1997年横扫整个东南亚的经济危机，自由贸易的迟滞不前，以及该地区脆弱的治安情况都让泰国意识到了东盟的局限性。
The region-wide crisis in 1997, weak progress on free trade, and the region’s security vulnerabilities have made Thaksin aware of ASEAN’s limitations.