Five facts about ASEAN

MANILA (AFP) - Five facts about the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which was founded 40 years ago on August 8, 1967:

- ASEAN was originally founded by five nations at the height of the Cold War in a bid to prevent the spread of Communism. But two Communist nations, Laos and Vietnam, are now among the group's 10 members.

- Chairmanship of the bloc rotates alphabetically. The group bypassed Myanmar, however, amid international criticism of the country's human rights record, which is why the Philippines is hosting this week's meetings.

- The nation that selects ASEAN's secretary general also rotates alphabetically. The term of Singapore's Ong Keng Yong, the current secretary general, expires at the end of the year. Thailand will choose next.

- ASEAN includes the largest Christian population in Asia (The Philippines) as well as the largest Muslim population in the world (Indonesia). As a whole the bloc accounts for more than half a billion people.

- An enormous bureaucracy has sprung up to deal with the internal workings of the group on everything from earthquakes to tourism campaigns. The official ASEAN website lists hundreds of the group's acronyms, including more than 240 beginning with the letter "A" alone.