Surabaya govt officially recognizes house as Soekarno`s birth place

Antara News, Mon, June 6 2011

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Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA News) - The Surabaya city government at a ceremony on Monday officially recognized a house at Jalan Pandean IV/40 as the birth place of national founding father and first Indonesian President Soekarno.

At the ceremony, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, Soekarno Instutute Director Peter A Rohi and a Soekarno relative, Prof Haryono Sigitm, jointly unveiled an inscribed plaque, witnessed by hundreds of Surabaya city council members and residents.

"Since the start of the reform era, we conducted a thorough study and research. We even did research in the Netherlands. Old history books have also proven that Soekarno was born in Surabaya (rather than in Blitar-Ed). Thank God, we can now officially indicate the place where he was born," Peter A. Rohi said.

In addition, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini also believed that Soekarno was not born in Blitar, East Java.

According to Tri Rismaharini, she had sent a letter to the Central Government to rectify the issue and was optimistic that the government would aprove it.

"We are still awaiting the central government`s response. But in 2010, Bambang DH, the previous Surabaya mayor signed the inscription and sent a letter (expectation) to the central government," Tri Rismaharini said.

In the meantime, the representative of Soekarno`s family Prof. Haryono Sigit, said that Soekarno`s parents once lived in the house concerned.

He also handed over the house to the Surabaya city administration to manage it.

Apart from that, Bambang Sulistomo, son of Bung Tomo, a noted hero from East Java who also attended the ceremony said so far no one had known that Soekarno was at the house on Jalan Pandean.

Editor: Priyambodo RH