SE Asia Deal on Conflict Zones

MANILA, July 29, 2007 (AFP) - Southeast Asian nationals caught in conflict hotspots around the world will be able to get assistance from the embassy of any ASEAN country under a new agreement, the Philippines said on Sunday. Foreign ministers from the 10-nation bloc will approve the deal at their annual meeting on Monday, the Philippine foreign ministry said. Under the scheme, an ASEAN state whose citizens are caught in a third country where it does not have a mission can seek formal assistance from a fellow ASEAN member with a diplomatic mission there. The move comes after Israel's bombardment of Lebanon last year, when Southeast Asian countries that had missions there evacuated not only their own citizens but also other ASEAN nationals. An estimated eight million natives of the Philippines -- from professionals to maids, sailors and musicians -- work overseas. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. mba/jw/mc/sst