The Governments of Brunei Darussalam, the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore and the Kingdom of Thailand, Member States of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN);

NOTING the Agreement on ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements (PTA)signed in Manila on 24 February 1 977;

RECALLING the decision of the Sixth ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Council in Phuket, Thailand on 27 April 1995 to phase in all PTA products into the CEPT Scheme;

DESIRING to amend the Rules of Origin and its Operational Certification Procedures in the Agreement on ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements in accordance with Article 1 7 (3) of the Agreement which provides for the amendment to the Agreement, so as to implement this decision;

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

Annex 1 of the Agreement on "Rules of Origin for the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements", previously amended by the Protocol on Improvements on Extension of Tariff Preferences under the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements signed in Manila on 15 December 1987, and the "Operational Certification Procedures for the Rules of Origin of the ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements" shall be substituted with the "Rules of Origin for the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT)" Scheme for the ASEAN Free Trade Area and the "Operational Certification Procedures for the Rules of Origin of the ASEAN Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme for the ASEAN Free Trade Area" set out in ANNEX 1 and ANNEX 2 respectively which shall form an integral part of this Protocol.

This Protocol shall enter into force upon the deposit of instruments of ratification or acceptance by all signatory governments with the Secretary-General of ASEAN which shall be done not later than 1 January 1996.

This Protocol shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of ASEAN, who shall promptly furnish certified copies thereof to all Member Countries.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto by their respective Governments, have signed the Protocol to Amend the Agreement on ASEAN Preferential Trading Arrangements.

DONE at Bangkok, this 15th day of December 1995 in a single copy in the English Language.