Susilo visits Santa Cruz Cemetry, gets warm greeting from locals<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Dili, East Timor<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited on Saturday the
\nSanta Cruz Cemetery in Indonesia's former territory of East
\nTimor, indicating that both countries have agreed to close the
\nblack chapter of past relations and start anew.<\/p>\n
During the visit to the cemetery, Susilo -- who was escorted
\nby East Timor foreign minister Jose Ramos-Horta -- was
\nsurprisingly greeted by hundreds of East Timorese who crowded
\nalong the street and in front of the cemetery.<\/p>\n
At the cemetery, Susilo laid a wreath in respect of those who
\nperished during the brutal shooting of hundreds of
\nproindependence activists by Indonesian troops in 1991, which met
\nwith worldwide condemnation.<\/p>\n
\"My visit to the cemetery is part of our attempt to become
\ngood friends. We can now forget the past and look to the future,\"
\nsaid Susilo at a joint press conference with East Timorese
\nPresident Xanana Gusmao.<\/p>\n
Susilo reiterated that the visit was also aimed at respecting
\nlocal heroes, since East Timor had no heroes cemetery nor a war
\nmemorial for East Timorese.<\/p>\n
\"We are grateful that the President is willing to visit Santa
\nCruz Cemetery. It will become a hallmark in the relations between
\nour nations and people,\" said Xanana, adding that East Timorese
\nhad agreed not to dwell on the past.<\/p>\n
After visiting Santa Cruz, Susilo visited the Seroja war
\nmemorial for Indonesian soldiers, located in front of Santa Cruz
\nCemetery, to pay tribute to Indonesian troops killed in East
\nTimor during the Indonesian occupation.<\/p>\n
In Seroja, Susilo laid a wreath on the grave of Maj. B.
\nGinting, a member of Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus)
\nwho died in 1986 during an operation to combat East Timorese
\nfighters, and Maj. Gustav, who died during the Seroja military
\noperation in 1976.<\/p>\n
During a visit to the East Timor parliament, Susilo said in a
\nspeech that although the two countries had settled a number of
\ndifferences, there were still several problems that needed to be
\naddressed immediately and justly.<\/p>\n
According to Susilo, the problems include repatriation of some
\n6,000 East Timorese refugees currently in the Indonesian province
\nof East Nusa Tenggara as well as the repatriation of assets
\nbelonging to Indonesian citizens and state enterprises.<\/p>\n
After a majority of East Timorese voted for independence in a
\nself-determination referendum in 1999, 285,000 prointegration
\nsupporters fled the province for West Timor.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to boost relations, Indonesia
\nplans to extent assistance packages for East Timor, including
\nscholarships for East Timorese university students to study in
\nIndonesia, training programs for tax and custom officials as well
\nas training packages for 100 police officers at the Indonesian
\nPolice Academy.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will also invite East Timor to attend this month's
\nAsia-Africa conference in Bandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will also propose during next week's ministerial
\nmeeting in the Philippines to invite East Timor to the East Asian
\nSummit in Malaysia later this year.<\/p>\n
In return, East Timor is expected to facilitate Indonesian
\nbusinessmen wishing to do business in East Timor.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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