ASEAN Affairs Forum

[Reashot Xigwin]

ASEAN’s Gini: Out of the bottle
Curtis S. Chin, Bangkok | Opinion | Thu, March 21 2013, 10:32 AM



As the 10 ASEAN member states continue their push toward a more cohesive ASEAN community, much of the focus has been on what more needs to be done by each nation in the countdown to an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) prior to 2015.

Adopted and signed by ASEAN leaders in November 2007 in Singapore, during their annual summit meeting, the “Blueprint” for economic integration under the AEC envisioned “a single market and production base” and a Southeast Asian region that would be “highly competitive,” characterized by “equitable economic development” and “fully integrated into the global economy”.

But perhaps lost in all the debate over what the AEC might mean in terms of freer — if not free — trade in goods and services, skilled labor, investment and capital flows are the implications for Southeast Asia if the gap between the rich and the poor grew and grew, and no one noticed.

Equitable development under the AEC does not and should not, after all, necessarily mean equitable results. It should mean equitable opportunity.

Under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, I served as US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank, an institution focused on reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region’s least developed nations in part through finance a range of infrastructure projects and programs, as well as efforts to foster greater regional economic integration. Critically, Southeast Asia’s leaders must also focus on inequality of opportunity if development is to be sustainable. More equal access to public services, such as education, water, electricity and sanitation, should be critical concerns.

Now based in Thailand at a regional institute focused in part on educating a next generation of future government, civil society and business leaders, including hundreds of students from the ASEAN region, I am often struck by the contrasts between the images governments might seek to project and the realities on the ground. Also striking are people’s own images of the countries in which they live.

While delivering a guest lecture at Chulalangkorn University’s Sasin Graduate Institute of business administration, I asked, “Which nation in Asia is the most ‘unequal’ when it comes to the Gini coefficient, or index — a measure of income inequality?”

Pakistan, India and Vietnam were among the responses. Imagine the surprise, when I informed them of the CIA World Factbook’s rankings: While the African nations of Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho top the charts as the most unequal in the world, Thailand is ranked as the most unequal in Asia. Coming in as the 12th most unequal worldwide, Thailand is followed in Asia by No. 13 Hong Kong and No. 19 Papua New Guinea. Sweden has the most equal distribution of average family income of more than 130 ranked nations and territories.

For the Southeast Asia nations for which data is available, the rankings in order of most unequal to least unequal distribution of family income are: Thailand (12th most unequal); Singapore (29th), Malaysia (33rd), Philippines (36th), Cambodia (45th), Vietnam (73rd), Indonesia (78th) and Laos (70th).

Some of these figures are startling. Indeed, the rankings also underscore one of the fundamental challenges of policy. That is, the accuracy of data. Rankings are only as good as the source data. GIGO, as they say: Garbage in,
garbage out.

The inconvenient truth is that even as a changing Asia helps drive the global economy, the region remains home to two-thirds of the world’s poor, and an estimated 1.7 billion people still struggle on less than US$2 a day, according to the ADB. Approximately 700 million live on less than $1 a day.

Ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples are often marginalized and excluded from the benefits of the region’s growth. Some 43 percent of the Asia-Pacific population do not have access to improved sanitation facilities, and growing numbers moving to Asia’s teeming cities face deteriorating sanitation and environmental conditions and inadequate housing and infrastructure, according to the ADB.

So, does the “official” Gini index really matter to ASEAN?

In some ways, it remains a philosophical question for Southeast Asia — about the role of government, business and civil society, and about what level of inequality a society can accept.

A nation can be made up of equally poor people and would fare much better in the Gini rankings. Perhaps more important than official Gini coefficients are trends and attitudes as to whether or not things are getting better and for whom.

Respected Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh once wrote that technology, globalization and domestic policy are the key drivers of inequality today. In discussing Singapore’s relatively high Gini coefficient, Koh wrote that the number did not capture some of Singapore’s strengths: a strong rule of law, a non-corrupt government and most importantly, equality of opportunities and social mobility.

There is indeed more to a nation than its Gini coefficient.

Certainly, Southeast Asia — like much of Asia and the Pacific — has been transformed these last decades. Poverty has decreased and tens of millions live better lives. And people everywhere should welcome an Asia that is both more prosperous and more at peace with itself.

With the twin jinni’s of technological progress and globalization out of the bottle, there is no putting them back in.

As Southeast Asia moves toward greater economic integration and cooperation, how its leaders, businesses and everyday citizens answer the question, “What if the gap between the rich and the poor grew and grew, and no one noticed?” will help define what kind of community the AEC will truly be.

