trust that the governments and people of Southeast Asia will find ways to work together for the mutual betterment of all.

Rather than seeking merely to enrich states and entrepreneurs, the AEC has as one of its chief goals the eradication of poverty, or at least its significant reduction, and that alone would be a noble accomplishment. In pursuit of this aim, the politicians, the bureaucrats and the deal-makers must keep the welfare of ordinary people steadfastly in mind. The law must specifically protect migrant workers so employers cannot take advantage of them. Expatriates from elsewhere in Southeast Asia must in turn respect the law and customs of their host countries.

In addition to the AEC, with its focus on business and the economy, Asean has two other community "pillars" on which it seeks to mount its ambitions for unity and harmony. One is the political-security community, the other the socio-cultural community. With these in place down the road, animosity and conflict between member-nations can hopefully be avoided, replaced by an unshakeably peaceful coexistence.

For Asean to reach that epochal stage in its half-century journey would be a remarkable achievement. It can only be gained through tolerance and mutual respect and by honouring "the spirit of Asean" - neighbours moving forward together as equal partners.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/A-HISTORIC-DAY-in-Southeast-Asia-30275936.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-31

[RubbaJohnny]

An historic day for hyperbole

[Artisi]

Thailand is ready by reducing the number of English teachers as they aren't necessary, ensuring that members of other countries are blamed and prosecuted for the crimes of Thai people, and the road kill is the second highest in the world if not the highest - yes Thailand is ready 555555555

[chainarong]

There are very few Asian countries that are prepared for anything, Singapore is the only one that comes to mind , the rest have a poor track record in their own home country on everything from Human rights , labour issues , corruption , Democracy , dictators, freedom of expression and speech, the list is endless and until these issues are dealt with , AEC is just a name...................................................

[Somtamnication]

"neighbours moving forward together as equal partners". Darwinian sentence of the day.

[Lingba]

when certain countries out here lighten up on freedom of speech, dictatorship , hunan rights issues to name a few..then it will be a historic day

[alant]

Just what is it the countries are celebrating? I can find no way to understand what the introduction of the AEC means.

I thought it would incorporate free trade but does it?

I thought it would allow member citizens the right of abode but does it?

I thought it would allow member citizens the right to purchase land but does it?

I see only protectionism across the members (not just 1, all). What is the benefit?

[BlindMagician]

We wanna be part of a gang....pause...yeah we're in a gang, and we're called the A...E...C, so don't mess.

Cue the paedo Glitter...wanna be in my gang my gang...

[phitsanulokjohn]

We wanna be part of a gang....pause...yeah we're in a gang, and we're called the A...E...C, so don't mess.

Cue the paedo Glitter...wanna be in my gang my gang...

Yes it'd be a pleasure.Which end of the cue shall I hit him with.

[stickylies]

All this ASEAN blah blah is of the same level as the Safety First signs

[NongKhaiKid]

Are the members actually going to stop their protectionist ways or will they pretend to be members while trying to get away with as much as they can ?

I know which one I'd have my money on.

[DrTuner]

A historical pancake.

[Srikcir]

The day marks the BEGINNING of the END for ASEAN.

[TEFLKrabi]

Sometimes reading these reminds me of the Ghostbusters movie where slime in the city made everyone have negative thoughts.

It's an exciting time and will, hopefully, allow Thailand to prosper and grow and become a leader in the region. Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century. I hope it works out.

[tuanku]

This is not to say that Thailand and the other countries are fully prepared as yet. Thais could do much better in terms of understanding foreign languages, for example, and in bracing for the inevitable influx of skilled workers. We need to be open-minded about unfamiliar cultures and beliefs.

There's a paragraph it is hard to image being written with a straight face

[Tom Cahill]

Just what is it the countries are celebrating? I can find no way to understand what the introduction of the AEC means.

I thought it would incorporate free trade but does it?

I thought it would allow member citizens the right of abode but does it?

I thought it would allow member citizens the right to purchase land but does it?

I see only protectionism across the members (not just 1, all). What is the benefit?

Hi Alant,

You make a very astute point. I can answer the question. As with the European Communist Collective, inititally named the Ecomonic Free Trade Agreement, where they used to and still destroy hundreds of millions of pounds' worth of EU derived goods with all ditues and taxes paid at the border as the people are allegedly taking advantage of the fact that the taxes are lower on certain things, this is all a scam. If you look at the EU model, you will understand that this is the model for all of the World.

What never gets publicised in these reports on these bills which are generally many thousands of pages long is that they contain issues of soverignty, such as no member state is allowed to secede from the union; or, that no rule passed may be against further integration, or, that any party may be legal if it has a pro-non-union stance.

Everyone wants free trade, but it's not about that. It's about loss of soverignty so that nationalism will be squashed just as it was created not that long back in historical terms. It's a means to a One World Union, which is almost in place as the only countries not in the fractional reserve banking system are currently being invaded in the Middle East and North Africa.

