An Introduction
Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy(APLFD)
The Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy (APLFD) is an international organization founded in Chinhae, South Korea in June 1954. It is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) for the promotion of freedom, democracy and human rights.
The APLFD has 16 national chapters, namely : Australia, Fiji, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, ROC (Taiwan), Thailand and Vietnam.
A. OBJECTIVES of the APLFD
The objectives of the APLFD include:
---To unite the peoples in the Asia-Pacific for freedom and democracy.
---To promote cooperation among the peoples in the Asia-Pacific, as well as among the peoples in the other part of the free world.
---To promote peace and prosperity under the institutions of democracy.
---To act as a catalyst in developing friendly relations among nations based on justice, equal rights and principle of cooperation.
---To promote the idea of peaceful transformation of government to democratic system.
---To promote regional prosperity, social well-being and security.
B. ORGANIZATION of the APLFD
The principle organs of the APLFD include: the League Conference, the League Council, the Executive Committee and the League Secretariat. Their functions as follows:
---The League Conference is the supreme authority of the League. It consists of delegates from all Members of the League.
---The League Conference meets once a year.
---If circumstances require, special conference may be convened by the Secretary General in compliance with a resolution of the League Council.
---The League Conference elects its Chairman from among its Members at the start of the session.
---The League Conference may consider reports or resolutions submitted by the Members.
---The League Conference may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.
---The League Council is composed of one (1) representative from each of the Members.
---The Chairman of the League Council is elected by and from among the Members. He will hold office for one year.
---The Secretary General of the League is the ex-officio Secretary General of the League Council.
---When the League Conference is not in session, the League Council will take charge of matters regarding the League affairs.
---The Executive Committee, formed under the League Council, has 14 Members (national chapters) who are elected by and from among the League Members for a term of three (3) years.
---The Chairman of the Council and the Secretary General of the League are the ex-officio Chairman and Secretary General of the Executive Committee respectively.
---When the League Council is not in session, the Executive Committee will act as the agent of the League Council.
C. The APLFD SECRETARIAT
For the operation of the League, the APLFD Secretariat plays an essential and key role in this organization. Among other matters, the Secretariat is responsible for the League’s activities and coordination among the Members.
The Secretary General of the League is appointed by the League Conference upon the recommendation of the League Council. He is the chief administrative officer of the League Conference, League Council and Executive Committee.
The Secretariat was first established in Saigon, Vietnam in 1957. Mr. Nguyen Hwm Thong of Vietnam was the first Secretary General. In 1964, the Secretariat moved to Manila, the Philippines. Mr. Jose M. Hernandez of the Philippines was appointed as the Secretary General. Three years later, the Secretariat removed back to Saigon in 1967, and Mr. Do Dang Cong of Vietnam became its Secretary General.
Ten years later, under the resolution of the Members at their annual conference in Tokyo in 1975, the APLFD Secretariat was rebased to Taipei, Taiwan, on March 30, 1976, and Dr. Han Lih-wu was elected as its new Secretary General. Dr. Han was a former Minister of Education of the Republic of China (ROC), and had served as ROC Ambassador to the Philippines, Thailand and Greece, before he joined this League.
In 1991, Amb. Pao-tai Tien , a former ROCAmbassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, succeed Dr. Han as the League’s Secretary General. He retired in 2000. Dr. Ming-min Peng, a respectable democratic movement leader in Taiwan, succeed as the APLFD Secretary General. Dr. Peng has lectured in various American universities before his return to Taiwan in 1992. He has run in the 1996 Taiwan Presidential Election as an candidate of the opposition party. He retired in early 2008. Then, Mr. Yuan-fang Tu, a former ROC Ambassador to Finland, acted as the Secretary General for a while before Mr. Jieh-Jow Liou, a former National Assemblyman, was elected as the new APLFD Secretary General at the end of 2008.
D. A BRIEF HISTORY of the APLFD
The League was named the Asian Peoples Anti-Communist League when it was first founded in Chinhae, South Korea in 1954. Founding Members included South Korea, Philippine, Republic of China, Thailand, Vietnam, Macau and Ryukyu (Okinawa). The founding conference was opened by President Syngman Rhee of South Korea.
In the past decades, the League grows with the times. In 1984, at its 30th annual Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, the League changed its name to the Asian Pacific Anti-Communist League. The new name was in recognition of the increasing role of the new emerging Pacific nations.