The writer served as US ambassador to the Asian Development Bank (2007-2010). He is senior fellow and executive-in-residence at the Asian Institute of Technology, and a managing director with River Peak Group.

ASEAN

The Genie really is out of the bottle in here.

 

[Malaya]

ASEAN countries urged to boost investment
Thursday, March 21, 2013

Kuala Lumpur: The member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should further boost investment to weather uncertainties of the current global economic climate, said its deputy secretary-general Lim Hong Hin Thursday.

One of the important lessons of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 is that recovery may not be sustainable without growth in private investment, Lim said.

The ongoing global economic uncertainties offer ASEAN the same lesson that the 10-nation bloc needs a domestically generated growth to sustain its medium-term growth prospect, reported Xinhua quoting Lim.

The deputy secretary-general for ASEAN economic community was speaking at the forum on the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), which came into effect in 2012 to boost investment in the region.

Strong domestic demand, especially domestic investment, has helped the economy of ASEAN countries remain dynamic despite the global uncertainties.

According to Mustapa Mohamed, minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of ASEAN grew by 5.2 percent in 2012, outpacing the global economy.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted a 5 to 6 percent annual growth for the period of 2013 to 2017 in ASEAN.

However, Lim said the ASEAN countries should do more to boost investment. "The dependence of most ASEAN countries on external demand has been an Achilles' heel that made us vulnerable to the crisis," he said.

He urged the ASEAN countries to make the ACIA work in order to face the challenge posed by global uncertainties and realize the goal of achieving ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.

"We have to make sure that it is not just another agreement, but something that will create a difference in transforming our different investment regimes into one integrated regime that can create opportunities for our economies, and more importantly, for the market," he said.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

ASEAN countries urged to boost investment


Hugh Stephens: Canada can’t afford to ignore ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be holding its 22nd Leaders’ Summit in Brunei Darussalam between April 24th and 25th. Canada should be paying attention. The outcomes of this meeting, and the directions that it sets for ASEAN’s security and economic agenda, can significantly affect our rediscovered interests in the region.

ASEAN, 10 nations in the heart of Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) has been around since 1967, but it is only in recent years that it has become the linchpin of economic growth and trade in the region. With a market of 600 million people, ASEAN covers the spectrum of development from advanced service economies like Singapore to economies just emerging from decades of mismanagement like Laos and Myanmar, to mixed but growing economies like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. Tiny Brunei, with a population of just 400,000, is one of the world’s wealthier states owing to its enormous oil resources. What this grab-bag of economies has in common is a desire to hang together (lest they hang separately) in dealing with their politically and economically powerful neighbours – China, Japan, Korea and India – while at the same time strengthening engagement with the U.S., their southern neighbours (Australia and New Zealand), Russia, and, yes, even Canada.

Canada has recently focused its efforts at revitalizing links with ASEAN. Although a “Dialogue Partner” since 1977, Canada seemed to lose interest from the 1990s onward. That is changing. We appointed our first ambassador to the ASEAN in 2009, signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in 2010 and last year Minister Ed Fast inaugurated a new Canada-ASEAN Business Council, based in Singapore.

The ASEAN Summit will need to deal with two particularly difficult issues: security concerns related to China’s aggressive claims to most of the South China Sea and economic and trade issues, including two regional trade pacts currently under negotiation. China is flexing its muscles to assert its claim to 90% of the strategic and resource-rich South China Sea, bolstering its threadbare legal claim by populating and establishing administrative regulations over minuscule islets, and leaning on countries with competing claims to settle with it bilaterally. ASEAN, for its part, wants to deal with China as a bloc and seek multilateral solutions. While Canada has no direct security interests in the South China Sea, the area is a potential international flashpoint with the United States refusing to recognize Chinese sovereignty over what it considers to be international waters.

Of more direct interest to Canada are the trade and economic issues centred on ASEAN. The organization is the hub of a number of trade agreements with its neighbours – China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. These bilateral agreements are now being rolled into one big package known as the RCEP (Regional Cooperative Economic Partnership) Agreement. Building on the agreement it already has with ASEAN, each of the “spoke countries” will have to negotiate agreements with each other. These negotiations between China and Japan, Japan and Korea, India and China etc. will likely prove difficult. That said, the breadth of the RCEP makes it a likely foundation for the ultimate goal of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP).

