Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia would work to make 'significant progress in achieving the Asean Community'. -- PHOTO: AFP
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S foreign minister said on Friday his country will host two summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during its chairmanship of the 10-nation bloc this year.
Asean's 18th and 19th summits will be held in the capital, Jakarta, on May 7-8 and on the popular resort island of Bali, probably in October.
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia, which took over the bloc's annual chairmanship from Vietnam, would work to make 'significant progress in achieving the Asean Community'.
Asean, which is headquartered in Jakarta, includes the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Thailand, nations with a combined population of approximately 600 million people.
'Indonesia hopes that in 2011, the Asean Human Rights Commission will be more effective in fulfilling its mandate, reflecting the commitment of Asean countries to respect human rights,' Mr Natalegawa said.
Asean has been widely criticised for being timid in dealing with human rights abuses particularly by military-run Myanmar. -- AFP
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