Bangladesh and Sri Lanka should leave SAARC and join ASEAN

[Lankan Ranger]

ASEAN Flag flies for first time in Sri Lanka

The ASEAN flag was hoisted in Sri Lanka for the first time yesterday, during a ceremony held at the Indonesian Embassy premises in Colombo, with the Sri Lankan Army band playing the "ASEAN Way".

Foreign Minister G.L.Peiris represented Sri Lanka at the ceremony, which marked the heads of the ASEAN Diplomatic Missions in Colombo - Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines jointly hoisting the ASEAN Flag along with the national flags of their respective countries.

Minister Peiris, while recalling the historic ties between Sri Lanka and ASEAN, said that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), was an important body through which the Sri Lankan government had sought cooperation.

Political, trade and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and ASEAN member states since 1967 have been mutually beneficial, he observed.

Indonesian Ambassador Djafar Husein speaking on behalf of the ASEAN Diplomatic Missions in Colombo, commended Sri Lanka for actively participating in the ARF since 2007 and contributing towards the maintenance of peace, security and prosperity in the region.

It was hoped that ARF members could enhance cooperation in addressing regional security issues, he observed.

Husein, said that ASEAN since its conception in 1967, had been able to overcome the challenges and wise enough embrace the opportunities.

ASEAN Flag flies for first time in Sri Lanka

 

[Lankan Ranger]

Sri Lanka expects stronger links with ASEAN

Sri Lanka is looking for stronger ties with countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations, foreign minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris said in Colombo.

"Sri Lanka recognizes the enormous growth potential of the ASEAN," minister Pieris told an ASEAN 'flag raising' ceremony attended by envoys of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.

"Sri Lanka is convinced that ASEAN is a region with we need to develop and nurture and expand our relations.

"Malaysia is already in the top of the list of foreign investors to Sri Lanka."

Pieris said the Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang had isited Sri Lanka recently with a large business delegation and established ties with businesses and trade chambers in Sri Lanka.

"This with create lasting links for the future," Pieris said.

Djafar Hussein said the ASEAN was set up in 1976 to maintain peace and security in the region and take the countries towards prosperity.

Sri Lanka has also started participating in the ASEAN Region Forum (ARF) to promote security in the region.


Sri Lanka expects stronger links with ASEAN: foreign minister - LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE

 

[kalu_miah]

Bangladesh joining ASEAN is unrealistic!!

Please explain.

 

[kalu_miah]

ASEAN is a economic block but SAARC has a vision to be a political, geographic and ethnic block. Concept of SAFTA came way after the formation of SAARC. The core value of SAARC itself made it a slow moving futuristic block if that really happen.

The concept seems attractive, but religion trumps ethnicity in South Asia, unfortunately, so political union is out of the question. As I said in many posts, Indian Hindu's are allergic to Muslims and Islam and they do not want to get Muslims back in any team. They are glad that we Muslims of Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of their way and 13% Muslim does not create a significant enough problem for them to establish their Ram Rajya (Empire of Rama). So we are pretty much left with only one option, team up with our neighbors to the East, who we have a land connection with, via Myanmar border.

 

[Tshering22]

Guys I think there's a reason why ASEAN and SAARC are different:

SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

ASEAN: Association of South East Asian Nations.

In SAARC the only NO-CAN-DO problem is between us and Pakistan. Other than that I don't really see what's the problem.

 

[kalu_miah]

Sri Lanka expects stronger links with ASEAN

Sri Lanka is looking for stronger ties with countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations, foreign minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris said in Colombo.

"Sri Lanka recognizes the enormous growth potential of the ASEAN," minister Pieris told an ASEAN 'flag raising' ceremony attended by envoys of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines.

"Sri Lanka is convinced that ASEAN is a region with we need to develop and nurture and expand our relations.

"Malaysia is already in the top of the list of foreign investors to Sri Lanka."

Pieris said the Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang had isited Sri Lanka recently with a large business delegation and established ties with businesses and trade chambers in Sri Lanka.

"This with create lasting links for the future," Pieris said.

Djafar Hussein said the ASEAN was set up in 1976 to maintain peace and security in the region and take the countries towards prosperity.

Sri Lanka has also started participating in the ASEAN Region Forum (ARF) to promote security in the region.


Sri Lanka expects stronger links with ASEAN: foreign minister - LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE

Glad to see that Sri Lanka is making moves for future ASEAN membership with participation in ARF. I believe Bangladesh is also in ARF. Hopefully ASEAN+ will bring in all small and medium size states in this part of Asia to the East of India and South and East of China. This includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

It creates a group of about a billion people, has advanced countries like Japan and South Korea and can easily become a highly advanced economy with the leadership from these two countries. We can put some Japanese and Koreans in key positions in these economies and things will start to change very quickly.

We need to keep out large bully states like India and China and of course the white man in ANZ (too much civilization and ethnic difference).

 

[Tshering22]

The concept seems attractive, but religion trumps ethnicity in South Asia, unfortunately, so political union is out of the question. As I said in many posts, Indian Hindu's are allergic to Muslims and Islam and they do not want to get Muslims back in any team. They are glad that we Muslims of Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of their way and 13% Muslim does not create a significant enough problem for them to establish their Ram Rajya (Empire of Rama). So we are pretty much left with only one option, team up with our neighbors to the East, who we have a land connection with, via Myanmar border.

Well too bad China isn't very pleased with Jihad either. They just like to show as if nothing is happening but if it came down to a final stand between Jihad and rest of the planet, China will stand by all the other countries.

And please keep your religion and ummah and all that away from this.

SAARC is supposed to be an economic cooperation council.

It is not our problem if Pakistanis cannot keep religion out of this. You're seeing what too much religion is doing to them these days. Trust me, you don't want to follow that model at all.

