BUILDING BRIDGES FOR PEACE IN ASEAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- More than 50 events in the form of public
lectures, seminars, workshops and dialogues, some conducted by Nobel laureates,
are to be held by local institutions over six months from November under the
Asean-wide "Bridges: Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace" series.

The topics of the events will deal with the overall theme of "building a
culture of peace and development in a globalised world" and encompass a wide
range of issues in the fields of politics, economy, science, culture and media,
said Musa Hitam, a co-chairman of the Malaysian series.
The other co-chairman is the Crown Prince of Perak , Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.
Perak is a northern state in Peninsular Malaysia.

"They (the events) will especially highlight the challenges of both
globalisation and regionalism and their impact on development and international
co-operation," he told a news conference here Wednesday.

Musa said the "Bridges" events, which are open to the public free of
charge, were aimed at facilitating and strengthening dialogue and communication
among societies in Southeast Asia, with its multiple cultures and faiths, as
well as with peoples in other parts of the world to promote understanding and
trust.

"The events aim at building bridges through Nobel laureates with local
universities and other institutions in Southeast Asia to establish long-term
relationships which may result in common research programmes and other forms of
collaboration," he added.

Nobel laureates who have confirmed attendance at the Malaysian events
include Prof Gerardus't Hooft (1999 Nobel Laureate for Physics), Prof Robert Fry
Engle III (2003 Nobel Laureate for Economics), Prof Roger David Kornberg (2006
Nobel Laureate for Chemistry), President of Timor-Leste Prof Jose Ramos-Horta
(1996 Nobel Laureate for Peace), Prof Howard Robert Horvitz (2002 Nobel Laureate
for Medicine) and Prof George Fitzgerald Smoot (2006 Nobel Laureate for
Physics).

Musa said that by enhancing science, technology and education as a basis
for peace and development, the events may lead to better co-operation for the
advancement of peace, freedom and security in the region with the active
involvement of the young generation, Asean's key to the future.

"This is why "Bridges" is not designed as a one-time event but as a
continuing process of synergies to make the series of events a sustainable
success for Malaysia and Southeast Asia as a whole," he said.

The Malaysian "Bridges" programme is facilitated by the Vienna-based
International Peace Foundation under the patronage of 21 Nobel Peace laureates
and locally hosted in co-operation with various national and international
partners, including the Academy of Sciences and the Asian Strategy and
Leadership Institute (ASLI).

The "Bridges" series was held in Thailand in 2003 and in the Philippines
last year.

-- BERNAMA