PRESS RELEASE ASEAN PLUS THREE COMMEMORATIVE SUMMIT Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012

PRESS RELEASE ASEAN PLUS THREE COMMEMORATIVE SUMMIT Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 19 November 2012

The ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit this year 2012 was marked as the Commemorative Summit since it was the 15th Anniversary of the APT Cooperation. The APT Commemorative Summit, held at Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 19 November 2012, was chaired by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and attended by the Leaders of the ASEAN Member States and the Plus Three Countries, namely the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and Japan. The Secretary-General of ASEAN also attended the Summit.

Leaders discussed the review and future direction of the ASEAN Plus Three cooperation and also exchanged views on regional and international issues.

The ASEAN Plus Three Leaders adopted two important documents, namely the ASEAN Plus Three Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation and the Leaders’ Statement on ASEAN Plus Three Partnership on Connectivity. Moreover, the Leaders took note of the Report of the East Asia Vision Group II, Memorandum No. 9 of the Network of East Asian Think-Tanks, Summary Record of the 10th East Asia Forum, the Progress Report on the Implementation of the Second Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation and the APT Cooperation Work Plan, and the APT Plan of Action on Education: 2010-2017.

To mark the 15th Anniversary of the APT cooperation, the Leaders welcomed the successful activities to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the APT Cooperation, namely i) the “Workshop on APT Partnership on Connectivity” held on 15 June 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand; ii) the “APT Youth Leaders’ Symposium” held on 18-19 October 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; iii) the “APT Joint Cultural Performance: Unity in Diversity” held on 2-3 November 2012, in Siem Reap, Cambodia; and iv) the Track II Symposium on the Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of the APT Cooperation on 17-18 September 2012 in Beijing, China. The Leaders also welcomed the selection of Siem Reap City of Cambodia as the “Cultural City of East Asia 2012 within the framework of the ASEAN Plus Three” and the designation of the year 2012 as “Visit ASEAN Plus Three Year.”

Source: ASEAN Summit 2012

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PRESS RELEASE Outcomes of the 21st ASEAN Summit Phnom Penh, 18 November 2012

PRESS RELEASE Outcomes of the 21st ASEAN Summit Phnom Penh, 18 November 2012

Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Sunday, 18 November 2012: The ASEAN Heads of State/Government and the Secretary-General of ASEAN gathered at the Peace Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the 21st ASEAN Summit. Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Chairman of the 21st ASEAN Summit, presided over the Plenary Session.

The Plenary Session of the 21st ASEAN Summit opened at 9:00 am with the different topics and issues. The ASEAN Heads of State/Government discussed the Progress of the Implementation of the ASEAN Charter and Roadmap for an ASEAN Community, Follow-up to the 20th ASEAN Summit, the Progress Report on the Implementation of Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, signed Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, Exchange of View on Regional and International Issues, and issued Leaders’ Statement on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC).

ASEAN Leaders agreed to sign, adopt and note the following documents as the outcome documents:
- Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration;
- ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD);
- ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC);
- Concept Paper on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre (ARMAC)

ASEAN Heads of State/Government appointed H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh, candidate from the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, as the upcoming Secretary-General of ASEAN based on alphabetical rotation for 5 year term, January 2013 – December 2018.

The Leaders adopted the following documents: the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) and ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on the Establishment of an ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center (ARMAC).

Source: ASEAN Summit 2012

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Obama Back to White House

Obama Back to White House

After three days visiting Asia countries Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, today U.S President Barack left Cambodia for White House by around 6:00PM(GMT+7). Today is the final day of 21st ASEAN Summit 2012 that was held in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.

Thanks you Mr.President for your visiting...Hope to see come back visiting again soon..

U.S President Barack Obama

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Obama Presses Cambodia PM on Human Rights

U.S. President Barack Obama has voiced concerns about Cambodia's human rights record in what U.S. officials describe as a "tense" meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Obama, who arrived in the capital, Phnom Penh, Monday, raised the issue of free and fair elections and the detention of political prisoners.

