Nearly 500,000 Say 'Yes' to YES 2009

Online Movement and Youth Engagement Summit in Malaysia Draw Attention of
White House

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 500,000 young
people throughout Southeast Asia have joined an online community and lent
their voices to a region-wide call for positive social change, one week before
the inaugural Youth Engagement Summit (YES 2009) November 16 and 17, 2009, at
the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here (www.yes2009.asia).

Organizers of YES 2009 expect the number of online participants will continue
to rise until the kickoff of the event, which is expected to draw more than
4,000 young people here, and another 150,000 watching a simulcast on giant
screens at major universities in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Ho Chi Min City and
Manila.

Meantime, YES 2009 Organizing Chairman Harmandar Singh also is hoping for a
visit - if not in person, then perhaps virtually - from an important U.S.
citizen whose own vision for change has served as an inspiration to the tens
of thousands of Southeast Asian youth participating in the event: U.S.
President Barack Obama.

"President Obama will be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) Conference in nearby Singapore just prior to the start of YES 2009, so
we're hopeful we'll hear from the man who helped inspire all of this," Mr.
Singh said. "I've been to Washington, DC, twice to brief officials regarding
YES 2009, and I'm delighted that we have received very encouraging words of
support from both the White House and U.S. Department of State."

Mr. Singh added that a complete report on the opinions and perspectives of YES
2009's online followers, together with a review of the event proceedings, will
be released as the Southeast Asia for Change (SEACHANGE) Youth Report
(http://yes2009.asia/seaforchange.html), during next week's event.

About YES 2009

YES 2009 will be the first gathering of its kind in Asia, uniting
representatives of young people aged 15 to 35 from Malaysia, Singapore,
Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei. In addition to
the 4,000 summit participants expected in Kuala Lumpur, more than 150,000 will
witness the proceedings through satellite link-ups to giant screens set up at
five leading universities across the region, and countless others will watch
on CNN International or via live web streaming.

The landmark two-day event, expected to kick off with an opening address by
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Tun Razak, will feature a superb
line-up of speakers from various fields, including Sir Bob Geldof, the founder
of Live Aid; world chess legend Garry Kasparov; Biz Stone, co-founder of the
micro-blogging network Twitter; Nando Parrado, whose miraculous survival of an
plane crash in the Andes became the basis for the critically acclaimed movie
Alive; and Malaysia's own Tony Fernandes, who pioneered the domestic and
international low-cost carrier phenomenon in Asia by spearheading AirAsia and
AirAsia X.

YES 2009 organizers are rallying more than one million people between the ages
of 15 and 35 years, to share their thoughts by taking part in an online survey
to produce the SEA For Change Youth Report. The survey and report allow
participants to take a proactive role in sharing their needs, motivations,
expectations and ideas with the world at large, and guiding political and
business leaders in to engage more effectively with the youth market. More
information is available at www.yes2009.asia.

This material is distributed by Global Communicators, LLC, on behalf of
Sledgehammer Communications.
Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington,
DC.

SOURCE YES 2009

Kristine Heine, Global Communicators, +1-202-371-9600,
kheine@globalcommunicators.com or Steve Drake, +1-301-680-0585,
sdrake@verizon.net, both for YES 2009