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ASEAN

Association of South East Asian Nations

by Steve Stringfellow, 18 July 1997

Description
Old Logo

See also:

International Organizations

Description

ASEAN as you know is the Association of South East Asian Nations and was formed 30 years ago with 5 members. Brunei became the 6th in 1984 and Vietnam the 7th member in 1995. On May 31, 1997 at the ASEAN foreign minsters meeting, it was decided to admit Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in a few months' time. To represent the 10 nations, a new flag was unveiled which had in the center a stylized device featuring 10 rice stalks. I haven't seen the flag in color but the background is AFAIK light blue.

The old logo had 6 rice stalks

Tom Koh, 4 July 1997

A Reuters news report announced that ASEAN will keep the flag with 10 rice stalks despite not taking in Cambodia due to its internal war. ASEAN Secretary-General Ajit Singh state "It will still be the 10 stalks of paddy, and the reason we have maintained it is because this is the vision of all the ASEAN 10."

The flag is described as "The new flag unveiled late in May comprises a blue background with a centered red circle enclosing 10 yellow stalks of rice paddy. A thin white ring encircles the red ring." Reuters quoted ASEAN's explanation of the symbolism: ``The 10 stalks of paddy represent the dream of ASEAN's founding fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the 10 countries in southeast Asia bound together in friendship and solidarity.''

Jan Oskar Engene, 18 July 1997

Old Logo

by Tom Koh, 4 July 1997