ASEAN Declaration

The ASEAN Declaration or Bangkok Declaration is the founding document of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was signed in Bangkok on 8 August 1967 by the five ASEAN founding members, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

It states the basic principles of ASEAN: co-operation, amity, and non-interference. The date is now celebrated as ASEAN Day.

One theory suggests ASEAN was formed as a display of solidarity against communist expansion in Vietnam and communist insurgency within their own borders. However, there is nothing written in the ASEAN Declaration that actually says this.

Signatories

ASEAN listed the signatories of the ASEAN Declaration as its founding fathers. These individuals are credited with laying the groundwork for ASEAN's principles of regional cooperation, non-interference, and mutual respect, which continue to guide the organization today. These are:

Picture	Name	Country	Description
File:Adam Malik 1970.jpg	Adam Malik	Template:Country data Indonesia	As Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Malik was instrumental in reversing Indonesia’s Konfrontasi with Malaysia. Malik also contributed significantly to the drafting of the Bangkok Declaration, the tenets of musyawarah (consultation) and mufakat (which evolved to the ASEAN way), and the naming of ASEAN.
File:Secretary Narciso R. Ramos.jpg	Narciso R. Ramos	Template:Country data Philippines	A journalist and member of the Philippine resistance during World War II, Ramos was first to speak at ASEAN’s founding to stress the importance of regional cooperation, citing challenges to the countries of Southeast Asia during uncertain and critical times. He embedded the idea that ASEAN should resolve or dampen internal disputes peacefully, a principle later codified in the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.
File:Tun Abdul Razak Universiti (4to3).jpg	Tun Abdul Razak	Template:Country data Malaysia	Serving concurrently as Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Tun Abdul Razak steered the association toward non-alignment, formalised that stance in ZOPFAN, pressed for tighter internal machinery, and reframed ASEAN diplomacy to let Southeast Asians, not external patrons, decide the region’s future.
File:ASEAN's Big Five (S. Rajaratnam).jpg	S. Rajaratnam	Template:Country data Singapore	First foreign minister of Singapore, Rajaratnam argued that regionalism was essential to complement individualistic nationalism. Rajaratnam warned of the dangers of “balkanization”, and saw a united Southeast Asia as essential for collective regional resilience.
File:Thanat Khoman (cropped).jpg	Thanat Khoman	Template:Country data Thailand	Thailand’s foreign minister, Khoman initiated the dialogue that led to ASEAN, first at a banquet that eased regional tensions. He drafted the charter and hosted “sports-shirt diplomacy” talks at Bang Saen, laying the groundwork for the Bangkok Declaration.

Surrounding issues

Communism

Prior to the declaration, the five Southeast Asian states struggled to contain communist influence.

At the time, the Filipino government struggled to give amnesty to former Hukbalahap militants, who staged an armed conflict in Luzon during the 1950s that almost led to the collapse of the central government.

Conflict between the Indonesian military and the increasing Indonesian Communist Party apparently come to an end in late 1965 with the transition to the dictatorship of Suharto's "New Order" after the horror of Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 being implemented.

Communism also led to the idea of merging the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, Singapore, and North Borneo into one entity, which had the intention of eliminating the possibility of Singapore falling into communism. Singapore was expelled from the Federation in 1965 over racial tensions and how the federation should be governed, but remained a capitalist democratic society with close ties with its new neighbors.

Tensions between neighbours

A related matter was the formation of Malaysia. In 1961, Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman announced a proposal to create a new federation called Malaysia. This was opposed by Indonesia and the Philippines because Indonesia believed the new formation was a form of neo-colonialism while the Philippines claimed eastern North Borneo (Sabah) as part of its territory.

To defuse tension, a non-political confederation called Maphilindo was formed. This, however, was not successful due to the perception that Maphilindo was formed to delay or prevent the formation of Malaysia.

Despite opposition, Malaysia was formed in 1963. This led to the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. The Philippines withdrew diplomatic ties, causing relations to remain sour until the formation of ASEAN.

It is believed by scholars that the formation of ASEAN has prevented hostilities between Southeast Asian states.

See also

• History of ASEAN
• ASEAN Charter
• Domino Theory