YANGON, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A meeting of the ASEAN Ports Association working committee is underway in Yangon to seek ways of improving port links among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an official daily reported Wednesday.

The 31st ASEAN port association working committee meeting, hosted by Myanmar for the first time and began on Tuesday, was attended by 52 representatives from nine ASEAN countries, said the New Light of Myanmar.

The report did not disclose further details of the meeting.

Organized by the association, the working committee meeting and annual meeting are held annually in member nations alternatively.

The ASEAN ports association was established in 1974 which Myanmar port authority joined in 2005.

Meanwhile, the panel of ASEAN Secretariat held a workshop in Yangon in July to draft an ASEAN strategic transport plan (ASTP) for 2011-15 as a follow-up plan of the Vientiane Action Program ( VAP) for 2004-2010.

Formed by the ASEAN Secretariat, the panel is composed of experts from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and the workshop involved officials of Myanmar's transport department, organizations, private associations and relevant departments.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.