Jakarta
The month of August will always represent a significant milestone for Indonesia and Malaysia. It marks the celebration of Independence Day of Indonesia and Malaysia, and as its founding members, the anniversary of ASEAN, an organization that continues to advance the growth of the region. More importantly, and in the context of our presence in Jakarta and other important cities in Indonesia, we celebrate the establishment of our official diplomatic relations immediately after Malaysia gained its independence on Aug. 31, 1957. Historically, our relations with Indonesia can be traced to as far as the 7th century when both countries were part of the ancient empires and kingdoms of Majapahit, Aceh, Srivijaya and Johor-Riau. Some of the ethnic groups, including Minang, Bugis and Javanese had migrated to the Malay Peninsula and formed significant communities in modern day Malaysia. The...