ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is a regional alliance of ten independent countries. ASEAN was founded in August 1967 by Malaysia, Thailand, and the republics of Indonesia, Singapore, and teh Philippines. Brunei joined the alliance after attaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. Vietnam, the first Communist member, joined in 1995. Laos and Myanmar joined in 1997. Cambodia joined in 1999. The ASEAN secretarial is located in Jakarta, Indonesia. In January 1992 ASEAN members agreed to establish a free-trade area and to cut tariffs on nonagricultural goods over a 15-year period beginning in 1993.