While the RCEP includes all 10 ASEAN countries, it excludes economies on this side of the Pacific. That niche is filled by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the regional trade bloc now under negotiation from which Canada was initially excluded. The TPP is not only an alternate track to an Asia Pacific trade agreement, but one with a higher degree of discipline in terms of opening markets.

The fact that four ASEAN countries are part of the TPP process is a concern to some ASEAN leaders, fearing a split between those members with preferential access to North America and those without. However, the presence of four ASEAN economies within both the TPP and RCEP can serve as a bridge between the two tracks. There has been much discussion about whether these tracks are complementary or competing. For now, they are presumed to lead ultimately to the same trade objective. The good news is that Canada is firmly embedded in the TPP process.

Although seemingly far away, the upcoming ASEAN Summit must be on Canada’s radar.

Canada can

 

[nufix]

Increased military budget reflects strong deterrent effect: Navy chief
March 2013

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The increase in the military budget of South East Asian countries reflects strong defense posture and deterrent effect in the region that could develop mutual respect, said Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Marsetio.

"The rise of defense budget of countries in the region reflects the increasing deterrent effect. It is just reasonable for the them to increase their military budget," said Marsetio in his after attending the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue here Thursday.

Although Indonesia decided to raise its military budget, the government and the military will consistently give priorities to the sense of brotherhood and national sovereignty.

He believed that other countries which had raised their budget for developing their military facilities will be responsible for their military strength and will obey common rules.

"Although they have raised their budget, they will certainly maintain mutual respects in their relations and obey the rules in force," he said.

Meanwhile, Maritime Commander for the Pacific Region of the French Defense Ministry Rear-admiral Anne Cullerre said budget increase for defense was needed to build stability and security in the region.

"This is what we want how to create stability and peaceful condition in the region," said Cullerre.

Besides, she said that joint naval exercises also could be conducted to promote military and security cooperation among countries.

"The more parties who join, work together and build interoperability, the better thing to nurture mutual trusts," Cullerre said.(*)
Editor: Heru

 

[cirr]

China, Thailand invest in hydropower

By Soe Sandar Oo | Monday, 25 March 2013

China and Thailand are interested in investing in hydropower projects in the Thanlwin River, said a senior official from the Ministry of Electric Power’s Department of Hydropower Implementation on March 20.

“They [China and Thailand] are interested because they are worried about future electricity demand. Due to increasing populations and development, the production rate cannot meet the consumption rate of electricity in these countries,” he said.

There are six hydropower projects scheduled to be implemented in the Thanlwin River. In northern Shan state there is the 1400 megawatt (MW) Kounloan project, 1000 MW Noungpha, 200 MW Manthaung and 7110 MW Mountone projects.

Additionally there is the 4000 MW Yourthit project in Kayar state and the 1360 MW Hatgyi proect in Kayin state.

“It is just at the research stage. There are so many stages that need to be done in order to implement a hydropower project. But some people think we are starting and they want to protest against the projects for the sake of environment,” he said.

Chinese companies Hanergy Holding Group Ltd, Hydrochina Corporation, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC), China Datang Overseas Investment Co, Ltd (CDOI) and Sinohydro Corporation have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding with local companies.

Thailand’s EGAT International (EGATI) is interested in a build operate transfer agreement with a local company and has already signed an MoU with local companies and investors.

（That makes a total of six）

Thailand has begun to worry about its long term future power sources after it was announced on March 6 that the Yadana offshore block will stop exporting gas to Thailand from April 4 to 15 for some maintenance work, the official said.

“If we have no plan management to uncover the public for SIA and EIA, we will not continue the projects. This is a new era and everything will go on very openly and we will listen to what the people say,” he said.

There have been rumours that the excess water from the dams would flow to Thailand, causing activists from the country to demand the projects be cancelled.

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Electric Power, U Myint Zaw, said at the sixth regular sectional meeting of the first Pyithu Hluttaw that the rumours are not true.

China, Thailand invest in hydropower

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Low awareness of 2015 Asean integration noted
By Ronnel W. Domingo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
5:18 am | Monday, April 1st, 2013

MANILA, Philippines—Citizens of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members generally don’t know much about or are uninterested in the regional grouping even as the 2015 threshold for building an integrated economic bloc approaches.

A study released by the Asean Secretariat found that three out of four people (76 percent) “lack a basic understanding” of what Asean is and what it is striving to do.

However, four out of five (81 percent) are “familiar with” or have heard of Asean. According to those who prepared the report, this “significantly surpassed the expected public awareness.”

