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EMBASSY
OF INDIA JAKARTA
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E
M B A S S Y O F I N D I A
S-1, Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Kuningan
J A K A R T A
Tel.
: 5204150, 52, 57
Fax. : 5204160
E-mail address
Information Wing :
eoiisi@indo.net.id
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Warta April 2002
State visit of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to India
H.E. Mrs. Megawati Soekarnoputri, President of the Republic of Indonesia paid a State visit to India from 1-5 April 2002. She was accompanied by her husband, Mr. Taufiq Kiemas and her daughter, Ms. Puan Maharani.
Dr. Nur Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Rini M.S. Suwandi, Minister for Trade & Industry, Mr. Hatta Rajasa, State Minister of Research & Technology, and Mr. Syamsul Mu'arif, State Minister for Communication & Information form part of President Megawati's official delegation to India.
A large business delegation accompanied the Indonesian President.
President Megawati's official engagements in New Delhi commenced on Wednesday, 3 April 2002, with her being given a ceremonial reception in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace). Thereafter she went to Rajghat to lay a wreath at the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Vice President of India, Mr. Krishan Kant and Mrs. Suman Krishan Kant called on the visiting dignitary.
President Megawati also attended a business meeting jointly organized by the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). At this luncheon meeting, nine Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) were signed between different Indian and Indonesian organizations in the areas of railways, edible oils, pharmaceutical, software, hospitality industry, afforestation, etc.
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition and the wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, called on the Indonesian President. Thereafter, President Megawati delivered a speech at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation on the theme "Re-discovering the Asian Identity".
President Megawati's meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was followed by delegation level talks.
Thereafter, President Megawati met with President K.R. Narayanan and Mrs. Usha Narayanan, who also hosted the visiting dignitary to a banquet.
In all the meetings that President Megawati had with Indian leaders, the close historical and cultural contacts between the two countries were reiterated, as well as the great warmth and personal rapport which existed between President Megawati's father, the late President Soekarno of Indonesia and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. It was emphasized that close contacts at the highest level must be maintained between India and Indonesia in view of the extensive relationship that both countries had in several areas, political, economic and commercial. The Indian leaders also thanked President Megawati for Indonesia's support to India both in the context of the ARF and the ASEAN.
Recalling the age-old relationship between India and Indonesia in terms of history, common culture, shared traditions and value systems as well as the personal association of the Soekarno family with India, President Narayanan, in his banquet speech, called for deepening the contacts and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science and technology, agriculture, ecological conservation, information technology, bio-technology and other areas of common interest.
President Megawati in her remarks reiterated the strong historical and cultural ties between our two countries, the strength of which had been reflected in modern times as well. She said that it was now our common duty to utilize this enormous asset to make our bilateral relations meaningful. Apart from our political relationship, which was very satisfactory at the bilateral, regional, and international levels, she felt that there was room for us to develop cooperation in other fields, especially in trade, investment, health, and human resource development.
In his meeting with President Megawati, PM Vajpayee expressed India's keen interest in participating in railway projects in Indonesia, under suitable financial mechanisms, like counter-trade. PM Vajpayee also called for strengthening the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in other infrastructure areas such as telecommunications, power projects and ports development. PM Vajpayee expressed happiness on the cooperation in IT sector where India is currently providing special, customized training to Indonesian engineers. He added that the MOU signed during President Megawati's visit between the space establishments of our two countries would impart fresh momentum to our cooperation in Space Technology.
PM Vajpayee made a special mention of the fact that India would sponsor a high level investment delegation to Indonesia in order to study investment opportunities for Indian businesses there.
Noting Indonesia's interest in these sectors, India offered to extend support to Indonesia in their setting up of a Film and Television Institute and an Institute of Fashion Design in Indonesia.
PM Vajpayee was of the view that the historical and cultural affinities between India and Indonesia were not adequately reflected in our academic and cultural interactions. He therefore proposed the setting up of Chairs of Indonesian and Indian Studies respectively in universities in both India and Indonesia.
