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Your Excellency Governor-General,
The
Honorable Prime Minister of Australia,
Members
of the Cabinet and of Parliament,
Distinguished
Members of Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies
and gentlemen,
I am indeed honored to
speak before you today in honor of eleven
of Australia's finest servicemen, nine of
whom were killed and two severely wounded
in the tragic helicopter crash in Nias on
April 2nd., 2005.
Indonesians grieve with
Australians over this loss. The men and
women of Indonesia's Armed Forces salute
the passing of these brave men and women
of the Australian Defense Force. We are
deeply humbled by their sacrifice. We bow
our head in honor of their service. We pray
for their safe journey as they retire to
their eternal quarters. Our thoughts and
prayers are with their bereaved families.
And, we hope they could find some consolation
to know that together we mourn the loss
of their loved-ones.
President Yudhoyono was
speaking on behalf of all Indonesians when
he said, in this hall early last week: 'They
died in glory: the glory of the ultimate
sacrifice, the glory of a selfless act to
help the suffering of those in need. There
is no greater honor than that.'
It is against this backdrop
that the government of Indonesia decided
to bestow upon them the 'Satya Lancana
Kebhaktian Sosial' medals of honor,
the first of its kind to be given to foreigners
in our recent history. President Yudhoyono
personally presented these medals on April
5th, 2005, in Sydney, in the presence of
Governor General and Prime Minister of Australia.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Indonesia has been facing
a chain of natural calamities along the
Sumatera's western coastal lines, starting
with the Boxing Day Tsunami, the Nias earthquake,
the tragic crash of the Sea King helicopter,
and more recently, the Padang earthquake.
These series of divine
intervention served to remind us - Indonesians
and Australians - that geographically we are
forever neighbors and our destinies are closely
interlinked.
Indonesia will always remember
Australia's generosity and sacrifice. Australians,
especially relatives of those whose lives
we celebrate today, should be proud of what
they have done for Indonesia and its people
in this difficult time.
There are countless of
other such episodes linking the two neighboring
nations, which I would love to share with
you at a more appropriate time.
To conclude, allow me once
again to take this opportunity to pay solemn
tribute to all Australians who have helped
us in confronting the tragedies I have previously
alluded to.
Indeed, we are here this
morning to pay our greatest respect to the
finest men and women in uniform of Australia
who have paid their ultimate sacrifice to
help others.
We must ensure that their
sacrifice was not in vain; that the ideals
they fought for will not fade away.
We shall remember them
forever.
Thank you.
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