The 11-page study presents the results of a survey that covered 2,200 respondents from the general public as well as in-depth interviews with 261 business leaders in 11 sectors—all spread out across the capital cities of the 10 Asean members.

Businesses have a relatively better understanding of Asean as some of them are taking part in activities related to the promotion of Asean integration, according to the report.

Even then, the data show that 55 percent of business respondents only have “a basic understanding” of what Asean is and 30 percent lack any basic knowledge of the grouping.

“The overall level of understanding for both businesses and general public is still low because of a general lack of interest alongside an ineffective use of communication channels,” the report said.

“However, it is good to note that the overall perception and attitude towards the Asean community is positive,” it added.

The survey shows that businesses and the general public both perceive Asean integration as having positive impacts on the region.

Businessmen who were surveyed generally believe the planned Asean Economic Community will improve the overall economy of the region, helping Asean compete globally.

Low awareness of 2015 Asean integration noted | Inquirer Business

Keeping faith in the Asean way
By Farish A. Noor

DEALING WITH FUTURE CHALLENGES: Southeast Asia needs to remain on course for integration by 2015

IN the space of a week, several worrying developments have taken place close to our Southeast Asian region which merit our attention.

It was reported that a flare-up occurred in the South China Sea when a Chinese vessel fired flares at a Vietnamese fishing boat. China has since stated that the clash was due to the fact that the Vietnamese vessel was fishing in Chinese territorial waters -- though China's claim on vast areas of the South China Sea is precisely the issue that has to be resolved in the first place.

Then came the news that North Korea has decided to cut off its military hotline to South Korea, coming at a time when North Korea has demonstrated an increasingly bellicose stance towards the South, and its allies.

North Korea's threats of engaging in war with its neighbour, and the even more serious threat of taking its confrontation further afield, has stirred anxiety among other countries in East Asia that wish to de-escalate the potential for conflict in the region.

While all of this is happening, we in Asean need to remain on the course towards Asean integration by 2015. For, whether we like it or not, and whether we are ready for it or not, the pace and momentum have been set by developments that have accumulated over the past decade.

Asean today is more integrated than ever before, with Asean countries spreading their investments far and wide across the region, and building floating economies where their capital has been dispersed overseas as well: a smart strategy of not putting all of one's eggs in one basket, and to link our economies closer with the awareness that what-ever happens to one Asean country in the future will impact on the rest of Asean as well.

It is with these factors in mind that we need to retain faith in Asean and Asean's capacity to absorb changes and contingency whenever they arise.

The recent security crisis as a result of the incursion by some armed Filipinos into Malaysian territory cannot, and should not, be a reason to stall the process of Asean integration in the near future.

I raise these concerns now as I feel that we need to do more to boost the level of inter-Asean contacts and co-operation in the years to come as we will be dealing with some real challenges in the decade ahead.

For a start, Asean needs to come together to deal with the very real shift of power that we will see soon.

China's forays into the South China Sea have to be understood in the context of its internal regional politics, and the need to feed the country's massive population.

The relative decentralisation that has taken place in China over the past decade means that the southern provincial governments have been left to fend for themselves when dealing with the challenge of food production and food distribution.

The growth of China's fishing fleet and their increased visibility further south of the Chinese coast is an indication of China's growing need to feed itself, and the changing demographics of China's southern cities and coastal regions.

Like it or not, Asean has to find a way to cater to its own food security needs while not antagonising a powerful neighbour like China.

This can only happen if Asean can work in cooperation with one another, and not when some Asean countries are harbouring long-held primordial historical claims on other parts of neighbouring countries.

To put it bluntly: Asean cannot continue to bicker about historical claims of the past when the pressing needs of the moment are more urgent.

Then there will be the challenge of dealing with the waning of American power, as well as the decline of Europe as an economic partner.

Here, too, Asean needs to come together to adjust to the new realities on the ground and to work together rather than against each other.

The decline of American power, coupled with the rise of China's economic power, entails a shift in the polarities of regional power as well.

But for Asean to adjust to these changes, and to benefit from them as a region, it has to behave like a regional pact in the first place.

In the recent past, some Asean countries have opted to deal with either the US or China unilaterally.

The Philippines, for instance, cooperated with China when it came to the survey of the South China Sea, without inviting its other Asean neighbours (though Vietnam was later brought into the project as well).

Ideally, Asean states should recognise that what is good for the region is good for them as well, and the spirit of Asean cooperation needs to be upheld and further strengthened all the time.

