MANILA, Philippines – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrates its

founding anniversary every August 8.

Each country has its own unique culture and history, its charms and quirks. (FAST FACTS:
ASEAN)

Did you know these details about the 10 member countries?

Brunei Darussalam

 The same family has been in power in Brunei for more than 600 years: the House of
Bolkiah. The current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is descended from the very first ruler,
Sultan Mohammad Shah.
 Pointing with your index finger is considered rude. Instead, Bruneians use their
thumb.
 Sale of alcohol is not allowed, although non-Muslim tourists can bring in and
privately consume alcohol.
 For religious reasons, many Muslim women don't shake hands with men.

Cambodia

 Angkor Wat is the most iconic temple complex in Cambodia, and one of the oldest
religious temples in the world.
 A person's head is considered the most sacred part of the body in Cambodia.
Touching or patting it even in a kind manner is considered rude.
 Cambodians tuck their feet when sitting because they consider it rude to have the feet
or soles pointed towards other people.
 Back in the day, birthdays were not celebrated in Cambodia. That's why older people
may not know their exact date of birth, just the year they were born.

Indonesia

 Would you believe that Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world?
 The eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia was the biggest volcanic blast in the past
2.5 million years. The crater is now the site of a large lake. An earlier theory said its
eruption almost wiped human existence, but scientists now say that this was not
supported by new data from Africa.
 The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) was the first Asian team to participate in the
FIFA World Cup in 1938.
 The 3-meter-long lizard known as the Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard in the
world, and can be found in Indonesia.

Laos

 Laos is not the first country you'd think of as the most heavily bombed country in
history, but it is. During the Vietnam War, the US dropped bombs on Laos – and
some 80 million unexploded bombs are scattered over the country.
  New Year is a 3-day celebration in Laos.

Malaysia

 Malaysia has a highway length of 65,877 km – longer than the Earth's circumference.
The country also has the world’s largest roundabout.
 At 421 meters high, the Menara Kuala Lumpur or KL Tower is the tallest skyscraper
in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar

 Men in Myanmar wear skirts. It is called longyi, a sarong-like traditional skirt which
can be worn by both men and women.
 Both men and women wear make-up called thanaka, a whitish-yellow paste made
from ground bark. It can be put on the face or all over the body.

Philippines

 The Philippines is Asia's most predominantly Christian country. By 2050, it is

expected to be the 4th largest home for Christians.
 Displaying an inverted flag of the Philippines – with the red on top and blue at the
bottom – is done during times of war.
 How many islands does the Philippines have? It's usually thought to be 7,107, but the
latest count puts the figure at 7,641.

Singapore

 Singapore's name is derived from "Singa Pura" (Lion City). According to legend, a
prince from Palembang came ashore to the island and saw a creature that looked like a
lion. Ironically, lions are not native to Singapore.
 Singapore is one of several city-states in the world, aside from Monaco and the
Vatican.
 Singaporeans are fast walkers. They take 10.55 seconds to walk 18 meters, according
to a 2007 study.

Thailand

 Krung Thep Mahanakhan Amon Rottanakosin Mahinthrayutthaya Mahadilok Phop

Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Undomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman
Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit –or, Bangkok's official name in full.
 Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country which wasn't colonized by the
Europeans.
 Back in the day, it was common for Buddhist men in Thailand to be a monk at some
point in their lives.

Vietnam
  Vietnamese is a difficult language to learn because it has 6 different tones and a slight
tweak in the tone changes the meaning of the word.
 Tortoises are considered lucky and sacred in Vietnam.
 Vietnam is a home for motorbikes, with millions plying the streets in the country
every day.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Q1. What have been the recent significant decisions made by the ASEAN Member
Countries regarding CEPT for AFTA?

The 26th Meeting of the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) in Chiang Mai, Thailand on
22-23 September 1994 had agreed to accelerate the implementation of CEPT for AFTA. The
main decisions were:

a. time frame for the implementation of AFTA be shortened from 15 to 10 years so that
by 2003, all CEPT products will have a tariff of 0-5%;
b. Unprocessed Agricultural Products be included into the CEPT Scheme;
c. The Temporary Exclusion List be phased out by 1 January 2000.

