OverviewESTABLISHMENT

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;

2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;

3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;

4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;

5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;

6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar

aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

In their relations with one another, the ASEAN Member States have adopted the following fundamental principles, as contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976:

1. Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;

2. The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion;3. Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;4. Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;5. Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and6. Effective cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN COMMUNITY

The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on a shared vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.

At the 9th ASEAN Summit in 2003, the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall be established.

At the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007, the Leaders affirmed their strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Each pillar has its own Blueprint, and, together with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Strategic Framework and IAI Work Plan Phase II (2009-2015) , they form the Roadmap for and ASEAN Community 2009-2015.

Please click here for the ASEAN Political-Security Community VideoDownload Video.

Please click here for the ASEAN Economic Community Video.

Please click here for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Video.

Please click here for ASEAN History and Purposes.

ASEAN CHARTER

The ASEAN Charter serves as a firm foundation in achieving the ASEAN Community by providing legal status and institutional framework for ASEAN. It also codifies ASEAN norms, rules and values; sets clear targets for ASEAN; and presents accountability and compliance.

The ASEAN Charter entered into force on 15 December 2008. A gathering of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to mark this very historic occasion for ASEAN.

With the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN will henceforth operate under a new legal framework and establish a number of new organs to boost its community-building process.

In effect, the ASEAN Charter has become a legally binding agreement among the 10 ASEAN Member States.

Find out more about the ASEAN Charter here.

HistoryThe Founding of ASEAN

On 8 August 1967, five leaders - the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - sat down together in the main hall of the Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok, Thailand and signed a document. By virtue of that document, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was born. The five Foreign Ministers who signed it - Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand - would subsequently be hailed as the Founding Fathers of probably the most successful inter-governmental organization in the developing world today. And the document that they signed would be known as the ASEAN Declaration.

It was a short, simply-worded document containing just five articles. It declared the establishment of an Association for Regional Cooperation among the Countries of Southeast Asia to be known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and spelled out the aims and purposes of that Association. These aims and purposes were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. It

stipulated that the Association would be open for participation by all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to its aims, principles and purposes. It proclaimed ASEAN as representing "the collective will of the nations of Southeast Asia to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity."

It was while Thailand was brokering reconciliation among Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia over certain disputes that it dawned on the four countries that the moment for regional cooperation had come or the future of the region would remain uncertain. Recalls one of the two surviving protagonists of that historic process, Thanat Khoman of Thailand: "At the banquet marking the reconciliation between the three disputants, I broached the idea of forming another organization for regional cooperation with Adam Malik. Malik agreed without hesitation but asked for time to talk with his government and also to normalize relations with Malaysia now that the confrontation was over. Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Office prepared a draft charter of the new institution. Within a few months, everything was ready. I therefore invited the two former members of the Association for Southeast Asia (ASA), Malaysia and the Philippines, and Indonesia, a key member, to a meeting in Bangkok. In addition, Singapore sent S. Rajaratnam, then Foreign Minister, to see me about joining the new set-up. Although the new organization was planned to comprise only the ASA members plus Indonesia, Singapore's request was favorably considered."

And so in early August 1967, the five Foreign Ministers spent four days in the relative isolation of a beach resort in Bang Saen, a coastal town less than a hundred kilometers southeast of Bangkok. There they negotiated over that document in a decidedly informal manner which they would later delight in describing as "sports-shirt diplomacy." Yet it was by no means an easy process: each man brought into the deliberations a historical and political perspective that had no resemblance to that of any of the others. But with goodwill and good humor, as often as they huddled at the negotiating table, they finessed their way through their differences as they lined up their shots on the golf course and traded wisecracks on one another's game, a style of deliberation which would eventually become the ASEAN ministerial tradition.