As the countdown to Asean integration in 2015 continues, it is hoped that the Asean spirit and its culture of inter-state dialogue will be further enhanced.

Asean has come in for a bit of criticism over the past decade, and accused of institutional inertia and group-think among elites.

But this does not mean that more meaningful people-to-people contact cannot be enhanced as well, or that Asean cannot think out of the box to deal with complex issues such as diaspora communities, overlapping communities and our complex past.

What is needed, however, is faith in the Asean dialogue process; and also the awareness that apart from the European Union, Asean is the only other multi-state body that has prevented wars between states since 1967.

Anyone who doubts the importance of that can simply look at the deteriorating situation between the two Koreas and learn to appreciate the value of dialogue and cooperation.
.

Asean has to find a way to enhance food security while not antagonising a powerful neighbour like China, which is increasingly feeling the need to feed its huge population. Pic by Lano Lan

Read more: Keeping faith in the Asean way - Columnist - New Straits Times Keeping faith in the Asean way - Columnist - New Straits Times

 

[Viet]

Chinese troops to take part in 10+8 joint drill in Brunei: spokesman

(Xinhua)
20:23, March 28, 2013

BEIJING, March 28 (Xinhua) -- China will send troops to take part in the ASEAN+8 joint drill to be held in Brunei in June, a Ministry of National Defense spokesman said Thursday.

The joint drill will be held by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and eight partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, the Republic of Korea and the United States), spokesman Yang Yujun said at a press conference.

In 2012, members of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus agreed to hold joint humanitarian rescue and disaster relief exercises, as well as establish a group of military medical experts under ADMM-Plus, Yang said.

In April 2011, the first experts' working group meeting on humanitarian rescue and disaster relief under ADMM-Plus, co-chaired by China and Vietnam, made a three-year plan that includes the joint drill.

"China has kept close and positive communication with Brunei and other members," said Yang. "China hopes the joint drill will boost pragmatic cooperation in disaster relief among member countries, as well as the sound development of ADMM-Plus."

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

SBY meets new ASEAN supremo
Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Mon, April 08 2013, 6:56 PM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (right) welcomes ASEAN secretary-general Le Luong Minh following his arrival at the Presidential Office for an official visit on Monday. At the meeting, Yudhoyono and Minh discussed several issues concerning regional cooperation and an increasing of Indonesia’s role in the regional bloc. [JP/Jerry Adiguna]

ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh paid a courtesy visit to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at his office on Monday. It was the first formal meeting between the two leaders since Minh was inaugurated as secretary general on Jan. 7.

“I appreciate Indonesia and President Yudhoyono for the continuing strengthening of ASEAN, especially in progress towards the ASEAN community,” Minh told the press.

The former Vietnamese deputy foreign minister said he and Yudhoyono mostly discussed the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Minh said that at the meeting, he also voiced concern about the tension in the South China Sea.

“We need an environment of peace and stability and ensure the adoption of a standard code of conduct, especially relating to the South China Sea,” he said.

Presidential foreign affairs spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that Yudhoyono welcomed the appointment of Minh.

"The President highlighted the importance of a rule-based ASEAN with good policy coordination. That is the fundamental condition we need towards the ASEAN Community,” he said. (ebf)

SBY meets new ASEAN supremo | The Jakarta Post

Indonesia ready to cooperate with new ASEAN secretary general

Posted on April 9, 2013, Tuesday

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia is ready to cooperate with new ASEAN Secretary General, Le Luong Minh, to realise ASEAN programmes.

“Your role will be very important and Indonesia is ready for realising the 2015 ASEAN Community,” Indonesian President told Le Luong Minh at the former`s office here on Monday, reports Antara news agency.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam, were present when Susilo received Le.

Susilo said that ASEAN has been working on the establishment of the Asean Community by 2015.

“We have to push for the realisation of a lot of things to ensure the readiness of the architecture of the ASEAN Community,” the president said.

Le was officially sworn in as ASEAN’s new secretary general on Jan 9, 2013 replacing Surin Pitsuwan from Thailand.

He was previously Vietnam`s Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister.

During the meeting, Le promised that he would continue the achievements made by ASEAN for the past 46 years and realise ASEAN’s dream to set up a community by 2015.

He also pledged to encourage negotiations for the Code of Conduct (CoC) on South China Sea. –Bernama

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/0...ew-asean-secretary-general-new/#ixzz2PwctC6gK

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Indonesia works to spread AC knowledge

Published: 9 Apr 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

JAKARTA : Indonesia's efforts to inform its citizens about the implementation of the Asean Community (AC) at the end of 2015 set a good example for Thailand to follow, say a group of MPs.

