Latest news with #Indonesian
The Star
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Macron decorates Prabowo, affirms culture links
Cultural pride: Prabowo (right) and Macron posing for photos as they visit Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java. — AFP French President Emmanuel Macron bestowed counterpart Prabowo Subianto with France's top award during a visit to a military base yesterday. Macron's visit is the second stop of a three-nation, six-day tour of South-East Asia. After meeting for talks in the capital Jakarta, Macron and Prabowo flew by helicopter yesterday from Yogyakarta to a military academy in Magelang, a city in Central Java. The pair attended a military parade and Macron gave Prabowo the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France's highest military or civil award. Macron rode in a jeep driven by Prabowo with the pair welcomed by a marching band and hundreds of students waving Indonesian flags. Macron later visited Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple, and gave a speech on cultural ties with Prabowo before departing for Singapore. He will deliver the opening address today at the Shangri-la Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum. Indonesia and France also signed a series of agreements on cooperation in a range of fields including defence, trade, agriculture, disaster management, culture and transport. — AFP
The Star
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Boosting bilateral trade ties
Warmest greetings: Prabowo (left) and Paetongtarn extending the traditional Thai 'wai' greeting to each other after their joint press conference at Government House in Bangkok. — AP Indonesia and Thailand have agreed to elevate their relationship to a strategic partnership, during the first state visit by an Indonesian president in 20 years, and agreed to push for greater trade and investment. President Prabowo Subianto, who took power last year, was welcomed by Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in intermittent rain at Government House in Bangkok yesterday. As a tradition, the two leaders reviewed an honour guard before heading inside to hold bilateral talks on the future shape of their relationship. Prabowo's visit also coincided with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Paetongtarn said the two countries agreed to boost cooperation in various fields including trade and investment, tourism and food security. The decision to elevate the two countries' relations to strategic partnership 'reflects our shared commitment to strengthen cooperation in several aspects on issues of mutual interest to the people of both countries,' Paetongtarn said in a statement. They also discussed defence and security issues, which include 'enhancing maritime security collaboration, strengthening counterterrorism efforts, bolstering cybersecurity cooperation, increasing joint military exercises and fostering defense industry partnerships,' Subianto said in his speech. Paetongtarn said Thai and Indonesian police will strengthen cooperation in suppressing transnational crimes, especially online scams, human trafficking and drug trafficking. Dozens of Indonesians were freed from scam centres in Myanmar and repatriated through Thailand in part of a large-scale regional crackdown effort earlier this year. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been lured to work in the region to commit global scams through false romances, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Many of the workers were recruited under false pretenses, only to find themselves trapped in virtual slavery. Ministers from both countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on health cooperation in fields including prevenstion and control of communicable diseases and medical tourism. They also discussed the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, and Prabowo praised Thailand's constructive role, especially in engaging neighbouring countries to seek a peaceful solution in Myanmar and facilitating dialogue between all parties. 'We emphasised the importance of an inclusive national dialogue that can achieve peace and stability in Myanmar,' he said. 'We also emphasised the importance of maintaining the unity and centrality of Asean.' — AP
