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Government says Labuan Bajo a strategic ASEAN venue despite local protests
With Labuan Bajo the epicenter of this week’s ASEAN meetings, the government said the tropical resort was a strategic pick to emphasize development in eastern regions outside of Java, despite some reservations from locals that the event had gotten in the way of their livelihoods.
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In this file photo from 2020, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo oversees the development of Puncak Waringin in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. (Presidential Palace Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr)
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o:p>With Labuan Bajo the epicenter of this week’s ASEAN meetings, the government said the tropical resort was a strategic pick to emphasize development in eastern regions outside of Java, despite some reservations from the locals that the event had gotten in the way of their livelihoods.
“This event can be considered a historic one. [...] It is part of the government’s effort to emphasize its focus on the country’s eastern area,” the Foreign Ministry’s ASEAN Affairs Director General Sidharto R. Suryodipuro said on Monday evening in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.
“The attendance of ASEAN leaders starting [Tuesday] will also grant the area a lot of attention.”
The 42nd ASEAN Summit, which will conclude on Thursday with the issuance of several outcome documents, has so far seen dozens of meetings in the lead-up to the leaders’ assembly on Wednesday. This includes a senior officials’ meeting on Monday and a foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday, all of which included hundreds of delegates from across Southeast Asia and dozens of foreign press teams.
Accommodating for the event, all service industries in Labuan Bajo including hotels have put their hands together months before the busy week. With some hotels reaching full capacity, the government also stepped in to add further infrastructure for the occasion.
Despite having been a popular tourist destination for years, the sheer scale of the ASEAN summit is unprecedented for Flores Island.
