Royal revolution as Indonesian sultan taps female heir

Yahoo – AFP, Olivia Rondonuwu, June 29, 2016

Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, governor and sultan of the tiny kingdom of Yogyakarta,
 with his wife, Queen consort Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hemas, at his 70th birthday
celebrations (AFP Photo/Goh Chai Hin)

Yogyakarta (Indonesia) (AFP) - Courtiers in elaborate outfits danced to the gentle tinkling of Javanese music as the Sultan of Yogyakarta looked on, a scene that has played out in much the same way for centuries in the tiny Indonesian kingdom.

But the recent ceremony to mark the 70th birthday of Hamengku Buwono X, Indonesia's last sultan with real political power, had one key difference from previous celebrations -- many of his relatives refused to attend.

A bitter feud has erupted at the heart of the kingdom on Java island, after the Muslim ruler signalled he wants his eldest daughter to become the sultanate's first female monarch after he leaves the throne.

Indonesia is home to numerous small kingdoms. But while other provinces now elect political rulers and their sultans are largely ceremonial figures, Yogyakarta's sultan serves as both royal leader and governor of the city and its surrounding areas.

Jakarta allowed the Yogyakarta royal family to keep power as the central government was grateful for the sultanate's support for independence in 1945 after a long period of Dutch colonial rule.

The sultan still maintains many of the trappings of Javanese royal rule in the kingdom, which has a history stretching back to the 16th century.

His main residence is a traditional Javanese palace complex, known as a Kraton, and important events are celebrated with much pomp and circumstance.

But the sultan's push to make the eldest of his five daughters -- he has no sons -- the first female monarch of Yogyakarta has transformed him into an unlikely champion for gender equality, and threatens to overturn hundreds of years of tradition in the Muslim, conservative sultanate.

Sultan Hamengku Buwono X watches a dance performance to celebrate his

70th birthday and 27th year in power in Yogyakarta (AFP Photo/Goh Chai Hin)

Rooster or hen?

It has sparked a furious row with his family, who say he is breaking rules laid down to govern the sultanate, amid speculation that his brothers were jockeying to fill his position.

"A female sultan is an impossibility," the sultan's cousin, Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung Jatiningrat, told AFP.

"One symbol in this palace is a rooster -- so if we have a queen should we change it to a hen?"

The rooster is a symbol of bravery.

He added that a female ruler could not oversee rituals in the mosque or other ceremonies that have traditionally been led by men.

Hamengku Buwono, who has been on the throne 27 years, last year set in motion the process for his daughter to become monarch by giving her the title "Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Mangkubumi".

While he has not confirmed publicly that she is the crown princess, in Javanese culture -- where much is conveyed through symbolism rather than anything said out loud -- the signs are clear.

The title Mangkubumi, which translates from Indonesian as "the one who holds the Earth", was the same one given to the sultan when he was made crown prince several decades ago.

She was also entrusted with the task of "attempting to bring safety, happiness and prosperity to the world", another indication she would succeed her father.

And the sultan made small changes to his own lengthy royal title -- removing a word normally only used by men and tweaking another -- to make it gender-neutral, opening the door for a woman to take over.

A traditional royal orchestra performs for Sultan Hamengku Buwono X during a 

ceremony to mark his 70th birthday and 27th year in power in Yogyakarta (AFP

Photo/Goh Chai Hin)

'An Islamic kingdom'

The sultan has defended the move, saying there is nothing stopping him from making changes in his kingdom and he has to adapt as Indonesia modernises.

"The Yogyakarta palace doesn't have a hereditary tradition that can't be changed, and all ruling sultans can introduce changes," he told local media.

Still, many disagree with him, from his relatives to local Muslim groups.

"The king should maintain the tradition as it was originally, because this is an Islamic kingdom," said Abdurrahman, from local hardline group Islamic Jihad Front, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

But it is not the first time there has been a female monarch in diverse Indonesia -- nowadays Muslim-majority, but which has had Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms over the centuries and is home to about 300 different ethnic groups.

Queens at times ruled over the ancient Majapahit empire, which covered large parts of what is now Indonesia from the late 13th to the early 16th centuries, as they did in Aceh, on western Sumatra island, when it was an independent sultanate.

And the sultan's approximately four million subjects in Yogyakarta and the surrounding area, who view him as a demi-God, have had only a muted a reaction, with most preferring to keep out of royal affairs.

Nevertheless the row looks unlikely to be resolved any time soon, and it cast a long shadow over the recent celebration, which marked the anniversary of the sultan's coronation as well as his birthday.

