Sultan calls off U.S. visit after terrorist remark<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and high-ranking
\ngovernment officials have decided to cancel their planned visit
\nto the United States as a protest of U.S. allegations that the
\nprovince was unsafe for Americans and other westerners.<\/p>\n
University of Gadjah Mada Rector Sofian Effendi said Tuesday
\nthat he heard about the cancellation and was strongly supporting
\nthe Sultan's decision to scrap the visit.<\/p>\n
\"Personally I support the Sultan's decision. Now is not the
\nproper time to visit the U.S. and we at the university also agree
\nwith the cancellation,\" Sofian told journalists after signing a
\ncooperation agreement for research between UGM and PT Indofarma.<\/p>\n
The entourage would have included Sultan Hamengkubuwono X,
\nSofian Effendi, UGM Vice Rector Agus Dwiyanto, executives of the
\nU.S. Commission of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and a
\nnumber of officials from the Yogyakarta provincial government.
\nThey were scheduled to leave for the U.S. this coming Saturday.<\/p>\n
No official announcement has been made by the Sultan or his
\noffice of the cancellation.<\/p>\n
U.S. officials issued a travel warning for its citizens in
\nIndonesia last week, urging them to stay away from Yogyakarta and
\nSurakarta (Solo) as the areas considered to be unsafe for
\nAmericans and other westerners.<\/p>\n
The Yogyakarta administration had planned to start a sister
\ncity project with a city in the state of Indiana during the
\nvisit, while UGM had a planned cooperation with a university in
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
According to Sofian, the visit would not be rescheduled until
\nthe U.S. demonstrated \"a realistic attitude\" toward security
\nconditions of Yogyakarta in particular and Indonesia in general.<\/p>\n
\"If the U.S. considers Yogyakarta as an unsafe place for them,
\nwe can also feel the same about the U.S., that it is not a safe
\nplace for us to visit, either. Therefore, we have to cancel the
\nvisit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"They (the U.S. government) have to know that we do not like
\nbeing treated like that. We have our own dignity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also stated that he would guarantee the safety of all
\nWesterners studying in UGM.<\/p>\n
Currently there are 236 foreign students studying in UGM,
\nincluding two American citizens.<\/p>\n
The Sultan had earlier said that he had yet to receive any
\ninformation suggesting that Westerners living or staying in the
\nancient city had felt any threat.<\/p>\n
A number of Westerners had been attending some seminars or
\nmeetings held in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
He also wanted to assure visitors that the provincial
\ngovernment and local police were responsible for protecting all
\nforeigners living and staying in the province, \"no matter what
\ncitizenship they held\".<\/p>\n
\"We, including the police, are responsible for the safety of
\nall of our people, no matter who they are. But one thing is for
\nsure, I've yet to receive any information that Americans staying
\nhere feel threatened,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sultan-calls-off-us-visit-after-terrorist-remark-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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