Governor assures the world that Yogyakarta is safe
Governor assures the world that Yogyakarta is safe
Asip A. Hasani
The Jakarta Post
Yogyakarta
In a bid to convince foreign tourists and investors that
Yogyakarta is safe and secure, Governor Hamengkubuwono X has
issued a letter of guarantee -- in English -- assuring that there
will be no sweeps carried out against foreigners entering or
staying in the city.
The letter, signed by Hamengkubuwono, was written on Saturday
after he had reiterated on several occasions that there would be
no anti-American action in the province of Yogyakarta.
"Many, especially those who work in tourism, had suggested to
me that my (oral) statements would not work in calming them down.
That's why I had to issue a written guarantee of Yogyakarta's
safety and order," he told reporters on Monday.
Several Muslim groups conducted a hunt for U.S. citizens
staying or living in the neighboring city of Surakarta, East Java
to show their solidarity to Afghanistan, which has been under
American pressure to hand over Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden is,
according to the U.S., the prime suspect behind the recent WTC
and Pentagon terrorist attacks.
Hamengkubuwono's official statement will be distributed
to individuals, groups and offices dealing with tourism,
including hotels and travel agencies.
Hamengkubuwono's promise seems to be serious.
He claimed to have met with leaders of Muslim organizations in
Yogyakarta before issuing the letter of guarantee.
"There is no indication that they will do the same thing as
other groups have done in other cities."
"With the written statements, the Yogyakarta administration,
along with the police and the city's citizens, wish to announce
that Yogyakarta is a safe place for foreign guests and investors.
We guarantee that anti-American sentiment will never arise here,"
he said.
In the one-page letter of guarantee, Governor Hamengkubuwono,
who is also the Sultan of Yogyakarta, criticized the sweeps
carried out on Americans, saying that the action was against the
law and Indonesian culture.
"It is already known that in accordance with Indonesian
culture we have always treated our guests with hospitality and
respect, as have Indonesian Muslims too," he said in the letter.
The governor said that the sweeping in Surakarta had resulted
in a drop in the number of tourists visiting Yogyakarta. "Many
countries has asked their citizens not to travel to Indonesia,
particularly Java following the sweeps."
He said that some tourists had even canceled their planned
visits to Yogyakarta since the action took place.
"Therefore, we want to convince those countries that
Yogyakarta is an exception. Yogyakarta is safe," he
reiterated.
Head of the local Association of Indonesian Hotels and
Restaurants (PHRI), Steffanus B. Indarto, warmly welcomed
Hamengkubuwono's letter of guarantee, saying that the assurance
would help the city's tourism no end.
"We will be able to confidently tell our foreign partners that
Yogyakarta is safe while showing the letter," he told The Jakarta
Post.
"We know that the governor is very serious with his
guarantee."
Indarto confirmed that the sweeps had caused a drop in the
number of tourist visits to Yogyakarta but he failed to provide
any details.
He also said that the letter of guarantee would be a very
positive factor to boost the success of several international
events in the city.
"We hope that foreign delegations will not reconsider their
attendance at some international meetings and events in
Yogyakarta over the next few months," he said.
Yogyakarta will host several international events including
the International Mask Festival and Exhibition (IMFE) later this
month, the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace (ACRP) early
next month and the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in January 2002.