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Subject: Reuters-Protests in Manila Ahead of ASEAN Summit 

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Protests in Manila Ahead of ASEAN Summit=20
05:42 a.m. Nov 24, 1999 Eastern=20
By Chris Johnson=20

MANILA (Reuters) - Police fired water cannon at left-wing demonstrators =
in Manila on Wednesday as senior officials began preparing for a weekend =
Southeast Asian summit.=20

The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit was =
expected to adopt a revised model for financial, technical and trade =
relations in the region to include Japan, China and South Korea, the =
officials said.=20

The topic was discussed in preparatory meetings held by finance ministry =
officials from ASEAN and the three observer nations, which are looking =
for greater economic cooperation in the wake of the Asian financial =
crisis.=20

In a brief protest outside the summit venue, dozens of banner-waving =
protesters were hosed down by armed police in fire-trucks after they =
tried to break through a security cordon.=20

The demonstrators accused ASEAN of undermining local industries and =
creating unemployment by removing trade barriers and opening up Asian =
economies to globalization.=20

``We just want to have an audience. We want to speak but they would not =
let us in,'' said a spokeswoman for the New Nationalist Alliance protest =
group before she was pushed away by police.=20

But while ASEAN -- grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, =
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- appeared to =
be moving toward greater cooperation in the economic field, there were =
some stumbling blocks in an initiative to increase regional security.=20

A Philippine proposal to push through a code of conduct to govern =
overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea ran into =
last-minute problems over what areas the code should cover.=20

``The real problem is in the scope of application of the code of =
conduct,'' said Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon. ``There are =
some countries that prefer only to limit it to the Spratlys, there are =
others who want...(it) to apply also to the Paracels and others.''=20

The Spratlys, a group of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea =
which are believed to lie above oil and gas reserves, are claimed by =
China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The =
Paracels are an adjoining group of islands.=20

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE=20

The focus of Sunday's summit meeting will be on information technology =
(IT) and its role in furthering regional growth.=20

The leaders will be briefed by executives from several high technology =
firms including U.S. software firm Oracle Corp and Telekom Malaysia.=20

The head of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Roberto Romulo, =
told Reuters seven executives including Oracle chairman Larry Ellison =
would discuss with the ASEAN leaders how to set up telecommunications =
infrastructure, improve IT education and harmonize technology industries =
across the region.=20

``The leaders have decided they cannot march into the 21st century =
without understanding the imperatives of information technology and the =
Internet,'' Romulo said in an interview.=20

After their summit the ASEAN leaders will meet the leaders of China, =
South Korea and Japan. Officials hope the talks will lead to more =
economic cooperation and the expansion of the proposed ASEAN Free Trade =
Area to include northern neighbors.=20

Tokyo media have said Japan is likely to announce at the summit the =
so-called ``Obuchi program,'' named after Japanese Prime Minister Keizo =
Obuchi, to boost human resource development in ASEAN through student =
exchanges, training and support for non-governmental organizations.=20

ASEAN will also discuss moves toward its goals under the AFTA to =
eliminate tariffs on goods traded in the region.=20

Trade ministers, who meet before the summit, will review progress on =
lowering tariffs on up to 90 percent of goods to between 0-5 percent by =
2000 and set a time-table for complete elimination on a progressively =
wider range of products.=20





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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Protests in =
Manila Ahead of=20
ASEAN Summit</STRONG></FONT> <BR>05:42 a.m. Nov 24, 1999 Eastern=20
<P><STRONG>By Chris Johnson</STRONG>=20
<P>MANILA (Reuters) - Police fired water cannon at left-wing =
demonstrators in=20
Manila on Wednesday as senior officials began preparing for a weekend =
Southeast=20
Asian summit.=20
<P>The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit =
was=20
expected to adopt a revised model for financial, technical and trade =
relations=20
in the region to include Japan, China and South Korea, the officials =
said.=20
<P>The topic was discussed in preparatory meetings held by finance =
ministry=20
officials from ASEAN and the three observer nations, which are looking =
for=20
greater economic cooperation in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.=20
<P>In a brief protest outside the summit venue, dozens of banner-waving=20
protesters were hosed down by armed police in fire-trucks after they =
tried to=20
break through a security cordon.=20
<P>The demonstrators accused ASEAN of undermining local industries and =
creating=20
unemployment by removing trade barriers and opening up Asian economies =
to=20
globalization.=20
<P>``We just want to have an audience. We want to speak but they would =
not let=20
us in,'' said a spokeswoman for the New Nationalist Alliance protest =
group=20
before she was pushed away by police.=20
<P>But while ASEAN -- grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, =
Malaysia,=20
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- appeared to =
be=20
moving toward greater cooperation in the economic field, there were some =

stumbling blocks in an initiative to increase regional security.=20
<P>A Philippine proposal to push through a code of conduct to govern =
overlapping=20
territorial claims in the South China Sea ran into last-minute problems =
over=20
what areas the code should cover.=20
<P>``The real problem is in the scope of application of the code of =
conduct,''=20
said Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon. ``There are some =
countries=20
that prefer only to limit it to the Spratlys, there are others who =
want...(it)=20
to apply also to the Paracels and others.''=20
<P>The Spratlys, a group of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea =
which are=20
believed to lie above oil and gas reserves, are claimed by China, =
Taiwan,=20
Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Paracels are an =
adjoining=20
group of islands.=20
<P><STRONG>INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE</STRONG>=20
<P>The focus of Sunday's summit meeting will be on information =
technology (IT)=20
and its role in furthering regional growth.=20
<P>The leaders will be briefed by executives from several high =
technology firms=20
including U.S. software firm Oracle Corp and Telekom Malaysia.=20
<P>The head of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Roberto Romulo, =
told=20
Reuters seven executives including Oracle chairman Larry Ellison would =
discuss=20
with the ASEAN leaders how to set up telecommunications infrastructure, =
improve=20
IT education and harmonize technology industries across the region.=20
<P>``The leaders have decided they cannot march into the 21st century =
without=20
understanding the imperatives of information technology and the =
Internet,''=20
Romulo said in an interview.=20
<P>After their summit the ASEAN leaders will meet the leaders of China, =
South=20
Korea and Japan. Officials hope the talks will lead to more economic =
cooperation=20
and the expansion of the proposed ASEAN Free Trade Area to include =
northern=20
neighbors.=20
<P>Tokyo media have said Japan is likely to announce at the summit the =
so-called=20
``Obuchi program,'' named after Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, to =
boost=20
human resource development in ASEAN through student exchanges, training =
and=20
support for non-governmental organizations.=20
<P>ASEAN will also discuss moves toward its goals under the AFTA to =
eliminate=20
tariffs on goods traded in the region.=20
<P>Trade ministers, who meet before the summit, will review progress on =
lowering=20
tariffs on up to 90 percent of goods to between 0-5 percent by 2000 and =
set a=20
time-table for complete elimination on a progressively wider range of =
products.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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