Q2. How will the time frame affect the present ‘Fast’ and ‘Normal’ Track?

Given the decision to accelerate CEPT for AFTA, the following are the revised guidelines to
reduce tariffs in the Fast and Normal Tracks:

Normal Track
  products with tariff rates above 20% will have their rates reduced to 20% by 1
January 1998 and subsequently from 20% to 0-5% by 1 January 2003;
 products with tariff rates at or below 20% will have their rates reduced to 0-5% by 1
January 2000.

Fast Track

 products with tariff rates above 20% will have their rates reduced to 0-5% by 1
January 2000:
 Products with tariff rates at or below 20% will have their rates reduced to 0-5% by 1
January 1998.

New tariff reduction schedules are currently being drawn up for individual products by
Member Countries and will be published in October 1995 by the ASEAN Secretariat in the
revised Products and Tariff Reduction Programmes under the Common Effective Preferential
Tariff Scheme (CEPT).

Q3. How will the Temporary Exclusion List be eliminated?

Products, from the Temporary Exclusion List will be phased into the Inclusion List in five
equal installments annually. The first installment will be effected on 1 January 1996. The last
installment will be effected on 1 January 2000.

Q4. What tariff reduction schedules will products transferred from the Temporary
Exclusion List have?

Products, once transferred into the Inclusion list, are guided by the following:

a. Products with tariffs above 20% must have tariffs of 20% by 1 January 1998.
Products above 20% and brought into the Inclusion List after 1/1/98 must have a tariff
of 20% or less upon transferring. Tariffs should be subsequently reduced to 0-5% by 1
January 2003.
b. Products with tariff rates at or below 20%, the tariff rate should be reduced to 0-5%
by 1 January 2003.

Q5. How will Unprocessed Agricultural Products be phased into the CEPT Scheme?

Unprocessed Agricultural Products will be divided into three separate lists i.e. those for
immediate inclusion, temporary exclusion and those considered sensitive. Products brought
into the Inclusion and Exclusion Lists will be subjected to the same conditions as other
Products in the lists respectively, these conditions reflecting the latest decision by the 26th
AEM. For products in the sensitive list, appropriate mechanisms will be established to phase
them in.

Q6. What are sensitive agricultural products?

Sensitive agricultural products refer to Unprocessed Agricultural Products submitted by

Member Countries which are considered sensitive to them. These products need not be the
same for each country.
Q7. When will these new decisions, viz. new time frame, inclusion of Unprocessed
Agricultural Products and elimination of Temporary Exclusion List, be effected?

These new decisions will be effected by 1 January 1996.

Q8. Can products in the Temporary Exclusion and Sensitive Lists enjoy concessions?

Products in the Temporary Exclusion list cannot enjoy concessions since only products in the
Inclusion List (i.e. with a tariff reductions schedule) are eligible. Products in the Sensitive
List can enjoy concessions but will be subjected to the CEPT rule for the exchange of
concessions.

Q9. Can Member Countries accelerate the liberalisation process under the CEPT for
AFTA?

Yes, Member Countries can accelerate their tariff reduction and/or include more than 20% of
their products in the Temporary Exclusion List into the Inclusion List. The private sector,
through ASEAN-CCI, can propose an acceleration to the Senior Economic Officials Meeting
(SEOM) via the AFTA Unit or the National AFTA Units.

Q10. How will these decisions affect the various ASEAN economic agreements?

These new decisions will affect both the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Enhancing
Economic Cooperation of 1992 and the Agreement on the Common Effective Preferential
Tariff (CEPT) Scheme for the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) of 1992. These Agreements
will be amended.

All past decisions by the ASEAN Member Governments after 1992 which may affect the
Agreements will also be accounted for in the amendment exercise.

Q11. What other decisions have been made by the 26th AEM to support the
acceleration of CEPT for AFTA?

The 26th AEM had also agreed that:

a. the harmonisation of tariff nomenclature, customs procedures and valuation systems

in ASEAN be completed by the end of 1995;
b. an AFTA Unit in the ASEAN Secretariat and National AFTA Units in the Member
Governments be established as institutional infrastructure to support the
implementation of CEPT for AFTA.

