President Joko Widodo receives the original national flag (Source: scmp.com)Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s original national flag was paraded for the first time since independence, on August 17, as part of celebrations of the 71st anniversary of the country's Independence Day.
Together with the original text of the Independence Proclamation, the flag was paraded in a horse-drawn carriage, escorted by a flag-hoisting team consisting of the best students in the country and cavalry troops. The event was watched by thousands of Indonesians along the way.
The original flag, which was first hoisted on Aug. 17, 1945, was sewn by then First Lady Fatmawati, the wife of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno, in 1944, a year before the end of the war. She sewed it by hand as the Japanese occupying forces had banned the use of sewing machines.
The event was live streamed using 360 video technology, which was the idea of President Widodo who wanted to enable the public to watch the celebration on internet.-VNA
