ultratupai

Thousands of people set two new world records as they lit up about 3,700 flaming torches in Jakarta (AFP, Bay Ismoyo) FIRE  – But for what? Torchlit events in Indonesia break records (AFP) – 5 hours ago  JAKARTA — Thousands of people set two new world records as they lit up about 3,700 flaming torches [...] Read Full Story

Indonesia police arrest 2 in orangutan killings By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press – 1 day ago  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Two Indonesian plantation workers said they killed at least 20 endangered orangutans and proboscis monkeys as a means of pest control for landowners looking to protect their crops, police said Wednesday. The suspects said they [...] Read Full Story

Would An Independent West Papua Be A Failing State? David Adam Stott from: japanfocus.org “Where it cuts across the island of New Guinea, the 141st meridian east remains one of colonial cartography’s more arbitrary yet effective of boundaries.”1 On July 9, 2011 another irrational colonial border that demarcated Sudan was consigned to history when South [...] Read Full Story

Warias, Come Out and Plaaayayay Muslim Indonesian Transvestites Are Persecuted but Beautiful from Vice.com By Hannah Brooks, Photos by Oliver Purser Tucked away inside the back room of a beauty salon in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is a school for Islamic studies tailored to a very specific student body: transsexuals. The Senin–Kamis school (“Monday–Thursday” in Indonesian, the [...] Read Full Story

photo: Bintulu.org Greenpeace director denied entry to Indonesia (AP) JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia says it has barred the executive director of the environmental group Greenpeace from entering the country because of reports written by the organization about the country. John Sauven was turned back immediately upon arrival at Jakarta’s airport on Thursday. He was [...] Read Full Story

No Man’s Island Newsweek – Jul 17, 2011 10:00 AM EDT It’s remote. It’s sparsely populated. It’s also rich with copper, gold, and timber. Welcome to West Papua’s war with Indonesia. Gallery: West Papua Rebels, KC Ortiz Nearly 10,000 kilometers away from the uprisings remaking the Arab world, activists in the Indonesian provinces of Papua [...] Read Full Story

Hi, I’m Fauzi Bowo. I just crapped my pants… WikiLeaks Cable Shows US Embassy Believed Jakarta Election Was ‘Rigged’ Jakarta Globe – 9.5.2011 – Ulma Haryanto A leaked confidential US diplomatic cable reveals that the US Embassy in Jakarta believed the 2007 gubernatorial election won by Fauzi Bowo had been “rigged” by the capital’s elites. [...] Read Full Story

A follower of the minority Islamic sect, Ahmadiyah, holding a burnt copy of the Koran in Ciampea, West Java, after violence directed at the Islamic sect earlier this month. In what is likely to be a hugely controversial — if not illegal — decision, authorities in West Nusa Tenggar plan to relocated 20 sect families [...] Read Full Story

Above: The dance performance Tjap Merah (Red Stamp), choreographed by Vincentius Yosep Prihantoro Sadsuitubun. Photo courtesy Goethe Institute Indonesia Indonesia’s dangerous silence Richard Tanter reports on a controversial intervention in Indonesian history, culture and memory 28 April 2011 Inside Story | Current affairs and culture OVER four days earlier this year, the Goethe Institute in [...] Read Full Story

Radical Islam in Indonesia Pluralism as Provocation Indonesia’s image as a poster child for pluralism has been tarnished – the actions of Islamic radicals are increasingly controlling the agenda. In the opinion of some observers, the moderate majority must display a greater sense of unity and overcome the authoritarian heritage of the country. By Anett [...] Read Full Story