Susilo visits Santa Cruz Cemetry, gets warm greeting from locals
Susilo visits Santa Cruz Cemetry, gets warm greeting from locals
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Dili, East Timor
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited on Saturday the
Santa Cruz Cemetery in Indonesia's former territory of East
Timor, indicating that both countries have agreed to close the
black chapter of past relations and start anew.
During the visit to the cemetery, Susilo -- who was escorted
by East Timor foreign minister Jose Ramos-Horta -- was
surprisingly greeted by hundreds of East Timorese who crowded
along the street and in front of the cemetery.
At the cemetery, Susilo laid a wreath in respect of those who
perished during the brutal shooting of hundreds of
proindependence activists by Indonesian troops in 1991, which met
with worldwide condemnation.
"My visit to the cemetery is part of our attempt to become
good friends. We can now forget the past and look to the future,"
said Susilo at a joint press conference with East Timorese
President Xanana Gusmao.
Susilo reiterated that the visit was also aimed at respecting
local heroes, since East Timor had no heroes cemetery nor a war
memorial for East Timorese.
"We are grateful that the President is willing to visit Santa
Cruz Cemetery. It will become a hallmark in the relations between
our nations and people," said Xanana, adding that East Timorese
had agreed not to dwell on the past.
After visiting Santa Cruz, Susilo visited the Seroja war
memorial for Indonesian soldiers, located in front of Santa Cruz
Cemetery, to pay tribute to Indonesian troops killed in East
Timor during the Indonesian occupation.
In Seroja, Susilo laid a wreath on the grave of Maj. B.
Ginting, a member of Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus)
who died in 1986 during an operation to combat East Timorese
fighters, and Maj. Gustav, who died during the Seroja military
operation in 1976.
During a visit to the East Timor parliament, Susilo said in a
speech that although the two countries had settled a number of
differences, there were still several problems that needed to be
addressed immediately and justly.
According to Susilo, the problems include repatriation of some
6,000 East Timorese refugees currently in the Indonesian province
of East Nusa Tenggara as well as the repatriation of assets
belonging to Indonesian citizens and state enterprises.
After a majority of East Timorese voted for independence in a
self-determination referendum in 1999, 285,000 prointegration
supporters fled the province for West Timor.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to boost relations, Indonesia
plans to extent assistance packages for East Timor, including
scholarships for East Timorese university students to study in
Indonesia, training programs for tax and custom officials as well
as training packages for 100 police officers at the Indonesian
Police Academy.
Indonesia will also invite East Timor to attend this month's
Asia-Africa conference in Bandung, West Java.
Indonesia will also propose during next week's ministerial
meeting in the Philippines to invite East Timor to the East Asian
Summit in Malaysia later this year.
In return, East Timor is expected to facilitate Indonesian
businessmen wishing to do business in East Timor.