CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Last fall the embryonic concept of an Asian community appeared to gain some momentum. Now, of course, other topics, mainly the tragedy of the Dec. 26 tsunamis, have monopolized public attention, but the vision of a broader Asian community deserves further discussion.

Since the Asian community concept appears to have roots in the past, and as such is not a new initiative, I would like to offer a small historical insight that may not be known to everyone interested in this issue.

A widely known and most respected figure in Japan, the Rev. Neal Henry Lawrence, who passed away at the venerable age of 96 in November, reminded me just a few weeks before his death that he had originated a similar idea after World War II.