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The realitiy of Southeast Asia cannot be simply understood as the interfacing of several nation-states on a bilateral basis within a defined geographical locality. The overemphasis on relations between modern nation-states that are marked by territorially defined land boundaries obscures the open frontiers of Southeast Asia. The people of Southeast Asia meet at production markets, labour markets and commodity markets, which recognize no boundaries. The marine resources of Southeast Asia are one sector, which has created a community of peoples from the region. People extracted the riches of the seas for trade in distant markets that were linked by seas. The Sulu Sea was historically the marine stock reservoir of the region. It brought together Asian investors and Asian labour power for Asian markets. |