The solemn melodies from the "gamelans" -- a traditional Indonesian instrumental ensemble, made up of bronze percussion instruments -- were a million miles from the seething tensions swirling around the royal succession.

"About 90 percent of the family don't respect him anymore," raged Gusti Bendoro Pangeran Haryo Prabukusumo, a step-brother of the ruler who snubbed the event.

Tongan king crowned in traditional ceremony

Yahoo – AFP, 4 July 2015

Tonga's King Tupou VI (L) and Queen Nanasipau'u attend "Education Day" at

 the Teufaiva Stadium during the week-long coronation celebrations in 

Nuku'alofa on July 1, 2015 (AFP Photo/Pesi Fonua)

Nuku'alofa (Tonga) (AFP) - Tupou VI was formally crowned King of Tonga on Saturday before thousands of people including heads of state and dignitaries from around the world, capping a week steeped in traditional rites.

Because it is taboo for Tongans to touch their king's head, a retired Australian minister was flown in to perform the televised crowning.

The new king also becomes the 24th Tu'i Kanokupolu, an ancient Tongan title that pre-dates the monarchy by centuries.

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito 

(centre L) and Crown Princess Masako

 (centre R) arrives at Nuku'alofa on 

July 3, 2015 (AFP Photo)

Celebrations and ancient rituals leading up to the coronation began last Saturday with a Taumafa Kava, a traditional ceremony in which Tupou VI drank the mildly narcotic kava drink to confirm his title as king of Tonga.

The historic rite -- in which about 150 nobles, wearing traditional ta'ovala mats around their waists, sat in a circle to drink kava from coconut shells -- launched seven days of street parties, black-tie balls, fashion shows and feasting before the king was crowned by Australian D'Arcy Wood.

"No Tongan citizen can do it as it is forbidden for a Tongan to touch the king's head," the 78-year-old retired Methodist minister said last week before flying to Tonga from his home near Melbourne.

Wood was born in Tonga when his father worked there in 1924 and met the new king when he was Tonga's High Commissioner to Australia in the 1990s.

Tupou VI, 55, ascended to the throne following the death of his bachelor brother Tupou V, who died in 2012 after a six-year reign of major reforms that expanded democracy in the nation of about 110,000 people.

An estimated 15,000 people, mainly expatriate Tongans, flew in for the coronation, with the invited guests including Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, his wife Princess Masako, and European royals Prince Georg von Habsburg from Hungary and Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg from Austria.

Hundreds of school children sitting on traditional mats, formed a guard of honour as the robed King Tupou VI and his wife, Queen Nanasipau'u arrived at the Free Wesleyan Centenary Church for the ceremony.

The celebrations were to continue in the evening with a Tupakapakanava -- the lighting of torches along the coast line -- and will end on Tuesday with a military tattoo.

Schoolchildren perform for Tonga's King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u on

 "Education Day" at the Teufaiva Stadium during the week-long coronation 

celebrations in Nuku'alofa on July 1, 2015 (AFP Photo/Linny Folau)

Deep respect for Tongan monarchy

Although Tonga has economic problems including high youth unemployment, most of its citizens have deep respect for their monarchy and the lavishness of the coronation was not a concern.

Auckland-based Ofa Taufo'ou, who returned home for the celebrations, told Radio New Zealand that Tongans valued their royalty and culture.

"I don't have the words to explain how much it means to me to have royalty, and to have this occasion," he said.

Wood said Tonga's affection for their monarch was deeply entrenched in their history.

"The monarch represents for them continuity and security -- a symbolic role which unites and reassures the people."

Tonga's monarchy can trace its history back 1,000 years and by the 13th century the nation wielded power and influence over surrounding islands, including Samoa, nearly 900 kilometres (560 miles) to the east.

Tupou I, who converted to Christianity after coming under the influence of missionaries, was proclaimed king in 1845 after winning control of the monarchy from two other royal lines.

By 1900 the country had become a British protectorate and acquired its independence in 1970. It remains the only monarchy among South Pacific island nations.

A Different View of Java’s ‘Rebel Prince’ Diponegoro

Jakarta Globe, Jaime Adams, Feb 25, 2015

The Erasmus Huis exhibition complements the show at the National Gallery.
Though smaller, it displays the legacy of Diponegoro in the Netherlands. 
(JG Photos/Jaime Adams)

Held parallel to the massive “Aku Diponegoro” exhibition, currently showing at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta, the Dutch cultural center Erasmus Huis features another exhibition on the same subject, revealing another side to the Indonesian national hero — “Prince Diponegoro in Dutch Perspectives From 1800 Until Now.”

