10 ASEAN members to sign agreement for no-visa travel

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) — Ten southeast Asian countries will sign an agreement this month allowing their citizens to travel within the region without visas, the Malaysian foreign minister said Tuesday.

Most of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations currently have bilateral agreements with some or all members of the bloc, allowing their citizens to visit without visas.

The ASEAN Framework Agreement on Visa Exemption will group the bilateral arrangements into a uniform rule, allowing people of the region to visit member nations for up to two weeks without a visa, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

The agreement will be signed during an annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers scheduled to start July 23, he said.

The agreement will most affect communist Laos and military-ruled Myanmar. Laos requires every visitor except citizens of Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore to have a visa while Myanmar does not allow anyone, including citizens of ASEAN countries, to enter without visas.

Vietnam has visa exemption agreements with all ASEAN members except Cambodia and Myanmar. Citizens of other ASEAN countries are allowed visa free travel for up to 30 days.

ASEAN comprises Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar and Vietnam.