Asean Needs To Increase Exchange Of News And Information - Laos Senior Official

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- Asean member countries need to increase exchange of news and information through various platforms, such as visits of media personnel. In this context, deputy director-general of the Lao Press in the Foreign Language, Information, Culture and Tourism Ministry, Thonglor Duangsavanh, said the Asean Senior Officials Meeting Responsible for Information (SOMRI) needed to give support to Asean media to increase their cooperation. "As the Senior Officials of Asean Ministers Responsible for Information, I believe we have a duty and obligation to assist the information and media sector to find better ways and means to play a role in connecting peoples and bridging cultures towards the One Community," said the outgoing chairman of SOMRI who handed over the chair to Malaysia's Information, Communications and Culture Ministry's secretary-general Kamaruddin Siaraf at Tuesday's SOMRI meeting. The three-day 11th Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) conference carries the theme, "Media: Connecting Peoples and Bridging Cultures towards One Asean Community". The Asean Community comprises three pillars, namely the Asean Political-Security Community, Asean Economic Community and Asean Socio-Cultural Community. Thonglor said he strongly believed that with concerted efforts among the senior officials, Asean could build a caring and sharing community in the future. "New ideas, goodwill and cooperation from this conference will strengthen the ongoing projects of Asean members to promote awareness on Asean and understanding within and outside the region," he said. Recalling the 10th AMRI conference, in Vientiane in 2009, Thonglor said the Asean information sector and media had made significant achievement in implementing the Report of the 10th Conference and the First AMRI+3 (AMRI+China, Japan and South Korea). Many activities under the National Communication Plan and Asean Cultural Fund were effectively implemented, he pointed out. The 10-member Asean, with a combined population of some 600 million, comprises Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (photoBERNAMA) MALAYSIA