“While it is well known that the prince, as a key historical figure, developed into a national Indonesian hero, the story of his influence on Dutch politics and society in the 19th and 20th century is scarcely told,” curator Sadiah Boonstra explains.

“The exhibition at Erasmus Huis aims to fill this gap and show how Diponegoro impacted Dutch politics and society after the Java War. The views of various prominent and less prominent Dutch politicians on the prince are given a voice through letters, manuscripts, and articles in Dutch press.”

The exhibition tells the largely unknown story of how sacred objects once belonging to Diponegoro became meaningful to Dutch society. It also explains how the relation between Diponegoro and the Netherlands continues to exist in and inspire works of art.

“It was a great pleasure to curate this exhibition; it is a lot smaller than the one at the National Gallery but we hope nevertheless still interesting. It does focus on a Dutch perspective because I really wanted to add something to what the other exhibition has to offer,” Boonstra says.

While the exhibition “Aku Diponegoro” at the National Gallery mainly focuses on Diponegoro in Indonesia, in art history and the reception of the Javanese freedom fighter within Indonesia itself, Boonstra finds it also very important to understand that Diponegoro and his legacy travels a lot further than Indonesia, especially in the Netherlands, given the long shared history and the ties that the two countries share.

“There is still a lot of documentary and objects related to Diponegoro in the Netherlands, in Dutch libraries, archives and museums as well,” she adds.

The exhibition at Erasmus Huis is divided into four sections; the first serves as an introduction to Diponegoro and the Java War (1825-1830), explained through a short animated film.

Diponegoro led a rebellion against the colonial rulers and was later betrayed: In 1830, despite negotiations under a flag of truce. The Dutch then took him as a prisoner and exiled him to Makassar, where he died in 1855.

“What I wanted to also show was how Diponegoro was seen in the Netherlands, and not only during the Java War but also afterwards — his legacy,” Boonstra explains.

“There is a small corner dedicated to that; some Dutch personalities gave their perspective on Diponegoro, and it might not surprise you he was mainly seen as a rebel against the Dutch, but there were also dissident voices, which I selected in one of the showcases here.”

Both the Dutch and the Javanese ascribed mystical powers to some of Diponegoro’s artefacts.

His heirlooms and other objects related to him, such as his ring and kris (traditional dagger), became much sought-after not only within the Javanese society but also in Dutch circles after the arrest. Many were taken to the Netherlands.

“Because of the very short time frame we had [to prepare this exhibition] it was not possible to get original objects, so I had them photographed from both front and back,” Boonstra explains.

“That way, you can still walk around them and see what they look like,” Boonstra explains.”

“These objects show basically that Diponegoro was so important that even his objects that had traveled to the Netherlands were valuable to the Dutch, and they actually used them to claim social and cultural positions within Dutch society. That’s the story that is being told here.”

The final section of the exhibition highlights the lasting legacy of Diponegoro, including an art installation from artist Luthfi Hasan representing the Indonesian perspective that draws on several different artistic disciplines such as interior design, pop art and decorative art.

Luthfi seeks to show that something has once existed or has been used in the past does not simply vanish over time.

In his view, this also applies to Diponegoro and his convictions, his bravery and determination, as these are all values that continue to be relevant today.

An original poster of the theater play “Schaken met Diponegoro” (Playing chess with Diponegoro), written by “the Grand Old Lady” of Dutch literature Hella Haasse, represents the lasting legacy of Diponegoro in the Netherlands.

Haasse, who was born and raised in the Netherlands East Indies, wrote the piece in 1970 centering around Diponegoro, even though he doesn’t actually make an appearance in the play. Rather, it tells the story of a Dutch soldier guarding Diponegoro, but he identifies with the prince to such an extent that in the end, he goes mad.

Even upon the soldier’s return to the Netherlands, he can’t shake off what he experienced, and he and his household fall under the spell of Diponegoro’s ghost.

“I think one of the most recent examples of the shared heritage between the Netherlands and Indonesia is the incorporation of the Babad Diponegoro [Autobiographical Chronicle of Prince Diponegoro] on the Unesco Memory of the World register, explained here in a short movie,” Boonstra says.

The autobiographical chronicle of Diponegoro, which he wrote in 1831 and 1832 while in exile, is the personal record of a key figure in modern Indonesian history.

