ASEAN celebrates its 41st Anniversary today and to mark the occasion, a flag hoisting ceremony was held in the morning at the ASEAN Secretariat.

The 8th of August is observed as ASEAN Day. It was on this day forty-one years ago that ASEAN’s founding fathers signed the ASEAN Declaration in Bangkok, setting up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.

Today’s ceremony was attended by the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Ambassadors and representatives of ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Dialogue Partners, as well as staff from the ASEAN Secretariat.

In his speech, Dr Surin said that the occasion “is a good time for us to reflect on how far ASEAN has come and the achievements we have made. More importantly, it is a day to re-affirm the vision of our founding fathers, that is, a region of peaceful co-existence amidst diversity, and a brighter and more secure future for the peoples of Southeast Asia.”

Dr Surin thanked those who participated in the ceremony, including Lieutenant Akrasid Amatayakul, the Ambassador of Thailand to Indonesia, and Mr Bill Farmer, the Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia, who conveyed their congratulations to the organisation on behalf of the Chair of ASEAN and ASEAN Dialogue Partners respectively