Dr. Wilfried A. Herrmann (HDFF Executive Director); Guest speaker: Dr. Peter Lehr (CSTPV, University of St Andrews); General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin (HDFF Chairman); Kim McQuay (Asia Foundation)
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On 28 May 2013 the first of six Chairman’s Circles/ Strategic Forum series on “ASEAN 2015 – Challenges and Opportunities”, jointly co-hosted by HDFF and The Asia Foundation, was held in the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok. Welcome remarks were delivered by HDFF’s Chairman General (ret) Bunchon Chawansin and The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative Mr. Kim McQuay.
The main focus of this event was on the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC) 2015 and non-traditional security issues. HDFF invited distinguished guest speaker Dr. Peter Lehr, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV), University of St. Andrews, Scotland/United Kingdom, who gave an interesting insight on the current challenges for the ASEAN Political Security Community under the topic “ASEAN Political Security Community 2015: non-traditional security issues: Organized crime – challenges and responses”.
The Chairman Circle was joined by a wide range of high level participants – among others – attachés from the Japanese and German embassies, former UN officials, World Vision, Thai government and several other organizations and institutions who enriched the lively discussion with multi-perspective views.
Participants listening to the chairman’s welcoming address
After an overview about the history and development of ASEAN, Dr. Lehr gave an insight into the current and upcoming challenges for ASEAN Political Security Community.
The challenges of APSC involve traditional, as well as non-traditional security challenges. The traditional issues comprise diplomacy, military-policy and economy while new security challenges are set up among others with piracy, drug trafficking, migration, terrorism and developments among information technology and mass media.
Two of the biggest challenges for the ASEAN Political Security Community, which were in the focus of this chairman’s circle, are organized crime/drug trafficking and terrorism. ASEAN has been fighting against transnational organized crime since their nascence, but it’s inevitable to face the new challenges in a close cooperation between the member countries.
A central outcome of the chairman’s circle is that it has to be emphasized that APSC can only face the new security challenges with a joint internal security policy approach which focuses on a proactive internal security strategy. It’s important to develop common guidelines and measures for a strong cooperation in information sharing, law-enforcement and border-management among the ASEAN member countries. Transnational organized crime in the ASEAN region has to be faced with a strong bilateral, regional and international cooperation.
HDFF would like to take the opportunity to thank the speaker as well as the participants for their active participation making this HDFF Chairman’s Circle 2013 so multi-perspective and informative.
The next HDFF Chairman’s Circle/Strategic Forum will be held on Tuesday, 06 August 2013 with Key note speaker Dr. Surin Pitsuwan (former ASEAN Secretary General) on the topic “ASEAN Community 2015: AEC and ASCC – Challenges and Opportunities”. More information will be posted soon on the website or can be obtained via Mr. Christoph Gassner at gassner@hdff.org.
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