Royal Universities of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages

Department of English

GS 201
Lecturer : Peou Sopheak
Written Assignment

Topic : The Overview of ASEAN

I.

Introduction ( Sophor) :

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is an organization of countries in southeast

Asia set up to promote cultural, economic, and political development in the region. ASEAN was
officially formed on 8 August 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. The original
five members included Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then,
membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam.
Since its information, ASEAN has been growing slowly and more countries in the region have
gained membership. Its aims include accelerating economic growth, social progress, among its
members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to
discuss differences peacefully.
ASEAN covers a land area of 4.46 million km, which is 3% of the total land area of Earth,
and has a population of approximately 600 million people, which is 8.8% of the world's
population. The sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land counterpart. In 2012,
its combined nominal GDP had grown to more than US$2.3 trillion. If ASEAN were a single
entity, it would rank as the seventh largest economy in the world, behind the US, China, Japan,
Germany, France and the United Kingdom ASEAN was existing before by an organization called
the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), a group consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia and
Thailand that formed in 1961. When foreign ministers of five countries such as Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand met at the Thai Department of Foreign
Affairs building in Bangkok and signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the
Bangkok Declaration. The five foreign ministers Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of
the Philippines, Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of
Thailand are considered the organizations Founding Fathers.
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 the same, just as the Founding Fathers had
envisioned. Furthermore, the use of the English language will serve to unite all ASEAN member

Overview of ASEAN

Page 1

Group 7

Royal Universities of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages
GS 201
Department of English
Lecturer : Peou Sopheak
countries as a common working language. The motto of ASEAN is One Vision, One Identity,
One Community. The ASEAN Flag is a symbol of Member States unity and support for the
principles and endeavors of ASEAN and is a means to promote greater ASEAN awareness and
solidarity and ASEAN Flag represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN.
II.
Objective of ASEAN (Sreythy)
To accelerate the economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the
region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to
strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of the Southeast
Asian Nation
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 Nation Charter.
To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in
the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific, and administrative field.
To provide assistance to each other during the term of training and research facilities in
the educational, professional, technical and spheres.
To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture and
industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problem of
international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and
communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their people.
To promote southeast Asian studies, and to maintain close and beneficial cooperation
with existing international and regional organizations with similar aim and purposes, and
explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.
III.

Why ASEAN is formed? (Sophea)

1. To maintain and ameliorate peace, stability and security and additional strengthen peaceoriented values in the region.
2. To improve regional resilience by promoting greater economic, security, political and
socio-cultural cooperation;
3. To maintain Southeast Asia as a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone and free of all other weapons
of mass destruction;
4. To make sure that the people and Member States of ASEAN live in democratic, peaceful,
lawful and honorable environment.
5. To create a single market and manufacturing base which is flourishing, stable, highly
competitive and economically integrated with effective alleviation for trade and

Overview of ASEAN

Page 2

Group 7

Royal Universities of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages
GS 201
Department of English
Lecturer : Peou Sopheak
investment in which there is free flow of goods, investment and services, facilitated
movement of businessman, professionals, talents, labor and free flow of capital.
6. To alleviate poverty and narrow the development gap within ASEAN through mutual
assistance and cooperation.

7. To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote
and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, with due regard to the rights and
responsibilities of the Member States of ASEAN.
8. To respond effectively, in accordance with the principle of comprehensive security, to all
forms of threats, transnational crimes and trans boundary challenges.
9. To promote sustainable development so as to ensure the protection of the regions
environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural
heritage and the high quality of life of its peoples;
10. To develop human resources through closer cooperation in education and lifelong
learning, and in science and technology, for the empowerment of the people of ASEAN
and for the strengthening of the ASEAN Community.
11. To enhance the well-being and livelihood of the people of ASEAN by providing them
with equitable access to opportunities for human development, social welfare and justice.
12. To strengthen cooperation in building a safe, secure and drug-free environment for the
people of ASEAN;
13. To promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to
participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community
building;
14. To promote an ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the diverse
culture and heritage of the region; and
15. To maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in
its relations and cooperation with its external partners in a regional architecture that is
open, transparent and inclusive.
IV.

