ASEAN ASSIGNMENT

BRUNEI

1. Why did they declare the state of emergency in Brunei?

After the first and only General election was held in Brunei in January, 1962, which was won by A. M. Azahari' of Brunei People's Party, they were prohibited to take power by Brunei’s sultan at that time which was Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III. Since they failed to take power, BPP launched a revolt that was led by Yassin Affandi and his armed rebels. The Sultan declared the BPP illegal the next day thus initiated the state of emergency at Brunei in 8 December 1962 and the revolt was practically put down within five month.

2. Before become sovereign state in 1984, what is the status of Brunei?

Before achieved its full status of sovereignty in 1984, Brunei is still under the influence of United Kingdom based on several things. A new constitution was written in 1959 declaring Brunei a self-governing state, while its foreign affairs, security, and defense remained the responsibility of the United Kingdom, now represented by a High Commissioner. An attempt in 1962 to introduce a partially elected legislative body with limited powers was abandoned after the opposition political party, Party Rakyat Brunei, launched an armed uprising, which the government put down with the help of British forces. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the government also resisted pressures to join neighboring Sabah and Sarawak in the newly formed Malaysia. The Sultan eventually decided that Brunei would remain a separate state. In 1967, Omar Ali Saifuddin abdicated in favors of his eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah, who became the 29th ruler. The former Sultan remained as Defense Minister and assumed the royal title Seri Begawan. In 1970, the national capital, Brunei Town, was renamed Bandar Seri Begawan in his honor. The Seri Begawan died in 1986. On January 4, 1979, Brunei and the United Kingdom signed a new treaty of friendship and cooperation. On January 1, 1984, Brunei Darussalam became a fully independent state.


CAMBODIA
3. Name the treaty that Cambodia signed with France in 1863?

France declared a PROTECTORATE in 1863, providing the king with military aid against a rebellion, and taking mining and logging concessions.

4. Write one page report on Khmer rouge?

The Khmer Rouge was the ruling political party of Cambodia,which it renamed to Democratic Kampuchea from 1975 to 1979. The term "Khmer Rouge," meaning "Red Khmer" in French, was given by Cambodian head of state Norodom Sihanouk and was later adopted in English. It was used to refer to a succession of Communist parties in Cambodia which evolved into the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and later the Party of Democratic Kampuchea. The organization was also known as the Khmer Communist Party and the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea. Much of the movement's history has been shrouded in mystery, largely because successive banishment, especially during the Democratic Kampuchea period, has left so few survivors to tell their experiences. One thing is evident, however: the North Vietnamese Communists helped the movement grow by providing political and military support, but became bitter rivals upon the success of Khmer Rouge. In the three decades between the end of World War II and the Khmer Rouge victory, the approach of Communism to Western-educated intellectualisms and peasant was tempered by the apprehension that the much stronger Vietnamese movement was using communism as an ideological rationale for dominating the Khmer. The Khmer Rouge is remembered mainly for the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million people (estimates range from 850,000 to 3 million) under its regime, through execution, starvation and forced labor. Following their leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge introduced an extreme form of social engineering on Cambodian society, where the whole population had to work in collective farms or forced labor projects. In terms of the number of people killed as a proportion of the population, it was one of the most lethal regimes of the 20th century. One of their mottos, in reference to the New People, was: "To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss." After four years of the brutal rule, the Khmer Rouge regime was removed from power in 1979 as a result of an invasion by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It survived into the 1990s as a resistance movement operating in western Cambodia from bases in Thailand. In 1996, following a peace agreement, their leader Pol Pot formally dissolved the organization. Pol Pot died April 15, 1998, never having been put on trial. With the death of Ta Mok (The Butcher) while in custody in July 2006, Khang Khek Ieu, also known as "Duch," remains the only member of the regime currently imprisoned awaiting trial in the Extraordinary Chambers currently being established to try certain former officials of the Pol Pot regime. Although only one member is imprisoned, the trial of 10 former regime leaders is set to begin in 2007. After the brutality of the 1970s and the 1980s, and the destruction of the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia, it is only in recent years that reconstruction efforts have begun and some political stability has finally returned to Cambodia. The stability established following the conflict was shaken in 1997 during a coup d'état, but has otherwise remained in place. Cambodia has been aided by a number of more developed nations like Japan, France, Canada, Australia and the United States, primarily economically. Money raised in schools and community groups in these countries has gone towards the rebuilding of infrastructure and housing.

