International conference on ‘East-West Corridor: The Linkage of Look East Policy to ASEAN’ underway

Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, November 28

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] two-day international conference on “East-West Corridor: The Linkage of Look East Policy to ASEAN” kicked-off here at the MIMS Hall, Manipur University.
The objective of the international conference is to explore, examine and understand the implications and insights of linking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community with the North East India in general and Manipur in particular.
A total of 45 international delegates are participating in the conference jointly organised by Manipur University and Surindra Rajabhat University, Thailand. Among the international delegates, 26 are faculty members from universities and institutions in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.Dr Achara Phanurat, president, Surindra Rajabhat University was the chief guest on the inaugural function of the international conference and Dr Dy Davuth, vice-president, Undergraduate Programmes Built Bright University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Prof H Nandakumar Sarma, vice-chancellor, Manipur University were the guest of honour and president.
The international conference is one of the initiatives to link universities and institutions in ASEAN region and the Manipur University, Dr Achara Phanurat said in his speech on the occasion.
He said the initiative is also a start, under the banner East West Corridor, in the series of academic activities among the ASEAN countries along with Manipur University.
Dr Phanurat said that it is envisioned that such an initiative would facilitate in understanding and knowing each other, exchange of students and faculty members, and also undertaking joint research and project works besides other collaborative and joint activities.
He said that in 2015 the 10 countries–Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Veitnam—in ASEAN would be taking an milestone step forward towards strengthening socio-economic integration that would further boost the movement of people, capital and goods and services in the region in the long run.
He added that the North East India in general and Manipur in particular, is emerging as socio-economic strategic link to the ASEAN region for India and increasingly featuring prominently in India’s “Look East Policy” and endeavouring to link with the ASEAN countries.
The research papers to be presented at the conference by well-known international and national academicians would be based on historical linkages among the ethnic group in the South East Asia, issues on connectivity and linkage, cross cultural communication and experience, and socio-economic implication and impact of linkage.