Officials from the House of Representatives travelled to Indonesia on March 24-27 to study the country's progress to become part of the AC, which takes effect Dec 31, 2015.

The 15 delegates attended meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and parliament.

Pannipa Sermsri, deputy secretary -general of the House of Representatives, said the delegation learned a lot from their counterparts in charge of raising AC public awareness.

The Indonesian government had instructed state agencies to provide the public with the necessary information on the AC and the possible impacts of increased regional integration, she said.

She said the government was concerned about the legal ramifications of the AC.

Officials are trying to inform the public about AC integration through various capacity-building programmes and legal training, she said.

Rosmalawab Chalid, the director for Asean Functional Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government's programme included 16 activities such as seminars, workshops, public lectures, focus groups and media discussions.

Somchart Tammasiri, director of the Bureau of Legal Services for the House of Representatives, said the parliament here is also concerned over legal matters and more can be done to inform the public about the effects of regional integration.

He said each member of Asean has unique legal structures and challenges.

Mr Somchart said he proposed that Asean establish a model legal code for its members to refer to when creating their own laws.

"If Asean has no the model law, it will be harder for Asean to work harmoniously," he said.

Indonesian officials expressed interest in the idea, Mr Somchart said.

He said the Indonesian government's programmes showed it was aware about integration, though the public still lacked substantial knowledge about it.

Thailand has the same situation, he said.

Rahmat Pramono, the secretary of the Directorate-General, Asean Cooperation at Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Thai delegation his government must work harder still to educate the general public about the importance of the AC.

A Japanese research institute found in a survey that most Indonesians still lack understanding on the establishment of the AC, and many students were unsure whether their country would benefit from regional integration, Mr Pramono said.

He said his ministry launched the information programme to boost the public's understanding.

Partogi Nainggolan, a senior researcher and head of the Research Division of the Indonesian House of Representatives, said he is concerned over political and security problems when the region unites as a single community two years from now.

Each Asean state has its own unique challenges, he said, mentioning the Rohingya minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state in particular.

Indonesia works to spread AC knowledge | Bangkok Post: news

 

[Nike]

Hi nice efforts u have done bro, keep the job is up and i will trying to contribute at here as soon as i get accustomed in here

 

[Fsjal]

PHL lags behind ASEAN peers in food exports | Economy | GMA News Online

The Philippines is behind its neighbors in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region when it comes to food exports, the 250-member strong Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization (Philfoodex) said in a statement over the weekend.

“The Philippine food export turnover is still far behind our ASEAN neighbors. For example, Thailand has an average of $20 billion annual revenue from food exports,” said Philfoodex president Roberto C. Amores in the statement, adding that “much can still be done to enhance our export performance.”

In 2012 the Philippines exported $3.55 billion worth of food products, up 11.56 percent year-on-year and constituting 6.8 percent of the country's total exports that year of $51.99 billion. Food exporters expect the value of exports to increase 6 percent this year and 10 percent in 2014 .

Many of the country's food exporters are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that could benefit from government assistance in gaining access to technology and financing, said Amores.

“The government should continue to address the problem of MSMEs’ lack of access to financing for them to expand and modernize their facilities to meet international standards,” he said.

Philfoodex also suggested removing import and export duties on raw materials and lowering power rates, saying that the rates in the economic zones are 40 percent lower than are available to exporters outside the ecozones. “[T]he same price should be available to exporters outside of the economic zone,” the statement said.

 

[Nike]

Foreign giants bid on Rp 20t power grid
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Mon, April 08 2013, 6:28 AM
A- A A+

At least five multinational companies will take part in a tender for the construction of an undersea power grid connecting South Sumatra and West Java that was recently opened by state-owned electricity company PLN.

Nasri Sebayang, construction director of PLN, said recently that the five foreign companies included Siemens from Germany, Hitachi from Japan, Toshiba from Japan, the consortium of ABB and Marubeni from Switzerland and Japan, and a consortium of Alstom from France and state-owned construction company PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA), had formally passed the pre-qualification process.

"The bidders completed the pre-qualification selection process in 2012 and are ready to join the tender," he told Antara

The 700-kilometer South Sumatra-Java transmission network, which will have a capacity of 500 kilovolts (kV), will be used to transmit power supply from a number of coal-fired power stations currently being built in South Sumatra to Java. Nasri said he expected that the Rp 20 trillion (US$2.06 billion) undersea power grid project would start this year and would be completed in 2016.

