New Delhi:
India will witness its 69th Republic Day on Friday. In a first by the Indian government, the Republic Day will have the 10 leaders from ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries present as the Chief Guests at the parade.
Massive preparations have been made by the government agencies to ensure the safety and security of the leaders as well as the country.
Leaders from the 10 nations, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Brunei, will be present on the stage which will be enclosed with a 100-feet wide bullet-proof glass.
This will be the first time when all the ASEAN leaders will be present in the country as Chief Guests. Here are the details of the 10 ASEAN leaders.
President of Indonesia since 2014, Joko Widodo is the first in his country on this position without a high-ranking political or military background. Before becoming the President, he served as the Mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012 and as the Governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014. He is the seventh President of Indonesia.
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore serving his post since 2004. He is the son of Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Lee won his first election for Member of Parliament in 1984 where he contested as a member of People’s Action Party (PAP). Lee served as the Minister for Trade and Industry, Minister for Finance and Deputy Prime Minister before taking up as the Prime Minister.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc is the seventh Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. He is also a full member of the National Assembly, serving its 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th terms. Phuc became a member of the Communist Party in Vietnam in 1983. Before taking up the Prime Minister office in 2016, Phuc was the provincial President of People’s Committee, Director of Government offices, and Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2016.
Dato Sri Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, also known as Mohd Najib Tun Razak, is the sixth and current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He sworn into the position in 2009 to succeed Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Razak is the President of United Malays National Organisation. He was elected to the Parliament of Malaysia in 1976. From 1982 to 1986, he was the Chief Minister of Pahang. He became the Deputy Prime Minister in 2004.
General Prayut Chan-o-cha is the current Prime Minister of Thailand. He is a retired Royal Thai Army officer who is also the head of the National Council for Peace and Order. Prayut was a Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2010 to 2014. He came to power after a military coup in 2014.
Aung San Suu Kyi is the first and obligatory State Councillor of Myanmar and serves as the country’s de facto leader. She has been in the office since 2016. Suu Kyi was also the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. A Burmese politician, diplomat, and author, she is the leader of the National League for Democracy.
Rodrigo Duterte, also known as Digong, is a Filipino lawyer and the current 16th President of Philippines. He is the first Mindanaoan to hold the Presidential office. He is the oldest person, at 71, to assume the Philippine presidency. He won the presidential elections with 39.01% of votes. He assumed the office in 2016.
Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei. He is also the first and incumbent Prime Minister of Brunei. He succeeded the throne after the abdication of his father Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The Sultan has been ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world.
Thongloun Sisoulith is a Laotian politician who has been the Prime Minister of Laos since 2016. Previously, he was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2001 to 2016 as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2016. He was chosen as the Prime Minister at the 10th Party Congress in Laos.
Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, is also the President of the Cambodian People’s Party and Member of Parliament for Kandal. He served as the Prime Minister since 1985, thus making him the longest-serving leaders in the world. From 1979 to 1986 and again from 1987 to 1990, Sen served as the Foreign Minister of Cambodia.
