Asia-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) and Flags of the Member Countries

 Asia-Pacific Postal Union (APPU) aims to extend, facilitate and improve postal relations between the member countries and promote cooperation in the field of postal services. By acting as a regional centre of excellence APPU is taking Posts into the Future by facilitating access to regulatory, operational and commercial best practice. APPU supports the interests of smaller and lower income members through representation at Universal Postal Union (UPU) meetings

The history of the APPU dates back to a postal roundtable held in Manila in 1961. At that meeting 18 countries met to draw up the Asian-Oceanic Postal Convention, which came into force on 1st April 1962. Thus the Asian Pacific Postal Union (AOPU) was born in 1962 and in due course additional members have made it an inter-governmental body of 32 (thirty two) countries.

 APPU was based in Manila, the Philippines for the first 40 years of its history in recognition of the role played by the Philippines Government in its establishment. Since 2002 the APPU moved to Bangkok, Thailand and the Director position was open to election by the member countries. The Director is chosen at the APPU Congress for a term of four years, with a maximum of two terms.:.(Source http://appu-bureau.org/appu/purpose/)

 Philippines commemorated 15 years of AOPU in 1977. The Stamps show Flags of fourteen (14) member countries. The stamp has wrongly put  the flag of  ‘Kingdom of Laos' which was abandoned in 1975, in place of the current national flag.

 

Colour and denomination missing in the stamp above.

 The flag of the erstwhile Kingdom of Laos used between 1952 and 1975.

The flag adopted by Lao People's Democratic Republic in 1975

 The stamp from Thailand commemorating 15th anniversary of AOPU shows flags of 11 (eleven) member countries including Lao People's democratic Republic flag (depicted correctly) .

 

Postal Aerogramme from Papua New Guinea commemorates 20th Anniversary of the AOPU in 1982. It has 23 flags.

Philippines stamps issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of APPU in 2012. Flags of all 32 member countries now appear on the stamps. Lao flag appears correctly in the new issue but mistake remains in the 'stamp on stamp'.

Thailand FDC  issued to commemorate the 50th. anniversary of APPU

 

APPU  , Executive Council (EC) Meeting; Sri Lanka, 2014. It has flags of all 32 member countries.

The 2015 EC meeting was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 24-28. Attended by more than 70 delegates and observers. Note:  “APPU” has become “AAPU” in the Pak FDC.

APPU Executive Council (EC) comprises all the member-countries of the Asia-Pacific Postal Union meets in principle once each year, while, APPU CONGRESS: not later than two years after holding of each Universal Postal Congress (UPU) in order to revise the Acts of the Union, if necessary, and to consider, as necessary, other postal problems of common interest to members