Then in 1991, at its 37th Conference in Auckland, New Zealand, the League adopted its present name as the Asian Pacific League for Freedom and Democracy (APLFD). It was at a time when the Cold War was at its ending and Democracy has became a global mainstream.
For the promotion of freedom and democracy , the League holds its annual Conference in various cities in the world every year. In the past years, the APLFD has held its annual Conferences in the following Asia Pacific leading cities : Chinhae (South Korea), Manila (Philippines), Saigon (Vietnam), Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan), Kyoto (Japan), Quezon City (Philippines), Guam (USA), Honolulu (USA), Perth (Australia), Nadi (Fiji), Nukualofa (Tonga), Koror (Palau), Auckland (New Zealand), Melbourne (Australia), Bangalore (India), Brisbane (Australia), Bali (Indonesia), Vancouver B.C. (Canada) , Santa Clara (California, USA ), Portland ( Oregon, USA) and Incheon (South Korea).
Between 1960s and 1980s, distinguished speakers at the APLFD conferences, among others, included:
--Mr. Carlos P. Garcia ( 1961, as President of the Philippines)
--Mr.Nobusuke Kishi (1962, as former Prime Minister of Japan)
--General Jesus Vargas (1969, as Secretary General of SEATO)
--Mr. Kim, Jong-Pil (1972, as Prime Minister of South Korea)
--Mr.Mutsu Kimura(1986,as former Speaker,House of Councilors, Japan)
Since 1990, prominent guest speakers at the APLFD conferences, among others, included :
---President Fidel V. Ramos
( 1990, as Defense of Secretary of the Philippines)
---Mr. Alan Oxley
( 1993, as former Australia Ambassador to GATT)
---Justice A.C. Ahmadi
( 1995, as Chief Justice of India)
---Mr. Don McKinnon
( 1996, as Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand )
---Mr. Bob Halverson
( 1997, as Speaker of Parliament of Australia)
---President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
( 1998 as Vice President of the Philippines)
---Mr.W.C.Wentworth
( 1999,as former Member of Parliament, Australia)
---Mr.Yasril Baharuddin
( 2000,as Chairman of Foreign Committee,
Parliament of Indonesia)
---Mr. Phil Goff
( 2001, as Foreign Minister of New Zealand)
---Mr. Stockwell Day, MP
( 2002, as Vice Chair of Foreign Committee,
House of Commons of Canada )
---Lt. General Allen A. Baumann
( 2003, as Commanding General
of the U.S. Army Volunteer Reserve)
---Mr. Tom Lantos
( 2004, as Congressman of the United States)
---Mr. Peter McHugh
( 2004, as Supervisor of Santa Clara County, California, USA )
---Mr. Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi
( 2005, as Vice President of Fiji )
---Mr. George Shiu Raji
( 2005, as Minister of Multi Ethnic Affairs of Fiji)
---Mr. Hideaki Kase
( 2005, as Advisor to Ex-Prime Ministers Takeo Fukuda of Japan)
---Rt. Hon. Winston Peters
( 2006, as Foreign Minister of New Zealand )
---Mr. Peter Dunne
( 2006, as Minister of Revenue of New Zealand )
---Mr. Wayne Mapp
( 2006, as Member of Parliament of New Zealand )
----Mr. Richard Worth
( 2006, as Member of Parliament of New Zealand )
----Mr. Keith Locke
( 2006, as Member of Parliament of New Zealand )
---His Worship Dick Hubbard
( 2006, as Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand )
----Mr. John Lim
( 2007, as Representative of State, Oregon, USA)
----Mr. Vance Day
( 2007, as Chair of the Oregon Republican Party, USA)
----Senator Tina Rose Muna Barnes
( 2008, as Legislative Secretary of Guam)
----Dr. Robert Underwood
( 2008, as former US Congressman)
----Mr. Eduardo Ermita,
( 2009, as Executive Secretary of the Office of
the President of the Philippines)
----Mr. Antonio C. Santos
( 2009, as Under Secretary of Defence of the Philippines)
----Mr. Ernesto Carolina
( 2009, as Under Secretary of Defence of the Philippines)
----Ms.Maria Sy-Alvarado,
( 2009, as Congresswoman of the Philippines)
----Mr. Maeng, Hyung Kyu
( 2010, as Minister of Public Administration of South Korea)
----H.E. Ma Ying-jeou (2011, as President of the ROC, Taiwan)
----H.E. Johnson Toribiong (2011, as President of Palau)
----Mr. Kevin Andrews, MP (2012, as Member of Parliament of Australia)
----H.E. Ma Ying-jeou (2013, as President of the ROC, Taiwan)
----H.E. Wu Den-yih, (2014, as Vice President of the ROC, Taiwan)
---Mr. Axel E. Fisher,(as Member of the Parliament, Germany)
E. The Asia Pacific Round Table
To further promote international interchanges and understandings, the APLFD Secretariat established a forum named the Asia Pacific Round Table in January 2003.
