Phnom Penh - Cambodia will formally join the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 30th, officials said yesterday.
Cambodia's entry to ASEAN had been postponed twice, firstly in 1997 after a coup. It was again put off in December last when some members, including Singapore, insisted that a new coalition deal between the Second Prime Minister, Mr Hun Sen, and his co-premier, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, be fully implemented before Cambodia was allowed to join.
The last element of the coalition deal was put in place last month when a new upper house, a Senate, was officially convened.