Palembang gets new sultan after 182 years
Palembang gets new sultan after 182 years
PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The council of the Palembang Customary
Community has installed Raden Muhammad Syafei Prabu Diraja as
sultan of Palembang Darussalam with the title of Sultan Mahmud
Badaruddin III after the throne had lain vacant for 182 years.
The coronation of the sultan took place on Tuesday at the
Lawang Kidul Mosque, close to the tomb of Sultan Mahmud
Badaruddin I (1724-1756), who was also known as Kawah Tengkurep.
Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin III is the first traditional ruler of
Palembang since Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II, who died in Ternate,
North Maluku, in 1821, after he was jailed by the Dutch
authorities, who administered the archipelago at the time and had
taken control of his palace, the Benteng Kuto Besak.
"It's just the beginning. I will conduct an inquiry as to the
area of the sultanate, its customs and traditions, descendants
and the sultanate accoutrements after the council of the
Palembang Customary Community approves me as the valid heir to
the sultanate throne," the newly installed sultan said.
"The role of sultan which I will have will not be the same as
that of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II, as I will only be a
customary leader now that Palembang is controlled by the Republic
of Indonesia," he said. --Antara
;JP;NFK;
ANPAa..r..
Across-Mataram-Afghan
NTB sends home 18 Afghan immigrants
JP/5/acros06
NTB sends home 18 Afghan immigrants
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: At least 18 Afghan immigrants
have been repatriated from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), where they
had been staying for more than one year.
Spokesman for the province's police, Adj. Sr. Comr. H.M.
Basri, said here on Wednesday that the illegal immigrants had
been sent back to Afghanistan on Feb. 25.
"The immigrants, who had been accommodated over one year in a
number of places across NTB, were repatriated voluntarily. It was
funded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM)," he
explained.
Basri said another 140 illegal immigrants were being
accommodated in the Wisata Hotel, Nusantara Hotel and Tambora
Sumbawa Hotel in the provincial capital of Mataram.
The IOM was covering the daily living expenses of the stranded
immigrants during their stay in NTB, he added. It was not clear
when they would join the voluntary repatriation program. --Antara
;JP;NFK;
ANPAa..r..
Across-Pontianak-Sarawak-terorism
W. Kalimantan, Sarawak discuss terrorism
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W. Kalimantan, Sarawak discuss terrorism
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: West Kalimantan police and their
counterparts in Malaysia's Sarawak state will hold a one-day
meeting here on Thursday to discuss terrorism and boundary
issues.
"The meeting will discuss these two issues, as well as
transnational crimes," spokesman for the West Kalimantan police,
Comr. Suhadi S.W., said on Wednesday.
On Friday, the two police forces would draw up a work program,
he added without elaborating further. --Antara
;JP;NFK;
ANPAa..r..
Across-Yogyakarta-protest
Anti-U.S. protests continue
JP/5/acros06
Anti-U.S. protests continue
YOGYAKARTA: Protest continued on Wednesday against the United
States' plans to attack Iraq, which it accuses of developing
weapons of mass destruction.
In Yogyakarta, around 100 student activists marched from the
Gadjah Mada University campus in Bulaksumur to the Tugu
crossroads, carrying posters and banners condemning the planned
strikes.
"The U.S. has no legal basis to launch an attack. Iraq has
nothing to do with the Sept. 11 tragedy. Why is the U.S. being so
obstinate about this?" asked Hafidz Zaini, the protest organizer.
He said the world should use other alternatives to rid Iraq of
its alleged weapons of mass destruction.
"There is still another way of dealing with the issue of Iraq.
Negotiation!" Hafidz shouted.
Most Indonesians and many other people around the world oppose
the possible attacks.
"The U.S. knows well that war will not gain them sympathy. We
have to further spread the word that war is wrong. We have to
reveal the truth," Hafidz asserted, asking for the public's
support for the anti-U.S. protest.
A similar demonstration also took place in Bali, where dozens
of students and other youths burned flags U.S. and British flags.
--JP