The Fifth ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM) Meeting was held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam on 15-16 September 1999, preceded by the Eighth Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) held on 13-14 September 1999.
The Fifth ATM was chaired by H.E. Mr. Le Ngoc Hoan, Minister of Transport of Vietnam, with H.E. Pehin Dato Haji Zakaria Sulaiman, Minister of Communications of Brunei Darussalam as Vice-Chairman. The Meeting was attended by H.E. Mr. Khy Tainglim, Minister of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia; H.E. Mr. Anwar Suprijadi, Secretary General, Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Minister of Communications of Indonesia; H.E. Mr. Phao Bounnaphol, Minister of Communication, Transport, Post and Construction of Lao PDR; H.E. Dato' Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, Minister of Transport Malaysia; H.E. Maj. Gen. Hla Myint Swe, Minister of Transport of Myanmar; H.E. Mr. Vicente C. Rivera, Jr., Secretary of Transportation and Communications of the Philippines; H.E. Mr. Yeo Cheow Tong, Minister for Communications and Information Technology of Singapore; H.E. Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban, Minister of Transport and Communications of Thailand; and their respective delegations. Dr. Suthad Setboonsarng, Deputy Secretary-General, on behalf of H.E. Mr. Rodolfo C. Severino Jr., ASEAN Secretary-General and staff of the ASEAN Secretariat were also in attendance.
The Ministers extended a warm welcome to Cambodia on her admission into the ASEAN family in Ha Noi on 30 April 1999 and participation for the first time as a member of ASEAN in the ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting. The Ministers expressed their commitment to assist Cambodia in her expeditious integration into the ASEAN transport cooperation activities.
Progress of Transport-Related Protocols for the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit
The Ministers signed two (2) implementing Protocols for the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit, as follows:
The Ministers expressed satisfaction with the steady progress in the formulation of the other transport-related Protocols. The Ministers tasked their Senior Transport Officials and the relevant Working Groups to submit the final drafts of the following Protocols by the Sixth ATM :
In consonance with the ASEAN Leaders' directive to operationalize the Framework Agreement by the year 2000, the Ministers agreed to set the timetable to have the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit operationalized by 31 December 2000.
Adoption of the Ministerial Understanding on the Development of the ASEAN Highway Network Project
The Ministers signed the ASEAN Ministerial Understanding on the Development of the ASEAN Highway Network Project, to pave the way, among others, for the stage or phased development of priority road (or inter-state highway) projects and provide the necessary infrastructural backbone for increased opportunities in intra-regional trade, investment and tourism in the ASEAN region.
The Ministers viewed that the Ministerial Understanding is an important milestone to facilitate and enhance international road traffic in the ASEAN region, as well as set the pace for the eventual development of the overall trans-ASEAN transportation network as envisioned by the ASEAN Leaders.
Adoption of the Successor Plan of Action in Transport 1999-2004, to translate the HPA's Transport Priorities into Action
The Ministers adopted the ASEAN Transport Cooperation Framework Plan and the Successor Plan of Action in Transport 1999-2004, as the cooperation vehicle to hasten the implementation of the transport action agenda of the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) and the ASEAN Vision 2020.
In implementing the Successor Plan of Action, the Ministers agreed to the formation of four sectoral Working Groups, including the designation of the respective country coordinators (or chairmen) for the periods 1999-2001 and 2002-2004, respectively :
The Ministers were pleased to note that the ASEAN Year 2000 (Y2K) Task Force on Air Safety and Efficiency has developed contingency plans in collaboration with ICAO and IATA, to ensure that flight operations in the region is safe and orderly during the Y2K transition period.
Other ASEAN Transport Agreements under the Hanoi Plan of Action
The Ministers agreed to task their Senior Transport Officials and the relevant Working Groups to submit the final drafts of the following transport agreements by the Sixth ATM:
The Sixth ASEAN Transport Ministers (ATM) Meeting will be held in Brunei Darussalam in September 2000.