He said he did not know why the Singaporeans had decided to pull the plug on what he described as "one of the highlights" of the sometimes dull annual foreign ministerial meetings.

"That's the privilege of the host," he said. "It was the decision of the host not to (keep the tradition) but I agree it was one of the highlights."

He said some of the ministers from the bloc's dialogue partners, which include the United States, Japan and Australia, had taken it "too seriously" in previous years.

"The point was to relax and bond," Surin said.

"I think some of the dialogue partners took their performances too seriously to the point where they felt uncomfortable... They kept their scripts secret and rehearsed sometimes in their bathrooms."

Singaporean officials refused to publicly confirm that the gala dinner at the presidential palace on Wednesday would be a strictly formal event featuring professional entertainment but no ministerial performances.

They would not comment on their reasons for cancelling the annual behind-closed-doors bonding session, highlights of which invariably leaked to the media.

Previous gala nights have seen former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer singing karaoke, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice performing classical piano and former Japanese foreign minister Taro Aso impersonating Humphrey Bogart.

ASEAN is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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