Sunday, April 3 2005
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has arrived in Australia for a three-day visit, a day after nine Australian troops were killed helping his country recover from a second devastating earthquake.
President Yudhoyono's visit was delayed for four days by the fatal Sumatran earthquake and is only the third visit by an Indonesian leader to Australia in the past 30 years.
He was greeted at Fairbairn RAAF base in Canberra by Prime Minister John Howard and Governor-General Michael Jeffery, along with a military honour guard.
President Yudhoyono has promised Indonesia's military and air force chiefs would supervise the recovery of the nine bodies following Saturday night's chopper crash during a mercy mission on Indonesia's quake ravaged island of Nias.
The nine Australian personnel died when their Sea King chopper plunged to the ground as they tried to help victims of Monday's quake.
Indonesia's Armed Forces Chief Endriartono Sutarto had been due to travel with Yudhoyono to Australia but he said he would instead go with air force chief Djoko Sujanto to the site of the crash near the village of Aman Draya on Nias, off Sumatra's west coast.
As he boarded his plane for Australia, President Yudhoyono telephoned Mr Howard to brief him of the steps taken following the crash.
"He said that he had instructed the Indonesian military to provide all necessary assistance in relation to those who have been killed and I know that he shares the sense of loss and grief at this very tragic incident and I thanked him for his expression of condolence on behalf of the Indonesian people," Mr Howard told reporters.
About 100 noisy protesters lined the road to Fairburn RAAF base but the president did not see them because he was whisked away in a car across the tarmac to another road.
President Yudhoyono and Madam Yudhoyono attended a state dinner at Government House where he was joined by Major General Jeffery, his wife Marlena, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and Defence force chief Peter Cosgrove.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and Indonesia's ambassador to Australia Imron Cotan also attended the dinner.
Maj-Gen Jeffery spoke of the tragedy Indonesia had suffered since the Boxing Day tsunami and Australia's own recent loss.
"Major General Jeffery referred to the terrible loss and pain Indonesia had suffered through recent natural disasters and said for many Australians this heightened the sense of tragedy over the loss of Australian lives in the navy helicopter crash," a spokesman for Maj-Gen Jeffery said.
President Yudhoyono will meet with Mr Howard and cabinet ministers, and later Mr Beazley, at Parliament House on Monday before attending the Australian War Memorial where he will lay a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier.
He will leave Canberra for Sydney on Monday night.
Taken from National Nine News
2 comments:
hee hee! my mum met the indo president last monday! she actually sat on his dinner table next to our indonesian minister! she was so embarresed because everyone else sitting on the table were leaders in Indonesian affarirs within Australia whilse she only puts on cultural events... but the funny thing is, is that this was the first time she voted an indonesian president and she chose him... ironic eh?
Sari
oh wow thats so cool! your mums so lucky! :)
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