Sultan calls off U.S. visit after terrorist remark
Sultan calls off U.S. visit after terrorist remark
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and high-ranking
government officials have decided to cancel their planned visit
to the United States as a protest of U.S. allegations that the
province was unsafe for Americans and other westerners.
University of Gadjah Mada Rector Sofian Effendi said Tuesday
that he heard about the cancellation and was strongly supporting
the Sultan's decision to scrap the visit.
"Personally I support the Sultan's decision. Now is not the
proper time to visit the U.S. and we at the university also agree
with the cancellation," Sofian told journalists after signing a
cooperation agreement for research between UGM and PT Indofarma.
The entourage would have included Sultan Hamengkubuwono X,
Sofian Effendi, UGM Vice Rector Agus Dwiyanto, executives of the
U.S. Commission of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and a
number of officials from the Yogyakarta provincial government.
They were scheduled to leave for the U.S. this coming Saturday.
No official announcement has been made by the Sultan or his
office of the cancellation.
U.S. officials issued a travel warning for its citizens in
Indonesia last week, urging them to stay away from Yogyakarta and
Surakarta (Solo) as the areas considered to be unsafe for
Americans and other westerners.
The Yogyakarta administration had planned to start a sister
city project with a city in the state of Indiana during the
visit, while UGM had a planned cooperation with a university in
the city.
According to Sofian, the visit would not be rescheduled until
the U.S. demonstrated "a realistic attitude" toward security
conditions of Yogyakarta in particular and Indonesia in general.
"If the U.S. considers Yogyakarta as an unsafe place for them,
we can also feel the same about the U.S., that it is not a safe
place for us to visit, either. Therefore, we have to cancel the
visit," he said.
"They (the U.S. government) have to know that we do not like
being treated like that. We have our own dignity," he said.
He also stated that he would guarantee the safety of all
Westerners studying in UGM.
Currently there are 236 foreign students studying in UGM,
including two American citizens.
The Sultan had earlier said that he had yet to receive any
information suggesting that Westerners living or staying in the
ancient city had felt any threat.
A number of Westerners had been attending some seminars or
meetings held in Yogyakarta.
He also wanted to assure visitors that the provincial
government and local police were responsible for protecting all
foreigners living and staying in the province, "no matter what
citizenship they held".
"We, including the police, are responsible for the safety of
all of our people, no matter who they are. But one thing is for
sure, I've yet to receive any information that Americans staying
here feel threatened," he said.