INDONESIA
1. Explain the politics of guided democracy and Orde baru?

GUIDED DEMOCRACY

Demokrasi Terpimpin (guided democracy) concentrated power within the executive, particularly the president. Guided democracy was a great contrast to liberal democracy. While liberal democracy put the emphasis on the process, guided democracy emphasized the attainment of one major objective; ‘a just and prosperous society’, only to be achieved by a ‘systematic and planned democracy’. President Sukarno loved to call it ‘democracy with leadership’. Guided democracy was implemented in Indonesia from July 1959 to October 1965. After six years, however, the ‘systematic and planned democracy’ failed to achieve a healthy economic system. Indonesia’s economic situation was dire in 1965. Production had slowed dramatically. Exports and imports came to a halt and hyperinflation of more than 600 percent crippled the country. This economic collapse was followed by a struggle for power between the army and the Indonesian Communist Party. The murder of six army generals and one lieutenant by left-wing elements in the Army capped the political and economic chaos and led to the Army coup on 11 March 1966 to bring down President Sukarno and his guided democracy.


ORDE BARU

Pancasila democracy is a form of democracy guided by five principles of national ideology (Pancasila). When General Suharto came to power he used the term Orde Baru or the ‘New Order’ and called Sukarno’s guided democracy Orde Lama, or the ‘Old Order’, the latter implying a rotten, bankrupt system. At first, the New Order seemed set to inaugurate a fresh new era when it freed. Political detainees, and freed the press by lifting restrictions on newspapers, closed down by Sukarno. In other words, a process of liberalization was introduced by Suharto. As the years passed, however, the New Order moved slowly and surely in the direction of dictatorship. The Indonesian Communist Party and the Indonesian Nationalist Party could still make their voices heard and thus compete with the Army. The Army created the so-called Functional Group (Golongan Karya, or Golkar) as a political tool to gain legitimacy from the people through general elections. During the New Order period, Suharto’s regime was outwardly a success. There was a long period of security and the maintenance of political and economic interests between Suharto and the Army. After the Indonesian economy collapsed in July 1997, national security and stability were upset by mass killings and riots in Jakarta in May 1998. At that point, military interests practically have changed from those of the Suharto family, leading to his down fall. In Soeharto’s hands, philosophy of Pancasila underwent what be called ‘indigenization’. All Western elements subsumed within Pancasila since 1945 were eradicated systematically by some groups of Pancasila philosophers. There are no Western residues survived before those philosophers in Pancasila. ‘Ketuhanan’, ‘Kemanusiaan’, ‘Persatuan’, ‘Kerakyatan’, and ‘Keadilan Sosial’ were claimed by them as purely Indonesian notions of indigenous origin.

2. What VOC stands for?

The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch), which means literally "United East Indian Company” was established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia. It was the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. The VOC's territories became the Dutch East Indies and were expanded over the course of the 19th century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago, and in the twentieth century would form Indonesia.



