Indonesia Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Lokmarg

We Are 90 Nautical Miles Close: Modi On India-Indonesia Ties

By LokMarg 15th November 2022

Highlighting the close cultural ties between India and Indonesia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said, “We are not 90 nautical miles away, we are 90 nautical miles close.”

Addressing a community program in Bali, Indonesia on the accomplishments of the Indian diaspora, he said, “India and Indonesia have an enduring partnership. We are not 90 nautical miles away, we are 90 nautical miles close.”

“India and Indonesia both have many similarities in their cultures. On Sankranti, beautiful and colourful kites fill the skies of both nations,” added PM Modi.

PM Modi also referred to a unique kite exhibition that he attended with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta last year.

Lauding the Indian diaspora in Bali, he said, “The Indian diaspora living in Bali have contributed to the growth of Indonesia across various fields such as art, engineering, agriculture, and even the film industry.”

Speaking about India-Indonesia relations, he said, “People often say, ‘It is a small world.’ This is true for India and Indonesia. Relations between both nations have prospered over centuries.”

He also referred to Bali Yatra as happening in the Indian city of Cuttack in Odisha.

“As I speak to you in Bali and we sing songs of Indonesian traditions, 1500 km away from here in India’s Cuttack, Bali Yatra Mahotsav is going on – Bali Jatra. This Mahotsav celebrates thousands of years old India-Indonesia trade relations,” said PM Modi.

“When people of Indonesia see photos of this year’s Bali Jatra on the internet, they will be proud and happy. Due to the issues arising due to COVID, some hurdles had cropped up. After several years, Bali Jatra Mahotsav is being celebrated on a grand scale with mass participation in Odisha,” he added.

PM Modi was greeted by people who chanted “Modi, Modi” at the Indian community event in Bali.

He also tried his hands at traditional Indonesian musical instruments.

He compared the cultural and geographical similarities between the two nations.

“If India has the Himalayas, Indonesia has Mount Agung; if India has Ganga, Indonesia has Tirta Gangga – we are united through cultures and traditions,” said PM Modi.

Speaking about Operation Samudra Maitri, he said, “Relations between India and Indonesia stand strong during both good and difficult times. In 2018, when Indonesia was affected by an earthquake, we immediately started operation Samudra Maitri.”

“When the cultures are similar when the vision for humanity is similar, then the paths to development also coincide,” he added. (ANI)

US Returns 307 Stolen Antiquities To India

By LokMarg 20th October 2022

After the 15-years of investigation, the US authorities returned 307 antiquities that were stolen by multiple smaller trafficking networks to India, valued at nearly 4 million Dollars, according to a press statement released on Monday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg Jr on Monday announced that they are returning 307 antiquities valued at nearly USD 4 million to the people of India and the majority of them were seized from disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor.
Subhas Kapoor is a looter, who had helped to traffic the items from Afghanistan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other countries.

According to the statement, “Five of the antiquities were seized according to the Office’s investigation into Nancy Wiener, and one according to an investigation into Nayef Homsi.”

All the antiquities were returned during a repatriation ceremony at the Indian Consulate in New York attended by India’s Consul General Randhir Jaiswal, and US Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) Acting Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge, Tom Lau.

“We are proud to return hundreds of stunning pieces to the people of India,” the press statement quoted District Attorney Bragg as saying.

“These antiquities were stolen by multiple complex and sophisticated trafficking rings – the leaders of which showed no regard for the cultural or historical significance of these objects. Tracking down these antiquities would not be possible without the collaboration of our law enforcement partners at HSI and the outstanding work of our world-class investigators,” he added.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso said, “Today we are proud to join our partners from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to return an incredible 307 stolen works of art and antiquities to their rightful home in India. This repatriation is the result of a globe-spanning, fifteen-year investigation whereas the investigative team chased leads, followed the money, and ultimately seized these pieces, ensuring their return to the people of India,”

He further added that HSI will continue to investigate artifacts with little or no provenance, or of questionable origin, and work with domestic and international partners to return these priceless pieces of history to their rightful homes, the statement reads.

The District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, along with law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations, have investigated Kapoor and his co-conspirators for the illegal looting, exportation, and sale of artifacts from numerous countries all over the world, for over a decade.

Among the pieces being returned is the Arch Parikara, crafted from marble and valued at approximately USD 85,000.

The Arch Parikara first surfaced in photographs depicting antiquity in a dirty, pre-restoration condition. These photographs, along with dozens of others depicting antiquities lying in the grass or on the ground, were sent to Kapoor by a supplier of illicit in India. The piece was smuggled out of India and into New York in May 2002, the statement reads.

Thereafter, Kapoor laundered the Arch Parikara to the Nathan Rubin – Ida Ladd Family Foundation, who donated the piece to the Yale University Art Gallery in 2007, the statement added.

In 2022 alone, the Office has returned 682 antiquities, valued at over USD 84 million to 13 countries. Since its founding, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit has returned nearly 2,200 antiquities, valued at over USD 160 million, to 22 countries. (ANI)

127 Killed In Mass Riots During Football Match In Indonesia

By LokMarg 2nd October 2022

At least 127 people died after riots broke out in a football match in Indonesia on Saturday night. Children and police officers are among the dead.

The soccer match took place inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, a landlocked city in the Indonesian province of East Java.
The defeat of Arema Football club by their arch-rivals Persebaya on their home ground prompted a large number of their supporters to storm the pitch following which mass riots broke out, killing more than 100 football fans and two police officers on the scene, the Daily Star reported.

Numerous footage that circulated on social media showed fans climbing over fences as they tried to escape from the smoke clouds after tear gas was released at the incident site in order to disperse the masses.

Notably, after the chaos ended on the soccer ground, the stampede continued on the streets, the Daily Star reported. (ANI)