ALL clamor ceased in the main function room of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Jakarta, at that moment on Thursday last week, with the around 700 people present all standing at once. It seemed that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, together with his guest Russian President Vladimir Putin, had already arrived.

Then, all of a sudden, the sound of clapping broke out, lasting for quite some time, almost two minutes. The camera flashes highlighted the happ