BACKGROUND: ASEM marks tenth anniversary

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By Maria Heinola
     
      The Asia Europe Meeting aims at promoting mutual interaction through political, cultural, and social cooperation. The first ASEM summit was held in Bangkok in 1996.
      ASEM comprises 38 countries and the European Commission. In addition to the EU member states, ASEM includes China, Japan, South Korea, and the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
     
ASEAN’s old members include Brunei, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
      At the Hanoi meeting in 2004 the group grew when the EU’s new member states were joined by the new ASEAN members Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
      The arrival of Myanmar annoyed the EU because of the country’s poor human rights record and its lack of democracy. The military rulers of the country are using tens of thousands of people as forced labour, and many have been forced into exile.
      It is feared that the disputes over Myanmar could overshadow other issues in Helsinki.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 24.9.2004

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Helsingin Sanomat