RI medal of honor for Aussie diplomat
RI medal of honor for Aussie diplomat
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has awarded the Bintang Jaya Utama medal of honor to Sir Richard C. Kirby, a veteran Australian diplomat, for meritorious services to this country.
The charge d'affaires at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, Zakaria Soemintaatmadja, conferred the medal on Sir Kirby in a ceremony there on Friday evening.
Sir Kirby was a member of Australia's Commission of Three States which represented Indonesian interests during the Indonesian revolution.
The Commission was set up by the United Nations Security Council in 1947 as part of the efforts to solve the crisis caused by Dutch colonial aggression against Indonesia.
Other members of the Commission were Paul van Zeeland of Belgium, who represented the interests of the Netherlands, and Franc Graham of the United States, who was appointed chairman by the other two members.
Sir Kirby was one of six foreigners whom Indonesia awarded the medal in connection with the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence, which fell in August.
Zakaria said that the Indonesian people still remembered the services performed by Sir Kirby. The Commission's decision in its talks, held aboard the United States war ship Renville, led the Dutch to recognize Indonesian independence, Zakaria said.
The ship was anchored in Jakarta's harbor Tanjung Priok during the historic talks.
In 1993, Indonesia awarded the Bintang Jasa Utama to Sir Thomas Chrichly, who served as Kirby's deputy in the Commission.
Sir Kirby, 91, who was too old to stand, was in a wheel chair when the medal was conferred upon him. His two daughters and six granddaughters were also present at the ceremony.
His wife, Lady Hilda Kirby, died in 1993 at the age of 82. Sir Kirby now lives in Palm Beach, New South Wales, with one of his daughters, Antara reported from Canberra.
Sir Kirby said in his speech that one of the decisive factors for Indonesian independence was the determination of nationalists, such as former president Sukarno, former vice president Mohammad Hatta, former prime minister Sutan Syahrir, and leaders Syafruddin Prawiranegara and Haji Agus Salim.
Sir Kirby also said that, although the Dutch steadfastly refused to recognize Indonesian independence, the republicans' national flag was there on the American ship.
He said all flags of the United Nations members were placed there "and, funnily, the Indonesian flag was among them although this country had not yet become a UN member."
"The Indonesian flag had been smuggled in by republican people," he added. (tis)