July 21, 2008
Bangkok - The opening ceremony of the 41th Asean Ministerial Meeting today took place in Singapore.
Deputy PM Sahas Bunditkul represented Thailand to join the meeting.
The controversial Thai-Cambodian border issue was discussed by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Asean Charter, 41-year-old group’s document designed to help Asean become a single trading block, has been ratified by seven Asean countries except Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The charter is expected to be later ratified at the year-end summit in Bangkok.
Founded in 1967, the ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Singapore will hand over the chairmanship of ASEAN to Thailand after the series of meetings.