As a statement of India's desire for closer engagement with ASEAN, PM Vajpayee announced India's offer to set up the India-ASEAN Biotechnology Centre and the India-ASEAN Science & Technology Digital Library, both in Jakarta.
President Megawati referred to the strong cultural linkages between the two countries and emphasized the need to provide continuity to our common cultural traditions through joint initiatives. She stated that she was very receptive to the idea of India undertaking railway projects in Indonesia. She also expressed her satisfaction on the training opportunities and university education offered by India to Indonesian trainees and students.
President Megawati said that the nine private sector MOUs and the three inter-governmental MOUs signed during her visit to India reflected the level and scope of interaction between India and Indonesia.
After the delegation level talks, three agreements were signed. These were an MOU pertaining to visa exemption between the two countries for holders of official and diplomatic passports; an MOU for enhanced cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and its Indonesian counterpart LAPAN; an MOU for the setting up of a Vocational Training Centre in the Construction Sector in Jakarta by India under India's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme.
On Thursday, 4 April 2002, President Megawati went to Hyderabad where she visited the Hi-tech City, and then met the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. C. Rangarajan. The Governor hosted a lunch in honour of the President of Indonesia.
Governor of Bali visits India
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, H.E. Drs. Dewa Made Beratha, the Governor of Bali and a delegation visited India from 14 - 21 April, 2002. During the visit, the Governor of Bali attended the annual conference of the Pacific Asia Tour and Travel Agencies Association (PATA) in New Delhi. During his stay in New Delhi, the Governor called on the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Besides Delhi, the Governor and his delegation also visited the holy cities of Haridwar/Rishikesh, Bhubaneshwar in North India and Chennai and Tirupati in South.
A 46-member Balinese dance troupe also accompanied the Governor and gave performances in India.
Special training for Indonesian engineers in computer software in India
In March 2002, 41 Indonesian engineers left for India for a special training programme in computer software under the scholarship programme called Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme.
Another 10 Indonesian engineers left for India on 10th April for the same course for a period of six weeks. Under the ITEC scholarship programme, the Indonesian trainees are given full scholarship, which includes international air passage, free accommodation, exemption from tuition fee. The trainees are also given living allowance. The 10 trainees were selected by the Ministry of State for Research and Technology, Government of the Republic of Indonesia.
The software training is being conducted by the Tata Infotech Limited, New Delhi which is a pioneer in the field of IT education providing career and professional courses through state-of-the-art centers across India and abroad. Apart from classroom-lab instructor training method, the company provides a wide range of Computer Based Training (CBT) modules and offers a range of courses for students to choose.
First Ramayana Museum in India
The historic town of Orchha in Madhya Pradesh (India) is expected to have the country's first Ramayana Art Museum soon. The Orchha Museum is the Centre for the preservation and display of different art forms - ranging from paintings to plays - depicting different episodes from the epic. It also has a library with an extensive collection of music and reference books, along with video recordings of folk-theatre and plays based on Ramayana.
Traditional masks and crowns and digital recordings of Ramlila have already been collected from different parts of the country as well as from
Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Laos. Important reference books on Ramayana and Ramkatha would be available at the Orchha library for those engaged in research work.
India forges new economic links in South-East Asia
India's "Look East" policy of the early 1990s, after decades of relative neglect of an economically dynamic region, has lately gained for the country a new stature, commensurate with its size and development, in its efforts to become a major player in the Asia-Pacific Region.
This was evident during the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visits earlier this month (April 7-11) to Singapore, an economic powerhouse, and Cambodia, which will host the first India-ASEAN Summit in November this year. India is already a full dialogue partner with ASEAN (Association of South-East Nations) which has planned to turn itself into a Free Trade Area shortly, and a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which also brings together the United States, Russia, China and Japan for its annual review of political and security issues of the region.
It is a matter of time before India joins the much larger Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC), the most vibrant economic grouping, which accounts for over fifty per cent of world output and trade flows and attracts substantial foreign direct investment every year. Once the moratorium on new membership of APEC ends, India is likely to be one of the first new entrants with support from ASEAN as well as the non-regional powers including USA with which India's relations have undergone a sea-change.
