The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (
ASEAN , ) is a political and economic organization of ten
Southeast Asian countries. It was formed on 8 August 1967 by
Indonesia,
Malaysia, the
Philippines,
Singapore, and
Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include
Brunei,
Cambodia,
Laos,
Myanmar (Burma), and
Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating
economic growth,
social progress, and
sociocultural evolution among its members alongside protection of regional stability and opportunities for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.