Indonesian embassy explains

Indonesian embassy explains

From Kompas

The Indonesian Embassy in London highly appreciates Insan Budi Maulana for his great concern over the tendency of foreign media to present a negative picture of Indonesia, mainly concerning the issue of human rights (Kompas, Dec. 24, 1994).

We are very proud of the fact that Indonesian citizens are very patriotic. This is a valuable asset for us in our struggle to improve the image of our country, and at the same time to check the flow of false information from foreign media.

If Mr Maulana visited the Indonesian Embassy in London before writing his letter to Kompas, perhaps he would have a different opinion. We have a lot of records and clippings of news articles from both English and Indonesian newspapers. From the documents he would be able to see that the Embassy always counters bad press and is often engaged in disputes with the English press, NGOs or individuals who are concerned with the problems of human rights in Indonesia.

In this case, we often have to oppose BBC Channel 4 which is always ready to present news about Indonesia which is negative in nature. We do this because it is one of our basic jobs. The Indonesian Embassy in London is always available for interviews with all parties, and never fails to attend forums such as discussions, seminars and debates on Indonesia.

We appreciate Mr. Maulana's criticism which, we believe, is expressed out of a high sense of patriotism, free from certain implications.

MRS HENDRATI S MUNTHE

Head of Information Division

Indonesian Embassy

London, UK