ON-GOING IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

Q12. When Member Countries effect unilateral reductions in their tariffs, can they
enjoy CEPT concessions?

Assuming the product fulfills all the requirements for CEPT concessions (i.e. the product is in
the Inclusion List with a tariff reduction schedule and has a 40% ASEAN content), the
product will be eligible for CEPT concessions, subject to the CEPT rule for the exchange of
concessions.

Q13. When Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates are revised by Member Countries
during the course of the year, when will exporters/ importers be eligible to enjoy the
changes in concessions?

When tariff reduction schedules or MFN tariff rates are changed, the eligibility of
concessions accorded under the CEPT will be affected. Importers/exporters can claim
concessions as and when the new tariff rates are effected as long as the products fulfills the
conditions for the enjoyment of concessions (see Q12). There is a need for updating of the
CEPT Concessions Exchange Manual (CCEM) to reflect these latest changes. The CCEM of
each country depicts the CEPT rate for each product and the ASEAN Member Countries
eligible for that rate (i.e. concessions). If such revisions in the reduction schedules or MFN
tariff rates are effected during the course of the year, modifications in the eligibility of
concessions can only be reflected in the CCEM when they prepared at the end of each
calendar year.

Q14. is the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements (PTA) still effective?

Yes, at the moment the PTA is still in force and Countries can enjoy the margin of preference
(MOP) granted under that scheme. This is because not all PTA products have been included
in the CEPT. The PTA will be phased-out by 1 January 1996. The mechanism to phase-out
the PTA is currently being discussed.

Q15. Is the ‘CEPT Base Rate’ in the Products and Tariff Reduction Programmes under
the Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme (CEPT) (or Product List) the MFN
rate?

Yes. However, there are certain qualifications to this. First, for some PTA products in CEPT
Scheme, the base rate is the MFN rate after accounting for the margin of preference (MOP).
Second, countries may have effected MFN reductions after the publication of the Product
List. Therefore, the base rate may not be reflective of the latest MFN rates of Member
Countries. In any case, traders are allowed to choose the lowest rate applicable.

Q16. Is the information contained in the CEPT Products List up-to- date?

Not always for some products. However, the ASEAN Secretariat makes periodic
amendments to the Products List. These amendments usually embody modifications to tariff
reduction schedules, addition of products into the Inclusion list or corrections to the previous
Products List. These amendments will be sent to the Product List subscribers periodically.

Q17. Where can one obtain clarifications and amplifications to the information
contained in the CEPT Products List?

One can either enquire at the respective National AFTA Units in respective Member
Governments or the AFTA Unit at the ASEAN Secretariat (the list of addresses and
telephone numbers appear in the “AFTA Unit and National AFTA Units” section).
Q18. If the tariff rate of a country for a particular product were to be reduced from
above 20% to 20% or below, what tariff rate should be applied by that country if the
product was traded with another country with tariff rates of above 20%?

The country with tariff rate reduced to 20% or below has the option of imposing either the
MFN rate or the previous CEPT rate of above 20%. In this case, the Sixth AFTA Council
decided that the country must revert to the previous CEPT rate of above 20% (which is lower
than the MFN rate).

Q19. Can products in the Inclusion List be transferred out into the Temporary
Exclusion or Sensitive Lists?

No. However, Article 6 on Emergency Measures” of the CEPT Agreement provides that
member Countries can suspend preferences provisionally and without discrimination if a
particular sector faces injury or the threat of injury. The suspension of privileges must
however only be temporary. Furthermore, the CEPT Agreement provides that notification
will have to be made to the AFTA Council when Emergency Measures are taken, and such
action may be subject to consultations between the affected parties. In the event when the
obligations of the CEPT Agreement are not complied with by others, Member Countries can
also make proposals for consultations with the other Member Countries, as provided for by
Article 8 on “Consultations” in the CEPT Agreement, with the view to achieving satisfactory
adjustment of the matter
1. Which one is the world’s largest and most diverse continent?
Asia ; It covers one-third of earth’s surface. Asia is most populous continent.
2. Where does Asia located?
in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
3. What percentage of current human population does Asia hosts?
Asia hosts sixty percent (60%) of world’s current population.
4. What is Eurasia?
the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia.
5. How much of the Earth’s total surface area does Asia Covers?
Asia covers 8.8% of the Earth’s total surface area.
6. Which continent has the largest coastline?
Asia.
7. Asia is bounded on the east by which Ocean?
the Pacific Ocean.
8. Asia is bounded on the south by which Ocean?
the Indian Ocean.
9. Asia is bounded on the north by which Ocean?
the Arctic Ocean.
10. Asia is subdivided into how many countries?
48 countries.
62 General Knowledge questions and answers on Universe | Space
11. How many of them are having part of their land in Europe?
two, Russia and Turkey.

