At the first meeting ofChief Justices of the ASEAN recently organised in Singapore, theChief Justices agreed to promote close relations and mutualunderstanding amongst the ASEAN judiciaries.

Themeeting was held on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Law Association(ALA) Governing Council meeting held in Singapore from Aug.23-25with the participation of all the ten member countries of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

TheVietnamese delegates included Tran Van Co, Chief Justice of theAppellate Division, Supreme Court of Ho Chi Minh City; and Tran DaiHung, Chairman of ALA Vietnam.

The Chief Justices alsoagreed to provide a regular forum for the ASEAN Chief Justices todiscuss and exchange views on common issues facing the ASEAN judiciariesand to facilitate judicial cooperation and collaboration among ASEANjudiciaries with a view to accelerate the economic growth anddevelopment of the ASEAN region.

The 35thGoverning Council Meeting of the ALA was attended by about 300delegates who discussed such matters as international law, business lawand alternative dispute resolution.

Established in1979, ALA is a non-governmental organisation which brings together thevarious parts of the ASEAN legal fraternities, including judges,teachers, law practitioners and government lawyers.-VNA