PRESIDENT MEETS DUTCH VICTIM OF JW MARRIOTT HOTEL BOMBING

Jakarta, Feb 18 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Thursday met with Max Boon, a Dutchman who was a victim of the bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel last July 2009.

Boon who had been working as an investment consultant in Indonesia for five years lost his two legs in the incident and had returned to Holland afterward.

However, he could not forget his love for Indonesia and wrote a letter to the president expressing his admiration for Indonesia.

The letter impressed the president so much that he invited Boon to Jakarta.

"I know that the Indonesian people did not support the bomb attack. And this inspired me. I want to move forward and be part of Indonesia's movement," said Boon in fluent Bahasa Indonesia.

He said he planned to stay in Indonesia again and help improve the country's image in the eyes of the international world.

"Indonesia is not a dangerous place to live in," he said.

Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono expressed his appreciation for Boon's commitment to come back to Indonesia.

"He may have lost his legs but not his heart, spirit and mind," the president said.