13th General Assembly

The 13th ASEAN Law Association General Assembly and The ASEAN Law Conference 2018 was held from 25 to 28 July 2018 at the Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore.

 

The General Assembly and Conference were attended by representatives from all 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Apart from the Heads of Delegation of the ALA National Chapters of each of the ASEAN countries, the General Assembly and Conference was also graced by the ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan representing the ASEAN Secretary-General, and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea of the Philippines.

 

Singapore’s Minister for Finance Mr. Heng Swee Keat gave the Keynote Address at the Opening Ceremony. The ALA President, the Honourable Attorney Avelino Cruz chaired the proceedings with the theme “The Power of ONE: Unlocking Opportunities in ASEAN through Law”.

 

At the conclusion of the General Assembly, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon of Singapore was unanimously elected as President of the ASEAN Law Association, and Mr. Paul Quan of Singapore was elected Secretary-General.

 

Conference Papers and Materials

Plenary session I: A New Phase (and Face) of Law: Opportunities and Challenges in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
(Chairperson: Justice Chao Hick Tin; Main speaker: Prof J.H.H. Weiler; Panellists: Mr Luca Castellani, Mr Minn Naing Oo, Prof Fan Jian, Prof Hikmahanto Juwana)

  1. Prof J.H.H. Weiler (Professor of Law, New York University and National University of Singapore) – ASEAN Law, the ASEAN Way and the Role of Domestic Courts
  2. Prof Fan Jian (Professor of Commercial Laws, University of Nanjing Law School) – Promoting legal cooperation and commercial law conformation through legal recognition between China and ASEAN (see also PowerPoint slides)

 

Parallel session 1: Fair, Effective and Efficient Dispute Resolution to Facilitate the Success of the AEC
(Chairperson: Prof Lucy Reed; Main speaker: Prof Dr Colin Ong, QC; Panellists: Mr Pasit Asawawattanaporn, Dr Hop X. Dang, Prof Choong Yeow Choy, Mr Francis Xavier, SC)

  1. Prof Dr Colin Ong, QC (Senior Partner, Dr Colin Ong Legal Services)
  2. Mr Pasit Asawawattanaporn (Managing Director, Thailand Arbitration Center)

 

Plenary session II: Law as an Instrument to Facilitate the Success of the AEC
(Chairperson: Justice Kannan Ramesh; Main speaker: Mr Stephen J. Brogan; Panellists: Prof. Dr. Ignacio Tirado, Ms. Natasha Nababan, Mr. Patrick Ang)

  1. Mr Stephen J. Brogan (Managing Partner, Jones Day) – Law as an Instrument to Facilitate the Success of the ASEAN Economic Community:  The Importance of the Rule of Law in Cross-Border Insolvency and Restructuring Regimes

 

Plenary session III: Disruptive Technologies on Business Landscapes in ASEAN: Opportunities and Challenges
(Chairperson: Ms Harriet Territt; Main speaker: Mr Sriram Raghavan; Panellists: Mr. Lam Chee Kin, Mr. Yeong Zee Kin, Atty. JJ Disini, Mr. Supawat Srirungruang)

  1. Mr Sriram Raghavan (Vice President IBM Research India & Singapore and Chief Technology Officer, India) – Disruptive Technologies: Opportunities & Challenges (see also PowerPoint slides)
  2. Mr. Yeong Zee Kin (Assistant Chief Executive, Info-communications Media Development Authority) – Artificial Intelligence Governance in Singapore
  3. Mr. Supawat Srirungruang (Partner, R&T Asia (Thailand) Limited)

 

Plenary session IV: Power of ONE: AEC Financial Integration
(Chairperson: Atty. Francisco Ed. Lim; Main speaker: Mr Tan Boon Gin; Panellists: Mr. Truong Nhat Quang, Mr. Ng Wai King, Mr. Kyaw Zin Htet, Mr. Nattarat Boonyatap)

Parallel session 3: Competition Law in the AEC
(Chairperson: Mr Toh Han Li; Main speaker: Mr Lim Chong Kin; Panellists: Dr. Nasarudin Abdul Rahman, Atty. Johannes Bernabe, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Liza Md Amin @Fahmy, Ms. Joy Fuyuno, Dr. Kodrat Wibowo)

  1. Mr Lim Chong Kin (Director, Drew & Napier LLC) – Competition Law in the ASEAN Economic Community
  2. Prof. Dr. Wan Liza Md Amin @Fahmy (Member, Malaysia Competition Appeal Tribunal) –
  3. Dr Kodrat Wibowo (Commissioner, Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha (KPPU)) – The Harmonization of ASEAN Competition Laws

 

Parallel session 4: Rule of Law – Role in Attracting Trade and Investments in ASEAN – Free Trade Agreements and Bilateral Investment Agreements in ASEAN countries
(Chairperson: Mrs Le Thi Kim Thanh; Main speaker: Mr Cavinder Bull, SC; Panellists: Mrs. Vilawan Mangklatanakul, Mr. Romesh Weeramantry, Dr. Hop X. Dang, Mr. Minn Naing Oo)

  1. Mr Cavinder Bull, SC (Chief Executive Officer, Drew & Napier LLC) – Enhancing The Rule of Law In Investor-State Dispute Settlement – A Proposed Protocol For Communication With Non-Disputing States On Issues Of Treaty Interpretation (see also PowerPoint slides)
  2. Mr. Romesh Weeramantry (Foreign Legal Consultant, Clifford Chance) – Proposed Protocol For Communication With Non-Disputing States On Issues Of Treaty Interpretation

 

Plenary session V: Cross-Border Obstacles in ASEAN and Solutions
(Chairperson: Justice Syamsul Maarif; Main speaker: Prof. Locknie Hsu; Panellists: Mr. Ahmad Basuni Haji Abbas, Dr. Poomintr Sooksripaisarnkit, Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta. Maria, Dr. Nguyen Thi Son)

  1. Prof. Locknie Hsu (Professor of Law, Singapore Management University) – Legal Obstacles To Trade And Investment In ASEAN (see also PowerPoint slides)
  2. Dr. Nguyen Thi Son (Vice Secretary General, Vietnam Lawyer Association) – Cross-border Obstacles in ASEAN And Solutions

 

Plenary session VI: Stock-taking and the Way Ahead
(Moderator: Prof. Yeo Tiong Min, SC; Panellists: Mr. Taur-Jiun Wong, Mr. Christopher Leong, Mr. David W. Rivkin, Dr. Luu Tien Dzung, Ms. Hilarie Bass)