ASEAN Media Forum Held in Person for First Time since the Pandemic
The seventh edition was held on Oct. 31 at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta attended by many media representative and diplomats. Photo: Torn Chanritheara
- By Torn Chanritheara
- November 1, 2023 5:00 PM
JAKARTA – The ASEAN Media Forum took place in Indonesia on Oct. 31, with participants attending in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed included the Myanmar crisis and Timor-Leste admission into ASEAN as well as the role of the media in the regional structure.
At the seventh forum, which was held at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta and was attended by media representative and diplomats, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi kicked off the forum with a Conversation with the ASEAN Chair 2023.
She mentioned the ongoing efforts to address Myanmar crisis, peace and stability, and Indonesia’s achievement as the Chair while answering questions on ASEAN’s external relations, economy and Indo-Pacific outlook.
In his remark, Secretary General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn said that the media play a prominent role to raise awareness and understanding in the ASEAN community.
He said that the ASEAN’s secretariat has always considered this forum a flagship event, bringing prominent media outlets to meet ASEAN’s key government policy makers and officials, and providing an ideal platform for ASEAN to convey messages, goals, achievements and challenges.
Ina Lepel, German ambassador to ASEAN, also spoke of the role of this forum in enhancing the exchange of views between ASEAN and the public.
The ASEAN-Myanmar landscape in 2025 was one of the key themes during the panel discussions. Former Secretary-General of ASEAN Tan Sri Ajit Singh, Thailand’s Former Advisor to National Security Council Panitan Wattanayagorn and Deputy Director of Asia Research Institute Maitrii Aung-Thwin shared their views on the outlooks of one of the most pressing issues facing ASEAN.
Another topic was the Timor-Leste’s path to ASEAN membership. The panelists included ASEAN’s former Deputy Secretary-General Sayakane Sisouvong, Director of Timor-Leste’s Water Public Utility Company Joao da Cruz Cardoso and Dewi Fortuna Anwar, research professor at the Research Center for Politics, National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia.
The forum ended with a special session with Indonesia’s former foreign minister Marty Natelegawa during which he said that, while ASEAN has mattered and continues to matter, the bloc must make robust decisions to stay relevant. If ASEAN is to sit in the driver’s seat, it needs to know where to go, he said.
The ASEAN Media Forum will be hosted by Laos in 2024.
