The accession of Sri Lanka to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began as early as 1967, [1] making its accession process older than that of some current ASEAN members. Currently, the Sri Lankan government have yet to revive the idea.
The accession of Sri Lanka to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began as early as 1967, [1] making its accession process older than that of some current ASEAN members. Currently, the Sri Lankan government have yet to revive the idea.
On August 8, 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in Bangkok, a regional organization comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines as its founding members. As the organization was established, there was an endeavor by Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, to become part of this nascent association as a 'founding father.' As the Bangkok Declaration was signed, Tun Abdul Razak, leading the Malaysian delegation, disclosed that Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had previously committed to the Prime Minister of Ceylon regarding Ceylon's potential admission to the group. Razak expressed his inability to retract this commitment, leaving the other delegates taken aback. The proposed geographical scope of the organization did not extend beyond Burma. [2] From here, there are differing controversial accounts whether as to why Ceylon's application motion by Malaysia did not get accepted.
During this timeperiod, Ceylon actually managed to send two ministers to apply for membership in the regional organization on August 6, just two days before the signing. [3] During the time, the Ceylon's embassy in Thailand was instructed to inquire if Sri Lanka could become a founding member of the organization. [4] : 46 Despite reservations from Singapore, [5] a motion was passed for the postponement of the meeting. The delegations of all 5 countries opted to await Ceylon's response to the invitation and there delegation's arrival to Bangkok and sign the declaration as a founding member of ASEAN. [2] Then Thai Foreign Minister informed the Ceylon embassy affirmatively, indicating his intention to consult with the other foreign ministers on this proposal. That same evening, the Thai Foreign Minister informed the Sri Lankan Embassy that the member states were "happy" to include Sri Lanka as a founding member, pending a formal written request. [4] : 46 However, no such application materialized within the timeframe, [2] prompting the meeting to proceed before the deadline, as the Thai hosts preferred auspicious timing for the organization's establishment. [6] [5]
However, Thanat Khoman, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, stated that it was Singapore's former Foreign Minister, S. Rajaratnam, who denounced and shut down Ceylon's inclusion to ASEAN at the Bang Saen Beach meeting where the first meeting was held. [3] Rajaratnam himself is of Jaffna Tamil-Sri Lankan decent. Sompong Sucharitkul, an aide of Thailand's then foreign minister Thanat Khoman, conveys Rajaratnam's stance on ASEAN membership for Sri Lanka in 1967:
"I remember one was an economics minister. He waited there anxiously for a signal to join the discussion; but it never came. It was Rajaratnam of Singapore who opposed the inclusion of Sri Lanka. He argued the country's domestic situation was unstable and there would be trouble. Not good for a new organisation." [7]
In his memoir, former president of Singapore, S. R. Nathan, noted Malaysia's high eagerness to include Ceylon as a member. A significant participant in the Singapore delegation led by S. Rajaratnam, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tasked with finalizing ASEAN's objectives and aspirations, was taken aback at Malaysia's suggestion. [5] Both political figures cites Rajaratnam's reservations about Ceylon's domestic stability, which he believed could negatively impact the newly established organization. [3] [5] The Singaporean thinktank, ISEAS Institute, added the fact that Singapore's delegation was among the senior officials chosen to decide on the matter by the chairman of the ASEAN Standing Committee led to Ceylon's membership bid getting sidelined during the signing of the Bangkok Declaration. [4] : 47 To observations made by American diplomats, it seemed that the founding members did not deem Ceylon "deserving of the privilege of being a charter member." Consequently, action on Ceylon's application had been delayed. [8] This uncertainty of joining ASEAN might be that of geopolitical factor. Policy strategists in Colombo were particularly mindful of their northern neighbor, India. Sri Lankan leaders, especially those of Sinhalese ethnicity, held reservations regarding India's foreign policy objectives. [6] This apprehension was significant, leading to a palpable aversion to any suggestion of close ties with India. Given the Western-leaning inclinations of influential Sri Lankan figures and their apprehensions toward India, it was understandable that Colombo expressed interest in joining ASEAN. At the time, the member nations of ASEAN adhered to anti-communist principles and maintained pro-Western foreign policy stances. This resonance with the political ideology prevalent among Sri Lankan leaders made ASEAN an appealing prospect for collaboration. [6] While member states of ASEAN generally aligned with the United States, India exhibited reserved interest in the association. However, India's stance was less critical compared to China's vehement opposition, branding ASEAN as a tool of US imperialism. Despite optimistic assertions, discerning Indian observers noted significant divergences among ASEAN members. [2] President S. R. Nathan later stated that Sri Lanka's former high commissioner, Canagaratnam Gunasingham, blamed the pressure exerted to the Ceylon government by Leftist groups inside and outside the country. Additionally, India applied significant pressure on the Ceylon government. Ceylon sought to diminish India's influence by joining ASEAN, a move that was met with disapproval from India. [5] [9] : 65 Eventually, Ceylon turned down its membership bid and chose to maintain its commitment to non-alignment. [10] [11]
