ASEAN founding anniversary, Vietnam’s membership marked
ASEAN ambassadors to Malaysia and ambassadors of ASEAN partners attended the event along with ambassadors and heads of diplomatic corps, government officials, members of parliament and academicians.
The Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia also organized a similar ceremony to mark the bloc’s 45th anniversary and 17 years since Vietnam joined the Association.
The ASEAN delegation to Egypt hoisted the ASEAN flag to mark the bloc’s development milestone, which affirms ASEAN nations’ commitments to building an ASEAN Community by 2015.
The same day, representatives from eight ASEAN embassies in Egypt joined a flag-raising ceremony in Cairo and participated in a variety of activities to welcome the celebration.
The Vietnamese embassy in Cairo also held a flag-raising ceremony in response to the 45th ASEAN anniversary and to commemorate 17 years since Vietnam became a full member of the organization.
In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Dao Thanh Chung reviewed the process of ASEAN’s development and highlighted the significance of this anniversary, which demonstrates the strong political determination of ASEAN members to develop an ASEAN community in the future.
Similar flag-raising ceremonies were also held at all ASEAN embassies in Cairo to express a spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, and acknowledge ASEAN’s present role as well as its place in the future.
Ambassador Chung emphasized Vietnam’s role in and contributions to ASEAN’s development, as well as the country’s commitment to building ASEAN into a united and strong community by 2015.
Doan Nguyen Duc, chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai Corporation, has rejected all accusations made against his company of deforesting and appropriating land in Laos and Cambodia by the NGO Global Witness, calling them "groundless."
The Viet Nam Coal and Mineral Group (Vinacomin) claims that bauxite mining plants Tan Rai and Nhan Co in the Central Highlands are socio-economically efficient and environmentally safe.