Economy tops ASEAN agenda

February 28, 2009

Leaders of Southeast Asian countries agree that protectionism must be avoided. Leaders of the 10 member states of the Association of South East Asian Nations gathered in Thailand for their annual summit. Leaders agreed that protectionism is not the way forward in order to ease the slowdown in their export-dependant economies. Human rights issues were also on the agenda, with Myanmar and Cambodia refusing to recognise civil rights groups in their countries.