LAOS

3. Explain about Ho chi Minh trail and Pathet Laos?

Ho Chi minh trail

The route south was the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The critical stretch was in Laos, which was supposedly neutral but which in actuality was one of the major battle areas of the war. North Vietnam’s name for the trail was the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route, after the long mountain chain that separates Vietnam from Laos. This trail was become a part of long conflict in Vietnam during Vietnam War in The route went south through Laos for hundreds of miles with mountain passes allowing access to South Vietnam at various places along the way. North Vietnam also continued using the Ho Chi Minh Trail to send troops and supplies into South Vietnam. They denied doing this. In 1966, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong told journalist Stanley Karnow that allegations of North Vietnamese troops in the South were “a myth that was fabricated by the US imperialists to justify their war of aggression.” Some of it was openly exposed from the sky, especially where the bombing had been severe, but much of it was concealed by thick vegetation. There were major sections of the trail that US forces never knew about. The trail was discovered in 1960, when the owner of a plantation found a bundle of rifles that was mistakenly left behind. In early 1961, the North Vietnamese began shifting the route to the other side of the mountains, where the Laotian panhandle had long been a communist stronghold. The Laotian government, fighting another war against the Pathet Lao in the northern part of the country, was unable to stop this use of its territory.

PATHET LAOS

The Pathet Lao which means "Land of Laos" was a communist, nationalist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid 20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after a civil war, or insurgent revolution, lasting from the 1950s to 1975. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists. During the civil war, it was effectively organized, equipped and even led by the army of North Vietnam. The Pathet Lao were the Laotian equivalent of the Viet Minh and the Viet Cong of Vietnam. Eventually, the term was the name for Laotian communists. The political movement of the Pathet Lao was called first the Lao People's Party (1955-1972) and later the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (1972-present). After the Pathet Lao militarily won power, they were the government, rather than a nationalist insurgency, and the term was dropped. Unlike the Khmer Rouge, they were an extension of the Vietnamese Communist movement. In November 1975, the Pathet Lao took over Laos, abolishing the monarchy and establishing the Lao People's Democratic Republic.


MALAYSIA

4. Explain about what happened in 1969 – 1971 in term of leadership in Malaysia?

After the incident of 13 may 1969, the government declared a state of emergency, and a National Operations Council, headed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, took power from the government of Tunku Abdul Rahman, who in September 1970 was forced to retire in favors of Abdul Razak. A state of emergency which was implemented make several reformation and government placed effectively in the hands of a body coordinating military and police action, the National Operations Council (NOC). Using the Emergency-era Internal Security Act (Malaysia) (ISA), the new government suspended Parliament and political parties, imposed press censorship and placed severe restrictions on political activity. The ISA gave the government power to intern any person indefinitely without trial. These powers were widely used to silence the government’s critics, and have never been repealed. The Constitution was changed to make illegal any criticism, even in Parliament, of the Malaysian monarchy, the special position of Malays in the country, or the status of Malay as the national language. Some observers feared that Malaysian democracy was dead. This did not prove to be the outcome, but the rage and trauma did lead to substantial political changes. But in 1971, new government was established and parliament was resurrected again. Tun Abdul Razak hold the office of Prime minister until later was succeed by Datuk Hussein Onn.



5. Elaborate on emergency period in 1969?

The May 13 Incident is a term for the Chinese-Malay race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which began on May 13, 1969. These riots continued for a substantial period of time, leading the government to declare a state of national emergency and suspend Parliament until 1971. Officially, 196 people were killed between May 13 and July 31 as a result of the riots, although journalists and other observers have stated much higher figures. The government cited the riots as the main cause of its more aggressive adaptation action policies, such as the New Economic Policy (NEP), after 1969. On its formation in 1963, Malaysia suffered from a sharp division of wealth between the Chinese, who were perceived to control a large portion of the Malaysian economy, and the Malays, who were perceived to be more poor and rural. The riot ignited the capital Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding state of Selangor, spreading throughout the city in 45 minutes except for minor disturbances in Melaka the rest of the country stayed calm. A nationwide state of emergency and accompanying curfew were declared on May 16, but the curfew was relaxed in most parts of the country for two hours on May 18 and not enforced even in central Kuala Lumpur within a week. Immediately after the riot, the government assumed emergency powers and suspended Parliament, which would only restore again in 1971. It also suspended the press and established a National Operations Council or GERAKAN that was led by Tun Abdul Razak. The riot led to the expulsion of Malay nationalist Mahathir Mohamad from UMNO and also the resignation of Tunku Abdul Rahman from its post after the incident.


