During the period under review, most of the cooperation activities in the transportation and communications sector were carried out through ongoing projects and inter-governmental agency collaboration. With the abolition of the Committee on Transportation and Communications (COTAC) and its subsidiary bodies on I January 1994, the projects in transportation and communications came under the coordination and supervision of the ASEAN Secretariat.

ASEAN cooperation in transportation and communications addresses five main areas as specified in the Programme of Action in Transportation and Communications (POATC), for 1992-1996. These areas are

1. policy;
   
2. economic and technical studies;
   
3. human resource development,
   
4. institution building; and
   
5. exchange of information and sharing of expertise.

Projects along these five areas are developed at sub-sector level in land transport, shipping and ports, civil aviation and related services, and postal services and telecommunications.


Land Transport

In the area of information exchange and sharing of expertise, ASEAN transportation and highway officials met in July 1993 to discuss urban transportation management issues. Meanwhile, in the area of human resource development, preparations continued during the year for the establishment of two centers of excellence : one on railways to be located in Malaysia, and the other on inland waterways and ferries to be located in Indonesia.

In the area of policy standards and technical studies, the Working Group on Harmonization of Road Motor Vehicle, Road Worthiness and Traffic Safety Standards met at Bandar Seri Begawan in January 1994. The meeting agreed on a number of recommendations for addressing differences in laws and regulations, as well as technical and operational standards applied in ASEAN Member Countries. The meeting also agreed to conduct studies and draft regulatory guidelines on the transportation of hazardous materials by motor vehicles on ASEAN road networks as well as a feasibility study on the development of ASEAN ferry transport services.


Shipping and Ports

Following the completion of the ASEAN Cargo Transport Study (ACTS), two follow-up workshops were held, namely : A Country Level Multimodal Transport Workshop, in Indonesia, on 14-19 October 1993; and A Workshop on the Study of Transport Corridors held in Malaysia in February 1994. The first workshop was designed to expand the knowledge and skills required to implement and sustain multimodal transportation systems and to promote harmonized national legislations, regulations, commercial and operating environments. The second workshop was conducted by consultants attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Annual Ministerial Meeting at Seattle on 13-19 November 1993 to brief the APEC Working Group on Transport on the results of the ACTS.

In the area of human resource development, a number of activities have been conducted. The Integrated Harbour Management Programme, funded by the European Union, conducted a number of training sessions on topics such as port planning and financing, port marketing, developments in container shipping and intermodalism, container terminal operations and maintenance, application of information technology, and general management. A Workshop on EDP-based Information System on Dangerous Cargoes for Selected Ports in ASEAN, to be funded by the German Fund for Studies and Experts is currently being planned.


Civil Aviation and Related Services

Cooperation in civil aviation and related services has focussed mainly on policy coordination and human resource development. Member Countries continued to coordinate their activities under the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on Commercial Rights for Non-Scheduled Air Services among ASEAN Countries of 197 1. Consultations on future air navigation systems (FANS) and its application to ASEAN were also held among the relevant agencies in the ASEAN Member Countries. In human resource development, Member Countries continued to conduct training activities through their centers of excellence in the field of aviation security, disabled aircraft removal/recovery techniques and airport emergency planning, and navigational aids flight calibration systems.

Posts and Telecommunications

ASEAN Member Countries continued to undertake activities towards the establishment of an ASEAN Postal Track and Trace System with the view to improving the quality of ASEAN express mail service. Exchange of information continued on efforts to modernize the remittance service, enhance mail security, and promote philately.

In telecommunications, the use, administration, management and planning of radio frequencies in the ASEAN region continued to be coordinated by the ASEAN Radio Frequency Coordination Committee, which was set up by Member Countries to function as a permanent body. Member Countries have agreed to continue the existence of the ASEAN Datacom Coordinating Group (ADCG) with Malaysia providing secretariat support for the next three years. The ADCG was designed to foster more effective cooperation among ASEAN Member Countries in data communications, public data networks and services, and packet switching. In the field of human resource development, the ASEAN-Australia Economic Cooperation Programme has agreed to assist in the training of ASEAN telecommunications personnel. The training will provide participants with valuable skills in response to needs identified by ASEAN Member Countries.


Tourism

ASEAN cooperation in tourism aims to promote the ASEAN region as a tourist destination, train human resource, preserve ASEAN cultural and environmental heritage, and promote intra- ASEAN travel particularly among ASEAN youth in order to promote better understanding among the peoples of Member Countries. Projects on tourism promotion, marketing, human resource development and research continued to be implemented by various ASEAN agencies responsible for tourism. The Republic of Korea (ROK) has given active support to ASEAN for the implementation of a number of tourism projects. These include the Train-the- Trainer Programme, and the Education Programme on ASEAN Tourism for the Korean Travel Trade and Consumer Market.