President Yudhoyono receives "Asian Idol" contestants

The five Asian Idol contestants received by President Yudhoyono were Jaclyn Victor from Malaysia, Hady Mirza from Singapore, Nguyen Ngoc Phuong Vy from Vietnam, Mau Marcelo from the Philippines and Michael Prabawa Mohede alias Mike from Indonesia.

On the occasion, Yudhoyono expressed hope that the presence of the Asian Idol contestants in Jakarta would reflect the good cooperation in cultural exchanges in Asia.

To the contestants, the president said all Indonesian people would definitely appreciate their performance on TV when they sang from their hearts.

The Asian Idol festival, according to the president, would be able to support peace, cooperation and mutual understanding among Asian nations.

Reminiscing about his days as a youth, President Yudhoyono told the contestants that when he was in senior high school he joined a band and had until today continued to contribute to the musical world through songs.