REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANGKOK - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday celebrated the 47th anniversary of its establishment, aiming at encouraging youth to become enthusiastic about the scheduled launching of the ASEAN Community (AC) at the end of 2015.

Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Manasvi Srisodapol presided over the celebration, held at the ministry. ASEAN ambassadors to Thailand plus teachers and students from 80 schools nationwide participated. Also participating in the party were former ASEAN secretaries-general Phan Wannamethee and Surin Pitsuwan. The celebrations are organized every year on August 8 by the ministry.

This year's event is arranged in order to also inform youths of Thailand?s role in ASEAN and on preparations for the implementation of the ASEAN Community. Students from nationwide on Friday joined in a competition on answering to questions involving ASEAN.

Other activities included an exhibition relating to AC and on the 100th anniversary of Thanat Khoman's birth on February 9, 1914. Mr Thanat was among the five foreign ministers, considered ASEAN?s founding fathers, who signed the `Bangkok Declaration's giving birth to ASEAN on August 8, 1967.

The other four ministers were from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. The three Indochinese countries - Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - plus Myanmar and Brunei, joined ASEAN later.

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