The 2011 Asia Pacific Round Table, under the theme of “Cambodia and Regional Development”, was held on October 29 to November 1, 2011 at the Hotel Cambodiana in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The meeting was participated by 39 delegates from 14 countries, representing: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Guam, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palau, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. It is in the 57 years’ history of the Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy (APLFD) that this organization first held its meeting in the Kingdom of Cambodia.
The Phnom Penh meeting has received great support from local circle. It was opened by Ms. Lim Chivv Ho, the Vice President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, who is a leading figure in the private sector. And we have the honor to have General Serei Kosal, a four star General with the ranking of Senior Minister, as the guest speaker at the Conclusion session. And Mr. Ok Socheat, an Advisor to the Government of Cambodia with a Minister ranking, was a special guest.
During the two-day meeting, two sessions on Cambodia and regional development were held on Day One (October 30). Session One was chaired by Mr. Simon Hu, the President of the China Society of Singapore. Speakers at the session were: Mr. Nget Thy, Executive Director of the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights; Mr. Michael Albert, Director of Strategic and Development of the LCH Investment Group in Cambodia; and Mr. Jen Lomethong, President of the APLFD Myanmar Chapter.
Session Two was chaired by Mr. Jack Wu, President of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Oceania. Speakers were: Ms. Aleice H.Kao, former Congresswoman of the ROC (Taiwan); Ms. Anh Chau Truong, Chief Secretary of the APLFD Vietnam Chapter; and Mr. Lance Woodruff, Senior Editor of the Mass Communications Organization of Thailand.
And the Conclusion session was co-chaired by Ms. Lim Kim Ly, a former Member of the National Assembly of Cambodia, and Dr. Tai Wan-chin, the APLFD Deputy Secretary General. Both of them thanked the guests, speakers and delegates for their contributions to the meeting.
On Day Two (October 31), the APLFD members held a forum to present their reports on the recent development of their chapters or their countries. A total of ten reports were presented. And in the afternoon, delegates of the round table paid a visit to Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone to discover the latest economic development of Cambodia before their departure on the next day.
For the APLFD, this Phnom Penh round table meeting is very meaningful as it is the League’s first return to Indochina after 36 years since 1975. For that, we owe our debt to Mr. Truong Quang Si, President of the APLFD Vietnam Chapter and Ms. Lim Kim Ly of Cambodia for their strong support and dedicated efforts to make this meeting a smooth and successful one.
