ASEAN to set up meeting on Cambodia-Thai dispute; East Timor applies for ASEAN membership; East Timor, Indonesia call for Regional Forum to address human trafficking; Myanmar pro-democracy group slams Junta budget
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    • Reports noted that Indonesia, which is holding the ASEAN chair this year, is arranging meetings for Cambodian-Thai defense ministers and border chiefs in Jakarta. According to the reports, Indonesia is preparing to have the meetings of Cambodia-Thai General Border Committee and Joint Border Committee on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) in Jakarta.1

    Meanwhile, East Timor has applied for the membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A formal application in that regard was submitted on 4 March 2011. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa accepted the application for consideration on behalf of the association.2

    Indonesia and East Timor have called for a regional forum to address the issue of people smuggling and asylum seekers. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said that such a proposal would be placed in the forum soon. It came out during a joint press conference held jointly by Indonesian and East Timor leaders on 4 March 2011.3

    In other developments in the region, on 4 March, Myanmar's pro-democracy group has criticized the government's recently released budget for allocating too much money to the military and not enough to social services. A statement from officially disbanded National League for Democracy also said that the budget should have been passed by the newly elected parliament, rather than enacted by the outgoing ruling junta. 4

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