The first Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Seattle, Washington State, USA in late March,2003. Theme of the Round Table was “The Bush Administration, Asia Pacific Developments and Security”. There were some 30 professionals from the fields of academic, politics and business attended the meeting. They were representing eleven (11) countries. The meeting was opened by Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen.
The Second Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan in late February 2004. Under the theme of “Northeast Asia Security and the Role of USA”, the Round Table was attended by some 16 outstanding scholars and experts from Fiji, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan and the USA. The meeting was opened by Mr. Koji Kakizawa, former Foreign Minister of Japan.
The Third Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in mid April 2005. Theme of the meeting was “ Democratization in Asia Pacific and Africa: Achievements and Challenges”. It was attended by 15 scholars and experts from Australia, India, Senegal, South Africa, Taiwan and the USA. The meeting was opened by Mr. Butch Steyn, an Member of Parliament of South Africa.
The Fourth Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Nagoya, Japan in late April, 2006. Theme of the meeting was “Taiwan Strait Security”. It was attended by some 16 scholars and professionals from Australia, Fiji, Japan, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States of America. The meeting was opened by Mr. Motohisa Furukawa, a Japanese Diet Member.
The Fifth Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Brussels, Belgium in mid October, 2007. Theme of the meeting was : “Cooperation between Taiwan and Europe”. It was attended by some 17 scholars and experts from Australia, Belgium, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States. Mr. Charles Tannock, a Member of the European Parliament, welcomed the delegates with an opening message.
The Sixth Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in mid November 2010. Theme of the meeting was : “The Prospects of Regional Economic Development and Southeast Asia”. It was attended by some 32 delegates from 11 countries representing: Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. The meeting was opened by Dato Hasan bin Malek, the Deputy Minister for Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia.
The Seventh Asia Pacific Round Table was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in late October, 2011. Theme of the meeting was “Cambodia and Regional Development”. It was attended by 39 delegates from 14 countries representing: Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Guam, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palau, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, USA and Vietnam. The meeting was opened by Chumteav Oknha Lim Chhiv Ho, Vice President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.
The Eighth Asia Pacific Round Table meeting was held in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei Darussalam, in mid November, 2012. Under the theme of “The Prospects of Regional Development in Asia Pacific”, the meeting was opened by Senator Dato Mohammed Najeeb bin Abdullah of Malaysia. A total of 32 delegates from 13 countries attend the meeting. Countries represented were: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Guam, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippine, Taiwan, USA and Vietnam. Distinguished guests included: Ms. Lim Kim Ly, Advisor of the Cambodia People’s Party; Mr. Chhoeung Kim Eng, former Congressman of Cambodia, Dr. Maung Zarni, Associate Professor of the Institute of Asian Studies of the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
The Ninth Asia Pacific Round Table meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand in late November 2013. Under the theme of “The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asia Pacific Visions”, the meeting was attended by 47 delegates from 18 countries. Countries represented were : Australia, Brunie, Camboida, Fiji, Guam,. Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Palau, Philippine, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA and Vietnam.
Mr. Nhkum Seng Hkum, an advisor of international project of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was the keynote speaker. Other distinguished speakers included: Senator Wicharn Sirichai-Ekkawat, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee of the Senate of Thailand; Congressman Lucio Ngiraiwet, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Palau; and Dato Mohammed Najeeb bin Abdullah, former Senator of Malaysia.
The Tenth Asia Pacific Round Table meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in late December, 2014. The theme of the meeting was : “Economic and Political Development in Asia and Pacific”. A total of 25 delegates from 11 countries and district attended the meeting. Countries and district represented were : Brunei, Cambodia, Guam, Laos, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, Palau, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Professor Arthur S. Ding, Director of the Institute of International Relations of the National Chengchi University in Taipei, was the key-note speaker. Datuk Sri Hasan Malek,MP, the Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism of Malaysia, welcomed the APLFD delegates with a warm message. And across the Pacific, Mr, Ray Tenorio, the Lt. Governor of Guam also sent his friendly message to the round table wishing a successful and fruitful meeting.