BURMA
1. Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, born 19 June 1945 in Yangon (Rangoon), is a nonviolent pro-democracy activist and leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma), and a present home prisoner by military junta. Her father, Aung San, negotiated Burma's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, and was assassinated by his rivals in the same year. After spent long time abroad in Bhutan and London, Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988 to take care of her sick mother. By coincidence, in that year, the long-time leader of the socialist ruling party, General Ne Win, stepped down, leading to mass demonstrations for democratization on August 8, 1988, which were violently suppressed. A new military junta took power. Heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 27 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she would leave the country, but she refused. In 1990, the military junta called a general election, which the National League for Democracy won decisively. Under normal circumstances, she would have assumed the office of Prime Minister. Instead, the results were nullified, and the military refused to hand over power. This resulted in an international objection and partly led to Aung San Suu Kyi's winning the Sakharov Prize that year and the Nobel Peace Prize the following year in 1991. UN through several occasions had sent their envoy in order to free Aung from her unjustified treatment. In March 2004, Razali Ismail, UN special envoy to Myanmar, met with Aung San Suu Kyi. Ismail resigned from his post the following year, partly because he was denied re-entry to Myanmar on several occasions. On 25 May 2007, Myanmar extended Suu Kyi's detention for yet another year which would keep her confined to her residence for a fifth straight year. After her confinement was again extended, current Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that "the sooner restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi and other political figures are lifted, the sooner Burma will be able to move towards inclusive national reconciliation, and the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights. Aung San Suu Kyi was undoubtedly are the peacemaker that spent whole of her life to promote democracy and justified action for Burma people and the establishment of the country that are free from any injustice and oppression.

2. Burmese socialism

The Burmese Way to Socialism is the name of the ideology of Burmese ruler, Ne Win, who ruled the country from 1962 to 1988. It included mainstream socialist ideals like the nationalization of industries. However, it also encouraged more unorthodox views. These included a severe isolation, expulsion of foreigners, discouragement of tourists, closing off of the economy, repression of minorities, and a police state. Ne Win's ideology also encouraged the term of "bona fide" religion to make the people more selfless. In practice this meant encouraging or forcing a state-sanctioned form of Buddhism, although initially it claimed to favor religion generally rather than any specific religion. In practice Ne Win also relied on principle in his system, but this was not officially part of it. Opinions are mixed to the resulting effects of the implementation of this ideology. The positives cited include increased domestic stability and keeping Burma from being as entangled in the Cold War struggles that affected other Southeast Asian nations. However critics indicate it greatly increased poverty, isolation, and that it was even badly affected Burma. Ne Win's later attempt to make the currency base 9 proved purely negative and led the military to revolt. This caused the authoritarian "Burmese Way to Socialism" to be replaced by a new authoritarian system.


