[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 21 (Monday, May 30, 2005)]
[Pages 882-885]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks With President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia on the 
Observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May 25, 2005

    President Bush. Thank you for coming. Good afternoon, and welcome to 
the White House. I am glad you're here. I'm proud to be with you to 
celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. And we are joined by a 
very special guest, a close friend of America, a man with whom I just 
had a very good visit, President Yudhoyono from Indonesia. Welcome, Mr. 
President.
    Before we award our volunteer of the year awards, the President has 
graciously offered to give some remarks. And, unfortunately, I'm going 
to give some too. [Laughter] Before I begin I do want to introduce Agus 
and Edhie, the President's sons. Welcome. We're glad you're here. Agus 
will be getting married on July the 8th.
    This is a time to celebrate the achievement of millions of Americans 
of Asian Pacific ancestry. Today, Asian Pacific Americans are making 
their mark in all walks of life, including business and politics and 
education and community service and the arts and science.
    I'm fortunate to have many Asian American in my Cabinet and in my 
administration, two of whom are here with us today. I want to thank the 
Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao, for joining us, and the Secretary of 
Transportation, Norm Mineta.
    Andrew Natsios of USAID is here. Andrew, it's good you're here, 
because we're going to be talking about tsunami relief in a minute.

[[Page 883]]

    I want to thank Betty Wu, who is the Chairman of the President's 
Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders. I want to 
thank all the Commission members who are here today.
    I want to thank my friend Ambassador Sichan Siv from the United 
Nations. Where is he? Where is Sichan? There he is. Welcome, Sichan. You 
did a fine job. I'm glad Martha is here.
    Delegate Eni from Samoa, thank you for coming, sir. Proud you're 
here. Is Lisa here? Senator Murkowski just came in from the State of 
Alaska. Proud you're here.
    I see we got a lot of members of the diplomatic corps who are here. 
Welcome, Ambassadors. Thank you for coming. Proud you're here.
    And again, Mr. President, thank you for joining us as we celebrate 
Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
    Indonesia and America may be on the opposite sides of the ocean, but 
we have a lot in common. We are both among the world's largest 
democracies. We both share a belief that our great diversity is a source 
of strength. And when the tsunami hit, citizens from both our countries 
took it upon themselves to come to the aid of those in distress.
    The tsunami that began in the Indian Ocean struck Indonesia just 2 
months after the President came into office. I understand that when the 
tsunami hit, His Excellency was in a remote province of his country. And 
the moment he heard what happened, he rushed to the scene. He didn't 
hesitate. He rushed to not only help but to make a personal assessment 
of what needed to be done. After declaring a national emergency, he 
moved quickly to clear away the bureaucratic obstacles and visa 
requirements so that the path would be clear for international relief 
workers.
    By acting with skill and courage, Mr. President, you helped bring 
your country together in a time of great crisis. And thank you for that 
kind of leadership.
    And the people of Indonesia responded in kind. Religious 
organizations and businesspeople and the Indonesian Red Cross and 
thousands of ordinary citizens traveled at their own expense to the 
hard-hit province of Aceh to pitch in, to do their duty as a citizen of 
a free democracy.
    And the need was great. More than 125,000 Indonesians have been 
confirmed dead. Think about that. Another 37,000 are missing. More than 
half a million have been forced from their homes. Your fellow citizens 
provided first aid, and you helped evacuate victims and distributed 
relief supplies. And it was a good example of how government and 
individuals work together.
    But it was also important for the world to respond. And I'm proud of 
the response of the United States Government and her people. Our United 
States military was on the scene with an aircraft carrier. And we had 
sailors and marines working around the clock to show the people of your 
part of the world that our hearts are big, that we care about people 
from all walks of life, that the compassion of America runs deep and 
strong.
    Shortly after the disaster struck, the United States pledged $350 
million in aid for the region. Providing relief, our country has really, 
I hope, showed that we're a friend when you've got a problem. But a 
friend doesn't quit when a problem persists. And so earlier this month, 
Congress approved my request for additional tsunami relief and 
reconstruction help, bringing total U.S. aid to more than $850 million.
    The people of your country need to know and the people of the 
countries affected by the tsunami relief need to know that when America 
gives a pledge to help, we'll keep our word, and that when America says 
that we stand with you, we mean it. So, Mr. President, please take this 
message back to the people of Indonesia.
    Finally, I'm proud that volunteers from our Asian Pacific American 
community were among those who stepped forward to help the victims of 
the tsunami relief--of the tsunami. Their efforts ranged from serving on 
humanitarian missions to raising money to rebuilding an orphanage. 
Americans from all over our country, from all walks of life, used their 
time and talents and compassion to make a difference. Heck, I even 
called on two former Presidents--[laughter]--41 and 42--[laughter]--Bush 
and Clinton--[laughter]--to join together to send a message that we're 
not talking politics; we're talking about

