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oreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has had to call back the Indonesian Ambassador to Cambodia, Ngurah Swajaya, even though he only just got there.

Reportedly the minister needed one of his brightest boys to assume a new and more strategic post: The country's ambassador to ASEAN.

"The minister really has no choice as he is the best expert on ASEAN," a senior diplomat said last week, referring to the regional grouping of 10 southeast Asian nations.

Ngurah was former ASEAN political affairs director at the foreign ministry, and was involved in a number of Indonesia's most high profile negotiations, including the 2008 signing of the ASEAN charter, the grouping's effective constitution, as well as the successful Bali climate talks in December 2007.

He is one of "Hassan's boys", a generation of the country's youngest and brightest diplomats which minister Hassan has groomed and elevated to fill the void after the old guard like Makarim Wibisono, Nugroho Wisnumurti, Nana Sutresna, Sumadi Brotoningrat and Wiryono Sastrohandoyo left the stage.

Mostly in their early 40s, these young diplomats, most of them from class 12 or 13 of the foreign ministry's training school, have now occupied most of the foreign ministry's strategic and prestigious posts inside and outside the country, having leapfrogged over their seniors.

To name a few, Yuri O. Thamrin has become ambassador to the United Kingdom while Dian Triansyah Djani and Desra Percaya, another two rising stars at the ministry, become the country's No. 1. and No. 2 envoys to Geneva respectively. Meanwhile, Marty Natalegawa and Hassan Kleib lead Indonesian representatives to the UN in New York.

These are all the most prestigious posts abroad, and these rapid promotions of young diplomats have only been possible under Hassan's tenure. Such young guns could not climb that fast under previous ministers, another diplomat confirmed.

Inside the country, most director general or director posts are also in the hands of the class of 12 or 13.

Retno P. Marsudi of the 12th batch, for instance, is now the director general for America and Europe while his two classmates Andri Hadi and Lutfi Rauf also hold director general positions in the same ministry.

Minister Hassan continues to depend on Arif Havas Oegroseno, a rising star from the 13th class, on tough border and regional negotiations.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal of the 13th class, former director for North America, is also part of the new wave, although he works directly under the President.

At director level, Kristiarto Suryo Legowo and Ibnu Hadi are capable negotiators, with younger Umar Hadi handling public diplomacy.

The 12th batch may even produce a minister, the strongest candidate being Marty, although some put more senior Hamzah Thayeb, now a director general, as a strong contender, or President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may retain Hassan.

Hassan might stay in Yudhoyono's new cabinet after holding foreign minister position for eight years since 2001. But whether he stays or not, he has nurtured a new generation of the nation's youngest and best diplomats.

"This is unprecedented in our history. We have so many young and capable diplomats. They all have high skills, and are definitely defining our diplomacy now, and within 10 to 15 years to come," University of Indonesia international relations expert Bantarto Bandoro.

The challenge now was to show they could make it on their own merits.