India is pressing ahead with reinforcing its ancient cultural and economic links with countries of South-East Asia in the totally changed global context in which most developing countries have gone ahead with economic liberalization and integration with the world economy.
India has also been an active participant in promoting sub-regional cooperation among countries of South and South-East Asia. It has been agreed by India, Thailand and Myanmar that a road would be built from India's north-east via Myanmar to Thailand to facilitate easier movement of goods and people. The three countries along with the three former Indo-China states are also involved in the proposed Ganga-Mekong Cooperation project. China, likewise, is interested in developing a North-South transport corridor through Myanmar which would give it access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Indian enterprises are also to take part in railways and other infrastructure projects in
Indonesia, the largest member of ASEAN.
India supports Yasser Arafat
Following recent conflict in Middle East, Mr. Jaswant Singh, the Indian Minister for External Affairs spoke to President Yasser Arafat and conveyed that India considers him the symbol of Palestinian Authority and was concerned about his safety and well-being. The situation needed to be contained and controlled. Already a large number of innocent civilians on both sides of Palestine and Israel had been killed and this needs to be stopped. President Arafat conveyed his gratitude to the Indian President and Prime Minister seeking India's continued intervention with the United States and Israel, stating: "tell them not to destroy us". Mr. Jaswant Singh reiterated that situation was distressing and not acceptable that it had come to such a pass. India stood by the people of Palestine in their hour of need.
Mr. Jaswant Singh also spoke to Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and stressed the Israeli authorities to have a peaceful dialogue with Palestine to resolve the Middle East issue.
Tourism: Darjeeling
Darjeeling, centre of India's most celebrated tea growing district in the West Bengal State, has possibly the most picturesque views among all Indian hill resorts. Outside the monsoon season (June to September), the views across the snowy peak of Kanchenjunga and other mountains down to the swollen rivers in the valley are, simply magnificent. Darjeeling is a fascinating place, where the tourist can see Buddhist monasteries, visit tea plantation, see how the tea is processed, go for a ride on the chairlift, go shopping in the
colorful markets or go trekking to high altitude spots, near the border with Sikkim State. Darjeeling has the unique feature of a toy train, which takes you from Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling through the steep mountainsides.
What to See
Tiger Hill is the highest spot in the area at a height of 2590 metres, about 11 km from Darjeeling. The hill is famous for its magnificent dawn view over the Kanchenjunga peak. On a clear day, Mount Everest is also visible. Close to Tiger Hill is Senchal Lake, a popular picnic spot. Ghoom Buddhist Monastery is the most famous monastery in Darjeeling and is about eight km from town. It enshrines an image of Maitreya Buddha (the coming Buddha). A half an hour drive leads to Sonada, where a large and interesting monastery of the Kagyupa sect is situated. Observatory Hill located nearby, houses a Kali shrine and is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. Not far from Chowrasta, the centre of the city, is the Bhutia Busty Monastery. Dhirdham Temple, Natural History Museum, Ropeway, Botanical gardens and The Zoological Park are some other attractions.
When to Visit
For mountain views, the best time to visit is from mid September to mid February and then from mid March to mid June, when it starts becoming hazy, because of cloud cover. The average temperature ranges from 8.5 - 15 degrees Celsius in summers and 1.5-6 degrees Celsius in winters.
How to Get There
Air: The nearest airport is at Bagdogra, 90 km away from Darjeeling. Bagdogra is connected to important cities of the country by domestic airlines.
Bus: There are bus connections to Darjeeling from Siliguri, Bagdogra, Gangtok, Kurseong and Kathmandu.
Train: New Jalpaiguri /Siliguri is the rail head for all trains, except the toy train running to Darjeeling. Siliguri is connected to Calcutta and other parts of the country by train.
Where to Stay
There are a number of places to stay in Darjeeling. Prices vary widely depending on the season. Windamere Hotel (Tel: +91-354-54041/42, Fax: 54043) on the slopes of the Observatory Hill is a good place to stay. It is one of the oldest hotels and has beautifully maintained gardens and a main building with detached cottages. There are many other hotels in and around Darjeeling.
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