Now, with the rigors of negotiations and the informalities of Bang Saen behind them, with their signatures neatly attached to the ASEAN Declaration, also known as the Bangkok Declaration, it was time for some formalities. The first to speak was the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Narciso Ramos, a one-time journalist and long-time legislator who had given up a chance to be Speaker of the Philippine Congress to serve as one of his country's first diplomats. He was then 66 years old and his only son, the future President Fidel V. Ramos, was serving with the Philippine Civic Action Group in embattled Vietnam. He recalled the tediousness of the negotiations that preceded the signing of the Declaration that "truly taxed the goodwill, the imagination, the patience and understanding of the five participating Ministers." That ASEAN was established at all in spite of these difficulties, he said, meant that its foundations had been solidly laid. And he impressed it on the audience of diplomats, officials and media people who had witnessed the signing ceremony that a great sense of urgency had prompted the Ministers to go through all that trouble. He spoke darkly of the forces that were arrayed against the survival of the countries of Southeast Asia in those uncertain and critical times.

"The fragmented economies of Southeast Asia," he said, "(with) each country pursuing its own limited objectives and dissipating its meager resources in the overlapping or even conflicting endeavors of sister states carry the seeds of weakness in their incapacity for growth and their self-perpetuating dependence on the advanced, industrial nations. ASEAN, therefore, could marshal the still untapped potentials of this rich region through more substantial united action."

When it was his turn to speak, Adam Malik, Presidium Minister for Political Affairs and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, recalled that about a year before, in Bangkok, at the conclusion of the peace talks between Indonesia and Malaysia, he had explored the idea of an organization such as ASEAN with his Malaysian and Thai counterparts. One of the "angry young men" in his country's struggle for independence two decades earlier, Adam Malik was then 50 years old and one of a Presidium of five led by then General Soeharto that was steering Indonesia from the verge of economic and political chaos. He was the Presidium's point man in Indonesia's efforts to mend fences with its neighbors in the wake of an unfortunate policy of confrontation. During the past year, he said, the Ministers had all worked together toward the realization of the ASEAN idea, "making haste slowly, in order to build a new association for regional cooperation."

Adam Malik went on to describe Indonesia's vision of a Southeast Asia developing into "a region which can stand on its own feet, strong enough to defend itself against any negative influence from outside the region." Such a vision, he stressed, was not wishful thinking, if the countries of the region effectively cooperated with each other, considering their combined natural resources and manpower. He referred to differences of outlook among the member countries, but those

differences, he said, would be overcome through a maximum of goodwill and understanding, faith and realism. Hard work, patience and perseverance, he added, would also be necessary.

The countries of Southeast Asia should also be willing to take responsibility for whatever happens to them, according to Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, who spoke next. In his speech, he conjured a vision of an ASEAN that would include all the countries of Southeast Asia. Tun Abdul Razak was then concurrently his country's Minister of Defence and Minister of National Development. It was a time when national survival was the overriding thrust of Malaysia's relations with other nations and so as Minister of Defence, he was in charge of his country's foreign affairs. He stressed that the countries of the region should recognize that unless they assumed their common responsibility to shape their own destiny and to prevent external intervention and interference, Southeast Asia would remain fraught with danger and tension. And unless they took decisive and collective action to prevent the eruption of intra-regional conflicts, the nations of Southeast Asia would remain susceptible to manipulation, one against another.

"We the nations and peoples of Southeast Asia," Tun Abdul Razak said, "must get together and form by ourselves a new perspective and a new framework for our region. It is important that individually and jointly we should create a deep awareness that we cannot survive for long as independent but isolated peoples unless we also think and act together and unless we prove by deeds that we belong to a family of Southeast Asian nations bound together by ties of friendship and goodwill and imbued with our own ideals and aspirations and determined to shape our own destiny". He added that, "with the establishment of ASEAN, we have taken a firm and a bold step on that road".

For his part, S. Rajaratnam, a former Minister of Culture of multi-cultural Singapore who, at that time, served as its first Foreign Minister, noted that two decades of nationalist fervor had not fulfilled the expectations of the people of Southeast Asia for better living standards. If ASEAN would succeed, he said, then its members would have to marry national thinking with regional thinking.

"We must now think at two levels," Rajaratnam said. "We must think not only of our national interests but posit them against regional interests: that is a new way of thinking about our problems. And these are two different things and sometimes they can conflict. Secondly, we must also accept the fact, if we are really serious about it, that regional existence means painful adjustments to those practices and thinking in our respective countries. We must make these painful and difficult adjustments. If we are not going to do that, then regionalism remains a utopia."

