EVEN by the standards of state visits, this one is especially lavish. On March 1st the king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdel Aziz Al Saud, flew into Indonesia with a staggering retinue of 1,500. Twenty-five royal princes and ten government ministers are among those travelling with the 81-year-old ruler on the second leg of his Asian tour. Following three days in Malaysia, he will spend four days in Jakarta, the capital, before kicking back on Bali’s beaches for five days.
Preparations for the visit, the first in 47 years by a Saudi monarch to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, have been months in the making. Airport crews in Jakarta and Bali have taken delivery of 459 tonnes of equipment, including two Mercedes-Benz S600 limousines, flown in aboard four Boeing 747s, two Boeing B777s and two Hercules C-130s. The national parliament has installed a throne-like chair with impressively thick brown leather upholstery for the king to recline upon before he addresses lawmakers. Parliament’s deputy speaker explained to local media that the monarch requires a chair that “relaxes” his body.
As well as Indonesia and...Continue reading
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