Significant changes are not expected with the formal launch of the Asean Community (AC) Thursday as 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations still need more time to work out and adjust key issues for integration under the community's three pillars: the Asean Political-Security Community (APSC), the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
Inspired by the European Union (EU), Asean members have set a goal to build a peaceful, integrated and stable community which can handle regional challenges, increase its bargaining power as a bloc and its role in the international community.
However, Asean insists the community structure and regulations are different from the EU since Asean will adhere to the principles of consensus and non-interference.
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Asean, in fact, has been preparing for the establishment of its community for many years.
Under the community, the people of Asean will live peacefully under the APSC, growing economic cooperation under the AEC will boost their economic opportunities, while the ASCC will help build unity and upgrade people's livelihoods, particularly human resource development, welfare and cultural learning.
Several tuk-tuks are caught in the traffic outside Siam Paragon, under lights bearing the Asean emblem and the words Asean Economic Community (AEC), one of the new Asean Community's three pillars. (Photo by Panupong Changchai)
All of the details were included in the blueprints for each of the three pillars in Asean's Vision 2025 document.
Vision 2025 will bring about a new element of integration to Asean, notably the internal mechanism as each member will be required to make adjustments to narrow any gaps in the pillars, said the Thai permanent representative to Asean, Busadee Santipitaktaks.
Ms Busadee said the Asean community is moving in the right direction and with the proper timing, having started with Asean's establishment in 1967 and gradually transforming into a rules-based community.
"Under the 2025 blueprints endorsed by the leaders, the three pillars will underline political stability, regional connectivity, human security and also bridging development gaps," she said, adding that all processes under way before 2015 will be continued.
According to the Thai ambassador to Asean, the community will be a resilient and dynamic bloc that will work to maintain positive relations with external countries.
"One of the challenges of the Asean community is how to build a strong bloc and make cumulative moves by expanding cooperation to non-AC countries", she said, adding that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership economic grouping will also support the community's credibility.
Regarding the people-centred concept, Ms Busadee said the AC has to work hard to ensure that people have better living conditions while their rights are protected.
"It is about bridging development gaps. People should know how to preserve basic rights in health care, education, and cultural understanding for instance," she said.
According to the Thai ambassador, Thailand has maintained the same position in moving community members forward together, as "no one should be left behind under the single community and Thailand is ready to roll with our friends", she said.
Although Asean governments have been moving steadily towards the AC, with significant progress in economic integration through the AEC, other issues attached to the social and cultural pillar -- the ASCC -- should also be made a priority to promote sub-regional history and culture, according to academics.
"Despite the many positive engagements Thailand used to have with other countries in the past, teachers only teach their students the history of warfare," said Akkaraphong Khamkhun, professor of Thai studies at Thammasart University's Pridi Banomyong International College.
"In ancient times, we exchanged elephants and horses with Cambodia. We had a cooperative trading relationship with Myanmar.
"Intermarriage among royal family members with our neighbouring countries also took place, but people rarely know about all these things," he said, insisting that the people of Asean should be integrated through an awareness of culture and history that would support the creation of a "people-oriented, people-centred and rules-based Asean".
Mr Akkaraphong noted that many Asean countries shared both tangible and intangible cultural history, but the AC has not been successful in creating a sense of togetherness as people have become increasingly uninterested in learning about history.
He also urged people to accept differences among the 10 Asean member states as a way of building unity.
"The more you know your neighbouring countries, the more you know your identity," he said, adding that a nation will never collapse if its people are open-minded to different opinions and practices.
To him, tolerance and acceptance in the community could increase each individual's sense of public spirit.
At the same time, he urged Asean citizens who have little proficiency in English, which has been specified as the working language for the community, to learn Asean languages in order to seek better job opportunities in the bloc, particularly for skilled labour.
"People should be informed that apart from English, any other Asean languages could be a value-added tool for their careers," Mr Akkaraphong said.
Asean citizens have also commented on the formal launch of the AC, which they see as belonging to governments with little impact on their lives.
Samaykham Boupha, 22, a Lao health information support official at the World Health Organisation, said he is well aware of Thursday's official launch of the AC, but its integration will not bring about concrete changes anytime soon.
"Despite the community's formal launch, I do not think we will see sudden and clear changes within the next one to two years," Mr Samaykham said.
Karuna Bumyasontiguy, 35, an internal medicine specialist at a government hospital in Bangkok, told the Bangkok Post that her son still does not know what the community is really all about, even though his school frequently holds activities to promote Asean affairs.
"He told me his teachers teach him about Asean, but he still has no idea how it will affect his life," she said.
When asked about the impact that Asean could have on the medical profession, Ms Karuna said integration would encourage doctors and nurses in Thailand to work in other Asean countries with potentially higher wages and new experiences.
Meanwhile, Boonchan Kungthong, 50, a security guard at Mahidol University's science faculty, hopes Thailand's closer cooperation with Asean members will yield great economic benefits for the country.
"[The formal launch of Asean] will have little impact on me, but I hope it will help boost the country's prosperity," he said.