None of these mega treaties have anything to do with the average person and only serve to benefit of 99.999% of the population. They have nothing to do with trade or ease of access to travel for people, which eventually they plan to massively tighten up on.

The other thing they introduce is that there's an agreement in principle to regulate the laws across the unions, so for instance it's now no longer leagal to execute anyone in any EU member state. This is again not for the average person---thankfully---but to protect the traitors who're signing the agreements, which are treason and are subject to the death penalty, and I think I'm right in saying, they generally even are applicable to the monarchy in each place that I know. The monarch will therefore be marginalised or threatened into a point where they can't refuse to join, as it will be sold as free trade and travel benefits, and the press will back it, so they won't want to go against the grain and say that they're against it, but ultimately there's no room for the old monarchs in Soviets, as the tribe will want to run it all, just like the Soviets and become virtual monarchs with supreme being status.

This is why there's the distabilization going on in Thailand. This is not the Monarchy or the Establishment here's doing, and eventually there'll be a mass clamp down on it, which accounts for the draft bill, i.e. drafting up twelve million men should they become necessary---which has not been done for public popularity reasons I can assure you of that.

Hopefully this helps explain this to you,

Tom

[oneday]

It's an exciting time and will, hopefully, allow Thailand to prosper and grow and become a leader in the region. Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century. I hope it works out.

Everything you say would be true if Thailand were being run by a truly Democratic government that had the best interests of the people (ALL THAI PEOPLE) at heart. Unfortunately, a Democratic government it still a long way off, so I think it will be quite some time before Thailand can actually join the ASEAN community completely.

[DrTuner]

Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century.

They need to move into the 18th first, like they did in France.

[EnglishJohn]

Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century.

They need to move into the 18th first, like they did in France.

They need a leader who wants to change the country. Not one who wants to get into power so he can rape it which is what would happen here.

Thai society is incapable of producing such a person.

[BB24]

Sometimes reading these reminds me of the Ghostbusters movie where slime in the city made everyone have negative thoughts.

It's an exciting time and will, hopefully, allow Thailand to prosper and grow and become a leader in the region. Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century. I hope it works out.

Gotta agree about the sentiment, if not exactly the thoughts about things like Trade Alliances and FTAs. It must be that slime, because it seems to me that all many TV posters do is whinge - at each and every opportunity - with little thought or understanding.

Allow me to maybe add a few thoughts into their otherwise Troll day TEFLKrabi.

This question is for all those whose 'genes' have programmed them to believe that Democracy solves all of a societies problems. How are things going in South Africa ? How about Zimbabwe ? Uganda ? etc etc etc. Is the Thai society overall ready for 'full' Democracy - what I saw in the last 10-15 years says no. I think it will remain a long and slow process. And hopefully it will not involve the removal of the ruling families like in one 'poster child' country, nor a massive civil war like in the other one.

[BB24]

Sometimes reading these reminds me of the Ghostbusters movie where slime in the city made everyone have negative thoughts.

It's an exciting time and will, hopefully, allow Thailand to prosper and grow and become a leader in the region. Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century. I hope it works out.

Gotta agree about the sentiment, if not exactly the thoughts about things like Trade Alliances and FTAs. It must be that slime, because it seems to me that all many TV posters do is whinge - at each and every opportunity - with little thought or understanding.

Allow me to maybe add a few thoughts into their otherwise Troll day TEFLKrabi.

This question is for all those whose 'genes' have programmed them to believe that Democracy solves all of a societies problems. How are things going in South Africa ? How about Zimbabwe ? Uganda ? etc etc etc. Is the Thai society overall ready for 'full' Democracy - what I saw in the last 10-15 years says no. I think it will remain a long and slow process. And hopefully it will not involve the removal of the ruling families like in one 'poster child' country, nor a massive civil war like in the other one.

France and USA

[LannaGuy]

Let's hope we can grasp the opportunity and move Thailand forward into the 21st Century.

They need to move into the 18th first, like they did in France.

They need a leader who wants to change the country. Not one who wants to get into power so he can rape it which is what would happen here.

Thai society is incapable of producing such a person.

can you PLEASE stop using the very offensive term 'rape'? it shows what and who you are but the term is not what a gentleman should be using and is deeply offensive

[Norvid 1950]

The first of January 2016 is a day all Asia will be probably talking about in a few years but from a different perspective. NAFTA doesn't work for majority of their population.; Just for multinational corporations. EU doesn't work under German diktat. Why would ASEAN work? These countries are far behind EU in their respective different religious believes, different cultures because of it, no common language as English is in EU or NAFTA. What is that could unite all these countries together? Multinationals? What about payments for connections and not for the work? What about spread corruption? What about protectionism? What about common/uncommon law and too many different justice systems? What about the leadership in this new ASEAN?

Personally, I wish them success, understanding & human cooperation, but all the average Asian knows is how to get the money out of tourism. With that attitude human cooperation between those nations is in doubt. Does these people on average give a damn about anything, when their own pocket is not involved?