ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh held a meeting with the delegationof the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) led by its president,Benny Antiporda, in Indonesia on March 3 to discuss the role ofjournalism in the region.

Meeting participantsalso included CAJ Deputy Secretary General Edi Utama and Permanent VicePresident of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) Ha Minh Hue.

During the event, Antiporda updated the ASEAN Secretary General onCAJ professional activities and organisational structure in recentyears.

Journalism in the region has developed invarious forms and styles, actively contributing to the development ofthe bloc, he noted.

Meanwhile, Ha Minh Hue saidthat journalism performs not only the social function of reporting thenews but also acts as a vital bridge between member states to furtherdevelop relations and mutual understanding regionally and globally.

For his part, Le Luong Minh hailed the significance of ASEANjournalism as well as the active role of CAJ in recent years.

He also urged regional journalists to continue covering the ASEANdevelopment and the opportunities and challenges presented by theestablishment of the ASEAN Community this year in order to raise localawareness of the upcoming event and encourage a united, developing andprosperous Community.

The VJA will host the 18th CAJ General Assembly in November and assume the CAJ Presidency forthe next two years. On the occasion, the confederation will alsocelebrate the 40th founding anniversary.

Founded in 1975, the CAJ is comprised of the journalist associations ofIndonesia, Malaysia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore andVietnam. The VJA has been a member of the confederation since July,1995.-VNA