COVER N. 785 - INDONESIA

Postmark: Malang 17.09.2026

Posted on the 17th September;  Received on the 2nd November 2026

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Terima kasih banyak, Irene. Another nice Indonesian entry in my collection, 

I have the same problem every now and then: souvenir sheets are a pain to glue onto regular size postcards, since they tend to be oversized. I wish postal operators would always issue souvenir sheets bearing C6 envelopes in mind....

The Asian African Conference, that would go into history as the Bandung Conference, was held in that Indonesian city from the 28 to the 24 April, 1955.

The meeting was organised by  Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan, with delegates  29 countries having participated in the sessions.

The Conference reflected the dissatisfaction of Asian and African countries regarding the political domination of the world by the Superpowers which emerged from WW2 and crystallised into the cold war years, and their strong advocacy for the promotion of  self-determination and anti-colonialism.

The conference opened the way for the creation in 1961 of the Non-Aligned Movement, dedicated to representing the interests and aspirations of Developing Countries.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Asian African Conference, the Postal Administration of Indonesia, on 18APR2005, issued the 2500 rupiah single stamp souvenir sheet on the cover. 

The stamp bears the portraits of the five Prime-Ministers who promoted the Conference, namely (left to right) Ali Sastroamidjojo (1903-1975), Indonesia; Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), India; U Nu (1907-1995), Burma; Sir John Kotelawala (1897-1980), Ceylon and Muhammad Ali Bogra (1909-1963), Pakistan.

The frame for the stamp is mostly occupied with an image of the Merdeka Building, An art deco building in Bandung, where the Conference took place, while the right fourth of the sheet bears an image of a section of two hemispheres.

Quoting direct from Wikipedia:

 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 during a period of Cold War tensions in Southeast Asia. Formed by five non-communist countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, its primary goals were to promote regional solidarity, political stability, and economic development in a volatile geopolitical environment.

On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of ASEAN, Indonesia Post issued, on 08AUG2015, the 7000 rupiah stamp on the cover illustrated with The ASEAN logo, with the flags of the then 10 participating countries (eleven since 2025, with the adhesion of East-Timor): Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand (the founding countries), Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia.

Postmark from Malang, East Java.