S. Rajaratnam expressed the fear, however, that ASEAN would be misunderstood. "We are not against anything", he said, "not against anybody". And here he used a term that would have an ominous ring even today: balkanization. In Southeast Asia, as in Europe and any part of the world, he said, outside powers had a vested interest in the balkanization of the region. "We want to ensure," he said, "a stable Southeast Asia, not a balkanized Southeast Asia. And those countries who are interested, genuinely interested, in the stability of Southeast Asia, the prosperity of Southeast Asia, and better economic and social conditions, will welcome small countries getting together to pool their collective resources and their collective wisdom to contribute to the peace of the world."

The goal of ASEAN, then, is to create, not to destroy. This, the Foreign Minister of Thailand, Thanat Khoman, stressed when it was his turn to speak. At a time when the Vietnam conflict was raging and American forces seemed forever entrenched in Indochina, he had foreseen their eventual withdrawal from the area and had accordingly applied himself to adjusting Thailand's foreign policy to a reality that would only become apparent more than half a decade later. He must have had that in mind when, on that occasion, he said that the countries of Southeast Asia had no choice but to adjust to the exigencies of the time, to move toward closer cooperation and even integration. Elaborating on ASEAN objectives, he spoke of "building a new society that will be responsive to the needs of our time and efficiently equipped to bring about, for the enjoyment and the material as well as spiritual advancement of our peoples, conditions of stability and progress. Particularly what millions of men and women in our part of the world want is to erase the old and obsolete concept of domination and subjection of the past and replace it with the new spirit of give and take, of equality and partnership. More than anything else, they want to be master of their own house and to enjoy the inherent right to decide their own destiny ..."

While the nations of Southeast Asia prevent attempts to deprive them of their freedom and sovereignty, he said, they must first free themselves from the material impediments of ignorance, disease and hunger. Each of these nations cannot accomplish that alone, but by joining together and cooperating with those who have the same aspirations, these objectives become easier to attain. Then Thanat Khoman concluded: "What we have decided today is only a small beginning of what we hope will be a long and continuous sequence of accomplishments of which we ourselves, those who will join us later

and the generations to come, can be proud. Let it be for Southeast Asia, a potentially rich region, rich in history, in spiritual as well as material resources and indeed for the whole ancient continent of Asia, the light of happiness and well-being that will shine over the uncounted millions of our struggling peoples."

The Foreign Minister of Thailand closed the inaugural session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations by presenting each of his colleagues with a memento. Inscribed on the memento presented to the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, was the citation, "In recognition of services rendered by His Excellency Adam Malik to the ASEAN organization, the name of which was suggested by him."

And that was how ASEAN was conceived, given a name, and born. It had been barely 14 months since Thanat Khoman brought up the ASEAN idea in his conversations with his Malaysian and Indonesian colleagues. In about three more weeks, Indonesia would fully restore diplomatic relations with Malaysia, and soon after that with Singapore. That was by no means the end to intra-ASEAN disputes, for soon the Philippines and Malaysia would have a falling out on the issue of sovereignty over Sabah. Many disputes between ASEAN countries persist to this day. But all Member Countries are deeply committed to resolving their differences through peaceful means and in the spirit of mutual accommodation. Every dispute would have its proper season but it would not be allowed to get in the way of the task at hand. And at that time, the essential task was to lay the framework of regional dialogue and cooperation.

The two-page Bangkok Declaration not only contains the rationale for the establishment of ASEAN and its specific objectives. It represents the organization's modus operandi of building on small steps, voluntary, and informal arrangements towards more binding and institutionalized agreements. All the founding member states and the newer members have stood fast to the spirit of the Bangkok Declaration. Over the years, ASEAN has progressively entered into several formal and legally-binding instruments, such as the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the 1995 Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone.

