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NEWS- Most ASEAN Leaders Fear Globa



Subject: NEWS- Most ASEAN Leaders Fear Globalization

NOTE: Most ASEAN Leaders Fear Globalization.  They can't accept that
they are the cause of their country's problems and econmic woes.
Globalization will cause them to loose their power over the people and
possibly their great wealth.  Thailand and the Philippines have learned
and changed.  But can the others do the same???



ASEAN Leaders Warn of Dangers of Globalization

            AP
            15-DEC-98

            HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Despite their professed unity,
            Southeast Asian leaders today revealed divisions over
            economic policy, with some complaining of pain from
            globalization and others urging even faster steps to
integrate
            their economies. 

            The conflicting stances provided evidence of the
difficulties
            that Cabinet ministers had at pre-summit meetings in trying
            to forge a consensus on action to restore confidence in a
            region suffering its worst economic crisis in a
half-century. 

            The ministers agreed on a list of "bold measures" that their
            leaders are expected to endorse at the two-day summit of
            the Association of Southeast Nations, which started today.
            However, leaked reports on the plans have failed to
            generate enthusiasm in world markets. 

            Nine-member ASEAN includes industrialized countries and
            some of the world's poorest nations, leading to natural
splits
            on the scope and speed of tariff cuts and investor
incentives.

            Malaysia and Vietnam were at one end of the spectrum
            today, warning of the dangers of economic globalization,
            while Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines said the trend
            toward greater integration of markets is inevitable and
            should be embraced. 

            As usual, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was
            the most outspoken, criticizing world leaders who stood by
            as "predatory speculators" set off Asia's economic crisis
and
            then blamed hard-hit countries for causing their own
            problems. 

            "Instead of reining in the currency manipulators, they
allowed
            them to destroy the economic tigers," he said, using the
            nickname for Asian countries fast on their way toward
            building industrial economies. These unidentified world
            leaders wanted to bring the "tigers" low so as to force them
            to seek help from the International Monetary Fund, Mahathir
            said. 

            But Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai urged accelerated
            integration of the regional economy. 

            "We cannot stop the process of globalization, but we can
            better prepare ourselves to meet its challenges," Chuan
            said. 

            He also underscored Thailand's stance that economic
            recovery is linked to greater democracy and respect for
            human rights. 

            This stance is not likely to impress communist Vietnam and
            Laos or the military regime in Myanmar, known also as
            Burma. These governments have been criticized for their
            human-rights records and have resisted any change in
            ASEAN's policy of non-interference in its members' internal
            affairs. 

            Philippine President Joseph Estrada called for ASEAN to
            "move and move boldly," on economic integration, and urged
            more frank discussion between ASEAN countries. 

            Speaker after speaker highlighted the region's stability but
            noted that the economic crisis has taken its toll.
Indonesian
            President B.J. Habibie called it "devastating." 

            The crisis has led to some calls for affected countries to
            open their markets more quickly. Vietnamese Prime Minister
            Phan Van Khai said such a move creates both opportunities
            and problems. 

            "Rapid economic globalization is bringing about greater
            market access and new partners for development, but also
            putting the weaker economies in a more vulnerable and
            disadvantageous position, and in an uneven competition,"
            Khai said. 

            Mahathir has long been critical of international currency
            traders, blaming their unregulated activities for sparking
the
            Asian economic crisis 19 months ago. 

            He made a pitch for the currency and stock-market controls
            that his country have imposed in an effort to restore
            economic stability. 

            "Until the international community agrees on an
international
            regime that will remove the kind of dangers we have been
            exposed to, we will have to continue with our controls,"
            Mahathir said. 

            The leaders were to go into closed meetings later today and
            Wednesday to endorse several documents, including their
            "bold measures," then hold talks with their so-called
            "dialogue partners:" Japan, China and South Korea. 

            ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
            Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam