Hometown girl Dian takes Puteri Indonesia title

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With Miss Universe 2003 Amelia Vega on hand to witness the crowning, hometown favorite Dian Krishna was named Puteri Indonesia (Miss Indonesia) on Friday night.

The 25-year-old Jakarta representative was a surprise pick over second-place winner Sisca Amelia from West Kalimantan and third-place finisher Melissa Yasmin Kapitan of Maluku at Teater Tanah Airku, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

The selection of the winner came down to the three finalists' answer to the question, "What is the first thing you think about when you see the beauty of the sunrise every morning?"

All three women gave answers about feeling thankful for their blessings in life but Dian, a graduate in communications from Royal Melbourne University in Australia, was the only one to answer in English.

She said she remembered her mother's instructions for her to pray every morning and be grateful, although she did backtrack during her answer to note that she actually prayed before sunrise.

Still, slip-up or not, it was enough to convince the jury and beat out Melissa and Sisca. Both of the other women, who were also educated abroad, had received solid support from the audience and were picked by commentators during the show, broadcast live on a private TV station.

Vega, at 18 among the youngest women to hold the Miss Universe title, remarked on the similarities between her homeland of the Dominican Republic and Indonesia. "This is my first stop in Asia ... the people here are very nice and kind, like in my own country," she told host Tantowi Yahya.

Other winners at the ceremony, which was attended by Minister of Tourism and Culture I Gde Ardika, included "miss congeniality" Evelyn Natalia Gunawan (Central Java), "most talented" Umi Kalistasani (Yogyakarta), best regional dress Ratu Habibie (Gorontalo) and "viewers' favorite" Fallia Rima Alamsyah (Lampung).