PANO – The 18th General Assembly of the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) started in Hanoi on November 27th, co-chaired by Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) Chairman Thuan Huu and Vice President of the National Press Club of the Philippines Benny Antiporda.

Raising CAJ’s role in each member country

The participating delegates reminisced about the 40 years of operation of the CAJ and agreed that this General Assembly offered good opportunities for journalists to meet together and also to work out coming tasks for the development of the press in the region and in each member country.

Delivering a report, CAJ Permanent Secretary General Bambang Purwanto held that learning about the complicated developments in the bloc as well as in other countries world wide, the CAJ discussed and signed the Hanoi Declaration on November 26th.

Delegates at the event. Photo: qdnd.vn

Accordingly, the CAJ responds to the establishment of the ASEAN Community at the year's end by consolidating solidarity and stability, reporting news accurately, promoting journalism training and experience sharing, and raising the CAJ’s role in each member country, in the region and in the world.

Additionally, the CAJ continues to encourage the journalists’ associations of Brunei, Myanmar and Cambodia to join the confederation in order to consolidate the relations among the ASEAN member states.

It will establish a working group headed by a representative of the Thai press association in order to support the Action Plan for the 2015-2017 tenure.

The participants discussed and approved a report about the CAJ’s operations and assigned the positions of President and Secretary General of the CAJ for the 2015-2017 term to VJA Chairman Thuan Huu and VJA Vice Chairman Ho Quang Loi, respectively.

ASEAN press for peace and development in region

Previously, at a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the CAJ, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam highlighted the role and responsibility of the CAJ and ASEAN press in fostering the mutual understanding and cooperation between nations, while upholding justice in settling disputes and disagreements by peaceful means in accordance with the international law.

The event also saw the participation of ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh, senior journalists of Vietnam and delegates from CAJ member countries.

Addressing the opening ceremony, VJA Chairman Thuan Huu once again introduced the formation and development of the CAJ as well as the contributions of Vietnam to the CAJ since it became a member of the confederation in March 1996.

ASEAN press has become a cultural bridge for member states to get closer and learn more about each other, he affirmed.

Besides, Deputy PM Dam also stressed that the CAJ’s 18th General Assembly is an important event for all journalists in ASEAN in general and in Vietnam in particular, and hoped that ASEAN media, press organizations and journalists would be in the vanguard to guide public opinion towards fine values for the sake of prosperity in the bloc and all over the world as well.

Meanwhile, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh highly valued the CAJ’s contributions to boosting cooperation and connectivity among journalists in the region and emphasized the role of journalists in helping people know more about the coming establishment of the ASEAN Community.

At the event, the CAJ and the VJA presented prizes to winners of the photo contests on climate change.

On this occasion, the VJA and the Thai press association inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance the bilateral cooperation.

Translated by Van Hieu

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