 

[Tshering22]

Glad to see that Sri Lanka is making moves for future ASEAN membership with participation in ARF. I believe Bangladesh is also in ARF. Hopefully ASEAN+ will bring in all small and medium size states in this part of Asia to the East of India and South and East of China. This includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

It creates a group of about a billion people, has advanced countries like Japan and South Korea and can easily become a highly advanced economy with the leadership from these two countries. We can put some Japanese and Koreans in key positions in these economies and things will start to change very quickly.

We need to keep out large bully states like India and China and of course the white man in ANZ (too much civilization and ethnic difference).

These all associations are dictated by geography, buddy. You cannot defy your geography. And you're not the only one.

BTW did you know that ASEAN has some of the strongest cooperation with India.

 

[scholseys]

Glad to see that Sri Lanka is making moves for future ASEAN membership with participation in ARF. I believe Bangladesh is also in ARF. Hopefully ASEAN+ will bring in all small and medium size states in this part of Asia to the East of India and South and East of China. This includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, North Korea and Japan.

It creates a group of about a billion people, has advanced countries like Japan and South Korea and can easily become a highly advanced economy with the leadership from these two countries. We can put some Japanese and Koreans in key positions in these economies and things will start to change very quickly.

We need to keep out large bully states like India and China and of course the white man in ANZ (too much civilization and ethnic difference).

Looks good on paper but still is a big fat pipe dream. We are strategically, economically and ethnically closer to India. India would never let us join the ASEAN.

 

[Roybot]

The concept seems attractive, but religion trumps ethnicity in South Asia, unfortunately, so political union is out of the question. As I said in many posts, Indian Hindu's are allergic to Muslims and Islam and they do not want to get Muslims back in any team. They are glad that we Muslims of Bangladesh and Pakistan are out of their way and 13% Muslim does not create a significant enough problem for them to establish their Ram Rajya (Empire of Rama). So we are pretty much left with only one option, team up with our neighbors to the East, who we have a land connection with, via Myanmar border.

I don't know why you keep bringing this religion stuff all the time. India has no issues with Muslims, infact India has very good relationship with major Islamic Countries like S.Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia.

But if you guys start talking about breaking India up and what not then you ll obviously get a boot up your backside from us.

We need to shed this petty mentality first to form any sorta successful bloc. The territorial borders of India is not going to change and India does't have any intention of annexing territories of its smaller countries. Once we can come to terms with this reality we can move forward.

 

[kalu_miah]

Guys I think there's a reason why ASEAN and SAARC are different:

SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

ASEAN: Association of South East Asian Nations.

In SAARC the only NO-CAN-DO problem is between us and Pakistan. Other than that I don't really see what's the problem.

Good question. It has to do with Hindu-Muslim dynamics in this region. In the years leading up to 1947, Jinnah and Muslim League, as well as Muslim intelligentsia made a critical mistake, with their support and creation of Pakistan. There are about 500 million Muslims in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. With partition, they got divided in three separate land mass. It has also allowed Hindu nationalists to surge ahead and make it the dominant force of unifying the majority Hindu masses in India. If we did not have partition, then the Hindu nationalist would be in check with a very large minority, almost 40% Muslims. But today the 13% Muslims in India are a political vote-bank force, but they are not a force that can counter the rising tide of Hindu nationalism. This new Hindu nationalist India of today or future, will not want any political union with majority Muslim states like Bangladesh or Pakistan. So both Bangladesh and Pakistan need to look for other options.

SAARC can still work as a trade group, enhancing land route link and trade, but it has no future as a political and military group. For those needs Pakistan, Bangladesh and a Buddhist majority Sri Lanka would probably be looking elsewhere.

 

[scholseys]

I don't know why you keep bringing this religion stuff all the time. India has no issues with Muslims, infact India has very good relationship with major Islamic Countries like S.Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia.

But if you guys start talking about breaking India up and what not then you ll obviously get a boot up your backside from us.

We need to shed this petty mentality first to form any sorta successful bloc. The territorial borders of India is not going to change and India does't have any intention of annexing territories of its smaller countries. Once we can come to turns with this reality we can move forward.

talks of breaking up india is an act of trolling we resort to here on pdf when you indians troll. It has no connection to reality same as when you indians troll.

 

[kalu_miah]

Sorry to irritate with these ideas, but it does not matter what Indians think about this. This is a matter between states that does not include India or China. Some geopolitics will obviously irritate some people, but it cannot be helped.

ASEAN already has Muslim population, we are not the only one there.

And the Big Lie and deception starts again, like oh, we are so great friend of Muslims and we have no problem with Muslims, we just have a problem with these Kalu dravidian Bangladeshi low lifes.

 

[scholseys]

Sorry to irritate with these ideas, but it does not matter what Indians think about this. This is a matter between states that does not include India or China. Some geopolitics will obviously irritate some people, but it cannot be helped.

ASEAN already has Muslim population, we are not the only one there.

And the Big Lie and deception starts again, like oh, we are so great friend of Muslims and we have no problem with Muslim, we just have a problem with these Kalu dravidian Bangladeshi low lifes.

What do you mean by that?

 

[Roybot]

talks of brekaing up india is an act of trolling we resort to hear on pdf when you indians troll. It has no connection to reality same as when you indians troll.

Sorry, I didn't mean talking as in talking on this forum.

If there is a threat to national integrity of Republic of India from neighboring countries we ll tackle the threat. Its not because our neighbors are Muslims, it because they are threat for us. Stop prodding us and we won't bother you either. Its that simple really.

Once we can be content with whatever territory we have in possession and respect the territorial borders then we can move forward. If India can have good relations with Arabs, Persians and Turks, surely we can have good relationship with sub continental Muslims who we have so much in common with.