Against the backdrop of conflict in the then Indochina, the Founding Fathers had the foresight of building a community of and for all Southeast Asian states. Thus the Bangkok Declaration promulgated that "the Association is open for participation to all States in the Southeast Asian region subscribing to the aforementioned aims, principles and purposes." ASEAN's inclusive outlook has paved the way for community-building not only in Southeast Asia, but also in the broader Asia Pacific region where several other inter-governmental organizations now co-exist.

The original ASEAN logo presented five brown sheaves of rice stalks, one for each founding member. Beneath the sheaves is the legend "ASEAN" in blue. These are set on a field of yellow encircled by a blue border. Brown stands for strength and stability, yellow for prosperity and blue for the spirit of cordiality in which ASEAN affairs are conducted. When ASEAN celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 1997, the sheaves on the logo had increased to ten - representing all ten countries of Southeast Asia and reflecting the colors of the flags of all of them. In a very real sense, ASEAN and Southeast Asia would then be one and the same, just as the Founding Fathers had envisioned.

This article is based on the first chapter of ASEAN at 30, a publication of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in commemoration of its 30th Anniversary on 8 August 1997, written by Jamil Maidan Flores and Jun Abad.

ASEAN FlagGUIDELINES ON THE USE OF THE ASEAN FLAG

1. The ASEAN Flag is a symbol of Member States' unity and support for the principles and endeavours of ASEAN and is a means to promote greater ASEAN awareness and solidarity.

2. The ASEAN Flag represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colours of the Flag – blue, red, white and yellow – represent the main colours of the flags of all the ASEAN Member States.

3. The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism, white shows purity and yellow symbolises prosperity.

4. The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity.

5. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.

6. The ASEAN Flag is the reserved copyright of ASEAN.7. The specifications of the ASEAN Flag are annexed.

A. Dignity of the ASEAN Flag

8. The ASEAN Flag shall be treated with respect and shall not be subjected to any indignity.

B. Use of the ASEAN Flag

B.1. Use of the ASEAN Flag by ASEAN Member States

9. ASEAN Member States shall use the ASEAN Flag in the manner specified under these guidelines that include the following:

a. The ASEAN Flag shall be displayed at all ASEAN National Secretariats.b. The ASEAN Flag shall be displayed on a permanent basis at Diplomatic and Consular Missions of

ASEAN Member States alongside the national flag. The ASEAN Flag shall be displayed by the ASEAN Member States in third countries which are recognised by all ASEAN Member States.

c. The ASEAN Flag shall be displayed alongside the national flag in the following manner:d. The ASEAN Flag shall be displayed during ASEAN meetings, ASEAN Day Celebrations, ceremonies and

functions held in Member States.e. The display of the ASEAN Flag shall be in accordance with national laws and regulations of the

respective countries and the provisions under these Guidelines.

B.2. Use of the ASEAN Flag by the ASEAN Secretariat

10. The ASEAN Secretariat shall use the ASEAN Flag in the manner specified under these guidelines that include the following:

a. Display at the Secretariat buildings and residence of the Secretary-General;b. During ASEAN meetingsc. On the official vehicle of the Secretary-General of ASEAN during official functions; andd. During ASEAN Day celebrations, official functions, ceremonies, exhibitions, gatherings or any other

occasions organised by the ASEAN Secretariat in its effort to promote the interest of ASEAN.

B.3. Use of the ASEAN Flag by ASEAN Committees in Third Countries

11. ASEAN Committees in Third Countries shall also display the ASEAN Flag during ASEAN Day celebrations, official functions, ceremonies, exhibitions, gatherings or any other occasions in its effort to promote the interest of ASEAN.

B.4. Use of the ASEAN Flag by ASEAN institutions

12. ASEAN institutions shall display the ASEAN Flag at their premises as well as during ASEAN meetings, ASEAN Day celebrations, official functions, ceremonies, exhibitions, gatherings or any other occasions in its effort to promote the interest of ASEAN.

B.5. Use of the ASEAN Flag by Countries, International Organisations and Entities Associated with ASEAN

13. Countries which have relations with ASEAN, International Organisations which work closely with ASEAN and entities associated with ASEAN may display the ASEAN Flag in support of activities related to ASEAN.

