JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S former foreign minister Ali Alatas (above), a passionate believer in Asean and regional cooperation, died of a heart attack yesterday. He was 76.

Mr Alatas died at 7.30am at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth hospital where he was being treated since late last month.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was 'crushed' over the loss of one of the country's longest-serving diplomats, the Detikcom news website quoted a presidential spokesman as saying.

'He was a diplomat, a figure, an educator, a statesman that we love. He was respected not only by Indonesians, but also by other nations,' said Dr Yudhoyono, who paid his last respects at Mr Alatas' family home in Jakarta yesterday.

His remains were flown to Jakarta from Singapore yesterday.

Also present at the Jakarta wake was Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo and his wife Mrs Jennifer Yeo.

Mr Yeo flew to Jakarta from Bali, where he had been attending the Bali Democracy Forum, to pay his last respects to Mr Alatas.

'He was always a strong advocate of a strong Asean and his leadership at many points was decisive,' said Mr Yeo of Mr Alatas. 'He was also a very good friend of Singapore and made a great contribution to the excellent bilateral relations between our good countries.'

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a condolence message to Mr Alatas' wife, Ibu Junisa, referred to him as 'Pak Ali'. The couple has three children.

'Pak Ali was a trusted and able Indonesian minister, who applied his energies and intellect to advance his country's interests,' PM Lee wrote. 'He was resourceful in negotiations and formidable in argument.'

As foreign minister from 1988 to 1999, Mr Alatas was the international face of Indonesia during the Suharto era. He twice served as Indonesia's ambassador to the United Nations, and was once considered for the post of UN secretary-general.

Mr Alatas stamped his name on Asean as an intellectual who strongly supported regional cooperation and played a crucial role in drafting the Asean Charter, the Constitution of the 10-member grouping, officials say.

Before being flown to Jakarta, his remains were taken to the Indonesian Embassy on Chatsworth Road where a steady stream of mourners signed the condolence book yesterday.

Among those who paid their respects were Deputy Prime Minister Prof S. Jayakumar and his wife, and Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng.

'I am very saddened by the news. I knew him well when he worked as foreign minister and we were counterparts. We worked together not only on bilateral issues but also on regional cooperation and Asean,' Prof Jayakumar told reporters.

Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim and Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh also paid their respects.

Prof Jayakumar, Mrs Jayakumar and Mr Lim met Mr Alatas's wife to offer their condolences. They were later joined by Mr Wong.

'I just saw him on Monday (in hospital) and he looked like he was recovering well. He sat up and we chatted about our time together as foreign ministers,' said Mr Wong. 'I was saddened by the passing of a good friend, Pak Ali.'

Amid a heavy downpour, Mr Alatas' remains were driven in a convoy to Changi Airport and flown to Jakarta aboard a Garuda flight late in the afternoon.

From there, his body was taken to Mr Alatas' family home in south Jakarta where some 300 people, including ministers, former ministers and ambassadors gathered.

The remains will be buried this morning at the Kalibata Hero Cemetery in south Jakarta.

President Yudhoyono is expected to attend, Antara news agency reported.

The diplomat's death was mourned by other Asean leaders.

'He was a good friend to us,' Cambodia's Information Minister Khieu Kanharith was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

He noted that Mr Alatas did much to help bring peace and national reconciliation to his own country after decades of civil war and murderous rule by the Khmer Rouge.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi said Mr Alatas had contributed a lot to fostering relations between Malaysia and Indonesia.

reme@sph.com.sg

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