Pitsuwan believes ASEAN to have human rights agency soon

ASEAN will have the body, he said, adding that all the ASEAN leaders have declared statement on the establishment of the body and this was a positive one.

"Let`s start from there," he told the press on Monday.

Former Thai foreign minister Pitsuwan here Monday officially took over the duties of ASEAN secretary general from Keng Yong of Singapore whose term in the post expired on December 31, 2007.The 57-year old Pitsuwan will hold the position of ASEAN secretary general from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012.

He added the process for the establishment of the body was an area where all people would be involved.

Pitsuwan said people could boost the ASEAN leaders to accommodate the realization of the human rights body.

The association had long fought for the establishment of the body, he said referring to the discussion for the body that was started in 1992.

In the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in the Philippines on May last year, 10 ASEAN member countries, including Myanmar which was previously assumed to against it, agreed to the establishment.