B.6. Use of the ASEAN Flag in Mourning

14. Upon the passing of a Head of State or Government of a Member State, the ASEAN Flag will be flown at half-mast at the ASEAN Secretariat building and other ASEAN institutional buildings for an official mourning period. The ASEAN Flag may also be flown at half-mast in special circumstances, including natural calamities in ASEAN Member States, upon the approval of all ASEAN Member States.

15. Member States will decide if the ASEAN Flag should be flown at half-mast in their respective countries as well as the period of mourning.

C. Position of ASEAN Flag in the Flag Arrangements for ASEAN Meetings

16. The ASEAN outdoor/venue and room flag shall be displayed together with the flags of ASEAN Member States in alphabetical order, based on the names of Member States, starting from Brunei Darussalam on the extreme left and with the ASEAN Flag always on the extreme right after the national flag of Viet Nam, in the following manner:Diagram 1: Outdoor Flags Diagram

17. When placed with the flag of a Dialogue Partner, the ASEAN Flag along with the flags of ASEAN Member States shall be displayed in the following manner:Diagram 2: Venue Flags (Outdoor/Indoor)

18. The ASEAN table flag shall be displayed at the left side of the name plaque of the ASEAN Secretariat, in the following manner:

D. Disposal of Worn Flag

19. When the ASEAN Flag has become worn or torn or frayed, it shall not be displayed, and shall be properly disposed of.

E. Approval of and Amendments to the Guidelines

20. The Guidelines shall be approved by the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC).21. Any Member State may propose amendments to the Guidelines, which shall be submitted to the Committee of

Permanent Representatives (CPR) for its consideration and agreed upon by consensus. The agreed amendments shall be submitted to the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) for notation, and thereafter come into immediate effect.

ANNEX

A. Specifications

1. The specifications of Pantone Colour for the colours of the ASEAN Flag are:

Background : Pantone 19-4053

TC/Pantone Blue 286

Outer Ring : Pantone 11-4202

TC/Plain White

Circular Area : Pantone 18-1655

TC/Pantone Red 032

Rice Stalks : Pantone 13-0758

TC/Pantone Process Yellow

B. Design of the ASEAN Flag

2. The ASEAN Flag comes in four versions, namely, the Table Flag, Room Flag, Car Flag, and Outdoor/ Venue Flag. While the colour specifications are the same for all versions, the measurements and materials used differ.

B.1. Table Flag

Measurement and Material:

Size : 10 cm x 15 cm

Emblem Diameter : 6 cm

Material : Polyester – Nylon

Process Technique : Screen Printing; Sewing

Finishing  : Double stitch on sides

B.2. Room Flag

Measurement and Material:

Size : 100 cm x 150 cm

Emblem Diameter : 60 cm

Material : Polyester – Nylon

Process Technique : Screen Printing; Sewing

Finishing : Double stitch on sides

B.3. Car Flag

Measurement and Material:

Size : 20 cm x 30 cm

Emblem Diameter : 12 cm

Material : Polyester – Nylon

Process Technique : Screen Printing; Sewing

Finishing : Double stitch on sides

B.4. Outdoor/Venue Flag

Measurement and Material:

Size : 200 cm x 300 cm

Emblem Diameter : 120 cm

Material : Polyester – Nylon

Process Technique : Screen Printing; Sewing

Finishing : Double stitch on sides

Note: The Guidelines were adopted at the 8th Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), Jakarta, 6 May 2011.

Guidelines on the Use of the ASEAN Anthem

1. The ASEAN Anthem is an expression of ASEAN unity. It also strengthens the sense of ASEAN identity and belonging among the peoples of the region.

2. The ASEAN Anthem is titled "THE ASEAN WAY", with musical composition and lyrics as attached.3. The ASEAN Anthem is under the copyright of ASEAN with the ASEAN Secretariat as the main body to oversee

its proper use.

