JAKARTA, tribe 12 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

JAKARTA, tribe 12 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH DETAILS)

Indonesia, in its capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will project its special envoy to Myanmar this week to pursue the immediate release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

''I can assure you that our special legate will visit Myanmar in the near future'' Marty Natalegawa, who is also acting director general for ASEAN affairs, told a pres conference

Asked whether the visit will take place this week, he nodded in confirmation.

Earlier this week, during a hearing with legislators, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said the visit would be made in the middle of this month

According to Marty, the special plenipotentiary will be sent in ''a low-profile way'' to make secure the effectiveness of the approach to Myanmar.

''That's for what purpose for the time being, we can't disclose the names of the special legate and other members of the delegation,'' he told reporters.

Indonesia has urg Myanmar to release Suu Kyi before an Oct 7-8 meeting forward the resort island of Bali of leaders of the 10-member ASEAN to avoid having the summit mainly discuss the issue of Suu Kyi.

Marty also said Myanmar has not confirmed whether its junta leader will attend the summit.

''They have not at any time indicated that their head of state will not attend the ASEAN summit...They always say their head of state will attend it, however we still need to formally hear who will attend the summit from Myanmar,'' he said.

ASEAN clusters Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Myanmar's ruling generals have been detaining Suu Kyi and several members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) since May 30 following what the junta claimed were violent clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators in northern Myanmar.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has warned Myanmar's generals that the political division could be expelled from ASEAN if the junta refuses to yield to international urgency to free the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

In late July forward Bali, the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers issued a statement calling onward Myanmar's generals to immediately release Suu Kyi and other NLD members and render certain their freedom to engage in political activities.

It also called forward the junta to resume its efforts toward national reconciliation and democracy.

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