It also marks the first autobiography in modern Javanese literature and was entered in the Unesco Memory of the World register.

Police to Drop Rape Case Against Solo King

A Royal Mess: King Pakubuwono XIII faces allegations of rape and child trafficking, but a lack of ‘solid evidence’ may ultimately clear him of any wrongdoing

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Feb 23, 2015

King of Solo Pakubuwono XIII is shown here in this file photo.
(Antara Photo/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)

Solo. Police have announced that an investigation into allegations of child trafficking and sexual abuse against the King of Solo, Pakubuwono XIII, will be discontinued due to lack of evidence.

Sukoharjo Police in Central Java revealed they did not have grounds to interrogate Pakubowono XIII, who has been accused of raping a 16-year-old girl and fathering her child.

Police have questioned several witnesses in the case, but none gave sufficient testimony about the king’s involvement in the alleged rape other than the victim.

Without additional testimony, the allegations are too weak to prove, Sukoharjo Police chief, Adj. Sr. Cmr. Andy Rifai said.

“We need at least one additional witness who can confirm the victim’s accusations before we can bring the king in for questioning,” he added.

Police have also searched for evidence in the hotel room where the rape allegedly took place.

However, investigators were unable to retrieve the necessary CCTV footage as the hotel’s security device automatically overwrites previously recorded videos every two months.

The victim claims she was raped in March last year but did not report the incident to the police until July.

Investigators are still searching for a former hotel employee who may be a key witness of the alleged assault.

The 10th grade vocational high school  student claims a woman with the initials W.T. offered to give her a job working for the king but instead “sold” her for Rp 2 million ($155).

W.T. is currently being held in a Solo, Central Java, prison, but her testimony did not correspond to that of the victim’s.

The student also claims she lost consciousness in car after eating candy given to her by the king. She then woke up naked in a hotel room with Pakubowono XIII, who proceeded to give her money.

The girl fell pregnant and gave birth to a son in Solo Central Hospital in November.  The king, through his lawyer, has refused to provide a DNA sample to conduct a paternity test.

Sukoharjo Police are reluctant to name a suspect due to the severe lack of evidence, Andy said. As the girl was allegedly raped while unconscious, her testimony requires further corroboration, he added.

The victim’s lawyer has called on the king to undergo a DNA test, but police have yet to follow up on the demands.

Investigators have earlier said they would approach Pakubowono XIII with a request for a DNA sample should he refuse to come in for questioning.

Slumber in Colonial Opulence at Surabaya’s Hotel Majapahit

Jakarta Globe, Basten Gokkon, Oct 11, 2014

The lush gardens, plush decor and heavy ambiance of colonial luxury at Surabaya’s
 Hotel Majapahit offer visitors a rare glimpse into the world of wealth and royalty of
the early 20th century. (Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)

Named after the single most enduring kingdom in ancient Indonesia, the Kingdom of Majapahit, the five-star hotel stands proudly — with its facade reflecting the typical European extravagance of white-colored pilasters and giant pillars — on Jalan Tunjungan, a Surabaya business district.

Hotel Majapahit may be Indonesia’s most historically relevant, having witnessed the country’s independence from both Dutch colonialism and Japanese occupation.

Through the course of more than a century, Hotel Majapahit’s history traced back to when Lucas Martin Sarkies, a high-profile hospitality businessman, purchased a 1,000 square meter block of land in 1900 on the aforementioned street to follow his father’s legacy in developing a luxury hotel.

He then commissioned Regent Alfred John Bidwell, a renowned designer at the time, to develop a Dutch colonial art nouveau hotel named Oranje Hotel, after the Dutch royal family. The luxury accommodation started catering to its top-class clientele in 1911.

In 1936, the management expanded on the structure to include an Art Deco style lobby extension. The inauguration was made by a royal party of Crown Prince Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Belgium and the famous silent movie star Charlie Chaplin, accompanied by American actress Paulette Goddard and writer Joseph Conrad.

Apart from hosting famous global personas, the hotel also served as a historical venue for a five-year armed struggle against the colonial powers. In 1942, the Imperial Japanese Forces took over the Oranje Hotel and renamed it Hotel Yamato, turning the building into their headquarters in East Java and also as a camp for Dutch prisoners of war.

At the end of World War II, English and Dutch country section officers returned to Surabaya and stormed room 33, where the Dutch occupation had set its temporary headquarters and demanded an explanation about the raising of the Dutch flag on the hotel roof’s mast.