U.S Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Obama told the prime minister those issues are an "impediment" to the United States and Cambodia developing a deeper relationship.

Cambodian officials said in response that the concerns about human rights are exaggerated.

​​After the talks with Hun Sen, the U.S. president met with the 10 leaders attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in the capital.

In another development, Cambodian rights groups voiced disappointment about the adoption at the summit of an ASEAN Declaration of Human Rights, saying the declaration does not go far enough to ensure rights for all people. The head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Ou Virak said that, for example, the declaration gives people the right to demonstrate, but not if the demonstrations affect a country's social order.

President Obama arrived in Phnom Penh from Burma, where he addressed a crowd at the University of Rangoon earlier in the day. Obama said he had come to keep his promise and extend "the hand of friendship." He added that "flickers of progress" that have been seen must not be extinguished, but must become - in his words - "a shining North Star" for all the nation's people.

Earlier in the day, Obama met separately with Burmese President Thein Sein and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in the country's main city of Rangoon.

Read more at VOANews/19 November 2012

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Obama Meets China, Japan Leaders at East Asia Summit

PHNOM PENH — On the final day of his Southeast Asia trip, President Barack Obama met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

It was the first meeting between the president and Premier Wen since their talks at the last East Asia Summit in Bali last year and since Obama's re-election to a second term. The two have met five times in all.

As the two largest global economies, the president says China and the United States have a special responsibility to lead the way to ensure sustained and balanced global economic growth.

"It is very important that as two of the largest economies in the world, that we work to establish clear rules of the road internationally for trade and investment, which can increase prosperity and global growth," said Obama.

Premier Wen congratulated Obama on his re-election and spoke about the importance of a strong Sino-American relationship, calling it important for peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

In describing the talks to reporters, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes offered additional specifics, noting that meeting was the last the two will have, given leadership changes in China.

"They discussed the importance of the U.S. and China consistently maintaining our cooperation on a bilateral and global level. They discussed security issues including Iran. They discussed economic issues, including our commitment to strengthen the rules of the road in the global economy,” said Rhodes. “And, they discussed regional stability, reaffirming that China is part of our engagement here in this important region a critical part of that engagement, and our interest again in resolving territorial disputes and maritime disputes consistent with international rules of the road."

In his only other bilateral meeting at the East Asia Summit, President Obama met with Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan.

Those discussions focused on the U.S. - Japan alliance. Washington has urged Tokyo and Beijing to resolve tensions about disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Although there were expectations Japan would announce it is joining the Trans-Pacific partnership, a new free trade initiative, Rhodes says that did not happen.

Obama's Southeast Asia trip has enabled him to fill in more details of the U.S. economic and security shift to the Asia-Pacific region, of which nations in the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) are a crucial part.

He addressed the shift toward the end of his speech in Rangoon, Burma.

"The United States of America is a Pacific nation. We see our future as bound to those nations and peoples to our West,” he said. “As our economy recovers, this is where we believe we will find tremendous growth. As we end the wars that have dominated our foreign policy for a decade, this region will be a focus of our efforts to build a prosperous peace.”

In their final statement, U.S. and ASEAN leaders say they are elevating the annual leaders meeting to a summit.

Source: VOANews/20 November 2012

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Cambodian Opposition Leader Asks Obama to Cancel Visit

U.S President Obama to Visit Cambodia on 18 November 2012

Cambodian Opposition Leader Asks Obama to Cancel Visit

VOA News, October 31, 2012

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy is urging U.S. President Barack Obama to cancel his visit to Phnom Penh next month for a regional summit, on the grounds that would provide legitimacy to the rule of longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Writing in The New York TimesI, Rainsy slammed the government of Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since 1985. Rainsy is viewed as the prime minister's main rival; he lives in self-imposed exile to escape charges he says are politically motivated.