In 1981, the idea of joining ASEAN once again resurfaced. Spearheaded by the country's, now Sri Lanka, elected Prime Minister, J. R. Jayewardene. [12] At Jayewardene's tenure, he implemented a series of reforms aimed at liberalizing the economy and encouraging foreign investment. Opening Sri Lanka's economy brought the country out of the economic turmoil Sri Lanka was facing as the result of the preceding closed statist economic policies. [13] Jayewardene felt compelled to look towards ASEAN to bolster the Sri Lankan economy because India's foreign policy rendered economic cooperation with India unfeasible. To advance Sri Lanka's bid, Jayewardene approached then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdul Razak Hussein, to advocate for Sri Lanka's membership in ASEAN. Unfortunately, the Malaysian Prime Minister passed away before they could convene, leaving Sri Lanka's aspirations unfulfilled. [9] : 64 As Jayewardene became president, Ranasinghe Premadasa was elected to be the incumbent Prime Minister and continued on Jayewardene's ASEAN rapprochement. During this brief period of time, the flexibility of a non-alignment that accommodates so many national varieties allowed for a gradual reconciliation of these opposing interests. [1] Sri Lankan academics refer to the post-Havana Conference period as 'the Aseanisation' of the country's foreign policy, [1] with much of Sri Lanka's foreign policy followed similarly to ASEAN's member states. [14] : 1
In the 1970s, ASEAN had a substantial trade surplus with South Asia, holding a significant trade imbalance and sway over South Asian nations. [14] : 18‒20 As a way to bolster economic ties with Southeast Asian nations, Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa toured Southeast Asia, mainly visiting ASEAN countries. Hearing reports that ASEAN was open on expansion and is rumored to be inviting Brunei to the organization on 1983 and possibly making observer status available to selected countries during his trip to the Philippines, he openly state to the Philippine media of Sri Lanka's wish to join ASEAN. [1] This statement raised eyebrows in New Delhi, as it came just weeks before the first South Asian ministerial meeting to discuss the formation of a South Asian forum proposed by Bangladesh. [1] Even so, reaproachment seemed to halt when Deputy Prime Minister S. Rajaratnam stated again that Sri Lanka could not be granted full membership in ASEAN due to its geographical location in South Asia. Arguing that allowing Sri Lanka to join might set a precedent for other South Asian countries, such as Pakistan, to seek membership. He did however suggested that Sri Lanka could instead be offered "observer" or "dialogue status" within the organization. [1]
In 2007, Sri Lanka was among the 27 participants in the ARF. [15]
In 2023, President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with ASEAN ambasadors in Colombo to celebrate ASEAN's 56th Anniversary. During the meet, Wickremesinghe announced plans to initiate negotiations for the establishment of free trade agreements with ASEAN member countries, intending to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement. Unexpectedly, Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed profound regret over Sri Lanka's declined an invitation to join the ASEAN in its early years, [16] citing missed opportunities for economic prosperity. Wickremesinghe acknowledged that turning down the opportunity to join ASEAN led to a period of socialist economic policies and recently led to an economic crisis and the subsequent bankruptcy of the nation, hindering the country's growth potential and limited capital formations. Wickremesinghe emphasized the importance and need for unity, cooperation, and closer ties with ASEAN, possibly even hinting a future membership bid. [17] [16]
A major perception over why Sri lanka was barred to ASEAN was that Sri Lanka was considered as outside of Southeast Asia. [18] Though during ASEAN's formation, what defines as a apart of Southeast Asia was not yet fixed. The Allied established South East Asia Command (SEAC) popularised the phrase "Southeast Asia," [19] albeit what made up Southeast Asia was not established; for example, SEAC ignored the Philippines and a substantial portion of Indonesia while including Ceylon (Sril Lanka). However, by the late 1970s, a broadly accepted usage of the phrase "Southeast Asia" and the areas it encompassed had established. [4] Though at the time, it was up to ASEAN who determined which states were deemed part of Southeast Asia for membership purposes. [4] : 42 Another major reason as to why Sri Lanka did not able to join ASEAN was its perceived economic and political instability that stands until today. [16]
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 189 UN member states. The three exceptions are the Central African Republic, Monaco and South Sudan.
The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon in January 1950, and was attended by the finance ministers of Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ceylon, Pakistan and New Zealand, and the prime ministers of Ceylon and India. Membership has expanded significantly over the years to the current 28 governments.