As Indonesia declared independence on Aug. 17, 1945, the anticolonial group “Arek-Arek Suroboyo” refused to see their newly independent country return to colonialism. They rushed to the hotel roof and tore off the bottom blue strip of the Dutch flag to retain the red and white parts, identifying the merah-putih (red-white) colors of the current Indonesian flag.

The hotel was renamed to Hotel Merdeka (Independence Hotel).

However, the building received yet another moniker one year later, when famed Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, returned to manage the hotel and changed the name L.M.S. Hotel as a tribute to its founding father Lucas Martin Sarkies.

However, more rebranding efforts followed from 1969 to 2003 as the hotel changed hands from one owner to another. With the each new proprietor also came renovations, which eventually turned the old Dutch structure into a five-star, deluxe hotel.

In 2006, it was finally dubbed with its current name of Hotel Majapahit under CCM Group, one of Indonesia’s leading conglomerate companies.

(Photo courtesy of Hotel Majapahit)

Allowing visitors to stay overnight

Now 104 years old, the hotel’s management has worked to preserve its heritage and the historical remnants housed within its walls, all of which have ostensibly become a distinctive attraction to travelers who wish to experience the majestic atmosphere of the hotel.

“We think [the hotel] can [continue to] survive, because we have some features that others don’t. Our North Garden, for example, has become our mascot of sorts,” Emiliana Ayundra, marketing communications supervisor of the hotel, said.

Hotel Majapahit aims to serve travelers as one of Surabaya’s must-see destinations with entire rooms that provide a glimpse of colonial elegance and extravagance; rooms that house huge, layered chandeliers hung from high ceiling; grand wooden doors carved with European flowers; and plush Arabian carpets.

With 143 rooms — each decorated to match the hotel’s historical angle — to choose from, including executive suites, garden terrace rooms and Majapahit suites, Hotel Majapahit promises an oasis of personalized calm, classic colonial elegance and chic simplicity.

To indulge its clientele’s appetite, the Sarkies Restaurant — certainly named after the hotel’s founding father as an honor — offers discerning travelers a wide selection of Asian and Western dishes in colonial surroundings.

Meanwhile, the hotel also pampers visitors with spa facilities that offer luxurious traditional treatments using local beauty products sponsored by internationally acclaimed Indonesian brand Martha Tilaar.

Hotel Majapahit is also fully equipped with a gymnasium, tennis court, Jacuzzi, sauna, a 25-meter swimming pool as well as a children’s pool, all completing the accommodation’s luxurious antiquated-meets-modern ambiance.

“We can say that most of our clientele come from high-class communities, such as diplomats, businessmen and celebrities,” Emiliana said.

“We attract these kinds of clients with the interesting history behind the hotel, the authentic structure — which is very different from other hotels in Surabaya — and our wonderful gardens.”

Hotel Majapahit, a landmark colonial hotel exuding heritage and class, has received several awards, including the National Geographic Traveler award in architecture and design in 2009, the 2012 Favorite Hotel in Indonesia award by the Tourism Awards of Indonesia, and the Certificate of Excellence by travel website TripAdvisor from 2012 to 2014.

“It’s all very tasteful indeed, with colonnaded courtyards, fountains, verdant greenery and a gorgeous pool area,” popular travel guide Lonely Planet writes in its review of the hotel.

A 19-Year Journey Into Javanese Folklore

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Sep 28, 2014

German archeologist and art historian
Lydia Kieven. (JG Photos/Ari Susanto)

Nothing exerts a pull on Lydia Kieven, 58, in life more than temple reliefs. For more than 19 years, she has searched for stone artifacts to reveal the mysterious story of the Javanese prince, Panji, and was astonished to discover a journey of spirituality rather than love.

Through her personal journey of learning ancient Javanese language, art and culture, the German archeologist became transfixed by the chronicles of Panji, which originated from the 14th-century Majapahit era. Kieven stumbled across the stories of Panji during a hike of East Java’s Mount Penanggungan sanctuary in 1996 to seek out reliefs depicting the epic Mahabharata poem’s Arjuna and Bima at Kendalisodo temple.

Unfortunately, her trip had been in vain as the panels were nowhere to be found. Instead, Kieven discovered four reliefs portraying a couple’s journey with the romantic backdrops of mountains, forests and the ocean. The woman had long, flowing hair, while her male companion seemed to be wearing a cap.

“[The reliefs] were beautiful; they caught my attention and reminded me of a photograph I had once seen of Panji,” Kieven says.