Rainsy says Hun Sen is trying to use next month's regional summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to garner legitimacy ahead of parliamentary elections next year. He suggests the meeting of world leaders be moved to another country.

Rainsy added that Cambodians with "a record of opposition to Hun Sen are in dread of the period right after Obama’s scheduled visit," when they fear politically motivated prosecution by Hun Sen's allies.

The 63-year-old opposition leader wrote that the political coalition he heads (the Cambodian National Rescue Party), will boycott the July 2013 elections, because the group "refuses to validate such a bogus exercise."

Rainsy says his coalition, formed in August, has enough support to win a "free and fair election." But he says the "minimum requirement for proper elections next year is that the National Election Committee be reformed" to become independent. The committee is currently dominated by members of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

In the newspaper article, which also was published by The International Herald Tribune, Rainsy called on the "free world" to "seize the opportunity presented by Cambodia's elections" and compel Hun Sen to "play by democratic rules." If this does not happen, and if the ASEAN summit is not moved, Rainsy said the leader of the "world's standard-bearer of democracy," President Obama, should not visit Cambodia.

Hun Sen, who is 61, has vowed to stay in power until he is 90. His government is regularly accused of suppressing political freedoms and mistreatment of rights campaigners.

Describing what he expects to be a post-ASEAN summit crackdown on dissent in Cambodia, Rainsy recalled that a prominent activist, radio station owner Mam Sanondo, was arrested shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Cambodia earlier this year for another ASEAN meeting.

Rainsy, who faces 11 years in prison for various charges, lives in exile. He has vowed to return to Cambodia to help opposition efforts for the 2013 election; the government, in turn, has promised he will face jail time if he does.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

Source: VOA News/31 October 2012

According to NYTimes, Obama Should Stay Away From Cambodia>>>

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CamBriefNews: US President Obama to Visit Cambodia and Myanmar in November

US President Obama to Visit Cambodia and Myanmar in November

President of the United States Barack H. Obama will join the ASEAN-U.S. Summit here in November, H.E. Ouch Borith, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said

after the meeting with visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Mr. Joseph Y. Yun yesterday.

This upcoming visit reflects the increasing relationship between Cambodia and the U.S., he said.
Mr. Joseph Y. Yun also confirmed about U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s participation in the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in July this year, he added.

According to H.E. Ouch Borith, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Hor Namhong is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. in March this year.

On the same day, Mr. Joseph Y. Yun also met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon. According to CambodiaUN News.

And based on Reuters, US President Barack Obama will visit Cambodia on 18 November 2012. And according to Reuters as well, Mr.President also plans to visit Myanmar on 19 November 2012.

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Special ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (Special ASEAN SOM) for the Preparations for the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits

Special ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (Special ASEAN SOM) for the Preparations for the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits

Phnom Penh, 23 October 2012

Under Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship, on 22-23 October 2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia convened the Special ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (Special ASEAN SOM) for the Preparations for the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.

Delegations from all ASEAN Member States, and the ASEAN Secretariat attended the Meeting.

The Meeting discussed the preparations for the 21st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, including deliberations on Summit-related documents, such as the draft Phnom Penh Statement on the Adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, draft ASEAN Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Centre, draft Bali Concord III Plan of Action, draft Joint Statement of the Heads of State/Government of the ASEAN Member States and the People’s Republic of China on the 10th Anniversary of DOC, draft Joint Statement of the 4th ASEAN-US Leaders’ Meeting, draft ASEAN Plus Three Leaders’ Joint Statement on the Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation, draft Leaders’ Statement on ASEAN Plus Three Partners on Connectivity, draft Phnom Penh Declaration on East Asia Summit Development Initiative, and draft Declaration of the 7th East Asia Summit on Resistance to Antimalarial Medicines.

In addition, while exchanging views on regional and international issues, the Meeting touched on the Zero Draft of the Regional Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

Source: ASEAN2012

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