---

I hope this move will reduce blackout events in Sumatra island

 

[Fsjal]

Hi nice efforts u have done bro, keep the job is up and i will trying to contribute at here as soon as i get accustomed in here

Hi, must be new here. I hope you enjoy your stay here.

 

[Nike]

RI to review deal with Malaysia, Thailand
Linda Yulisman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Tue, April 09 2013, 9:20 AM
A- A A+

Paper Edition | Page: 3

The rubber industry in Indonesia, the world’s second-biggest rubber producer, will propose a review of the supply management that it has implemented in the past six months to cut overseas supply, along with Thailand and Malaysia.

Indonesian Rubber Association (Gapkindo) chairman Daud Husni Bastari said on Monday that the mechanism was still poorly supervised and it was unclear whether stakeholders carried it out according to their commitments.

The review proposal will be rolled out during a meeting of the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC) from Wednesday to Friday on Thailand’s resort island of Phuket, which will decide further moves on shoring up rubber prices.

“Our main concern is that we don’t know whether members have already implemented the supply curb consistently and whether there will be additional output from new plants,” Daud told The Jakarta Post in a phone interview.

The supply arrangement is based on the prediction of demand over a long span of time and is seen as strategic in curbing supply in the long term as overproduction will in turn significantly erode prices.

In a deal reached in August, three ITRC members — Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia — representing 70 percent of the world’s rubber output, pledged to curb supply to bolster prices through an agreed export tonnage scheme (AETS) and supply management scheme (SMS) after prices slumped to a record low of around US$2.7 per kilogram.

Under AETS, producers cut supply to the market by as much as 300,000 tons from October last year to March this year, while through the SMS, they controlled production through a variety of measures, including replanting and removing aging trees.

The measures came up after futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange plunged to a three-year low of ¥205.6 ($2.09) in August last year.

Rubber for September deliveries gained 6.6 percent to close at ¥270.3 per kilogram in Tokyo, the largest daily gain since November 2011, Bloomberg reported.

During October to December last year, Indonesia slashed as much as 111,000 tons from the market, inching closer to the commitment of 117,000 tons for six months, ending in March this year, according to the latest data available at Gapkindo. Thailand and Malaysia, the world’s largest producers, earlier planned to pare down 143,000 tons and 40,000 tons respectively.

Last year, Indonesia exported 2.44 million tons of natural rubber, down by 4.15 percent from a year earlier.

This year, Indonesia expects to see its rubber output rise slightly by 2.36 percent to 3.04 million tons, the association estimates.

Daud said that his association would also ask for the extension of the rubber supply arrangement with other Southeast Asian producing nations, such as Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, during the meeting.

“Vietnam’s output will soon catch up with Malaysia, and our concerted efforts along with other countries in ASEAN may be good for managing supply and sustaining prices in the long run,” he said.

Thailand has said it would ask for an extension of the reduction in exports from the three biggest suppliers during the meeting to curb prices, said Thai Deputy Agriculture Minister Yuttapong Charasathien as quoted by Bloomberg.

However, Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said that Indonesia would not offer a position before the two measures were reviewed.

---

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Don’t Let the Flames of Nationalism Engulf Southeast Asia
By Mong Palatino
April 6, 2013

Nationalism was the powerful and revolutionary idea which inspired and mobilized the people of colonized countries in Southeast Asia to fight for their political independence after World War II. Then, post-colonial governments invoked it to unify their nations against real or imagined foreign aggressors.

In the era of globalization, nationalism became appealing once more for people who wanted to preserve their local identity and culture, especially in developing nations with governments that are suspicious of the Western promotion of the Washington Consensus.

On the whole, nationalism is useful and even necessary to stabilize the hegemony of nation-states. But its unifying power could also turn deadly if allowed to mutate into xenophobia, creating race-based prejudices, ethnic hatred, and religious conflict.

Today, there seems to be a surge of this deadly brand of nationalism across Southeast Asia.

Burma is embroiled in conflict as riots between Buddhists and Muslims flared up anew in the towns of Meikhtila, Minhla, Moenyo and Latpadan. More than 40 people have already been killed in the two weeks of conflict, while shops, houses, and places of worship have been burned to the ground.

President Thein Sein blamed the violence on religious extremists “who exploit the noble teachings of religions and tried to plant hatred among people of different faiths for their own self-interest.”