The archeologist returned to Germany and immersed herself in old literature about the prince written by Dutch authors, but none satisfied her curiosity, so she decided to return to Java, where she reconstructed the relief carvings that had captured her attention, instead of focusing solely on text.

The story of Panji can be traced as far back as the 1300s, appearing in various cultures and parts of Southeast Asia, including Kalimantan, Bali, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia. The tale was adapted in each tradition and given various titles but bore the same storyline. Throughout the centuries, the Panji epic has been developed into various artistic performance, including the shadow puppet show of Wayang Beber and the mask dance Topeng Dalang.

The series of stories followed the journey of Prince Panji (or Inu Kertapat) from the kingdom of Kahuripan and Princess Galuh Candrakirana (or Dewi Sekartaji) from Kediri. The two monarchies ruled in East Java prior to the Majapahit period. The narrative begins when the two engaged lovers are torn apart and must each embark on a journey — in disguise — to be reunited.

“The couple’s journey to find each other is not a love story, but rather a spiritual journey to seek sanctity, purity, and peace. In the reliefs, we could find Panji’s finger pointing at objects as if he is asking us to follow the path of spirituality, such as dipping in water — for purifying — and meeting the spiritual guru,” she says.

Lydia Kieven has dedicated nearly
two decades of her life to the ancient
Javanese folklore of Prince Panji and
his love, Princess Galuh. (JG Photo/
Ari Susanto)

What mesmerizes Kieven is not the story itself, but rather the symbolism found in ancient Javanese agrarian culture. Panji is a masterpiece that is completely different from both the Mahabharata and Ramayana, which feature gods and goddesses manifested in human forms.

“Panji represents a human, like us, who searches for [spirituality] through stages depicted in the reliefs. Both Panji and Galuh are presented as being modest and humble, leaving their royal lives for adventure,” she says.

Kieven’s mission to capture the lingering traces of Panji throughout Java, Kalimantan and Bali has not been without its challenges, but the archeologist says she gained inspiration from the ancient tale she has dedicated her life to.

“Panji and Galuh were very steadfast in their efforts to find on another. No obstacles could stop them,” Kieven says.

Two months after her first encounter with the reliefs depicting Panji and Galuh, doctors diagnosed Kieven with a malignant form of cancer that required surgery and chemotherapy. Despite her weakened condition, the German continued with her research paper on narrative sculptures and literary traditions of Southeast Asia, presenting a complete draft in September 1996, to the Netherlands’ Leiden University.

Then, while still reeling from the devitalizing effects of radiation, Kieven once again traveled to Java to complete her research. Back in the archipelago, however, she was faced with another obstacle: lack of funds. The resilient art historian didn’t let a debilitating illness stop her expedition, nor would she allow something as trivial as money to keep her away from Panji and Galuh’s adventures, so Kieven took up work as a travel guide, leading German tourists.

She continued her work, scrutinizing reliefs from temple to temple, including the Penataran, the largest Hindu temple complex of East Java and home to multiple intricately-carved reliefs and two statues of Panji and Galuh. In 2000 alone, she visited 20 sites for her research.

The two statues have since been moved and are now conserved separately: Panji is kept in the art library of the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java, while Galuh is housed in Jakarta’s National Museum. Kieven hopes the two will once again be united, as described in the epic tale of their spiritual journey

Indonesia president on first Diamond Jubilee state visit

BBC News, 31 October 2012

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was welcomed to
the UK by the Queen and political figures

Related Stories 

• Indonesia profile
• Queen attends lunch for leaders
• Jubilee lunch: The royal guests

Indonesia's president has arrived in the UK to become the first world leader on a state visit to Britain in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 59, and his wife Ani Bambang Yudhoyono were greeted by a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade.

They will spend three days in the UK.

There are usually one or two state visits per year, with the next one seeing the Amir of Kuwait arrive in the country on 27 November.

President Yudhoyono and his wife joined the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for a state carriage procession along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Mr Yudhoyono will also attend a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, where he and his wife will stay during their visit.

The couple will visit Westminster Abbey, where the president will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, and are due to visit the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House.

The president will also meet Prime Minister David Cameron, and later Labour leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will visit the palace to see him.

The Queen will host a state banquet in honour of her guests on Thursday.

Medal award

The president will meet International Development Secretary Justine Greening before ending his visit on Friday with a speech at the Indonesia-UK Business Forum.

BBC Indonesia correspondent Karishma Vaswani says Indonesians are seeing this as a very important visit.

Mr Yudhoyono is expected to receive a medal of honour from the Queen, as a recognition of the closer ties between the two countries.

