LOANA BENJAMIN WRITES – On February 27, The Jakarta Post named Indonesia’s PKS (Prosperous Justice Party) “media darlings” for being mentioned in the press more than any other party in the previous month. But given that PKS rivals own many of the media outlets in question, the accomplishment may just…
Category: Indonesia
THE PLATE COLUMN: Should Crimea Be Such a Priority?
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST TOM PLATE WRITES — Viewed from Los Angeles, tiny Ukraine seems much, much farther away and remote from our core national interests than, for example, gigantic Indonesia. So perhaps something is wrong with us on the West Coast of the United States, and we simply fail to understand…
INDONESIA: IS ‘JOKOWI’ THE GREAT NEW HOPE?
TOM PLATE WRITES IN THE JAKARTA POST: Our favorite optimist of Asia is at it again, and may the gods of our future bless this learned man. He is Kishore Mahbubani (KM), the savvy Singapore policy-school dean and acclaimed author whose most recent book “The Great Convergence” might almost be…
LOS ANGELES: Seen From Here, the Aussie PM Seems Clueless
The following PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES column was recently syndicated to newspaper editors in the U.S. and Asia. By Tom Plate – A spat between Indonesia and Australia is not receiving proper attention in our media. This is predictable given American parochialism but, even so, it is causing serious heartburn in some…
HONG KONG: Hong Kong Journalists Association Awaits Apology
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – After being told it was not only rude, but a security threat to shout questions at a recent economic summit, Hong Kong journalists in Bali, Indonesia refused to keep quiet and had their credentials yanked. According to ABC News, the reporters from Now TV, Radio Television Hong Kong and Commercial…
INDONESIA: Overcoming the Media Conglomerate Wall
Since the 1998 Asian financial and political crisis, the media industry in Indonesia has been opened up fully, and is now freer from government control than ever. The media inarguably plays a crucial role in Indonesian democracy by educating its citizens and informing them of government activity. However, Indonesia’s media…
INDONESIA: Indonesians Take A Stand
Selina Swatek writes – In a storyline that is all too reminiscent of last year’s US elections, a candidate for the Indonesian Supreme Court, Daming Sanusi, has fueled media outrage after making an offensive comment regarding rape. During a parliamentary commission hearing to determine if he was a fit for…
TOM PLATE: The Islamic Challenge for America
Syndicated columnist and LMU professor Tom Plate writes — Within days, President Barack Obama is set to visit Southeast Asia and this is a very good thing. The region is becoming more significant by the month. U.S. policy is said to be in the process of ‘pivoting’ to Asia after…
PRESS RELEASE OF THE WEEK: Free Books for Young Readers
From dubroWORKS PR / Marketing in Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA – The non-profit organization The World is Just a Book Away (WIJABA) is proud to launch its Authors for Books program with the help of debuting author A.G.S. Johnson and renowned international journalist Riz Khan. Both are donating a portion…
INDONESIA: MURDEROUS LANDING IN PAPUA
Leiron Kogoya, journalist, 35, was gunned down on a plane as it landed at Mulia Airport in the independent state of Papua. Kogoya wrote for newspapers Pasific Post and Papua Pos Nabire. At least five gunmen opened fire at 8 a.m in Mulia, injuring passengers as well as pilots, who then lost control of the plane as…
INDONESIA: Police Take Aim at BBC, Al Jazeera and Reuters!
Three foreign correspondents recently filed a report against the Indonesian National Police, accusing them of acid attacks. BBC’s Alice Budisatrijo, Al Jazeera’s Bobby Gunawan, and Reuters News Agency’s Louis Benjamin suffered chemical burns while reporting on the fuel policy protests at the gates of the House of Representatives. Anato Handoyo,…
INDONESIA: Internet Usage Rises—and So Do Tempers and Worries
The Communications and Information Ministry in Indonesia claims that it has effectively blocked nearly 1 million pornographic websites, and vows to continue its mass censorship of unfavorable Internet publications. According to the Jakarta Post, the nation’s leading English-language newspaper, “censorship on porn sites was in line with the government’s commitment…
INDONESIA: Amnesty International Condemns Police Violence
Amnesty International recently released a report condemning police actions in response to the December 24th protests near Bima, Indonesia. The protest came in response to recent approval of an exploration permit given to a gold mining company operating in the region.
INDONESIA: For Love or For Politics?
Politics can make strange bedfellows, as the famous saying goes. Witness the brewing brouhaha in Indonesia, where a high-profile marital union is drawing almost as much attention as a presidential campaign. The upscale marriage is between the son of the country’s president (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) and the daughter of a…
INDONESIA: Not So Greenpeace
Tensions between the international NGO Greenpeace and the government of Indonesia have continued to escalate in recent weeks over increasing deforestation practices across the country.
INDONESIA: Jakarta Post Take a Tough Stand on Papuan Death Controversy
Amnesty International has released a stunning report on the death of three peaceful protesters participating in the Third Papuan Peoples’ Congress rally on October 19th that came at the hands of Indonesian security forces…