View source for ASEAN Common Time

{{Short description|Proposed time zone for southeast Asia}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{cleanup|date=January 2016|reason=needs additional citations and clarification of statements}}
[[File:Map of ASEAN member states.svg|330px|thumb|right|Map showing the member states of ASEAN.]]

The '''ASEAN Common Time''' ('''ACT''') is a proposal to adopt a [[standard time]] for all [[ASEAN|Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] member states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aseansec.org/16300.htm|title=Association of Southeast Asian Nations · ASEAN Anthem|publisher=Aseansec.org|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930222208/http://www.aseansec.org/16300.htm|archivedate=30 September 2007|url-status=dead|accessdate=12 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=437&dat=19961201&id=3hYuAAAAIBAJ&pg=2560,68698%5B%5D|title=The Nation - Google News Archive Search|website=Google News|accessdate=2019-02-25}}</ref> It was proposed in 1995 by [[Singapore]], and in 2004 and 2015 by [[Malaysia]] to make business across countries easier.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Com|first=The Phuket News|date=2015-04-25|title=Thailand News: Asean unlikely to agree on common time zone|url=https://www.thephuketnews.com/asean-unlikely-to-agree-on-common-time-zone-52021.php|access-date=2020-08-18|website=The Phuket News Com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Media|first=Kompas Cyber|title=Pengaruh Letak Astronomis ASEAN|url=https://www.kompas.com/skola/read/2019/12/10/152102169/pengaruh-letak-astronomis-asean|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-18|website=KOMPAS.com|date=10 December 2019|language=id|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229211853/https://www.kompas.com/skola/read/2019/12/10/152102169/pengaruh-letak-astronomis-asean |archive-date=29 December 2019 }}</ref> The proposal failed because of opposition in [[Thailand]] and [[Cambodia]]:<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sunday|first=26 Apr 2015 11:11 PM MYT|title=Proposal for common Asean time zone put on hold, Anifah says {{!}} Malay Mail|url=https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2015/04/26/proposal-for-common-asean-time-zone-put-on-hold-anifah-says/885301|access-date=2020-08-18|website=www.malaymail.com|date=26 April 2015 }}</ref> Thais and Cambodians argued that [[UTC+08:00]] was not really better than [[UTC+07:00]], which is their current time zone.<ref name=":0" />

Currently, there are four different time zones used by ASEAN countries. [[UTC+06:30]] ([[Myanmar Standard Time|Myanmar]]); [[UTC+07:00]] ([[Time in Cambodia|Cambodia]], [[Time in Laos|Laos]], [[Time in Thailand|Thailand]], [[Time in Vietnam|Vietnam]], and [[Time in Indonesia|western Indonesia]]); [[UTC+08:00]] ([[Time in Brunei|Brunei]], [[Time in Indonesia|central Indonesia]], [[Malaysia Standard Time|Malaysia]], [[Philippines Standard Time|Philippines]], and [[Singapore Standard Time|Singapore]]); and [[UTC+09:00]] ([[Time in Indonesia|eastern Indonesia]]).

The proposal would institute [[UTC+08:00]] as the '''ASEAN Central Time,''' putting Myanmar at [[UTC+07:00]], and leaving the less populous eastern [[Indonesia]] at [[UTC+09:00]].{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} This would result in the vast majority of the region's people and territory lining up at [[UTC+08:00]]—in sync with [[China]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Western Australia]], while eastern islands of Indonesia would remain at [[UTC+09:00]]—in sync with [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[North Korea]], [[East Timor]] and [[Palau]].