PHILIPPINES

3. Name the agreement that was established by Philippines and US in declaring Colonial rule in 1901?






4. Benigno Aquino

Benigno "Ninoy" Simeón Aquino, Jr. (November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Philippine senator and a leading oppositionist to the autocratic rule of Ferdinand Marcos. He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport, which now named the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor, upon returning home from exile in the United States. His death promotes his widow, Corazon Aquino, to the limelight and the presidency, subsequently replacing the 20-year-old Marcos regime. He became mayor of Concepcion in 1955 at the age of 22. In the same year he married Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco, and they had 5 children; Ma.Elena, Aurora Corazon, Benigno Aquino III, Victoria Elisa, and Kris Aquino. Benigno Aquino was no stranger to Philippine politics. He came from a family that had been involved with some of the country's political heavyweights. His grandfather served under President Aguinaldo while his father held office under Presidents Manuel Quezon and Jose P. Laurel. He was the fierce opposition of President Marcos due to the mass corruptions and highly national debt in the Marcos regime. Due to the Plaza Miranda bombing on August 21, 1971, President Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972 and he went on air to broadcast his declaration on midnight of September 23. Aquino was one of the first to be arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion. He objects the decision of the court by having hunger strike in order to show his unjustified treat by government. In 1978, from his prison cell, he was allowed to take part in the elections for Interim Batasang Pambansa or Parliament. Although his friends, former Senators Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga preferred to boycott the elections, Aquino urged his supporters to organize and run as 21 candidates in Metro Manila. Thus his political party, dubbed Lakas ng Bayan or People's Power, was born. The party's acronym was "LABAN" which means fight in the Philippines languages. But not surprisingly, all his candidates lost due to widespread election fraud. By the end of 1980, he was offered to go abroad by Marcos regime but in return was not ever come back again to Philippines. In the first quarter of 1983, Aquino decided to go back to the Philippines, fully aware of the dangers that awaited him. Warned that he would either be imprisoned or killed, Aquino answered the challenge bravely. On August 21, 1983, while on his way to Manila, Aquino was accompanied by several foreign journalists to ensure his safety or, at the very least, to record events for truth in case rumors of a planned assassination proved to be true on China Airlines Flight 811. Despite a convoy of security guards and a contingent of 2,000 military and police personnel, Aquino was fatally shot in the head as he was escorted off the airplane by Rolando Galman, who was immediately shot dead by the aviation security. The death of Benigno Aquino transformed the Philippine opposition from a small isolated movement to a massive unified crusade, incorporating people from all walks of life. The middle class got involved, the majority of society was participated, and business leaders whom Marcos had banned during martial law support the campaign and also the crucial support of the military and the Catholic Church hierarchy.



SINGAPORE

1. State 2 reason why singapore left the formation of Malaysia?

Singapore left the formation of Malaysia after heated ideological conflict between the state's PAP government and the federal Kuala Lumpur government. Singapore officially gained sovereignty on 9 August 1965. Yusof bin Ishak was sworn in as the first President of Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew remained prime minister. Due to worsening PAP-UMNO relations, Singapore's status in Malaysia became increasingly tense as time went on. Singapore retained its autonomy, but differences in racial policy concerning issues of racial discrimination affected Singapore. The UMNO backed Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia, which gave the government of Malaysia power to enforce special social and economic privileges for the Bumiputra, which were ethnically and religiously defined. The PAP preferred for a slogan of “Malaysian Malaysia”, that favored all Malaysians, rather than specific ethnic groups. Singapore was also required to pay the Federal Government a large percentage of its budget, money which would not be necessarily returned as services towards Singapore. At the same time, free trade was not granted between Singapore and other states of Malaysia. Following these difficulties, Lee Kuan Yew reluctantly signed a separation agreement on August 7, and Singapore officially left Malaysia on August 9, 1965. Singapore was now fully independent.




THAILAND

2. Bowring Treaty
The Bowring Treaty is the name given to an agreement signed on April 18, 1855 between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam that liberalized foreign trade in Siam. The Treaty was signed by King Mongkut of Siam and Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong and Britain's envoy. A previous treaty had been signed between Siam and the United Kingdom in 1826, and the new treaty elaborated and liberalized trade rules and regulations by creating a new system of imports and exports. The treaty allowed free trade by foreigners in Bangkok, as foreign trade had previously been subject to heavy royal taxes. The treaty also allowed the establishment of a British consulate in Bangkok and guaranteed its full extraterritorial powers, and allowed Englishmen to own land in Siam.The Bowring treaty being signed until the 24th coronation of King Rama V (1892), during this period, the economic structure has been continuously changed. Formerly, the trade was the business between the governor who could control business from finance department and the foreign merchants. When the Bowring treaty signed, the control procedure changed, formerly the trade in Thailand was in hand of Thai governor, Chinese merchants or foreign substitutes. The trade has been changed to business type by general people and foreign investors from raw materials and local products trade e.g. perfume stick, animal skin, etc. to agriculture product such as rice, mine, sugar, etc.

