WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (hereinafter referred to as ASEAN), namely, Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, The Republic of Singapore, The Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur;

RECALLING the spirit in which the ASEAN Founding fathers gathered in Bangkok in 1967 to create an organisation that would help bring about a Southeast Asian region of peace, freedom and prosperity for our people.