Rights Beautiful Collection of Professor Saneh Chamarik China through increased trade – so-called “free trade” for that matter. That is to say, “to catch the express train” in the current Thai jargon. Now that it is time for presentation of the outcomes of the previous two-day seminar, I beg all of us, if I may, to pause for a moment to do some hard rethinking about the whole matter. For, in spite of the specific focus on the Mekong river basin involving such problematics like the inter-state relations and the equitable and sustainable use of natural resources, as pointed out in the seminar programme, the real issue and challenge goes far beyond that. It is not just the matter of specific cases or circumstances, but involves the whole spectrum of human world view and understanding. In other words, the Mekong river basin issue and solution just could not possibly serve as an end unto itself. In view of current globalization and along with it, regionalization, it inevitably forms part of global perspective and challenge. It is indeed the fundamental question of what kind of regional order is desirable appropriate for Asia to develop and progress with freedom, justice, and peace vis-à-vis the Hobbesian-styled politics of domination that has been going on for so long under the impact of century-old globalization and self-aggrandizement. Asia, including China as dominant power, certainly can no longer afford that kind of contradictions and divisiveness from within imposed upon itself. The point is that this dialogue on the Mekong region should not confine itself to mere specifics and technicalities where one more often than not gets lost with no effective and long-term solution in sight. Let me just elaborate a little further. The fact is that China and Southeast Asian nations have come a long, long way since after collapse of the Soviet empire and end of the cold war in early 1990s. All are practically free and independent from the heavy burden of polarization and ideological and armed rivalry and confrontation. This is not just for the absence of big power play of some twenty years ago. It is basically the built-in quality inherent 16 OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF THAILAND