| Summary/Abstract |
Keeping in tune with the backdrop, in 1967, when ASEAN was founded by Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, India reacted, as Prof. D.R. Sardesai notes, with ‘coolness, indifference, misgivings and at times, hostility.’ It was seen as an instrument of neo-colonialism and a reincarnation of SEATO. India continued to ignore the fact that the ASEAN states were, in their own distinctive way, preserving their independence and keeping their distance from the major powers. The 1971 Kuala Lumpur Declaration of ASEAN, in fact, sought to preserve Southeast Asia as a ‘Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality.’
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