Fostering friendship Flipping through several programs on private television stations, I caught sight of a program titled Messages from American Muslims Institution for Friendship, which was probably intended to foster friendship among Muslims in America and Indonesia, or which, perhaps, depicts harmonious relationships and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in the U.S.

Indonesia and ASEAN must move on together Philips J Vermonte CSIS In the past three decades, ASEAN has been the corner stone of Indonesia's foreign policy. But, things have changed rapidly, triggered by the economic crisis and its severe consequences starting from 1997. To a large extent, Indonesia has lost its credibility within ASEAN, shifting from "a country that could assert the leadership role" into a country that is widely seen as "source of the problems" in the region.

Renomination of Lt. Gen.(ret) Sutiyoso, Approved Sutiyoso's, a suspect in the bloody takeover of renomination, sacked Megawati-led PDI's headquarters in 1996, dissident Tarmidi as Jakarta governor Suharjo Corruption involving House of Representative Allowed legal Speaker Akbar Tandjung process against Akbar, but rejects his dismissal as House speaker Attempt to conceal wealth allegedly Rejects demands committed by Attorney General M.A.

Wife of human rights activist shot at Papua-PNG border Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura JAKARTA (JP): Unidentified men shot the wife of a human rights activist near an immigration post near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The woman, identified as 40-year-old Elsie Rumbiak Bonay, is the wife of Johanis G. Bonay, director of the Papua-based Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham).

Bali hotels fully booked, Garuda puts on extra flights Rita A. Widiadana The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali The holiday season has brought new hope to Bali's ailing tourist industry, as thousands of domestic and foreign visitors have again booked flights, hotels and bungalows to celebrate the coming year-end festivities.

JP/7/DHARMA For better living standards, foreign investment is not the answer Siwage Dharma Negara Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Jakarta The continuing decline of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia has led to a drop in total FDI approvals by 11 percent for the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Domestic investment approvals also plunged by about 70 percent during the same period.

Keelty wants regional police summit AUSTRALIA: The country's top police officer said on Saturday he would like to convene a summit of regional Asian police forces to improve cooperation for fighting possible terrorist attacks. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said he had met with representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to discuss convening a summit early next year. No location was given for the meeting.

Techno-ethics: Dealing with ambivalence of advancements Yanuar Nugroho Member Board of ELSPPAT (Institute for Development Studies & Technological Assistance) Bogor, West Java In the field of science and technology, globalization will contribute significantly to mark 2003 as the year when technological advancements would explicitly bring about ethical problems regarding most aspects of humanity.

POLICE REFORM: Japanese police advisors assist Indonesian National Police Reform through a pilot project on enhancement of civilian police activities (crime scene identification and communication and command control for police deployment) at Bekasi Police Resort, Jakarta Metropolitan Police.

Where have all the foodies eaten this year? Kenny Santana, Contributor, Jakarta The end of the year has always been the perfect time to look back and reflect. And the food scene is no exception. You could say that the food scene in 2002 was like flowing water: Calm, no waves, just drifting. It didn't have a significant trend like 2001's wine lounge (thank God, cause we don't need any more of that) but whenever a new place opened, it was right on the mark.

Maritime issues must be given more attention Philips J Vermonte CSIS The end of the Cold War and the event of Sept. 11, 2001 have substantially changed the landscape of international politics. Issues such as trade liberalization, democracy and environmental protection have become prominent. Since the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1990, ideological and military rivalry between great countries seemed to have ceased. However, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack has brought them back.

The politics of Muslims-Christian relations in Indonesia Bob S. Hadiwinata Head International Relations Department, University of Parahyangan, Bandung Open conflict between the majority Muslims and minority Christians has been rare in Indonesian history. When it does break out, however, it is often violent and brutal. Violent clashes between Muslims and Christians in Maluku, Kalimantan and Sulawesi perhaps represent the most brutal episode of Muslims- Christian relations in Indonesian history.

Restoring public trust in the media Thomas Hanitzsch Technische Universitat Ilmenau Germany As we come closer to the end of the year, media practitioners and researchers tend to reflect and ask themselves: Was 2002 a good year for the Indonesian media scene? Economically, yes it was! Even though the country has not yet recovered from the economic turmoil of the late 1990s, total ad expenditure is expected to reach Rp 12 trillion at the end of the year, from Rp 9.7 trillion in 2001.

The Jakarta Post Jakarta Consumer confidence in the country significantly dropped in November following the Bali bombing, but the terrorist attack failed to impact consumers' shopping plans, according to a survey. According to the survey by the Danareksa Research Institute, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) dropped by 4.8 percent to 94.1 in response to the bombings in Bali and Manado on Oct.

Challenges in public services delivery Yanuar Nugroho Director, The Business Watch Indonesia Lecturer, Sahid University in Surakarta Researcher, Uni Sosial Demokrat Jakarta Clean water, health care and access to energy are the three most essential of basic human needs, with education perhaps the fourth. All people are entitled to these things. Yet the reality is completely different, with people around the world having less and less access to what are basic human needs.

Living with another lean year Indonesia is going to add another pale year to its post-Soeharto era. Its already tarnished image as a state was severely damaged again after the Bali bombing, which demonstrated undeniably how vulnerable Indonesia had become to acts of terrorism. The bombing, however tragic, is not the only humiliation that the government was forced to swallow.

Fitri Wulandari The Jakarta Post Jakarta Samsung has seen rosy days in Indonesia, despite the economic woes that have plagued many electronics producers here in recent years. While many players in the electronics industry struggled to cope with a variety of problems, including weakening demand, unfavorable fiscal policies, labor disputes and corruption, PT Samsung Electronics Indonesia (SEI), the subsidiary of South Korean's giant firm, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

'We can't escape globalization anymore' The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Teni Wahyuningsih, 20, a business administration student at Bandung's Padjadjaran University: The full implementation of AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area) next year is kind of a dilemma for us. It is good for consumers, as we will have more choices of products at cheaper prices. But, unfortunately, it is not good for local businesses. Our businesses are not yet ready to face head-on competition.

FOR COUNTRY PROFILE: JAPAN - DECEMBER 23 Promoting friendship through cultural exchange programs The Japan Foundation, more popularly known in Indonesia as Pusat Kebudayaan Jepang, or the Japan Culture Center, is a semi- governmental, nonprofit organization that carries out the task of promoting friendship and mutual understanding through cultural and intellectual exchange activities.

Police gaining momentum but need further reform M. Riefqi Muna Member of Supervisory Group of the U.K.-based Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR). riefqi@gmx.net In the beginning of 2002 the police had at their disposal a new law on national police that gave them greater institutional independence directly under the president. By the end of 2002 the police have been praised for their work with police from several other countries in the Bali terror investigation.