3. strong man era

The continuation of military dominance over government initiated a succession of authoritarian leaders unchallenged by forces outside the military until 1973. Their power was backed up by United States assistance and aid. Washington wanted strong anti-communist leaders who would both repress domestic communism and join in American-led strategies for the containment of Asian communism. From the 1950s United States aid to Thailand was heavy. From that fund, it enabled much social and economic development, notably in communications, infrastructure and social welfare projects, but it also bolstered military and police power. Even so the goal of stable government was not provably secured. American aid created new opportunities for corruption in Thai government and administration, and stimulated competition for the prizes of power between rival political networks especially in the military but reaching into business and the bureaucracy. In this era, all the critics towards government are silenced and the democracies are seemed to be closed. The notably leader of Thailand in this era was Phibun in 1948 until 1957. He faced several attempted coups from within the military between 1948 and 1951. All were defeated, but at the price of the emergence of two further ‘strong men’ which is the army commander, Field Marshal, Sarit Thanarat and police chief Phao Siyanon. In 1957, a coup that launched by Sarit systematically gained the power in Thailand and drove out two of his competitors, Phao and Phibun. All we cab say that in this era, the corruption and the interferences of army in Thailand political are the common issues and later it was replaced by the more democratic era between 1973 – 1992.


1. Details out the very different military coup that Thai had experienced.

Thailand had suffered many military coups almost in all period of time. In the strong man era between 1948 until 1973, it had experienced much political turmoil especially caused by army coups towards government. For example in the time of phibun in 1948 until 1957, he personally deals with two attempts of army coups that he successfully repels before fall out to the third attempt by Field Marshal, Sarit Thanarat in 1957. after that Thai had consecutively under military junta before came the election on 1992 In those elections, the political parties that had opposed the military in May 1992 won by a narrow majority, and Chuan Leekpai, a leader of the Democrat Party, became prime minister at the head of a five-party coalition. Following the defection of a coalition partner, Chuan dissolved Parliament in May 1995, and the Chart Thai Party won the largest number of parliamentary seats in subsequent elections. In the recent case, on 19 September, 2006, the Thai military staged a coup d'état. Since that time, it is governed by The Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) headed by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin with the endorsement of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The 1997 Constitution was abolished, although most of the machinery of government remained intact. A new constitution is being drafted, to be voted on in July. They establish the new regime that was called the Council for National Security on 19 September 2006 in order to regulate new system of political affairs and administration before next election will held and the new government will able to take over. There are many side are concern about the fate of democracy in Thailand despite all the promise from military junta to give an election to Thai people.



VIETNAM

1. What was the Paris Peace agreement?

The Paris Peace Agreements were signed in 1973 by the governments of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam), the Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam), and the United States, as well as the Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) that represented South Vietnamese revolutionaries. The intent was to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam Conflict. The accords ended direct U.S. military involvement and temporarily ended the fighting between north and south. The negotiations that led to the accord had begun in 1968 and had been subject to various lengthy delays. The main negotiators of the agreement were United States National Security Advisor Dr. Henry Kissinger and Vietnamese political member Le Duc Tho; the two men were awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts, although Le Duc refused to accept it. The agreement began with the statement that "the United States and all other countries respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam as recognized by the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Vietnam." The inclusion of this provision was a victory for the communist side of the negotiations by allowing that the war was not a foreign aggression against South Vietnam.