[[Page 884]]

helping people get their feet back on the ground--get their feet back on 
the ground. We're talking about helping to save lives. That's the 
American spirit, Mr. President. That's how we like to do things in this 
country.
    And today we've gathered to honor some of our fellow citizens with 
volunteer service awards. People from the Asian Pacific community have 
heard the call to serve something greater than themselves. And before we 
present those awards, however, Mr. President, I'm honored to welcome you 
to the White House and welcome you to the podium so that you can deliver 
a few remarks.
    Please welcome the President.
    President Yudhoyono. President Bush, distinguished guests, ladies 
and gentlemen. Thank you, Mr. President, for inviting me to join you 
here today. I stand before you here to deliver a message of thanks from 
a grateful nation halfway around the world.
    My country, Indonesia, suffered most from the horrible tsunami last 
December. Some 200,000 people were killed in a matter of minutes, and 
over 500,000 survivors lost their homes.
    When I arrived in Aceh the day after the tsunami, almost everything 
close to the sea had been destroyed, flattened to the ground, swept by 
the waves. Nothing had ever prepared us for something like this--
nothing. It was under these circumstances that we experienced an 
incredible display of global solidarity immediately after the tsunami, 
and it was during this desperate time that American servicemen came and 
helped.
    The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived with its much-needed helicopters to 
help deliver food and supplies to survivors that could not be reached by 
land. And USS hospital ship Mercy provided medical care to the injured 
and the sick, at a time when we were all worried that more people would 
die from diseases than from the tsunami.
    I remember my heart almost sank one day when I heard that a U.S. 
Seahawk helicopter had crashed. But I was glad to hear directly from 
Ambassador Lynn Pascoe that the crews were all right, even though their 
Seahawk had to make an emergency landing on a paddy field. And not 
surprisingly, the crews were itching to get back into action to save 
lives.
    America has every reason to be proud for what your Government, your 
heroism, and your volunteers have done for the tsunami victims. This was 
a time for valor and selfless sacrifice. The tsunami produced a lot of 
heroes, heroes who saved lives, heroes who gave hope to those who are 
suffering. And Americans were among these heroes. You all should be 
proud of that.
    The funds that have been collected from millions of Americans will 
be very helpful to help the Acehnese rebuild their lives. But I want you 
to know what really mattered was that they all came from the heart. What 
really mattered was that each of you reached not so much into your 
pocket as into the new depth of your conscience, compassion, and 
solidarity. What really mattered was that you saw the pain of others and 
tried to help. And with all our tears, words, and deeds, what we all did 
together was to prove that the greatest wrath of nature was no match for 
the greater force that is the human spirit.
    I said something earlier about reaching out. Let me read you a 
letter from Maggie, a third-grader from K-4 Elementary in Charlevoix, 
Michigan, which, through some good fortune, I managed to obtain from 
AmeriCorps. Maggie was writing to a tsunami kid she did not know. This 
is what Maggie wrote: ``Dear friends: Hi. My name is Maggie. I am sorry 
what happened in your country. I have heard some things about it. I hope 
your family and friends are okay. In church, I pray for you and your 
country. In school, we are raising money for your country. We have a 
loose-change bucket, and kids bring money in. Also, we are making 
tsunami bracelet to raise money, too. I have made you one. I hope you 
like it. I will continue praying for you and your country in church. 
Your friend, Maggie.''
    I faxed Maggie's letter to Aceh, to be passed on to an Acehnese 
youngster. And a few days later, I received a response letter from Nada 
Lutfiah, a young girl from Banda Aceh. That is what Nada looks like.
    President Bush. There's your picture. Is this her?
    President Yudhoyono. Yes, sorry. This is her. [Laughter] Nada looks 
like--[applause].

[[Page 885]]

Nada Lutfiah. Nada wrote to Maggie, and I translate into English. ``My 
good friend: Hello, friend. My name is Nada Lutfiah. I was so happy and 
my heart was touched to receive the letter you sent us. My family, my 
dad, mom, older brother, and younger brother have disappeared, and now I 
live with my cousins. I hope you are healthy and well where you are. I 
am so glad you are paying attention to us here. I hope to receive your 
bracelet in the coming days, because I want to wear it on my arm to 
remind me that I have new friend. Your friend, Nada.''
    I have asked my Ambassador Soemadi to personally deliver Nada's 
letter and photo to Maggie in Michigan.
    These two letters are extraordinary, both in the words they conveyed 
and in the fact that two youngsters from entirely different background 
made a connection: An American girl who prays at church, collects loose 
change, and make bracelet for tsunami kids two oceans away; an 
Indonesian Muslim girl who lost all her family and wants to kill the 
pain and is eager just to be a kid again, just like Maggie. I think the 
world will be a better place if all of us start to have connections and 
conversation the way Maggie and Nada did.
    I thank you very much.
    President Bush. Mr. President, thank you very much for such a 
powerful speech. And it's in that spirit of compassion that we--it's my 
honor to now award the volunteer awards.
    Commander, please read the citations.

[At this point, Lt. Col. Steven T. Fisher, USA, Army Aide to the 
President, read the citations, and the awards were presented.]

    President Bush. Mr. President, I hope you can tell by the short 
presentation of--to some of our great citizens that the true strength of 
America, our true strength lies in the hearts and souls of our citizens.
    I'm proud that you've joined us today. Thank you all for coming. May 
God bless our respective countries, and may God continue to bless the 
American people.

Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. in the East Room at the White House. 
In his remarks, he referred to Ambassador Sichan Siv, U.S. 
Representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, and his wife, 
Martha; and Eni Faleomavaega, American Samoa's Representative to the 
U.S. Congress. President Yudhoyono referred to U.S. Ambassador to 
Indonesia B. Lynn Pascoe; and Indonesia's Ambassador to the U.S. Soemadi 
Brotodiningrat.