A. Dignity of the ASEAN Anthem

4. The ASEAN Anthem shall be used in a proper and dignified manner. When the Anthem is played, the audience shall rise.

5. The Anthem shall not be used in whole or in parts for commercial purposes or political propaganda.

B. Use of the ASEAN Anthem

6. The use of the ASEAN Anthem is encouraged at ASEAN formal meetings and related activities, including those with ASEAN Dialogue Partners.

7. The ASEAN Anthem may be played to commemorate special occasions of ASEAN, such as the anniversary of ASEAN, or in efforts to promote the interests of ASEAN.

8. ASEAN Member States are encouraged to translate the ASEAN Anthem into local languages as a way to promote the Anthem and increase ASEAN awareness within their countries.

C. Inquiries on the Use of the ASEAN Anthem

9. Inquiries concerning the ASEAN Anthem should be addressed to:

Public Outreach and Civil Society DivisionThe ASEAN Secretariat70 A, Jl. SisingamangarajaJakarta 12110IndonesiaEmail: public@asean.org

D. Approval of and Amendments to the Guidelines

10. The Guidelines shall be approved by the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC).11. Any Member State may propose amendments to the Guidelines, which shall be submitted to the Committee of

Permanent Representatives (CPR) for its consideration and agreed upon by consensus. The agreed amendments shall be submitted to the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) for notation, and thereafter come into immediate effect.

Note:

The Guidelines were adopted at the 6th Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC), Ha Noi, 8 April 2010.

Audio, "The ASEAN Way"

The Asean Way / Original Version

By :

Mr.Kittikhun Sodprasert, Mr Sampow Triudom, Mrs.Payom Valaipatchra

Lyrics, "The ASEAN Way"

Raise our flag high, sky high

Embrace the pride in our heart

ASEAN we are bonded as one

Look-in out to the world.

For peace, our goal from the very start

And prosperity to last.

We dare to dream we care to share.

Together for ASEAN

we dare to dream,

we care to share for it's the way of ASEAN.

Brunei Darussalam

Head of State : His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah

Capital : Bandar Seri Begawan

Language(s) : Malay, English

Currency : B$ (Brunei Dollar)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Brunei Darussalam Website: www.mfa.gov.bn

Cambodia

Head of State : His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government : Prime Minister Hun Sen

Capital : Phnom Penh

Language : Khmer

Currency : Riel

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Cambodia Website: www.mfaic.gov.kh

Indonesia

Head of State : President Joko Widodo

Capital : Jakarta

Language : Indonesian

Currency : Rupiah

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Website: www.kemlu.go.id

Lao PDR

Head of State : President Choummaly Sayasone

Head of Government : Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong

Capital : Vientiane

Language : Lao

Currency : Kip

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR Website: www.mofa.gov.la

Malaysia

Head of State : His Majesty The King Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin Tuanku Al-Haj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah

Head of Government : The Honourable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak

Capital : Kuala Lumpur

Language(s) : Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil

Currency : Ringgit

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Website: www.kln.gov.my

ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat Website: www.kln.gov.my/myasean

Myanmar

Head of State : President Thein Sein

Capital : Nay Pyi Taw

Language : Myanmar

Currency : Kyat

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar Website: www.mofa.gov.mm

Philippines

Head of State : President Benigno S. Aquino III

Capital : Manila

Language(s) : Filipino, English, Spanish

Currency : Peso

Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Website: www.dfa.gov.ph

Singapore

Head of State : President Tony Tan Keng Yam

Head of Government : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Capital : Singapore

Language(s) : English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

Currency : S$ (Singapore Dollar)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Website: www.mfa.gov.sg

Thailand

Head of State : His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Head of Government :  Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha

Capital : Bangkok

Language : Thai

Currency : Baht

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Website: www.mfa.go.th

Viet Nam

Head of State : President Truong Tan Sang

Head of Government : Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

Capital : Ha Noi

Language : Vietnamese

Currency : Dong

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Website: www.mofa.gov.vn

MANILA, Philippines—The nipa hut where the target was sleeping was located in the middle of a vast cornfield in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, surrounded by coconut trees. Forty meters away was a mosque. The hut where the target’s Filipino protégé stayed was just 70 meters away.