The UK is the second largest investor in Indonesia and is keen to do more business there. When Mr Cameron visited Indonesia earlier this year, he said it was time to sell more British defence equipment to an important democracy.

But human rights groups say the UK is moving too quickly and that Indonesia has ignored the plight of its religious minorities, our correspondent added.

Although this is the first full state visit this year, the Queen did host monarchs from 26 countries for a Diamond Jubilee lunch at Windsor Castle in June.

She also hosted a lunch for Commonwealth leaders at Marlborough House on Pall Mall. She was joined by more than 70 guests including representatives of all 54 Commonwealth countries.

Related Article:

Britain owed millions for weapons used by autocratic regimes

With Sultan's Swearing In, SBY Puts Yogyakarta-Jakarta Tensions to Rest

Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita,  October 10, 2012

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, right, inaugurates Sri Sultan
 Hamengkubuwono X, left, as the governor of Yogyakarta, in a ceremony at
 the Yogyakarta Presidential Palace on Wednesday. (Antara Photo/
 Presidential Office/Abror Rizki)

   

Related articles

• Yogya Sultan To Be Sworn in As Governor By SBY
• Yogyakarta Sultan Gets Local Legislators' Blessing on New Term
• Yogya Sultan Ready to Accept Governorship
• Sultan’s Compromise Should Be Par for the Course in Government
• Yogyakarta Sultan Pushed Out of Politics, but Presidency Beckons

At a ceremony officially swearing in the governor and deputy governor of Yogyakarta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday recognized the special status of the region, praising its “superior and advanced” achievements and affirming the province’s right to a distinctive system of local governance.

“Law Number 13 of 2012 is a form of recognition and at the same time of respect by the state for regional authorities that have specific and special characteristics. The state recognizes the special nature of Yogyakarta as a regional government that is different from those in other provinces,” Yudhoyono said.

He was speaking at a ceremony in Yogyakarta to swear in Sultan Hamengkubuwono X as governor and Prince Paku Alam IX as his deputy for the 2012-17 period. It was the first time the governor and deputy governor had ever been sworn in by a president.

The bill addressing the special territory of Yogyakarta was passed by the House of Representatives on Aug. 30 and signed into law by the president on Aug. 31, putting to a close years of disagreement between locals and the central government.

Jakarta had pushed for the leadership of the special territory, which holds the rank of a full province, to be elected as in other regions in Indonesia. But the people of Yogyakarta argued that under a special territory status granted to Yogyakarta by founding President Sukarno in recognition of the city’s contribution to Indonesia's struggle for independence in the 1940s, the reigning sultan of Yogyakarta and the prince of Paku Alam were to automatically become governor and deputy governor.

In his speech on Wednesday, Yudhoyono said the special status accorded to Yogyakarta could not be separated from the city-province’s role in the nation’s push for independence from the Dutch.

“History records that the special status accorded to Yogyakarta is part of the process of the establishment of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said, referring to an official announcement issued on Sept. 5, 1945, by then-Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX and Prince Paku Alam VIII, which stated that the sultanate of Yogyakarta was an integral part of the young republic.

The president said Law No. 13 granted special authority for Yogyakarta to have its own method for filling the governor and deputy governor posts, as well as in deciding matters of local governance, cultural development, land and zoning affairs, and special funding.

Yudhoyono also recognized Yogyakarta’s varied accomplishments.

“This province is superior and advanced in the fields of education, culture and tourism. The special territory of Yogyakarta has also recorded achievements in the creative industries, in its high life expectancy average and an education sector that is a main component of the human development index here,” Yudhoyono said.

The sultan, who became head of the Royal House following the death of his father, Hamengkubuwono IX, in 1989, automatically became governor after acting Governor Paku Alam VIII passed away in 1998.

The current deputy governor, Paku Alam IX, assumed his post in 2003.

The sultan’s hereditary claim to the governorship caused strains with the central government for years. At the peak of the tensions, Yogyakarta residents staged rallies demanding that the region break away from Indonesia. Given the strong resistance, the central government eventually softened its stance.

Analysts have praised the 66-year-old sultan as an able governor, with the province of more than 3.5 million people seeing rising economic prosperity since he took office in 1998. Under his rule, Yogyakarta remains one of Indonesia’s wealthiest and most religiously tolerant provinces.

Indonesian royals gather

The Jakarta Post, Brian Orland and Melati Kaye, Contributor, Bau-Bau, South Sulawesi, September 08 2012

Traditional musician: La Made from Wakantolalo, Southeast Sulawesi,
plays the gambus guitar at the cultural fiesta.