The ASEAN Member States: (Thearith)

Overview of ASEAN

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Group 7

Royal Universities of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages
GS 201
Department of English
Lecturer : Peou Sopheak
The ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967 with five members, including Thailand,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and The Phillipines. As of 2010 the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) has 10 members, one candidate member state, and one observer
state. The ASEAN is an organization in the Southeast Asia region that aims to accelerate
economic growth, social progress, and cultural development among its members and to
promote regional peace.
This is a list and a short description about the members states in ASEAN :

Barunei 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)
Cambodia
Head of State : His Majesty
King Norodom Sihamoni
Head of Government : Prime
Minister Hun Sen
Capital : Phnom Penh
Language : Khmer
Currency : Riel
Indonesia
Head of State : President
Joko Widodo
Capital : Jakarta
Language : Indonesian
Currency : Rupiah
Lao PDR

Head of Government : Prime

Minister Thongsing
Thammavong
Capital : Vientiane
Language : Lao
Currency : Kip
Malaysia
Head of Government : The
Honourable Dato' Sri Mohd
Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak
Capital : Kuala Lumpur
Language(s) : Malay,
English, Chinese, Tamil
Currency : Ringgit
Myanmar
Head of State : President
Thein Sein
Capital : Nay Pyi Taw
Language : Myanmar
Currency : Kyat
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Myanmar
Philippines
Head of State : President
Benigno S. Aquino III
Capital : Manila
Language(s) : Filipino,
English, Spanish
Currency : Peso

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)
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

Viet Nam
Head of State : President
Truong Tan Sang
Head of Government : Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung
Capital : Ha Noi
Language : Vietnamese
Currency : Dong

Head of State : President

Choummaly Sayasone

Overview of ASEAN

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Group 7

Royal Universities of Phnom Penh

Institute of Foreign Languages
Department of English
V.
The ASEAN Economic Community : (Theara)

GS 201
Lecturer : Peou Sopheak

The ASEAN Heads at their Summit in 2000 launched the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI)
to narrow the development gaps and to facilitate as well as accelerating the economies of
developing cultures, protecting peaces amongst its members. In 2015, the 10 nations are
collaborating into one in order to create The Asean Economic Community (AEC). The goal of
the AEC is highly prioritized on integrated the economic community within 2015 in which will
focuses on 4 main pillars. These include:
-

Single Market and Production Base:

o Free flow of goods
o Free flow of services
o Free flow of investment
o Free flow of skilled labor
o Food and agriculture, security
Competitive Economic Region:
o Develop competition policy
o Strengthen consumer protection
o Intellectual properties and rights
o Promote infrastructural development and e-commerce
o Reduced double-taxation
Equitable Economic Development:
o Accelerating the development of small and medium enterprises
o Enhance ASEAN integration to reduce the development gap between countries
Integration into Global Economy:

Overview of ASEAN

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Group 7

o Develop coherence towards external economic relations

o Form and manage Free Trade Agreements and Comprehensive Economic
Partnership
o Enhance participant in global supply networks
VI.

Conclusion

We could clearly be witnessed of the concern in several parts have led Southeast Asia to become
a place full of worried; ASEAN had become the most crucial role in order to keep peace, to
protect and to expand the productivity of the nations.

References:

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). (n.d.). Retrieved December 26, 2014, from
http://www.state.gov/p/eap/regional/asean/

Benefits of the ASEAN Economic Community - AEC - ASEAN UP. (2014, May 19). Retrieved
December 26, 2014, from http://aseanup.com/benefits-asean-economic-community-aec/

HARIS, N., & SERI BEGAWAN, B. (2013, November 12). English to unite all ASEAN member
countries. Retrieved December 26, 2014, from http://www.bt.com.bn/newsnational/2013/11/12/english-unite-all-asean-member-countries

Navigation menu. (2011, April 29). Retrieved December 26, 2014, from
http://www.human.nu.ac.th/en/asean-motto.php