Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Australian government has appointed Simon Merrifield as the new ambassador to the ASEAN.
Merrifield stated here on Wednesday at his welcoming party, hosted by Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty, that he is very proud to be deployed as the ambassador to the ASEAN.
"The ASEAN makes a major contribution to development, prosperity, and growth in the Southeast Asia region. Australia is very proud of its strong relationship with the ASEAN," he said.
Having graduated from Australian National University (ANU) in Asian Studies, Merrifield has had ties with Southeast Asia since 1995 when he became the first secretary of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
After 1998, as his diplomatic work in Indonesia concluded, he moved to other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Myanmar, and the Philippines, before returning to Canberra.
"I see a lot of changes in Jakarta since leaving it in 1998, such as greater freedom of the press, greater prosperity among the people, and more traffic or 'macet,'" he remarked.
Merrifield speaks Bahasa Indonesia fluently, having learned it while he was in college, and he showed it off while describing his experience with Jakarta's traffic to members of the press.
"It's a huge pleasure to return to Jakarta," he said. (*/DWA)
