Flags of the member countries : Asian Oceanic Postal Union (AOPU),

  Asian Oceanic Postal Union (AOPU) 

 Flags of the Member Countries

Most of the countries in the world are members of the Universal Postal Union. The Constitution of this Union permits members to form themselves into restricted unions covering specific regions of the globe. Special agreements are concluded to facilitate cooperation and improvement in the postal services of the member countries within the region, provided such agreements introduce provisions more favourable to the members of the public than those provided by the acts of the UPU. Further a restricted Union has the important role of promoting postal development in the region, cooperating with the UPU and the regional economic commissions in the implementation of technical assistance programmes in respect of postal services and strengthening relations with the other restricted Unions. At present the following seven restricted Unions are functioning in different parts of the world:

 1. European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), Stockholm.

2. The African Posts and Telecommunications Union (APTU), Brazzaville.

3. The Arab Postal Union (UPA), Cairo.

4. The Postal Union of the Americas and Spain (PUAS), Santiago.

 5. The African Postal Union (APU), Cairo.

6. Asian-Oceanic Postal Union (AOPU), Manila/Bangkok.

 7. The Narodic Postal Union (UPPN), Helsinki.

Asian Oceanic Postal Union (AOPU), originally known as Asian Oceanic Postal Convention is an inter-governmental organization of 32 postal administrations of the Asian Pacific region.The objective of AOPU is to extend, facilitate, and improve postal relations between member countries and to promote cooperation in the field of postal services.

 The convention was to come into force on 1 April 1962. On that date, they formed a union among themselves and established its headquarters in Manila with Mr. Palomar, Postmaster General of Philippines as its first Director. 

The headquarters was relocated to Bangkok in 2002.

 Philippines commemorated 15 years of AOPU in 1977. The Stamps show Flags of fourteen (14) member countries.

 The stamp from Thailand commemorating 15th anniversary of AOPU shows flags of eleven (11) member countries .

Indian stamp issued on the occassion of 15th anniversary of AOPU shows only the Logo of the Union.

 

Postal stationery Aerogramme from Papua New Guinea commemorates 20th Anniversary of the AOPU in 1982.

Philippines stamps issued to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of AOPU. 

(Note; The 30p denomination stamp reproduces one of the stamp issued earlier during 15th anniversary celebration of AOPU. My friend Mr Kenneth Sequeira very kindly sent me the above two stamps from Dubai. Many many thank you Kenneth)

Thailand issued a stamp in the denomination of 3 Bhat to commemorate the 50th. anniversary of AOPU

In due course others countries of the Asian-Pacific region joined this regional postal union (AOPU) making it today an inter-governmental body of 32 countries namely; Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu and Vietnam.