Republic Day 2018: The 10 ASEAN Leaders To Be Chief Guests This Year
In a first, the Republic Day parade in 2018 will be attended by 10 heads of state from ASEAN or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping of 10 Southeast Asian countries. In light of the presence of 10 chief guests at the Republic Day in Delhi, massive preparations have been made by 100-odd government agencies. Leaders from the 10 nations -- Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei -- will be present on a stage enclosed with a 100 feet wide bullet-proof glass. The chief guest at India's first Republic Day on January 26, 1950 was the President of Indonesia, and since then, five other Southeast Asian leaders have chief guests at the Republic Day parades.