Prince Charles' Visit to Indonesia

After the visit to Brunei with Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles went on to Indonesia on the last leg of a tour of East Asia. Camilla returned to Britain separately from the Prince.

The Prince arrived in the archipelago on November 1, 2008. His first stop was the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in South East Asia, where he met with leaders of Islamic social organizations in Indonesia. On Sunday, The Prince of Wales visited the Harapan Forest on Sumatra island, continuing the focus on environmental issues that is a theme in the East Asian royal tour (source).

Prince Charles met with Indonesia’s President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his cabinet in Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace, on Monday, November 3, 2008. It was during this meeting that the prince revealed his proposal to help save the earth’s rainforests through funds from developed nations paid to countries where these rainforests are located (source). In a nutshell, Prince Charles described his proposal as follows:

“Indonesia and the other rainforest nations are stewards of the world’s greatest public utility.

“The rest of us have to start paying for it, just as we do for water, gas and electricity.”

The Prince added: “Payments should have the characteristics of a commercial transaction, in the same way we pay for our water, gas and electricity.

“In return the rainforest nations would provide eco-services such as carbon storage, freshwater and the protection of biodiversity.”

The last day of Prince Charles’ visit was spent in Yogyakarta in the island of Java. At the Kraton Palace, Prince Charles met with the  Sultan of Yogyakarta Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono. He met with school children at an Islamic school, before finishing his trip with a stop at the Borubudur Temple, considered Indonesia’s most impressive monument. (source)

via The Prince of Wales’ website