POST REPORTERS
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shakes hands with Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan in the presence of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung. CHANAT KATANYUPHETCHABURI: Political and security cooperation among members will be the springboard for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ plan to build economic success.
A pledge to foster ties on political and security issues is one of three areas endorsed by 10 Asean leaders at the end of their summit yesterday. The others were to cooperate on the economy and in social and cultural areas.
Asean aims to achieve a European Union-like community by 2015.
A 19-page declaration sets out a vision of Asean as ‘‘a rules-based community of shared values and norms, a cohesive peaceful, stable and resilient region with shared responsibility for comprehensive security, as well as a dynamic and outward-looking region in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world’’, according to the chairman’s statement.
Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said the results of the Asean defence ministers’ meeting in Pattaya last week, which reinforced Asean ability to deal with non-traditional security challenges such as disasters with more cooperation with civil society organisations, would help strengthen political and security ties within Asean.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Asean leaders did not discuss the drafting process for the establishment of the Asean Human Rights Body.
He said the body to be set up at the next Asean summit in October was not a ‘‘magic pill’’ to end human right violations in the region.
‘‘The establishment of the body to promote and protect human rights of Asean people would be one of the most important undertakings to make Asean a genuinely people-oriented community,’’ he said.
The chairman’s statement did not offer solutions specifically to the Rohingya situation when he discussed boat people from Burma.
‘‘We refer to illegal migrants in the Indian Ocean since the term is wider, covering more groups of people, not only the Bengali or Rohingya people,’’ he said.
Mr Abhisit and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said the issue would be addressed among countries of origin, transit and destination.
‘‘Now the issue will be on the regional agenda, Thailand will no longer be a defendant in the eyes of the world’s community,’’ Mr Abhisit said.
ties – relationships ความสัมพันธ์
crucial – extremely important; having a major effect on the result of something ที่สำคัญยิ่ง
springboard – something that helps you become successful จุดเริ่มต้น หรือ สิ่งที่ผลักดันให้เกิดความสำเร็จ
pledge – a formal promise ให้คำมั่นสัญญา
foster – to help something develop over time ส่งเสริม
issue – a subject that people discuss or argue about ประเด็น
endorse – to express support for someone or something ได้รับการอนุญาต
declaration – an official announcement that something is happening or is true คำประกาศ
vision – an idea or hope about how something should be done or how it will be in the future วิสัยทัศน์
norm – accepted standards of behaviour มาตรฐาน บรรทัดฐาน
cohesive – combining well to form a strong well-organised unit ที่ผนวกไว้ด้วยกัน
resilient – able to become healthy, happy or strong again after a problem, disappoint or illness ฟื้นไข้ กลับมาเข้มแข็งได้ดังเดิม
comprehensive – complete; including many details or aspects of something อย่างครอบคลุม
dynamic – continuously changing, growing or developing อย่างต่อเนื่อง
integrated – combined into one effective unit รวมกัน ผสานกัน
reinforce – to strengthen ทำให้เข้มแข็ง
disaster – something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people ความหายนะ ความวิบัิติ
cooperation – a situation in which people or organisations work together to achieve a result that will benefit all of them ความร่วมมือกัน
draft – to write something such as a legal document, speech or letter that may have changes made to it before it is finished ร่าง (เอกสาร)
undertaking – something difficult or complicated that you do ภาระหน้าที่
oriented – mainly concerned with, or directed towards, a particular group, activity or situation มุ่งไปยัง
migrant – someone who travels to another place or country in order to find work ผู้อพยพ
country of origin – the country someone comes from ประเทศต้นกำเนิด
(country of) transit – the country where someone goes in order to go to another country ประเทศที่ผู้เดินทางมารอพักเพื่อเดินทางไปจุดหมายปลายทาง
(country of) destination – the country where someone is going ประเทศปลายทาง
agenda – all the things that need to be done or that need to be thought about or solved ระเบียบวาระ, วาระการประชุม
defendant – someone who has been accused of a crime or wrongdoing จำเลย
