Dutch handover observed

KALIJATI, West Java: The transfer of power from the Dutch colonial government to the Japanese 60 years ago was observed in a ceremony at Suryadarma airbase here on Saturday.

Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Hanafie Asnan, the National Resilience Institute Governor Ermaya Suradinata, and former foreign minister Ali Alatas were among those in attendance at the ceremony, which was sponsored by the Ermelo Foundation.

The ceremony was marked by the signing of a plaque situated in a house, where the unconditional transfer of power took place on March 8, 1942.

Japanese troops took control of Indonesia after one month of hard-fought battles during World War II.

The chairman of Ermelo Foundation, Himawan Sutanto, stressed the importance and relevance of the commemoration to Indonesian people, saying that the transfer of power paved the way for the nation's independence.

Indonesia declared its independence in 1945 after two atomic bombs struck Japan. -- Antara