Modi lays wreath at Indonesian Martyrs’ cemetery

Starting his official engagements in Indonesia on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes’ Cemetery here.

“Lest we forget…Paying homage to martyrs of Indonesian independence struggle! PM Narendra Modi laying wreath at the Kalibata National Heroes’ Cemetery and signing the Visitor’s Book,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with pictures.

Over 7,000 people, who are military casualties and veterans from the Indonesian war of independence are buried at the cemetery.

These include many Japanese veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army who stayed in the then Dutch colony after the World War II of their own will and fought for Indonesia’s independence.

Modi arrived here on Tuesday on the first leg of his five-day three-nation tour of southeast Asia that will also see him visiting Malaysia and Singapore.

Later in the day, Modi and Indonesian President Joko Widodo will hold a bilateral summit following which a number of agreements, including in the areas of defence and trade, are expected to be signed.

The two leaders will then jointly inaugurate a kite festival being organised by Museum Layang-Layang of Jakarta and Kite Museum of Ahmedabad that will be depicting the common themes of the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are strong cultural and civilizational links that India share with Indonesia.

Modi will also attend an Indian community event at the Jakarta Convention Centre here and take part in an India-Indonesia CEOs Forum.

Indonesia is home to around 100,000 people of Indian origin and 7,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) working as professionals across different sectors. (IANS)