Thailand to organize activities marking 50th anniversary of ASEAN

BANGKOK, January 6 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will organize activities marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year. The ministry's Department of ASEAN Affairs and Department of Information announced the planned activities at a press conference, jointly held by the Ministries of Defence, Commerce and Social Development and Human Security in Bangkok on Friday. Representatives of the Thai agencies concerned also reported what their agencies have done and what they will further implement under the three pillars of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). Jakkrit Srivali, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs, told journalists that the activities will be held to celebrate the success of the Southeast Asian Region, where ASEAN has been established for half a century. In Thailand, Jakkrit said, public forums will be held across the country to publicize and stress on a main ASEAN theme on "people-centered" policies with no member state left behind. Jakkrit noted that a public forum will be organized at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on January 27, in which former ASEAN secretary-general Dr.Surin Pitsuwan, who is also a former Thai foreign minister, will participate and deliver a speech. Besides, the "ASEAN Library" will be opened in all 50 targeted areas across the Thai Kingdom as planned within this year, after it has already been opened in many areas so far. According to the senior official, five founding ASEAN member countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, will also jointly review issues hindering ASEAN's progress over the past 50 years, while laying out approaches aimed to achieve what have been stated in the ASEAN Declaration in the coming years. ASEAN was established in Bangkok on August 8, 1967 when the five founding member countries signed in the ASEAN Declaration, indicating that member countries will jointly develop the organization in all dimensions and will raise income of the ASEAN population, in parallel with promoting peaceful co-existence among member countries. (TNA)