Some regional businesses have already begun adopting the phrase "ASEAN Common Time", also using the abbreviation ACT, in their press releases, communications, and legal documents. The idea has since been under discussion by ASEAN, with Singapore supporting it strongly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://app.mfa.gov.sg/internet/press/view_press.asp?post_id=1061|title=Remarks By Foreign Minister George Yeo in Parliament in Response To Question on Asean Cooperation|date=2 September 2004|website=mfa.gov.sg|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120714202338/http://app.mfa.gov.sg/internet/press/view_press.asp?post_id=1061|archivedate=14 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/a-common-asean-time-zone-6-things-about-time-differences-in-the-region|title=A common Asean time zone? 6 things about time differences in the region|work=The Straits Times|date=30 January 2015|accessdate=21 June 2019|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802122656/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/a-common-asean-time-zone-6-things-about-time-differences-in-the-region|archivedate=2 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== List ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"; width=100%
|-
! ASEAN relation !! Country !! [[UTC offset]] !! Time Zone<br>Abbreviation<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zones/|title=Time Zone Abbreviations – Worldwide List|work=timeanddate.com}}</ref> !! class="unsortable"|Notes !! class="unsortable"|Ref
|-
| rowspan=12|[[Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN member states|ASEAN members]] || {{MYA}} || [[UTC+06:30|+06:30]] || MMT || Some experts suggest that moving to [[UTC+07:00]], rather than [[UTC+08:00]], would be a more natural change. || [[Myanmar Standard Time]]
|-
| {{THA}} || rowspan=4|[[UTC+07:00|+07:00]] || rowspan=4|ICT || Tried unsuccessfully to switch to [[UTC+08:00]] in 2001 by then-Prime Minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]]. The issue remains under discussion. || [[Time in Thailand]]
|-
| {{LAO}} ||  ||[[Time in Laos]]
|-
| {{VIE}} || From 13 June 1975 after reunification || [[Time in Vietnam]]
|-
| {{CAM}} || || [[Time in Cambodia]]
|-
| rowspan=3|{{IDN}}  || [[UTC+07:00|+07:00]]||WIB||rowspan=3|A single national time zone of [[UTC+08:00]] has been proposed, however, it is unclear when or if it may be implemented.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economy.okezone.com/read/2013/02/09/320/759298/hatta-penyatuan-zona-waktu-tidak-batal|title=Hatta : Penyatuan Zona Waktu Tidak Batal|website=[[Okezone.com|OkeFinance]]|language=id|access-date=28 March 2024|date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202065555/https://economy.okezone.com/read/2013/02/09/320/759298/hatta-penyatuan-zona-waktu-tidak-batal|archive-date=2 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> || rowspan=3|[[Time in Indonesia]]
|-
|[[UTC+08:00|+08:00]] || WITA
|-
|[[UTC+09:00|+09:00]] || WIT
|-
| {{SIN}} || rowspan=4|[[UTC+08:00|+08:00]] || SGT/SST || Followed Malaysia to switch to UTC+08:00 on 1 January 1982,<ref name=gmt8>{{cite web|title=Press Release on Time Zone Adjustment|url=http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/record-details/7b34212e-115d-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad|date=20 December 1981|format=PDF|website=National Archives of Singapore|access-date=3 October 2020|archive-date=15 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715094232/http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/speeches/record-details/7b34212e-115d-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad|url-status=dead}}</ref> except for [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]] during [[World War II]].|| [[Singapore Time]]
|-
| {{MAS}} || MYT/MST || [[Peninsular Malaysia]] switched from [[UTC+07:30]] on 1 January 1982,<ref name=gmt8/> and [[East Malaysia]] uses it since 1933, except for the [[Japanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak|Japanese Occupation]] during [[World War II]]. || [[Time in Malaysia]]
|-
| {{BRU}} || BNT/BDT || ||[[Time in Brunei]]
|-
| {{PHL}} || PHT/PST || First implemented on 1 January 1845 by redrawing the [[International Date Line]].{{refn|group=note|name=Time Zone Change|The Philippines was one day behind neighboring countries in Asia since [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s arrival on 16 March 1521, then later claimed part of the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]] (''Virreinato de Nueva España'') known as Spanish Empire on 27 April 1565 until Mexico's independence on 27 September 1821. More than two decades later, on 16 August 1844, then Governor-General [[Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa|Narciso Claveria]] reformed the Philippines calendar by removing Tuesday, 31 December 1844, to align with the rest of Asia. Monday, 30 December 1844 was immediately followed by Wednesday, 1 January 1845. The change also applied to [[Caroline Islands]], [[Guam]], [[Marianas Islands]], [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Palau]] for being part of the [[Captaincy General of the Philippines]] during those times.}}<ref>{{Cite web|first=Anri|last=Ichimura|url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/philippines-international-date-line-time-a00304-20210217-lfrm|title=For Over 300 Years, the Philippines Was One Day Behind Every Country in Asia|work=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]|location=Philippines|date=17 February 2021|access-date=2023-03-14|language=EN}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Schedler |first=Joseph |date=1878 |title=An illustrated manual for the use of the terrestrial and celestial globes |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedmanua00sche |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedmanua00sche/page/27 27]}}</ref> It became permanent on 29 July 1990 when the country ended the use of [[daylight saving time]], then set at [[UTC+09:00]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/philippines/manila|title=Time Zone & Clock Changes in Manila, Philippines|website=www.timeanddate.com}}</ref> || [[Philippine Standard Time]] 
|-
| rowspan=3|[[Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN candidate/observer states|ASEAN observer states]] || {{TLS}} || [[UTC+09:00|+09:00]] || TLT || ||[[Time in East Timor|Time in Timor-Leste]]
|-
| rowspan=2|{{PNG}} || [[UTC+10:00|+10:00]] || PGT || rowspan=2| ||rowspan=2|[[Time in Papua New Guinea]]
|-
|[[UTC+11:00|+11:00]] || BST 
|-
| rowspan=3|[[Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations#ASEAN Plus Three Nation States|ASEAN Plus Three]] || {{JPN}} || rowspan=2|[[UTC+09:00|+09:00]] || JST || || [[Japan Standard Time]]
|-
| {{KOR}} || KST || || [[Time in South Korea]]
|-
| {{CHN}} || [[UTC+08:00|+08:00]] || CST || || [[Time in China]]
|}

==External links==
* {{cite web|title=Press Statement The First Informal ASEAN Heads of Government Meeting Jakarta|date=30 November 1996|url=http://www.aseansec.org/5206.htm|format=Press release|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060214163239/http://www.aseansec.org/5206.htm|archivedate=14 February 2006}}
* {{cite web|title=Joint Communique of The 29th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Jakarta, 20-21 July 1996|url=http://www.aseansec.org/1824.htm|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060108184121/http://www.aseansec.org/1824.htm|archivedate=8 January 2006}}
* {{cite web|title=Towards an ASEAN Community|date=7 August 2004|url=http://www.aseansec.org/16300.htm|author=Abdullah Ahmad Badawi|author-link=Abdullah Ahmad Badawi|format=speech|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041017034118/http://www.aseansec.org/16300.htm|archivedate=17 October 2004}}

==See also==
* Time in [[Southeast Asia]]
**[[Myanmar Standard Time]]
**[[Philippine Standard Time]]
**[[Singapore Time]]
**[[Time in Brunei]]
**[[Time in Cambodia]]
**[[Time in Indonesia]]
**[[Time in Laos]]
**[[Time in Malaysia]]
**[[Time in Thailand]]
**[[Time in Vietnam]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)}}

[[Category:Time zones]]
[[Category:ASEAN laws]]
[[Category:Time in Southeast Asia]]