Recently, the bosses at Kuala Lumpur International Airport inaugurated an “ASEAN Lane” for the group’s passport holders, amid colorful banners and balloons. The special lane, covered with orange carpet, immediately drew a long queue of enthusiastic visitors willing to wait as they were given a healthy dose of special treatment by the ASEAN feeling.

In contrast, early this month the heads of Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport decided to dismantle two ASEAN and one ACMECS (Ayeyawaddy-Chaophraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) lane at their arrival gates after two full years of operation. I asked an immigration official the reason for the closure on Thursday but was told: “No idea, just following orders.”

One of the top priorities for being part of the ASEAN Community is to establish a common bond among the people of the region. The Master Plan of ASEAN Connectivity, approved by ASEAN leaders in Hanoi in 2010, stipulated that all ASEAN members must set up ASEAN lanes at their international airports. As part of the people-to-people connectivity, members of ASEAN must ensure their people can travel unhindered throughout the region ― a visa-free ASEAN. Sad but true, it remains a dream.

Shameful as it may seem, many Western passport holders enjoy visa waivers to more ASEAN destinations than national passport holders do.

By now, all ASEAN countries were meant to have established an ASEAN lane ― but their enthusiasm has failed to match the spirit one encounters at KLIA.

As the new ASEAN chair, Malaysia, which will oversee the start of the ASEAN Community next year, wants to make 2015 a special one for ASEAN. There will be five special ASEAN lanes at KLIA ― three at arrival gates and two departure gates. There are two additional gates each way at KLIA2 in Sepang.

For the past two decades, businessmen from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation have been using the APEC Lane when they travel inside the grouping. The new ASEAN chair plans to issue an ASEAN Business Travel Card, subject to the approval of ASEAN leaders in April, to facilitate business travel and promote intra-ASEAN trade. But the plan could be delayed, as some ASEAN states have yet to agree.

Lest we forget, Thailand was the first ASEAN country to establish an ASEAN lane at Don Mueang Airport ahead of the fifth ASEAN Summit in December 1995. At the time, then-Prime Minister Banharn Silapa-archa wanted to show off Thailand’s newfound confidence, blooming democracy and economic prosperity. The “ASEAN passports only” lane went for nearly 2 1/2 years before it was dumped after the “Tom Yum Kung” financial crisis.

Don Mueang’s ASEAN lane was not popular simply because Thailand was ahead of its time. Generally speaking, back then ASEAN tourists did not have a sense of belonging, let alone the sense of a community called ASEAN, which they have inculcated in the past six years since the ASEAN Charter came into effect.

So they did not use or even appreciate it. Worse, some thought the word “ASEAN” was a misspelling of “Asian” ― as Thais often misspell English words.

In December 2013, Suvarnabhumi set aside three special lanes, two for ASEAN and the other for holders of passports of the Ayewaddy-Chaophraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy member countries to prepare for the ASEAN Community in 2015. The funny thing was that ACMECS members ― Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar ― also belong to ASEAN. Thai airport and immigration officials could easily have increased the number of ASEAN lanes to three or more.

In my experience as a frequent traveler in ASEAN, the ASEAN lane proves to be a troublesome experience during busy hours. All arriving passengers want to pass through the immigration checkpoint quickly without hassle. The problem is that at any given time at an international airport in ASEAN, there is often just one ASEAN lane in operation and substantially more non-ASEAN lanes. Naturally, tourists look for shorter queues. If there were lots of passengers, being ASEAN could mean waiting longer and being unattended. Some travelers might not buy that.

In order to increase awareness and pride in the ASEAN Community, additional improvement over the ASEAN lane is needed.

First, all ASEAN lanes must be noticeable and located at an area easy to access, not hiding at the airport’s furthest corner as the passengers are not playing hide and seek.

Second, local officials must approach and notify passengers of the existence of an ASEAN lane.

Finally, if the ASEAN lane is choked, which occurs quite often during busy flight schedules, more ASEAN lanes must be added intermittently and quickly. For some ASEAN folks, that would be the first and tangible benefit of the AC deadline ― small as it is.

As it is today, ASEAN lanes in most international airports in ASEAN are not properly administrated and given due importance. At a deeper level, it also reflects the host countries’ anxiety and the kind of treatment they are willing to accord to other ASEAN families.

Ideally, on New Year’s Day in January 2016, there should only be “ASEAN” and “Non-ASEAN” lanes for all travelers.

By Kavi Chongkittavorn

Kavi Chongkittavorn is assistant group editor of Nation Media Group, publisher of English-language The Nation and vernaculars Krungthep Turakij and Kom Chat Luek in Thailand. ― Ed.

(Asian News Network)