2. Provide the illustration of French-Indo China

French Indochina (was the part of the French colonial empire in Indochina in Southeast Asia, consisting of a federation of four protectorates (Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia and Laos) and one directly-ruled colony (Cochin China). The capital of French Indochina was Hanoi. French Indochina was formed in October 1887 from Annam, Tonkin, Cochin China (who together form modern Vietnam) and the Kingdom of Cambodia; Laos was added after the Franco-Siamese War of 1893. The federation lasted until 1954.

Cambodia





Head of State : King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004)
Head of Government : Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985)
Capital : Phnom Penh
Land area : 181,040 sq km
Population : 13,607,069
Language(s) :Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Religion : Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%
Natural Resource : oil and gas, timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential
GDP : 5.4%
GNP :
Major import : petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products
Major export : Clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear
Trade partners:
Import partners : Thailand 22.5%, Hong Kong 14.1%, China 13.6%, Vietnam 10.9%, Singapore 10.8%, Taiwan 8.4% (2004)
Export Partners : US 55.9%, Germany 11.7%, UK 6.9%, Vietnam 4.4%, Canada 4.2% (2004)

Laos




Head of State : President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason
Head of Government : Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh
Capital : Vientiane
Land area : 5,083 km
Population : 6,217,141
Language(s) :Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Type of Government : Communist state
Religion : Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%)
Natural Resource : timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
GDP : 6%
GNP :
Major import : machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Major export : garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin
Trade partners:
Import partners : Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004)
Export Partners : Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004)

Singapore




Head of State : President Sellapan Rama (S. R.) NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) Head of Government : Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004)
Capital : Singapore
Land area : 692.7 sq km
Population : 4,425,720
Language(s) :Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9%
Type of Government : parliamentary republic
Religion : Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)
Natural Resource : fish, deepwater ports
GDP : 8.1%
GNP :
Major import : machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs
Major export : machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels
Trade partners:
Import partners : Malaysia 15.3%, US 12.7%, Japan 11.7%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 5.7%, South Korea 4.3%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)
Export Partners : Malaysia 15.2%, US 13%, Hong Kong 9.8%, China 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Taiwan 4.6%, Thailand 4.3%, South Korea 4.1% (2004)

Myanmar




Head of State : Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE Head of Government : Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004) Capital : Yangoon
Land area : 678,500 sq km
Population : 42,909,464
Language(s) :Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Type of Government : military junta
Religion : Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
Natural Resource : petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower
GDP : -1.3%
GNP :
Major import : fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products
Major export : clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice
Trade partners:
Import partners : China 29.8%, Singapore 20.8%, Thailand 19.3%, South Korea 5.2%, Malaysia 4.8% (2004)
Export Partners : Thailand 37.8%, India 11.7%, China 6%, Japan 5.3% (2004) 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2004)

Vietnam

Head of State : Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997)

Head of Government : Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997)

Capital : Hanoi
Land area : 329,560 sq km

Population : 83,535,576

Language(s) :Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) Type of Government : Communist state
Religion : Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8%

Natural Resource : phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
GDP : 7.7%

GNP :
Major import : machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles
Major export : crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes

Trade partners:
Import partners : China 13.7%, Taiwan 11.3%, South Korea 10.8%, Japan 10.5%, Singapore 10.5%, Thailand 6.2%, Hong Kong 4%

Export Partners : US 20.2%, Japan 13.6%, China 9%, Australia 7%, Germany 5.9%, Singapore 4.8%, UK 4.6% (2004)

Phillipines

Head of State : President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

Head of Government : President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

Capital : Manila
Land area : 300,000 sq km

Population :91,077,287

Language(s) :Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan Type of Government : republic
Religion : Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1%

Natural Resource : timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
GDP : 5.4%

GNP :
Major import : electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic
Major export : semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits

Trade partners:
Import partners :Japan 15.9%, US 13.7%, China 10.1%, Singapore 8.9%, Taiwan 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, Hong Kong 4.6%, Thailand 4.6%