This week the Southeast Sulawesi port city of Bau-Bau hosted the biannual Festival Kraton Nusantara.

To kick off the event, young ladies of the one-time Butonese kingdom of Wolio welcomed the 60 plus visiting royal families last Saturday with a traditional feast called pekakandekanden, meaning “eat and eat” in the local dialect.

Ready to save: A Butonese Palace
guard leads the royal procession.

And the row upon row of picnic blankets laid deep in platters of traditional Butonese dishes including curried crab and eggs, sweet onde-onde and lapapa (red and white rice steamed in banana leaves) were invitation enough to join in the celebration. 

As per Butonese tradition, the ladies, dressed in chiffon, velvet and silk, served the grand homemade buffets free of charge with the condition that they hand-feed the first bite to each diner.

Begun in 1997, Festival Kraton Nusantara brings together royalty from across the Indonesian archipelago every two years to celebrate traditional arts and culture.

This year, the event drew over 60 sultans and rajas from Sumatra to West Papua. With the royal entourages came dancers, musicians and craftsmen who demonstrated the richness of Indonesia’s traditions. 

Cheerful leader: A royal from Lombok
was one  of many who enjoyed the
Kraton Nusantara Festival in Bau-
Bau, South Sulawesi.

After the pekakandekanden of the first night, the following three days in Bau-Bau served as cultural showcases of craft, dance and cuisine from all over Indonesia.

On Sunday, the gathered royalty proceeded from the historic kraton down to a newly reclaimed beachfront area where performances, dancing and musical performances commenced.

Monday was reserved for Indonesia’s rich cuisines, and on Tuesday festival organizers selected the host for the festival in 2014.

While many may consider Indonesia’s monarchial period now a part of history, some of the gathered royalty were quick to point out that this was not just a pageant of the arts.

As 22-year-old Princess Ratu Nur Alya Roza Syahoeri from Kanoman Keraton of Cirebon remarked, “With the festival, we are tightening the bonds between palaces, families … Indonesians.”

  

Entertaining: A dance group from Sumedang, West Java, rehearses
outside their hotel.

Take a break: A young lady massages her mother’s sore feet before they
serve a traditional Butonese meal to the royal entourages and other guests.
 This mother, along with many other ladies, had spent the last two days
 preparing the special foods.

— Photos by Brian Orland and Melati Kaye

Bali’s Denpasar King Sentenced to Two Years in Jail Over Land Fraud

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, June 15, 2012

Denpasar. The Denpasar District Court on Friday sentenced the king of Bali’s Denpasar monarchy to two years in jail in a fraud case surrounding the sale of a plot of land belonging to the royal family.

Denpasar King Ida Tjokorda
Ngurah Jambe Pemecutan IX

The panel of judges said Denpasar King Ida Tjokorda Ngurah Jambe Pemecutan IX, better known as Cok Samirana, 68, was found guilty of deception, by claiming that he had the right to sell a plot of land without approval from other members of the monarchy.

The Denpasar monarch, known locally as Puri Satria, is one of the traditional monarchs that still exists on Bali, Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination, although most of them only play symbolic roles and do not rule administratively.

“The defendant [Samirana] convinced the victim that he was the one who had the right to sell the land,” chief judge Tony Hutauruk said as he read out the verdict.

Tony added that Samirana had abused Article 378 of the Criminal Code on crimes of deception.

The trial revealed that the case began in 2006, when victim Lely Sri Mawarni intended to purchase 10 hectares of land on Jalan Badak Agung in Denpasar. The land was known to be an asset of Puri Satria.

Samirana offered the land at Rp 75 million ($8,025) per are (1 hectare = 100 are), and Lely agreed to purchase the 10 hectare-land at Rp 15 billion, with payment to be made in three installments.

She had already paid Rp 7.6 billion when she asked for an original certificate of the land from Samirana, but the king was unable to show it.

Instead, in November 2006, Lely received a letter from Puri Satria, not the king, informing her that the land was not for sale, that it belonged to the monarchy and could not be handed over to someone else.

Lely said she had complained about the issue to Samirana, but he insisted he had a right to sell the land because he was the king.

Lely then reported Samirana to the Bali Police in January 2009.

Responding to the verdict on Friday, Samirana’s lawyer I Gusti Ngurah Made Arya said his client would file an appeal.

“There was no intention to deceive at all... The defendant has planned to return the money,” Arya said.