Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudh

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono salutes while the national flag is being hoisted during a ceremony to celebrate the country's 62th Independence Day at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, 17 August 2007. Outside a house in central Jakarta on the morning of August 17, 1945, a small group of nationalists gathered for a simple ceremony to declare independence for the remains of the former Dutch East Indies empire and resulted the birth of Indonesia. After three centuries of Dutch colonial rule and three years of Japanese occupation, the world's largest archipelago had been declared one nation, although it was another four years before the Dutch abandoned their attempts to retake their former possession and recognised Indonesia. AFP PHOTO/Bay ISMOYO (Photo credit should read BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)