United Nations Headquarters — Attraction in New York

On behalf of the People of Indonesia Indonesia 31 Agustus 2025

To: Secretary-General of the United Nations United Nations Headquarters 405 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017 United States of America

Subject: Urgent Appeal for United Nations Assistance in Protecting Human Rights in Indonesia

Your Excellency,

With the deepest respect, I write to you as a concerned citizen of the Republic of Indonesia, representing the voices of many who are suffering under the current situation in our country.

It is with great urgency that I bring to your attention the serious violations of human rights that have taken place during the recent public demonstrations in Indonesia. The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) has passed and attempted to pass arbitrary laws and policies that severely harm the people. In response, students and citizens have peacefully protested to express their rejection.

However, the state response has been violent and oppressive. Protesters have been brutally beaten, tortured, and attacked with expired tear gas. In one tragic case, an online motorcycle taxi driver was run over by a Brimob armored vehicle, and instead of investigating the true perpetrators, the authorities wrongfully forced prison inmates to take the blame. Journalists and medical personnel have also been assaulted, some even thrown into rivers by security forces while carrying out their duties.

Many victims have already fallen during these protests, while the DPR has sought to silence the truth by restricting social media and internet access to prevent international awareness. Not a single member of the DPR has stepped forward to meet or listen to the people.

Furthermore, corruption within the DPR has reached alarming levels. Many of its members lack proper educational backgrounds, some entering politics through wealth or celebrity status, rather than merit or genuine service to the people. They speak and legislate at will, disregarding the suffering of the citizens whose taxes fund their luxurious lifestyles.

The people of Indonesia have lost hope in finding justice within our own country. Therefore, we humbly appeal to the United Nations and the international community to:

Urgently investigate and monitor the human rights situation in Indonesia.

Provide international support to ensure the protection of peaceful demonstrators, journalists, and medical workers.

Consider diplomatic measures or sanctions, including restricting corrupt DPR members from traveling abroad, until they are held accountable before the people they claim to represent.

We apologize if these words sound harsh, but they reflect the painful reality faced by millions of Indonesians today. On behalf of the citizens who long for justice and peace, I respectfully request the United Nations to help mediate this crisis and to uphold the principles of human rights and democracy.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

With sincere respect, On behalf of the People...

The United Nations Headquarters in New York City stands as a symbol of post-war optimism and architectural diplomacy. Located on 18 acres in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay, the complex was built on land donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1946, transforming a former industrial zone into a global landmark. The site was chosen over competing bids from cities like San Francisco and Boston, primarily for its neutrality and accessibility.

Designed between 1947 and 1952, the project was led by American architect Wallace K. Harrison and executed by an international board of eleven architects, including Le Corbusier of France and Oscar Niemeyer of Brazil. Their collaboration—despite clashing egos and ideological divides—was itself a metaphor for the UN’s mission: unity through diversity. Niemeyer’s proposal to split the site into three distinct buildings with open space between the city and the East River ultimately shaped the final layout.

The Secretariat Building, a 39-story slab of blue-green glass, was New York’s first curtain-wall skyscraper. It introduced modernist principles to the city’s skyline, emphasizing transparency and simplicity. The General Assembly Hall, with its 1,800-seat chamber and multilingual translation systems, hosts delegates from 193 member states. The Conference Building houses the Security Council Chamber, gifted by Norway, featuring symbolic murals and Scandinavian design.

The headquarters is technically extraterritorial, meaning it operates under its own legal jurisdiction through a treaty with the U.S. government. Even mail sent to the UN undergoes sterilization before delivery. The grounds are adorned with anti-war artworks, including Picasso’s Guernica (replica), the Japanese Peace Bell, and Chagall’s stained-glass tribute to peace.

Few know that Alfred Hitchcock once filmed North by Northwest using a hidden camera outside the building, having been denied permission to shoot inside. The longest speech ever delivered at the UN—by India’s V.K. Krishna Menon—lasted over eight hours across two days in 1957.

Beyond its architecture, the UN Headquarters reflects the organization’s ethos: a place where nations converge not just to negotiate, but to imagine. It is a workshop for peace, a stage for global dialogue, and a monument to the belief that even amid discord, structure and vision...

A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events! First, the escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt. It stopped on a dime. It's amazing that my wife and I didn't fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first. It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster. This was absolutely sabotage, as noted by a day's earlier "post" in The London Times that said UN workers "joked about turning off an escalator." The people that did it should be arrested! Then, as I stood before a Television crowd of millions of people all over the World, and important Leaders in the Hall, my teleprompter didn't work. It was stone cold dark. I immediately thought to myself, "Wow, first the escalator event, and now a bad teleprompter. What kind of a place is this?" I then proceeded to make a Speech without a teleprompter, which kicked in about 15 minutes later. The good news is the Speech has gotten fantastic reviews. Maybe they appreciated the fact that very few people could have done what I did. And third, after making the Speech, 1 was told that the sound was completely off in the Auditorium where the Speech was made, that World Leaders, unless they used the interpreters' earpieces, couldn't hear a thing. The first person I saw at the conclusion of the Speech was my wife, who was sitting right up front. I said, "How did I do?" And she said, "I couldn't hear a word you said." This wasn't a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. I'm sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation. No wonder the United Nations hasn't been able to do the job that they were put in existence to do. All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service...