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| The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) stand together for a group photo in Jakarta on Saturday. |
From Kathy Quiano, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Indonesia chairs the summit this year
- The nation has been trying to mediate talks between Thailand and Cambodia
- The border row is a result of a dispute over the ancient Preah Vihear temple
- The Indonesian president urges member nations to promote peace
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in Indonesia on Saturday for a two-day summit expected to focus on efforts to achieve economic integration by 2015.
The meeting started under the cloud of security issues such as the Thai-Cambodia border conflict.
Indonesia, which chairs the summit this year, has been trying to mediate talks between Thailand and Cambodia in their dispute over the ancient Preah Vihear temple.
Renewed fighting in the area has prompted displacement of thousands on both sides. Fighting along the turbulent border has raged since last month as the two sides accuse each other of trying to seize ancient temples.
Much of the border between the two countries remains in dispute.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged member nations to promote peace.
"We realize that to ensure peaceful and stable east Asia region, we must ensure stability and security in the region," he said in his opening speech.
"History recalls that as one of the pioneers of regional integration in the world, ASEAN was established based on the strong desire to establish peace, building consensus, promoting stability through regional cooperation and integration."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met separately with his Thai and Cambodian counterparts on Friday.
Last month, both nations agreed to the deployment of an Indonesian observer team to the disputed area, but have not agreed on conditions set by either country. There are no indications so far that the leaders of both nations will meet on the sidelines of the summit.
Other issues expected to be discussed is Myanmar's bid to host the summit in 2016, two years before its turn to assume the chairmanship.
Human Rights Watch urged ASEAN leaders to reject the proposal.
"Rewarding Burma with ASEAN's chairmanship after it staged sham elections and still holds 2,000 political prisoners would be an embarrassment for the region," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "ASEAN leaders need to decide if they will let Burma demote ASEAN to the laughingstock of intergovernmental forums."
Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.
The regional group rotates the chairmanship every year among its members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. International pressure forced Myanmar to skip its turn in 2005.
Yudhoyono also stressed the need for ASEAN leaders to address the challenges of food and energy security.
"We must give serious attention and take concrete measures to address the soaring of food prices and world energy, which in turn will negatively affect the prosperity of our people," he said. "History shows that the rise of food and energy prices usually caused the increase in the number of people living in poverty."
8 comments:
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer every day.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Koh Tral was a Cambodian island, and technically and legally, remained a Cambodian island until today.
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
ASEAN is a simple Association of cold drinks or in Khmer "Teuk thnot chou"
With ASEAN, there is no concrete solution for Cambodia is free and independent.
look like Hun Sen has the most hi-cholesterol of them all. Opposition people, don't worry, he will die soon. Lol....
We as Khmer people demand Hun Sen to step down. Hun Sen has not been a good leader since 1985. He was a very slow idiot. He is still a prisoner of Communist Vietnamese masters in Hanoi.
the second guy on the left side looks like he's so sick.
Hun Sen was a former Khmer Rouges army. During the Khmer Rouges regime, Hun Sen was shot right into one of his eyes and the fled to Vietnam and then Hun Sen came back with Communist Vietnamese troops to invade Cambodia easily in two weeks (just a piece of the cake) and then capture the city of Phnom Penh. He was also married to his Yuon/Vietnamese woman (prostitute) falsely named as Khmer name Bun Rany. It is very strange to me.
Hun Sen was a son of peasant family. I did not know what level of his education, but he was not qualified to lead Cambodia. He has had no experiences or knowledge to lead the country of Cambodia, but he has been using the Communist Vietnamese masters and CPP Yuan members from Hanoi as his guides. That was how Cambodia has been misled and slowly developed because of those crooks and thieves. Hun Sen did not know anything about Cambodian/Khmer history and geography. Hun Sen has been cheated by his Communist Vietnamese bastards/masters and CPP Yuan cronies or members (thieves).
Success story of Hun Sen and his family is very disgusting and ugly. Can you imagine that, Khmer people?
Can anyone or Khmer/Cambodian people understand what I am talking about?
Khmer Yeurng
ASEAN is a death trap for smaller countries.
Since Hun Sen was a Khmer Rouge commander of the Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime, now a Khmer Rouge leader of the Cambodian Peoples Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime and had many of his political opponents and journalists assassinated, I wonder if he have any plan to assassinate the Thai Prime Minister (Ahbullshit Vejjajiva)?
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