Malaysia celebrates ASEAN Day

Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry held a simple yet symbolic flag hoisting ceremony on Monday to mark the anniversary of the signing of ASEAN Declaration in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1967.

The hoisting of the Malaysian and ASEAN flags was witnessed by the ministry officials and ASEAN diplomatic mission heads.

The flag-raising ceremony had been a fixture in the ministry's calendar every year since 2005, and would be continued, the ministry's deputy minister A. Kohilan Pillay said here on Monday.

ASEAN was officially established 43 years ago when "ASEAN's Founding Fathers", namely Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration.

Today, ASEAN consists of 10 member states, after its latest member Cambodia joined in the bloc in 1999.

Source: Xinhua