The Indonesian government is set to provide a step-free ramp and a stair lift at Borobudur Temple as the iconic tourism spot welcomes a visitation by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, on either the 28th or 29th of May.
The Head of the Presidential Communication Office, Hasan Nasbi, has recently confirmed that Macron will visit Borobudur Temple due to the site’s beauty and grandeur as one of the wonders of the world. The Indonesian government has therefore decided to facilitate Macron’s visit by providing a step-free ramp and a stair lift to ease his access to the top of Borobudur Temple. The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, will accompany him during this visit as well.
“Borobudur is about as high as our floor — [at the Presidential Communication Office, which is] a 12-storey building. The President of France, on top of that, has a limited time for this state visit. Thus, facilities have been prepared to climb each floor and level in Borobudur,” Nasbi said at his office in Jakarta on Monday, the 26th of May.
To be more precise, the Indonesian government is set to provide a step-free ramp to help Macron and Subianto reach the 4th floor of Borobudur Temple. A stair lift will then be installed from the 5th or the 8th floor to the top of the temple.
Nasbi guaranteed that the installation of these facilities would not damage Borobudur Temple, as no nails or drills would be used. Furthermore, the step-free ramp and stair lift are intended solely for Macron’s state visit.
“Later, when [Macron’s visit to Borobudur Temple] is finished, [those installations] can be easily dismantled,” he added.
In response to the government’s plan, the Chairman of the Indonesian Archaeologists Association, Marsis Sutopo, asserted that any installation of facilities or modifications to Borobudur Temple must undergo an in-depth study called a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), in accordance with the provisions of UNESCO, the institution that designated Borobudur Temple as a World Heritage Site.
“Heritage Impact Assessment is what can be used as a reference for whether or not a device can be installed on an object that has been designated as a world heritage site,” Sutopo remarked, as quoted from the press on the following Tuesday.
Sutopo also pointed out that Borobudur Temple has been designated a national cultural heritage site. Therefore, its management and preservation must also comply with Law Number 11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Heritage. That being said, he refused to speculate about the installations’ potential impact as he had not seen their specifications directly.
“I cannot explain the potential damage because I do not know or have not seen the construction of the [facilities], so I cannot guess,” he continued.
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