Keeping up in Indonesia halfway round the world

Barbara Harvey, Washington

The Jakarta Post provides a lifeline to news of Indonesia for those of us who are no longer physically in Indonesia, but wish to, or need to, keep current on matters in this complex and fascinating country. I find both the news and editorials essential reading because of the accuracy and lack of bias in the reporting, and thoughtfulness in the editorials.

Although I had spent many years, on and off, in Indonesia prior to being posted as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta from 1993 to 1997, my time had been spent largely in Surabaya and Sulawesi, and I did not know Jakarta at all well. I quickly came to rely on The Jakarta Post as the first paper to read every morning, even if I subsequently read other papers as supplements, or for different points of view.

May I congratulate you on your 20th anniversary, and wish you many more years as one of the leading newspapers of Indonesia, and the premier English-language paper.

(The writer is a retired U.S. diplomat)