Basic HTML Version
most a choice of sweltering or being
in an ice-cold draft.
At the Jakarta airport, we were
met at our plane by the official
Indonesian protocol people, the Bel–
gian ambassador Mr. Georges El–
liott, the Belgian economic advisor
and Dr. Sarwono, head of the In–
donesian Educational and Scientific
Institute, which had helped make
many of the arrangements for King
Leopold's expedition in New
Guinea.
March 12: Due to my fiu attack,
severa! appointments were canceled
for me. But Mr. Rader called upon
our friend Mr. Adam Malik:, the In–
donesian Foreign Minister - second
man in the govemment, next to
President Suharto, and until this
year, President of the General As–
sembly of the United Nations at
New York. President Suharto was
addressing and being reelected by
the NationaJ Assembly that day.
But he sent greetings and bis per–
sonal best wishes for the success of
the expedition and an invitation to
visit him on our next return to In–
donesia.
That evening, a banquet was held
for King Leopold. Unable to attend,
1 was represented by Messrs. Rader
and Gotoh.
March 13: We fiew to Biak, in
West Irían (New Guinea).
It
was a
five-hour Hight, at nearly 600 miles
per hour. We must have flown over
hundreds of islands, all part of In–
donesia, many of the islands as yet
uncharted.
At Biak, we were met by a contin–
gent of military personnel, includ ing
the general who is administrator for
the area. Sorne of the other military
officers had been detailed there to
escort and protect King Leopold
and the scientists on the expedition.
They were going into sorne of the
wildest j ungJe on earth, among to–
tally uncivilized natives - perhaps
headhunters - who may not have
seen civilized people before.
We spent about an hour at Biak,
had photographs taken and bid
PLAIN TRUTH
June
1973
good-bye to the King and Dr.
Ca–
part. They were to spend the night
there, tben rendezvous the following
day at a place called Djajapura
(formerly Hollandia) with the other
scientists who had flown lhere by
commercial airlines. From there, the
expedition was to get under way.
We again boarded our plane for
an approximately five-hour tlight to
Hong Kong. I was still running a
fever, and it had been a rather
trying day for me.
It
seemed very
nice to be in a properly air-condi–
tioned hotel room with an even tem–
perature and no drafts. 1 said that 1
was going to remain right there until
I recovered from the flu .
March 14 and 15: Resting and
recuperating in Hong Kong.
March 16: We boarded our plane
at 8 a.m., arriving in Bangkok, Thai–
land (formerly Siam) about 9:30.
We were met at the ai rport by Ma–
dam Sunirat Telan, owner of hotels
and other enterprises, and also a
close friend of the King and Queen
and Princess Dusdi Sukhuma. These
two ladies have accompanied us in
all visits with King Bhumibol
Adulyadej. On this moming, we had
a meeting with the King at ll a.m.
We were driven to the palace. Hav–
ing sorne extra time, we were driven
around the city so that we arrived at
the palace just before ll .
We were greeted by the admira!
who is the King's number one aide.
We were first escorted, as usual, into
a reception room. Then shortly af–
ter, we were shown into the room
where the King was waiting for us.
On entering, we were met, as
usual, by a barrage of brilliant
lights, TV cameras and still photog–
rap hers. The K ing greeted us
warmly. He expressed great appre–
ciation for our interest and coopera–
tion in the education of the hill-tribe
people. He was most happy to re–
port that very pleasing results are
being achieved in the area of
Am–
bassador College's participation
in
the King's program (as part of the
Ambassador College Extension Pro-
gram of Education for all peoples at
alllevels, getting the missing dimen–
sion in education to people world–
wide). Not only are the people being
taught the true values and purpose
of life, but they are also being
shown
how to do new things ..yith their
hands.
They are now re placing the
former poppy crops (for making
opium) with vegetables, now being
canned for the market in newly es–
tablished canneries. And the people
are much happier and better off
economically. The Ambassador Col–
lege motto is "Recapture True Val–
ues," and sorne of these mountain
tribes are beginning to do just that.
After the meeting with the King,
we were driven directly to the per–
sonal residence of Prime Minister
Kittikachorn for my second meeting
with
him
within six weeks. He ar–
rived ten minutes late, apologizing
unn ecessari ly , but g reeting us
warmly and enthusiastically.
He had been detained in an im–
portant meeting with his highes t of–
ficials, dealing on that day with a
Communist intrusion at the north–
eastem border of Thailand (North
Vietnam is only a short distance
from that point). The Prime Minis–
ter was still dressed in his military
uniform. On our previous meeting
with him, he was dressed
in
civilian
clothes. The Prime Minister's son–
in-law, whom we met on the pre–
vious visit, was there, talking with us
until Mr. Kittikachorn's arrival.
And, as usual, Mr. Rader and Mr.
Gotoh accompanied me. The Prime
Minister's son-in-law has a Ph.D. in
Education and was trained at 8 os–
ton University in the United States.
Again the Prime Minister and I
discussed the Vietnam cease-fire sit–
uation and the future prospects of
the new bastion in Thailand against
the communist threat in Southeast
Asia. Once again he stressed the
threat of communism and said he
fully expects increased communist
efforts against ThaiJand when the
cease-fire becomes more effective
in
37