ASEAN Student Leaders Forum 2013 held in Bangkok

BANGKOK, June 22 (TNA) - Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University on Saturday hosted the ASEAN Student Leaders Forum 2013, the second of its kind, aimed at preparing students from the 10 member-Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc for the regional integration by 2015. The forum was attended by 100 representatives of students from 26 universities across the Southeast Asian region. It provided a platform for them to share their ideas toward the realisation of the ASEAN Community (AC)’s motto of “One Vision, One Identity, One Commuity”. At the event, former Thai prime minister and current opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva gave a speech on “the importance of students in the ASEAN Community building”, in which he acknowledged that students are a key factor contributing to the strength of the ASEAN Community. For the ASEAN Community to come into exists, Abhisit suggested, ASEAN members need to overcome challenges emerging from their differences in cultures, social and economic backgrounds, which requires cooperation from people in the region, particularly the younger generations. The former Thai premier pointed out that education is an important mechanism in molding the "ASEAN mind" among people in the region and helping them feel that they are the citizens of ASEAN. The former Thai prime minister also foresaw that ASEAN should become a powerful bloc in the world community in multi-dimensions in the future, not only in the economic sphere as viewed by people in the past. Besides, the former Democrat Thai premier urged ASEAN members to further develop infrastructure, transport connections, communication networks and economic regulations to prepare for the AC formation. The ASEAN Student Leaders Forum was first held in Singapore in 2012. (TNA)