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Well I do believe that ASEAN is doing its best to promote relationships between governments of various countries.
But I'm not very sure whether it has actually reached the individual level. So I would hope that ASEAN would work together with the governments to educate preferably the youth.
Not just like the primary levels as I know they're doing schools but to older students in the tertiary levels and all those who are beginning to have an interest in politics and who actually do not know much about these countries and do not have a positive image of Singapore's neighbouring countries.
Yuen Wan Jin
Oklahoma City University
Management Development Inst of Singapore
I would think that ASEAN being the regional organisation, they should take a step to educate the people and help their own people out of poverty.
I also believe that education is very important because it actually enriches the people's mind and gives them the knowledge to come out, to have the ideas or any plans to come out of what the situation they are in now.
Anais Lee
Oklahoma City University
Management Development Inst of Singapore
How can other countries help the three border (provinces) in Thailand to improve the situation... because my hometown is actually near the borders and I'm very concerned about the safety of the people - my own family of course, and the economy in that part of the country as well.
Because in the south we actually do quite a lot of business and agriculture as well, as you know we have factories and plantations there and it really affects the country.
Not only that, I think in the long run, it might also affect some neighbouring countries that do business with Thailand.
I live in HatYai (biggest city in Songkhla province). The south of Thailand which is the border near Malaysia currently has terrorist attacks and bombings.
Even my own home country which is nearby, we might not be suffering quite as much as the three border provinces (Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat) but at least still affected.
So what are other neighbouring countries doing to help us to solve these problems to make the situation better?
Amornrat Mekha-Aphirak
University of Bradford
Management Development Inst of Singapore
ASEAN as an association should provide like ideas and ways to help each other and pull each other out of that poverty cycle because if one country is in a poverty cycle, I suppose the economic growth wouldn't be that well (off) for the region as a whole.
I'd like to ask in terms of poverty... I know they've been holding workshops and programmes with the world bank... there are ongoing projects that are currently being held now... but how can they measure the success rate of these projects because if these projects aren't successful or effective, I probably should think that ASEAN should come out with more or new ways to help the rural people.
Brian Wang,
University of Bradford
Management Development Inst of Singapore
Well my impression at the current point of time would be that although there has been a certain level of progress made in the 40 years, I feel there's a lot of more that can be done with regards to the poverty level that is being experience by certain ASEAN countries.
Ya I feel that it's not a level playing ground. Certain countries are ahead and certain countries are still lagging behind so I hope to see the countries that have progressed to a reasonable level chip in and help out with the other countries that are still lagging behind.
Mohammed Sathick,
Oklahoma City University
Management Development Inst of Singapore
Some critics have labeled ASEAN as talk shop. I think its widely known and I feel that ASEAN at the moment is also in quite like between a rock and hard place.
At one hand they have this big Myanmar issue where the international communities are pressuring them on like human rights issues.
Myanmar abusing (the) human rights issue on the one hand and ASEAN on the other hand, their hands are so called tight because of the non-intervention.
So I feel that I don't know... I mean I agree with ASEAN that if they do try to interfere this time, what is it going set in the future? The next time something might pop out in some other country and ASEAN might be you know... some other countries will say, "oh look what you did for Myanmar."
SO, if they do anything now, in the future, they will have to interfere or intervene so I feel that they're really in a very hard place and its gonna be a big decision whether they want to interfere of not.
Shaun Teo
Singapore Polytechnic
I think economically we are very good just that maybe like when you see EU, they (EU) are very good economically, they are very strong economically because they all follow one currency so their financial status (is) all quite equal.
But in ASEAN we have like 10 different currencies so maybe it'll be better if we start having one currency.
Like Brunei and Singapore have one equal standing in currency, maybe it'll be better to extend it to further countries so that it helps our financial status abit more also.
I wanted to ask ASEAN has been looking at this open sky policy for very long and whether we will eventually have the open sky policy because its been postpone for very long and whether it'll happen or not.
Vihasini Gopakumar,
Singapore Polytechnic
Well with the progress that ASEAN is going at right now, I was actually hoping that this 40th year anniversary can be more of a bench mark to show that we haven't actually progress as fast as we can, we have the potential too. Im hoping that the leaders of asian will pick up their slack.
Cherul Cheong
Singapore Polytechnic
Well to me there isn't a reason to celebrate.
Firstly cos it doesn't really involve me although in a way im part of it because I'm in Singapore. I don't really feel the excitement, the thrill of celebrating it so it doesn't really affect. I'm not really bothered.
I think over the years, the enthusiasm between the countries has slowly faded away in that sense.
There used to be events organised by ASEAN. They used to have the exchange of ideas with arts - these kind of things but I don' t really see that among ASEAN countries especially people my age.
Abel Seow
Singapore Polytechnic
I just feel that ASEAN is just an association. It's just a name but they're not doing anything.
They don't (do) what they preach as in they always talk and talk but they don't take actions on certain things that they need to do for example the haze.
I feel that ASEAN as a region they are not doing enough to help Indonesia or to show them its very very important - the haze.
They just say and say, they will discuss they will help but then its not enough. I feel they should talk it out, if not they should maybe go to the extreme like even though you are in the same organisation with ASEAN, I feel that they should take some measures like if they have to go to the extreme to boycott them then so be it so that they can understand the seriousness of the haze.
For example in the Myanmar its also the same thing. They were always saying... engagement, engagement, engagement but then its not helping.
They are throwing everything to the countries, other countries like the US to do everything so I feel that since Indonesia and Myanmar they are part of Asean right, we should be able to solve our own problem.
Jazreel Tan,
Singapore Polytechnic
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