Flag: Russia

Flag: Turkey

12. Where is The Gobi Desert located?

in Mongolia.
13. Which is the longest river in Asian continent?
the Yangtze River in China.
14. Which is the tallest mountain range in the world?
the Himalayas.
 Himalayas ~~ Image Via: commons.wikimedia.org

15. Where Are the Himalaya Mountains Located?

between Nepal and China.
16. Which Asian countries are facing extreme risk from climate change?
Bangladesh, India,Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand andVietnam.
17. Which continent has the second largest nominal GDP of all continents?
Asia.
18. Name the largest economies in Asia:
China, Japan, India, Indonesia and South Korea.
19. How many main financial centers does Asia have?
four; Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.
20. How many languages are spoken in India?
more than 800.
21. How many languages are spoken in Indonesia?
more than 600.
22. How many languages are spoken in Philippines?
more than 100.
23. Who is the first Asian Nobel laureate?
Rabindranath Tagore.
 Rabindranath Tagore ~~ Image via: commons.wikimedia.org

24. Who is the first Asian to get a Nobel prize in Science?

Sir C. V. Raman.
25. Name 2 women Nobel laureate in Asia who won Nobel prize for their significant efforts
for democracy and human rights:
Mother Teresa of India & Shirin Ebadi of Iran.
26. Who is the first Muslim woman to receive Nobel prize?
Shirin Ebadi.
27. What is APEC?
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

28. When was the first APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting occurred?
in 1993.
29. How many members do APEC have?
21 Pacific Rim member economies.
30. What is Pacific Rim?
The Pacific Rim are the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
31. What does ‘ASEAN’ means?
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
32. When was ASEAN formed?
8 August 1967.
33. What is SEA Write Award?
The S.E.A. Write Award is a literary award given to Southeast Asian poets and writers.
34. What is ASAIHL?
Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.
35. How many people are in Asia?
4.299 billion.
36. which is the most populated country in Asia?
China [1.351 billion (2012)]
37. which is the second most populated country in Asia?
India [1.237 billion (2012)]
38. which is the third most populated country in Asia?
Indonesia [246.9 million (2012)]
39. which is the fourth most populated country in Asia?
Pakistan [179.2 million (2012)]
40. which is the fifth most populated country in Asia?
Bangladesh [154.7 million (2012)]
41. Which is the largest city in Asia by population?
Tokyo.
42. Which is the largest city in Asia by area?
Beijing.
43. How many people are in Tokyo?
13.23 million (Apr 1, 2013)
44. What is SAARC?
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
45. How many nations are member of SAARC?
8; they are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,Maldives, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.
46. What is SAFTA?
South Asian Free Trade Area.
47. What is ICAPP?
International Conference of Asian Political Parties.
48. Which is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area?
The Caspian Sea.
49. Which country is considered as the largest Economy in Asia?
China.
50. Which is the longest bridges in Asia?
Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, China.
51. Which is the tallest building in Asia?
Burj Khalifa, Dubai.
52. The longest Asian rivers is —
Yangtze River, China.
53. The largest shopping mall in Asia is –
New South China Mall, China.
54. The largest stadium in Asia by capacity:
Rungnado May Day Stadium, China.
55. What are the mostly spoken languages in Asia?
Mandarin, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Malay, Bengali, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean,
Cantonese, Chinese, Wei Chinese, Thai, English.