Export Partners : China 24.5%, US 15.2%, Japan 12.2%, Singapore 8.3%, Hong Kong 7.6%, Malaysia 4.4%, Netherlands 4%

Thailand

Head of State : King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)

Head of Government : Interim Prime Minister SURAYUT Chulanon (since 1 October 2006)
Capital : Bangkok

Land area : 514,000 sq km
Population :65,068,149

Language(s) :Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

Type of Government : constitutional monarchy

Religion : Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1%
Natural Resource : tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

GDP : 4.8%

GNP :

Major import : capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels

Major export : textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
Trade partners:

Import partners :Japan 20.1%, China 10.6%, US 6.7%, Malaysia 6.6%, UAE 5.6%, Singapore 4.5%

Export Partners : US 15%, Japan 12.7%, China 9%, Singapore 6.4%, Hong Kong 5.5%, Malaysia 5.1% (2006)

Indonesia

Head of State : President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004);
Head of Government : President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004);
:Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA

Capital : Jakarta
Land area : 1,919,440 sq km

Population :234,693,997 thousand
Language(s) : Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Type of Government : republic

Religion : Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4%

Natural Resource : petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
GDP : 5.5%

GNP :
Major import : machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs
Major export : oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber

Trade partners:
Import partners :Singapore 30.3%, China 11.5%, Japan 9%, Malaysia 5%, Thailand 4.1%, Australia 4% (2006)
Export Partners : Japan 19.3%, Singapore 11.8%, US 11.5%, South Korea 7.8%, China 7.7%

Brunei





Head of State : Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of Government : Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah
Capital : Bandar Ser Begawan
Land area : total: 5,770 sq km

1. land: 5,270 sq km


2. water: 500 sq km

Population : 374,577 (July 2007 est.)
Language(s) : Malay (official), English, Chinese

Type of Government : constitutional sultanate

Religion : Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%

Natural Resource : petroleum, natural gas, timber
GDP : 0.4% (2005 est.)

GNP :US$7.75bn. 2005 estimateTotal$9.009 billionPer capita$24,826
Major import : machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals
Major export : crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing
Trade partners:
Import partners :Singapore 30.7%, Malaysia 18.4%, UK 7.8%, Japan 5.4%, China 5.3%, Thailand 4.4%, South Korea 4.1%
Export Partners :Japan 31.2%, Indonesia 20.3%, South Korea 13.3%, Australia 11.7%, US 7.9%

MALAYSIA

• Head of State : DYMM Al Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Almarhum Al-Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah


• Head of Government : Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi


• :Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak


• Capital : Kuala-Lumpur


• Land area : 330,257 sq. km


• Population : 26,127.7 thousand


• Language(s) : Melayu, English, Chinese, Tamil


• Type of Government : Parliamentary Democracy / Constitutional Monarchy


• Religion : Islam (Official)


• Natural Resource : Tin, Petroleum, Timber, Copper, Iron Ore, Natural Gas, Bauxite


• GDP : 30%


• GNP :


• Major import : Industrial components, military weapons.


• Major export : Petroleum, rubber, oil palm, agricultural products.


• Trade partners:


• Import partners :1. Japan 2. Singapore 3. US 4. China 5. Taiwan


• Export Partners :1. US 2. Singapore 3. Japan 4. Hong Kong 5. Thailand

ASEAN HISTORY

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly referred to as ASEAN, , is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on August 8, 1967by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Phillipines as a display of solidarity against Communist expansion in Vietnam and insurgency within their own borders. Since then the role of the organization has changed drastically, and today Vietnam itself is a member, its aims include the acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, and the promotion of regional peace. ASEAN was preceded by an organization called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), an alliance consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand that was formed in 1961.
The bloc itself, however, was established when foreign ministers of five countries—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 R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S.Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand—are considered as the organization's Founding Fathers.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the creation for this blog is to provide information pertaining the recent situation that happened in South-east Asia region and how it's effect the flow of the political stability in this world particularly