Dutch handover observed

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