Buddhism is a state religion in Burma. Meanwhile, Muslims comprise about four percent of the country’s population.

What is most unfortunate in the Meikhtila riot is that it was a mere private dispute in a market which turned ugly and became a bloody riot in a town where Buddhists, Muslims, and people of other faiths have historically lived peacefully as neighbors.

The civilian government must immediately investigate the possibilities that someone or some groups deliberately instigated some of the recent violence in Burma. It should also probe its police and army officers who are suspected of being involved in the riots, as reported by Tomas Quintana, UN special envoy on human rights in Burma.

Francis Wade speculates the riots could also reflect the disturbing rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in Burma. Likewise, dissident scholar Maung Zarni warned against “genocidal Buddhist racism” whose proponents “have chosen to pursue a destructive nationalism that is rooted in the fear of losing property, land, and racial and religious purity.”

While religious nationalism is stoking the flames of violence in Burma, the issue of national identity has triggered a divisive debate in Singapore. The Singaporean government’s population strategy published in January mentioned the protection of a so-called “Singapore Core” as it continues to accept more foreign workers and immigrants to reverse the country’s shrinking and aging population.

Many Singaporeans rejected the proposal to increase the number of foreigners and demanded that Singapore remain a country of Singaporeans. More and more Singaporeans are blaming the influx of foreigners for rising prices, worsening traffic, and difficulty finding jobs. Fortunately, the heated debates on the meaning of Singaporean identity and citizenship has not escalated – at least for now

The motivation to define an authentic citizen is not limited to Singapore. In 2006, researchers from the Chulalongkorn and Mahidol Universities in Bangkok claimed that they have already identified the Thai gene sequence – the so called “true Thai” DNA. Moreover, the Filipino genome project was revived in February, eliciting discussions on Filipino race and ethnicity. While the scientific basis of these initiatives is benign, the results can easily be appropriated by ultra-nationalists to bolster racist agendas.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has allegedly stolen Indonesia’s cultural heritage, provoking nationalist outrage on the part of the latter. While Indonesia and Malaysia have good relations as neighbors, they often clash over the ownership of certain cultural icons. In 2009, Indonesia accused Malaysia of stealing Balinese dance. Last year, an Indonesian education official claimed that Malaysia has misappropriated seven Indonesian cultural products as part of its national heritage.

Territorial wars are natural triggers for nationalist propaganda, as seen in the way that the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute in Preah Vihear sparked an intense ultra-nationalist hate campaign in both countries. Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu wanted to reclaim Sabah for the benefit of the Philippines, but the Malaysian government insists that Sabah will remain part of Malaysia forever.

Don

& there's still people that believe in a "unified ASEAN"

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

ASEAN told not to copy EU concept
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Fri, April 19 2013, 1:01 PM

A senior envoy of the European Union and Indonesian expert has urged the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not to copy the EU common market concept, saying that the single market to be implemented by ASEAN should be based on the economic levels of the association’s members.

EU Ambassador to Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN Julian Wilson said on Thursday that the EU had proved that a single market could bring economic advantages to its members but ASEAN should also learn from the mistakes the EU had made.

“I don’t like the idea of saying that ASEAN can learn from what we have done because in fact we made some mistakes. ASEAN can learn from our mistakes as well as learn from our success,” he told reporters on the sideline of EU-ASEAN Economic and Policy Forum.

The Vice President’s deputy secretary for political affairs, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, said that ASEAN should establish a single market concept based on their own economic condition.

“ASEAN regionalism is different from that of the EU. ASEAN is much more politically driven while the EU is much more economically driven,” she said. In addition, Dewi argued that with the wide gap in the economic condition among the ASEAN members, it would be quite difficult for the association to use the European single market as a copy of the region’s proposed ASEAN Economic Community.

Dewi also emphasized that the EU became a strong single market as it was a supranational body in which each member gave part of its sovereignty to the union, such as imposing the single currency policy. In terms of ASEAN, the member countries are still reluctant to compromise their views but the market sometimes requires them to have a common policy.

Meanwhile the ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh stressed that ASEAN ministries in the last meeting had agreed and endorsed the deliverable and the post 2015 agenda. He believed that ASEAN could make the single market timely and made their own countries proud.

The ASEAN single market is expected to facilitate the free flow of goods and services in which the tariff among member countries could be reduced 0 to 5 percent.

The single market will be fully implemented in 2015 in ASEAN-6 (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines) and in 2018 for CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam) making it a bloc with 600 million population and US$2.2 trillion in GDP. (koi)