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.