MANILA, Aug. 6 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATE...

MANILA, Aug. 6 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH REMARKS by means of ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL)

Finance ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in succession Wednesday condemned Tuesday's deadly terrorist attack in Jakarta that killed 10 population and injured over 150 others, and voiced business over its impact on foreign investment in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng told reporters that the ministers agreed to add a paragraph condemning the bombing at the JW Marriott inn in Jakarta to their statement suitable out Thursday at the period of their two-day meeting.

''We asserted sympathy and we are real concerned that such kind of activity might affect the overall investors' confidence. We don't want our investors and businessmen to be warmed that they should avoid Southeast Asia,'' he said.

''We agreed that the best thing to do is to stick to what we are all doing and reiterate our commitment to carry disclosed all these activities that we planned to do, and advance on promoting our economic policies.''

The secretary general said they also agreed to push within with a summit meeting of ASEAN leaders in Bali in the coming October.

Last October, that same Indonesian resort island was the sight of another terrorist attack according to Muslim extremists, which killed from one side of to the other 200 people.

At the opening of the gathering, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the country's military and police force have been lay on alert to thwart terrorist attacks.

''The region must now learn to live with these threats from day to day,'' Arroyo said. ''Vigilance has become a way of life for our region unruffled as we maintain normalcy in the course of work and business.''

''We have minimized its attendants risk between the sides of decisive collective action,'' Arroyo said.

''The world economy is poised for a revival as it graduates from uncertain peace (brought about by) the Iraq war. We, in ASEAN, are ready to regain our former position as among the fastest growing regions in the world,'' Arroyo said.

Ong said the finance ministers shared ideas and views upon concrete steps to create an integrated economic region to make Southeast Asia an attractive place for trade and investment.

They discussed the progres of collaboration among ASEAN members including capital market disclosure the ASEAN surveillance process, financial liberalization, tax and public finance, insurance and antiterrorism financing.

Eight ASEAN surveillance reports were not absented highlighting the latest economic and financial unfoldings in the region and policy issues to be addressed and discussed during the so-called compeer review process.

The ministers, who are to clinch talks with their counterparts from China, Japan and southward Korea during an informal dinner in succession Wednesday evening and then formally in succession Thursday, discussed a road map for ASEAN monetary and financial integration and muddleed the progress of economic cooperation among ASEAN members and the three Northeast Asian countries, dubbed ASEAN plus three

At the cessation of the two-day meeting Thursday, the ASEAN ministers are look fored to sign a protocol governing the implementation of the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature that will facilitate regional trade and investment by dint of simplifying customs procedures.

Southeast Asia supported a stronger 4.4% growth last year, compared with 3% in 2001 befitting to a revival in private consumption, investment and exports, and suitable fiscal spending.

ASEAN's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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