The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is a trade bloc agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations supporting local trade and manufacturing in all ASEAN countries, and facilitating economic integration with regional and international allies. It stands as one of the largest and most important free trade areas (FTA) in the world, and together with its network of dialogue partners, drove some of the world's largest multilateral forums and blocs, including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa was the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 until his assassination in 1993. He also served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 6 February 1978 to 2 January 1989. This makes Premadasa the longest-serving uninterrupted Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, having served in the post for nearly 11 years. He was the first person to be conferred with Sri Lanka's highest civilian award, the Sri Lankabhimanya in 1986 by President J. R. Jayewardene.
Ranil Wickremesinghe is a Sri Lankan politician who is the 9th and current President of Sri Lanka. He also holds several ministerial positions, including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence, Minister of Technology and Minister of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment.
The United National Party is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party, or as part of its governing coalition, for 38 of the country's 74 years of independence, including the periods 1947–1956, 1965–1970, 1977–1994, 2001–2004 and 2015–2019. The party also controlled the executive presidency from its formation in 1978 until 1994 and back in 2022.
Junius Richard Jayewardene, commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as J.R., was a Sri Lankan lawyer, Public official and a stateman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and as the second President of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. A longtime member of the United National Party, he led it to a landslide victory in 1977 and served as prime minister for half a year before becoming the country's first executive president under an amended constitution.
Japanese foreign policy toward Southeast Asia, the diverse region stretching from South Asia to the islands in the South Pacific Ocean, was in part defined by Japan's rapid rise in the 1980s as the dominant economic power in Asia. The decline in East-West and Sino-Soviet tensions during the 1980s suggested that economic rather than military power would determine regional leadership. During the decade, Japan displaced the United States as the largest provider of new business investment and economic aid in the region, although the United States market remained a major source of Asia-Pacific dynamism.
Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean statesman, journalist and diplomat who served as the first Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1965 and 1980, and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1980 and 1985. Rajaratnam is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of Singapore. He was also one of the founders of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country continuously since independence.
The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in relation to economic, political, security, and socio-cultural development of Southeast Asian countries. In addition, it serves as a prominent regional (Asia) and international (worldwide) conference, with world leaders attending its related summits and meetings to discuss various problems and global issues, strengthening co-operation, and making decisions. The summit has been praised by world leaders for its success and ability to produce results on a global level.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian and Oceanian regions, based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. Membership expanded to 18 countries including Russia and the United States at the Sixth EAS in 2011. Since its establishment, ASEAN has held the central role and leadership in the forum. EAS meetings are held after the annual ASEAN leaders' meetings, and plays an important role in the regional architecture of Asia-Pacific. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 14 December 2005.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, housing 1.73 billion people and having a combined gross domestic product of US$5.2 trillion (2023). The BIMSTEC member states – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand – are among the countries dependent on the Bay of Bengal.
The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia or ERIA is an international organization established in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008 by a formal agreement among Leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region to conduct research activities and make policy recommendations for further economic integration in the East Asia. ERIA works very closely with both the ASEAN Secretariat and 16 Research Institutes to undertake and disseminate policy research under the three pillars, namely “Deepening Economic Integration”, ”Narrowing Development Gaps”, and “Sustainable Development” and provide analytical policy recommendations to Leaders and Ministers at their regional meetings. ERIA provides intellectual contributions to East Asian Community building and serves as a Sherpa international organization. ERIA Ranks 9th among the world's "Top International Economics Think Tanks" according to the 2020 Global Go To Think Tanks Index Report conducted by the University of Pennsylvania.
The Act East policy is an effort by the Government of India to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China. Initiated in 1991, the Look East policy by Indian government marked a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister Narsimha Rao (1991–1996) and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998–2004) and Manmohan Singh (2004–2014).
The accession of East Timor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a process that started following the independence of the country in 2002 when its leaders stated that it had made a "strategic decision" to become a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the future. The country officially applied for membership in 2011.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia has a High Commission in Colombo, likewise, Sri Lanka has a High Commission in Canberra.
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, who is the constitutional chief executive. The Cabinet is collectively held accountable to parliament for their policies and actions. The powers and functions of the Prime Minister has changed several times since the creation of the office in 1947.
The enlargement of the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations is the process of expanding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through the accession of new member states. This process began with ASEAN's five original members, who founded the association through the signing of the Bangkok Declaration in 1967. Since then, the ASEAN's membership has grown to ten with the accession of Cambodia in 1999.
Cyril Esmond Lucien Wickremesinghe was a Ceylonese press baron, lawyer, and a successful entrepreneur. He also played key role in defeating Sirimavo Bandaranaike that brought United National Party's Dudley Senanayake to power in 1965's Parliamentary Election. He was also father of President of Sri Lanka and Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a Sri Lankan politician and former military officer who served as the 8th president of Sri Lanka from 2019 to 2022, initiated a self-imposed exile on 13 July 2022, following widespread protests led by civilians demanding his resignation, triggered by extensive discontent over his handling of the country's economic crisis.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)