ASEAN IT and telecommunications meeting opened in Laos

(KPL) The 9th ASEAN Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin-9) was held in Vientiane, Laos, on 15 October 2009. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Khamlouad Sidlakone, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and director of the National Authority of Posts and Telecommunications and attended by ASEAN ministers and deputy ministers in charge of information and communications technologies (ICT).
The meeting focused on roaming charges, information security and e-commerce technology in order to reduce regional transaction costs and promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an attractive investment region. Also high on the meeting’s agenda was cooperation on green ICT and data transmission and on-line information exchange among the 10 ASEAN members in an effort to boost the sustainable integration of the bloc.
Participants also reviewed the regional ICT master plan for the 2010-15 period with the aim of further developing the sector and strengthening the industry’s role in the roadmap towards an ASEAN Community by 2015 and on into the future. On the sidelines, there were meetings between regional ICT ministers and dialogue partners, including the European Commission, to evaluate cooperative projects and discuss measures to develop ICT system and information security.
The ministers also met their partners from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and India to discuss cooperation programmes for 2008-09 and human resources development.