The 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) yesterday vowed to see through the formation of their single community by the end of the year despite concerns over a maritime row with China which they vowed to resolve peacefully.
Meeting at a summit in Kuala Lumpur, the Asean leaders discussed internal issues in preparation for the Asean Community (AC) and wrapped up with the pledge to jointly work to establish the new community by its 2015 deadline.
Diplomatic sources said the Asean leaders, including Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, emphasised the importance of people as the fundamental factor in building the three pillars of the AC: political security, economic and socio-cultural communities.
The source said the post-2015 vision was widely discussed because it will be implemented to outline Asean's platform for the next 10 years.
The leaders also discussed regional issues, such as the South China Sea disputes and extremist movements, as well as an Asean time zone which needed to be discussed further as some countries, including Thailand, have asked for more time to consider the issue.
"The leaders mainly discussed Asean affairs but the Philippines ... called on Asean to form a collective stance on [land] reclamation in South China Sea. Vietnam also touched on this issue but not much," a source said.
Col Veerachon Sukhonthapatipak, a member of the government spokesmen team, said: "Gen Prayut told his Asean counterparts that Thailand will walk with other members toward the AC and make people's empowerment the priority.
Gen Prayut said the standard of living of people in Asean should be improved, especially those who are in the agricultural sector as they are at the heart of development."
Issues related to human trafficking, transnational crime, connectivity and special economic zones at the borders were also raised by Gen Prayut during the summit, according to Col Veerachon.
Regarding the South China Sea row, Gen Prayut updated Asean leaders on developments on the Code of Conduct and called all parties concerned to solve the problems peacefully.
Thailand currently plays a key role in the South China Sea disputes as the country coordinator on Asean-China relations. Its term ends in August.
Gen Prayut earlier held bilaterals meeting with some leaders, including Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak who reaffirmed he would cooperate with Thailand in resolving unrest in the deep South and reiterated that his country would host peace talks between the government and the southern insurgent groups.
Commenting on the South China Sea dispute, Mr Najib yesterday told a media briefing that the leaders see a non-confrontational approach as the best way to ease tensions.