The Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS) and the US-ASEAN Young Professionals Association (UAYPA) will co-organize a panel discussion on “ASEAN’s Expansion from Cambodia to Timor-Leste: Evolving Regional Identity, Consensus, and Conflict Resolutions in a Transforming Region” on 2 September 2025, 9:00-11:30am at CAM-ASEAN (Toul Kork Campus).
This event aims to commemorate the upcoming accession of Timor-Leste to ASEAN. The dialogue also intends to discuss ASEAN’s evolution and Timor-Leste’s path to integration, reflects on ASEAN’s evolving regional identity through the lens of youth engagement, institutional values, and post-conflict inclusion.
Registration via: https://forms.gle/xpF5QhDrpudDaUc18
| Program | |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 AM | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:10 | Welcoming Remarks: Mr. Him Raksmey, Executive Director, CCRS Mrs. Vannary Kong-Bui, Founder, UAYPA |
| 09:10 – 09:20 | Special Remarks by H.E. Marcos dos Reis da Costa, Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Cambodia |
| 09:20 – 09:30 | Keynote Address by H.E. Dr. Meng Vong, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia |
| 09:30 – 10:20 | Panel Discussion on “ASEAN’s Expansion from Cambodia to Timor-Leste: Evolving Regional Identity, Consensus, and Conflict Resolution in a Transforming Region” Moderator: Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor, CCRS Panelist 1: H.E. Mr. Shaharuddin Onn, Ambassador of Malaysia to Cambodia Panelist 2: Mr. Him Rotha, Deputy Director, CCRS Panelist 3: Mr. Chhay Lim, Designated Deputy Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Institute for International Studies and Public Policy, Royal University of Phnom Penh Panelist 4: Mr. Horn Usaphea, Former Second Secretary and Consul, Embassy of Cambodia in Washington D.C. Panelist 5: Dr. David Koh, Visiting Distinguished Senior Fellow, CCRS |
| 10:20 – 11:20 | Q&A and Moderated Discussion Session |
| 11:20 – 11:30 | Closing Remarks by Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor, CCRS End of Panel Discussion |
About Panelists and Keynote Speakers
Ambassador Pou Sothirak is a retired academic currently serving as the Distinguished Senior Advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). He was the Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from May 2013 to August 2023. He was appointed as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia from September 2013 to January 2014. He was a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of the Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore from January 2009 to December 2012. He also served as Cambodian Ambassador to Japan from April 2005 to November 2008. He was elected Cambodian Member of Parliaments twice during the national general election in 1993 and 2003. He was appointed as Minister of Industry Mines and Energy of the Royal Government of Cambodia from 1993 to 1998. He has written extensively on various issues concerning the development of Cambodia and the region.
Dr. Meng Vong currently serves as an Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia. Before this role, he worked as a researcher at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, where he contributed to various policy and academic initiatives. He has been teaching courses in Public Policy, Non-state Actors in World Politics at Paragon International University. Additionally, he lectured at Paññasastra University of Cambodia (PUC) from 2011 to 2019, and the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), from 2002 to 2020 Dr. Vong holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), awarded in July 2022. He obtained his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the Royal Academy of Cambodia in 2011. His academic credentials also include: a Master of Law (LLM) from the Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a Master of Arts in Linguistics, a Bachelor of Arts in English Education (TEFL) from the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), a Bachelor of Arts in Khmer Literature from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and a Law Professional degree from RULE.
H.E. Shaharuddin Onn is the Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Cambodia since April 2024. Prior to the current appointment, Ambassador Onn held various appointments at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia including Deputy Director, Department of Maritime Affairs (2019-2024). He also posted in Malaysia’s diplomatic missions such as Deputy Head of Mission/Minister of the Embassy of Malaysia in Republic of Korea (2017-2019), Minister of the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations, New York (2014-2017), Deputy Permanent Representative/Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission to the UN and Other International Organizations, Geneva (2012-2014), and Consul-General of Malaysia in Geneva, Switzerland (2012-2014). He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B Honours), Queen Mary College, University of London, and a Master of Laws (LL.M), University of Malaya. In 2025, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Law by the Asia Euro University, Cambodia.
Dr. David Koh is Singapore Chinese born, bred, and based in Singapore until the VinUniversity called him to Hanoi. His work experience over the last thirty years included copy-writer in an advertising agency; as a medical records clerk; as a radiography stenographer; a prisons officer, a high school teacher, foreign service officer, researcher and research program lead, journal editor, conference/seminar organiser and moderator, university lecturer, World Bank & UNDP consultant, academic entrepreneur, Board Chairman of an NGO, Town Council member, and last but not least, a businessman. At the VinUniversity, David Koh teaches Politics & Social Change, and Global Perspectives. He currently is conducting research into foreignersliving in HCMC.
Mr. Him Rotha is currently the Deputy Director of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). Prior to this, he was a researcher at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), and a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Institute of International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). He was also a researcher at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from 2019 to 2023. His research interests include Cambodia’s domestic and foreign affairs as well as political-security in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Mr. Usaphea Horn recently served as Second Secretary at the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Washington, D.C., and has spearheaded humanitarian initiatives. Usaphea is also a member of the US ASEAN Young Professionals Association. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the Royal University of Phnom Penh and a Master of International Service from American University.
Mr. Chhay Lim is the Designated Deputy Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Chhay holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Ritsumeikan University (Japan), where he was recognized for academic excellence, receiving the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship, the “Best Research Paper Award” at the 21st Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Conference in 2023, and the Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award in 2025. Chhay has extensive experience working with both Cambodian and international think tanks, contributing to research, policy analysis, and regional dialogue. A dedicated researcher, Chhay Lim is committed to advancing Cambodia’s knowledge sector and fostering academic and policy exchange. His research focuses on major powers’ engagement in Southeast Asia and political-security issues in ASEAN. He regularly publishes analytical pieces across regional and international platforms.