ON Tuesday last week, a different atmosphere prevailed in the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague, Holland. Far from working hours—at 9am local time—the office headed by Junus Effendi Habibie was already hectic. Everybody was preparing to welcome President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was slated to begin his state visit the next day.

“We kept coordinating,” said Firdaus Dahlan, Information Function Coordinator at the embassy, on Thursday