Capturing Zulkifli Bin Hir, the Malaysian terrorist bomb maker known as Marwan, was a “mission impossible,” an officer who was part of the Special Action Force raiding team told this reporter. Several missions to capture Marwan since at least 2010 had been aborted, for one reason or another. On the weekend of January 24 to 25, the SAF finally got close enough.

“One officer in front of me tripped into a booby trap Marwan set up. That woke him up. His security elements were alarmed. We fired at him. But he also opened fire with an M16,” the officer said. (He requested anonymity to be able to speak freely.)

In the exchange of fire, Marwan kept shouting “Allahu Akbar! (Allah is great!)” He died with those words on his lips.

“We cut off his finger because we had no time to do the retinal scanning for the iris recognition for his DNA. We were under heavy fire. We had to get out immediately,” the officer said.

BACKSTORY: Marwan finger cut off for DNA

Taunts from BIFF

The height of the gun battle between the SAF troopers and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., was a “nightmare” for the police.

The officer recalled how the BIFF taunted them. When the rebels from the MILF splinter group were just 30 to 40 meters away, they laughed at the troopers and threatened them.

“Ang tapang tapang niyo. Pumasok kayo dito. Uubusin namin  kayo. Humanda kayo, may mga darating pang tropa (You’re so brave. You came in here. We will wipe you out. Get ready, we have more troops coming),” rebels shouted at the SAF troopers in the vernacular.

The officer recalled: “It was as if they were not feeling the pain. Then they would shout Allahu Akbar!”

At 6:30 p.m., he said, military artillery finally deployed white phosphorous to give the troopers cover as preparation  for the “call for fire” procedure. “After that, they dispersed. They knew that a high explosive will go off next.”

He estimated more than 300 BIFF and Moro Islamic Liberation Front members attacked them “based on the weapon and artillery they used.”

“We always had the advantage in our previous missions. But at that time, we were really outnumbered. But we’re never outfought,” he said.

READ: Over 300 SAF men on standby as 44 died in battle–military source

Justice for SAF 44 

All told, 44 troopers died in Mamasapano (and at least 18 MILF rebels and five civilians).

Justice will be served their 44 “brothers,” the officer said, if the MILF and BIFF would surrender their commanders “responsible for the brutal killing.”

“That’s also the call of their families. In the first place, bakit kailangan pang i-finish? Bakit kailangan pang babuyin at  hubaran? Babarilin pa sa ulo. Some of them wala nang kamay at paa (Why finish off the wounded? Why dishonor the dead and undress them? Shot in the head. Some of them without hands or feet,” he lamented.

“Islam is not killing the brutal way. I think it was just their culture. This is not about their religion anymore. Naging barbaric na ang culture nila (their culture has become barbaric) just to prove they’re fearless,” the officer said.

READ: Sen. Alan Cayetano: Mamasapano clash a terror attack, massacre

Retaliation?

SAF men have thought of getting back at the rebels. But the officer said they would avenge the death of the 44 by taking down Marwan’s Filipino protege, Basit Usman.

“The best retaliation is to get Basit Usman. In time we’ll get him,” he said, adding that SAF troopers are doubtful that the Moro groups will surrender the Filipino bomb-maker.

But the officer said all-out war against the rebels won’t solve the long-standing conflict in Mindanao.

“All-out war was never the solution. Tayo ang talo dyan (It’s us who will lose there). Innocent civilians will be displaced. If the other party is not for peace, we have to show that we are really sincere,” he said.

READ: Rights group: Aborting passage of Bangsamoro law not right thing to do

Asked if he’s willing to lay his life down for another mission, he said: “Yes. It’s our only legacy to the Filipino people. If we will not do it, who else will do it?”

He said he would not call the slain troopers the “Fallen 44,” as mainstream media depicts them.

“May we remember the 44 men not as the Fallen 44, for to fall means to fail. We didn’t, They didn’t. It is better to remember them as the Gallant 44 or the Brave 44 for they exemplified these traits until their last breath. To honor them, I hope that the heart of a warrior, the heart of every SAF trooper shall beat more strongly than ever.”

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