Indonesia the third most corrupt nation in ASEAN

Indonesia is the third most corrupt nation among its Southeast Asian peers and was ranked seventh in the world in terms of misused state funds, a member of the country's corruption watchdog (KPK) says.

The data showed Indonesia was just behind its neighbors the Philippines and Thailand, Wiryono Prakoso said in Denpasar on Tuesday at a seminar on corruption eradication.

"Corruption has made it difficult for the government to improve public welfare and decrease the number of people living in poverty," Wiryono said.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had been focusing on working to improve public services, including health care, immigration and taxation, Wiryono added.

"We encourage the public to report any instances of corruption as we will protect witnesses and follow up on any reports they make," he said, as quoted by Antara news agency. (ewd)