ASEAN

Let me preface this post by saying that I am in no way an expert on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  In fact, most of what was covered about the subject during Peace Corps pre-service training was lost in my sleep deprived brain.  I did however take away four things:

1. ASEAN is made up of ten countries in Southeast Asia
2. In 2015 skilled people in any of these ten countries will be able to work in any of the other ASEAN countries
3. The official  language of ASEAN is English and Thailand doesn’t rank very high in its English language ability
4. Unlike the EU, ASEAN is not preparing for a single currency such as the Euro

Upcoming changes to ASEAN however, have significantly altered the nature of my work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Thailand.  I therefore decided to learn more about these changes with the hope that I would better understand my role in helping Thailand as it struggles to adapt.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia.   ASEAN was initially formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.  It has since expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam.

ASEAN covers a land area of 4.46 million km, which is 3% of the total land area of Earth, and has a population of approximately 600 million people, which is 8.8% of the world’s population. If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank as the ninth largest economy in the world.

The motivations for creating ASEAN at the time were 1) the common fear of communism (think back to the period before and during the Vietnam War), 2) reduced faith in or mistrust of external powers in the 1960s (again think back to the Vietnam War), and 3) a desire for economic development.

The ASEAN Community

Skip ahead twenty some-odd years to October 2003.  Having achieved its originals goals, ASEAN Leaders decided to further enhance the effectiveness of ASEAN by creating  blueprints for what they called “The ASEAN Community.”  The blueprints contain a  comprehensive long-term plan aimed at ensuring durable peace, stability, and shared prosperity in the region. The original target date for completion was 2020.

The Blueprints for The ASEAN Community are based on three pillars;  1) the ASEAN Political and Security Community, 2) the ASEAN Economic Community, and 3) the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Here is a brief summary of each pillar.

1. ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) – “The primary objective of the ASEAN Political-Security Community is to ensure that the people and Member States of ASEAN live in peace with one another and with the world at large in a just, democratic and harmonious environment. The APSC also promotes political development in adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance, and respect for and promotion and protection of human rights.”

2. ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) – Through economic integration, the primary goal of the ASEAN Economic Community is to transform ASEAN into (a) a highly competitive economic region, (b) a region of equitable economic development, (c) a region fully integrated into the global economy and (d) a single market and production base to include:

free flow of goods between ASEAN nations
free flow of services between ASEAN nations
free flow of investment between ASEAN nations
freer flow of capital between ASEAN nations
free flow of skilled labor between ASEAN nations

3. ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) – “The primary goal of the ASCC is to realize an ASEAN Community that is people-centered and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the nations and peoples of ASEAN. This would be achieved by forging a common identity and building a caring and sharing society which is inclusive and harmonious where the well-being, livelihood, and welfare of the peoples are enhanced.”

Opportunities and Challenges

Of the three pillars, the second, AEC and third, ASCC have proven to have the greatest impact on our work here in Thailand.   Economic integration will provide significant opportunities for the people and member nations of ASEAN.  Integration also comes with increased competition and not a few challenges.

English for example, is the official language of the ASEAN Community and as such will be used for all business, trade and services throughout the region.  Bilingual and multilingual individuals will have the advantage at finding job positions and getting promotions. At the corporate level, companies that adapt well to foreign trade will thrive from the integration, while those that don’t will be ignored. This also holds true for research communities, service industries and government officials.

Even in rural, farming communities, those that adapt well to change and build some English proficiency will attain a competitive advantage in negotiating pricing and market agreements over those who don’t.   Simply put, if people across ASEAN at all levels and in all occupations do not strive to communicate better, foreign countries will simply choose to do business with those that do.

Getting Ready in Thailand

As mentioned earlier, the establishment of The ASEAN Community was original planned for the year 2020.  However in January 2007 ASEAN Leaders, affirming their strong commitment to the ASEAN Community, elected to accelerate its implementation to 2015.

Facing an accelerated time frame for implementation and the complexities of the changes upon them, the Thai government saw the importance of raising awareness and building a framework for readiness. One sizable obstacle to readiness is Thailand’s limited competency with the English language.

Thailand ranks near the very bottom of ASEAN nations in English proficiency.  While English is taught in schools across Thailand, the focus has been almost exclusively on reading and writing.  In fact, many teachers who teach the subject cannot speak the language themselves.  As a result, the average Thai has very low English speaking ability.  Most Thais tend to be unwilling to converse in English and often revert back to using Thai among themselves, even in groups of mixed languages.  Thais who are fluent in English are not common, and those that speak flawless English are considered very rare.

To address these obstacles, the Thai Ministry of Education is now focusing considerable time and resources on a “Lets learn English” campaign.  The campaign is a major component of the Ministry’s long-term strategy and contains an elaborate plan to quickly 1) provide English education to the Thai people both in urban and rural areas and 2) equip vocational students with the skills and language ability needed to communicate with other ASEAN countries.  On any given day, hundreds of officials from district, provincial and national levels are taking part in English language training and an ASEAN awareness campaign.

In addition to language training, Thailand also recognizes the urgent need to educate the Thai people about their immediate neighbors and the challenges posed by the ASEAN Community.

Peace Corps Thailand Group 124

The Community Based Organization Development (CBOD) sector of Peace Corps Thailand was originally established to provide skill and economic development at the sub-district government/administrative level.   However, by the time Peace Corps Thailand Group 124 arrived in Thailand in January 2012, most public leaders including those at the lowest sub-district level were feeling the pressure to up their game in terms of English education and ASEAN Awareness.

In March 2012, CBOD Volunteers in Group 124 arrived at site with our 2-year plans for community development work in hand only to find that the game had changed.  We were faced with a new set of goals; teach English and teach ASEAN.

Tambon Mae Pao

I’ve rather enjoyed the change of direction.  As an educator and meeting planner by profession, I’ve found a natural niche here as an organizer and facilitator of training initiatives for youth and adults.  During my first year of service at site we’ve successfully undertaken several key initiatives aimed at enhancing English language and ASEAN awareness including:

• In June 2012, we hired 2 additional English teachers with better than average speaking abilities.
• In September 2012, we conducted a 2-day English Camp for 120 6th grade students with the focus on English conversation.  We plan to conduct a similar camp in the fall of 2013.
• We have conducted a number of smaller English-based initiatives at our local schools such as “Celebrating Christmas,” and “Love to Read.”
• We have also designed and run a series of ESL programs for adults.
• But by far our biggest ASEAN initiative took place in early 2013. Over a 2-month period, 7 local schools, 600 students, 40 teachers, 7 school principals and our S.A.O. collaborated on The Children’s ASEAN Initiative.  Over an eight week period teachers and students studied and prepared for a day-long community-wide ASEAN Festival complete with a parade of nations, ten ASEAN country booths and structured learning activities.  In my last post, Children’s ASEAN Initiative  I’ve included more details about the project and some really great pics.

Summary

The upcoming implementation of The ASEAN Community has created a kind of angst in Thailand similar only to that faced by the rest of world as we entered the new millennium.  It’s pretty much all anyone in Thailand talks about.  The impact of these upcoming economic changes has significantly changed my role as a Peace Corps volunteer.  But a year in, I confess that the work I’m doing is both fun and extremely rewarding.  I feel extremely blessed to be here.