Students from six Southeast Asian countries and Japan plan to gather in Jakarta in July for a forum on economic and environmental issues in the region.

A total of 28 selected university students from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan will attend the ninth "Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative Forum", in which they are expected to share ideas and generate recommendations on the two themes.

The forum, organized by top Japanese electronics manufacturer Hitachi Ltd., is due to take place from July 7 to 11 and to be attended by officials and prominent figures from the respective countries of participants.

The Indonesian National Education Ministry's director general for higher education, Fasli Jalal, said in a media conference here Monday the students were expected to produce recommendations addressing economic and environmental issues "not only in the Southeast Asia region in general, but also in Indonesia in particular".

"We hope these students will become role-models for their fellow students and that they will apply ideas drawn from the forum in each of their own fields," Fasli said.

The forum was first held in Singapore in 1996, while the latest edition took place in Vietnam last year.

Toshihito Fujito of Hitachi said many alumni of the previous forums had gone on to become young leaders in their respective fields, with many working in international organizations, including the World Bank, and as university lecturers or business leaders.

Hitachi's head of Jakarta's representatives, Mitsuhiko Shimizu, said Indonesia had been chosen to host the ninth forum because of its vital role in the region's economy and environment.

"We also wish to use the event as a commemoration for the 50th year of diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Japan, which falls in 2008," said Shimizu.

Indonesia will be represented by four undergraduate students: Edwina Kharisma and Rivana Mezaya of the University of Indonesia, and Zikril Hakim and Astrid Dita Rahayu of the Bandung Institute of Technology.

Edwina and Zikril are preparing to focus on economic issues, while Rivana and Astrid are to address environmental problems.

The forum plans to combine economic growth and environmental sustainability, with energy management being one of the main focuses.

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