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GV EXTERIOR Fair site, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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CU Sign outside Indonesian pavilion
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SV PAN CU INTERIOR Indonesian pavilion showing room in Indonesian house with carvings and other artifacts (3 shots)
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SV PAN AND CU Philippines exhibit with hanging mobiles and wood carvings (4 shots)
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LV EXTERIOR Malaysian pavilion
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SV AND CU Textiles, ornamental metalwork (3 shots)
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LV AND SV People looking at engravings in Singapore pavilion (4 shots)
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Wood carvings, ornamental metalwork and many other examples of regional handicrafts have been on show at the ASEAN consumers' fair which opened recently in Kuala Lumpur. Hundreds of visitors have been to see the exhibits, dances, magic shows and other events which reflect the different cultures of the members of the Association of southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which groups Malaysia, thailand, singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

SYNOPSIS: The fair in the Malaysian capital lasts for three weeks and it aims, through its exhibits and cultural shows, to make visitors aware of the rapid economic progress being made by the ASEAN countries. The SEAN nations and the European Economic Community (EEC) recently signed a co-operating agreement which marks the beginning of a new era for the region's development. The agreement, aimed at increasing trade and economic links, declares full EEC support for the ASEAN countries.

The ASEAN region, rich in natural resources, supplies eighty per cent of the world's natural rubber and most of the tropical hardwoods, palm oil and coconut. It is also a major producer of oil, tin, copper, sugar, rice and tobacco. The agreement with the EEC is the first with any grouping of developing nations in Asia. It calls for increased investment and removal of some tariff barriers.

In June, an offer of assistance for ASEAN came from Canada. During talks in Kuala Lumpur, Canada's State Secretary for External Affairs, Mark Maeguigan, said his country would help ASEAN members develop natural resources. He also condemned the recent Vietnamese-led military incursions into Thailand from Kampuchea. The crisis, he said, was the result of the ambitions and polices of the Vietnamese government.