Malaysian-American Alumni Partnership (MAAP) Host the Southeast Asia-American Alumni (SEAL) Youth Conference

SEAL 2012 delegates with Ambassador Jones, Dato' Idris Haron; President of WAY and Ediola Pashollari, Secretary General of WAY, at the launch. (U.S. Embassy photo)

New Committee L-R: Akari Bo (Myanmar), Marina Tan (Malaysia), Hoang Le Vinh (Vietnam), Hidayatul Nabilah Jeff Fariz (Brunei), John Allanegui (Phillipines), Ismiana Putri (Indonesia), Chea Chandany (Cambodia), Anan Bouapha (Laos), and Naim Laeni (Thailand)

The Malaysian-American Alumni Partnership (MAAP) in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur hosted The Southeast Asia-American Alumni (SEAL) Youth Conference from April 19 to 21, 2012.  The 3-day conference held at the Maya Hotel Kuala Lumpur brought together approximately 50 young alumni leaders of U.S. Government sponsored exchange programs from Southeast Asian countries between ages 18 to 30. The aim of the conference is establish an official body called the Southeast Asia-American Alumni Partnership. 

The conference on “Youth Empowerment with Integrity” was officially launched by Ambassador Paul W. Jones.  In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Jones noted that this year marks the 35th Anniversary of the bilateral relations between the U.S. and ASEAN.  He encouraged the young leaders to build a strong regional network and to share their best practices and knowledge among alumni from the different countries. 
 
The highly interactive conference featured discussions on issues affecting Southeast Asia from socio-economic and political points of view, including the Brain Drain, Healthcare, Education, Migration, Social Welfare, Environment, Economic Independence and Uneven Development.  Officials from diverse backgrounds -- Y.Bhg. Datuk Ir. Hj. Idris Haron, President of the World Assembly Youth; Mr. Chris Tan, Director, Economic Transformation Program of Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU); and Ms. Teri Choong Lai Ling, Strategic Consultant from Generasi Gemilang were invited as speakers at the conference.
 
The conference also included a Cultural Night attended by the Counselor for Public Affairs (PAO) Scott M. Rauland and Public Diplomacy Officer Rain Che Bian.  The dinner concluded with a certificate presentation to all participants by Mr. Rauland signed by Ambassador Jones.

The new Southeast Asia-American Alumni Partnership Board Members represented by each country were announced at the closing ceremony. With the formation of the SEAL committee represented by President Marina Tan (Malaysia), Vice President Hoang Le Vinh (Vietnam), Secretary John Allanegui (Phillipines), Treasurer Anan Bouapha (Laos) and Exco Members Hidayatul Nabilah Jeff Fariz (Brunei), Naim Laeni (Thailand), Ismiana Putri (Indonesia), Chea Chandany (Cambodia), and Akari Bo (Myanmar), the alumni will continue to communicate with each other to collaborate on future programs that will benefit their countries.