The chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday handed over by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to his Thai counterpart, Prayut Chan-ocha. A columnist for the Jakarta Post wrote in July that ASEAN would  humiliate itself in front of the global community when the regional grouping introduces Prayuth, a general who toppled democratically elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014, as the chair next year.  Thailand is expected to finalize the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the South China Sea Code of Conduct as it assumes the bloc’s chairmanship, according to the Bangkok Post.