Governor assures Yogyakarta is safe<\/p>\n
Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
In a bid to convince foreign tourists and investors that
\nYogyakarta is safe and secure, Governor Hamengkubuwono X has
\nissued a letter of guarantee -- in English -- assuring that there
\nwill be no sweeps carried out against foreigners entering or
\nstaying in the city.<\/p>\n
The letter, signed by Hamengkubuwono, was written on Saturday
\nafter he had reiterated on several occasions that there would be
\nno anti-American action in the province of Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Many, especially those who work in tourism, had suggested to
\nme that my (oral) statements would not work in calming them down.
\nThat's why I had to issue a written guarantee of Yogyakarta's
\nsafety and order,\" he told reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n
Several Muslim groups conducted a hunt for U.S. citizens
\nstaying or living in the neighboring city of Surakarta, East Java
\nto show their solidarity to Afghanistan, which has been under
\nAmerican pressure to hand over Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden is,
\naccording to the U.S., the prime suspect behind the recent WTC
\nand Pentagon terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
Hamengkubuwono's official statement will be distributed
\nto individuals, groups and offices dealing with tourism,
\nincluding hotels and travel agencies.<\/p>\n
Hamengkubuwono's promise seems to be serious.<\/p>\n
He claimed to have met with leaders of Muslim organizations in
\nYogyakarta before issuing the letter of guarantee.<\/p>\n
\"There is no indication that they will do the same thing as
\nother groups have done in other cities.\"<\/p>\n
\"With the written statements, the Yogyakarta administration,
\nalong with the police and the city's citizens, wish to announce
\nthat Yogyakarta is a safe place for foreign guests and investors.
\nWe guarantee that anti-American sentiment will never arise here,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
In the one-page letter of guarantee, Governor Hamengkubuwono,
\nwho is also the Sultan of Yogyakarta, criticized the sweeps
\ncarried out on Americans, saying that the action was against the
\nlaw and Indonesian culture.<\/p>\n
\"It is already known that in accordance with Indonesian
\nculture we have always treated our guests with hospitality and
\nrespect, as have Indonesian Muslims too,\" he said in the letter.<\/p>\n
Head of the local Association of Indonesian Hotels and
\nRestaurants (PHRI), Steffanus B. Indarto, warmly welcomed
\nHamengkubuwono's letter of guarantee, saying that the assurance
\nwould help the city's tourism no end.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that foreign delegations will not reconsider their
\nattendance at some international meetings and events in
\nYogyakarta over the next few months,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta will host several international events including
\nthe International Mask Festival and Exhibition (IMFE) later this
\nmonth, the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (ACRP) early
\nnext month and the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in January 2002.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governor-assures-yogyakarta-is-safe-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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