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Found 2,526 articles

Mainstream languishes, indie gets stronger

Mainstream languishes, indie gets strongerM. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta At the outset, 2005 showed little promise for music fans who were hoping for new sounds and exciting gigs.They year started with a three-date benefit concert from Scandinavian soft-rock has-beens Michael Learns...

Spitting, tops Asian peeves

Spitting, tops Asian peevesAgence France-Presse, Hong KongSpitting in public, cutting into a queue and bad driving top the list of irritations for most Asians, according to a survey released by Reader's Digest on Wednesday.

SBY urged to push police to continue Munir murder probe

SBY urged to push police to continue Munir murder probeTiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A group of human rights activists has asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to order the police to continue the investigation into the murder of noted human rights defender Munir in a bid to reveal...

Churches target of bomb threat

Churches target of bomb threat KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: A short message service (SMS) sent to Suara Timor radio station in Kupang on Wednesday morning threatened to bomb 31 churches in the city on New Year's Eve.

Theo questioned about graft

Theo questioned about graftThe Jakarta Post, JakartaFormer chief of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Theo F. Toemion underwent lengthy questioning at the office of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday over alleged corruption in the implementation of an investment...

Attracting foreign investment requires substance in policy reform

Attracting foreign investment requires substance in policy reformDan Kingsley Jakarta The Indonesian economy, following the adoption of a tightening monetary stance by Bank Indonesia in mid-August and strengthening inflation due to the recent fuel price increase, has shown declining economic growth...

Indonesia's top five fashion designers

Indonesia's top five fashion designersSyahmedi Dean, Contributor, JakartaAn increasing number of new designers have emerged in Indonesia. Five of them have enjoyed considerable media coverage this year.

Where to go in Jakarta: Friday, December 30, 2005

Where to go in Jakarta: Friday, December 30, 2005Exhibitions* Painting and lithograph by Ken Pattern at Galeri Hadiprana Jl Kemang Raya # 30 South Jakarta (Tel 7194715), Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., until Dec.

Stock index rises as BRI, BNI climb

Stock index rises as BRI, BNI climbNaila Firdausi and Arijit Ghosh, Bloomberg/JakartaIndonesia's stock index rose, reversing earlier declines. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia led gains by lenders after the yield at the central bank bill sales remained unchanged, easing concern interest rates may increase.

SEAG scandal grows with more arrests

SEAG scandal grows with more arrests HANOI: Vietnamese police have filed criminal charges against four more soccer players, taking to six the number charged with fixing a match against Myanmar at the recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, state media reported.

Weaker trade prospects for 2006: Is oil to be blamed?

Weaker trade prospects for 2006: Is oil to be blamed? Puspa Delima Amri Jakarta Reading the performance of the Indonesian economy this year can be compared to a parent's reaction when the children bring home a fantastic mid-year report card: A mixture of pride, optimism and also anxiety.

SBY approves more detention requests

SBY approves more detention requestsJAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approved on Wednesday new requests from prosecutors to question and detain two regents and one mayor implicated in graft cases.

JP/20/DALANG

JP/20/DALANGHighlighting women in 'wayang'Indra Harsaputra The Jakarta Post/SurabayaThe woman puppeteer from Madiun remained silent for a moment before starting to work the wayang shadow puppets at this year's National Wayang Festival at the Cak Durasim Building, East Java Cultural Center,...

Local designs struggle against massive attack

Local designs struggle against massive attackJakarta's socialites still prefer Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga to creations by local fashion designers. Jakarta Post contributor Syahmedi Dean looks at the hits and misses of 2005 and finds that a bit of competition can be a good thing.

Govt to open tender for Kalimantan-Java gas pipeline

Govt to open tender for Kalimantan-Java gas pipelineLeony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, JakartaThe government will announce the opening of the much-debated tender for the special rights to build and operate a gas pipeline linking Kalimantan and Java on Thursday, signaling the priority to meet domestic...

Many local films, but has quality improved?

Many local films, but has quality improved?Lisabona Rahman and Paul F. Agusta, Contributors, JakartaIndonesian cinema saw an eventful year in 2005, with more than 50 titles either released or produced, making it the most prolific year in Indonesia's film history in almost a decade.

Ad spending grows slower as strategy shifts

Ad spending grows slower as strategy shiftsAnissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, JakartaWatch out for advertisement invasions! "There is not a single aspect of our lives that has not been bombarded with advertisements," 25-year-old interior designer Dita Eka said.

Indonesian politics in 2006

Indonesian politics in 2006Rizal Sukma Jakarta As Indonesia enters 2006, the general political outlook presents a rather positive picture. There are strong grounds to believe that national politics will be characterized more by continuity than by change.

Daft law on marriage unfair to foreigners

Daft law on marriage unfair to foreigners Dian Sasmita Bogor Four years ago, Gadjah Mada University economist Revrisond Baswier surprised the public with a proposal that the Ministry of Finance slap a heavy tax on marriages involving celebrities in Indonesia in order to discourage them from seeking...

Literature development highlights illiteracy

Literature development highlights illiteracyRiris K. Toha-Sarumpaet, Contributor, Jakarta At the turn of the year, amidst the blow dealt by expectations in life and the reality of literary developments in Indonesia, what absolutely needs to be emphasized the most?We agree that literature is not...

A year after the tsunami

A year after the tsunami A year has passed since the great earthquake generated a tsunami off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.The reconstruction of Aceh in northern Sumatra faces an uphill battle because the area was close to the epicenter and was destroyed by an incomparably more violent force.

Leaders must be responsive, but not thin-skinned

Leaders must be responsive, but not thin-skinnedArdimas Sasdi Jakarta Referring to the diatribes launched by some of the nation's most senior leaders in response to criticism, The Jakarta Post rightly observed recently that it is not easy being a democrat.

Recreating culture: A spectrum of spectacles

Recreating culture: A spectrum of spectacles Throughout the year, Indonesia's diversity -- whether seen in its ethnic cultures or in its cultural forms -- has found the spotlight on a variety of stages.

2006 as the year of economic consolidation

2006 as the year of economic consolidationDavid E. Sumual Jakarta Next year's economic difficulties are already becoming apparent. Early indications of the Indonesian economy losing its momentum are seen in slower-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the last two quarters as exports...

Terrorism in Indonesia

Terrorism in IndonesiaSidney Jones Jakarta 2005 brought a sobering reminder of the lethal power of terrorism: * 6 Indonesians shot as they slept in Ceram, Maluku on May 16; * 22 Indonesians killed by a bomb in a crowded Saturday morning market in Tentena, Central Sulawesi on May 28; * 14...

Jakarta's environment: Lessons from abroad

Jakarta's environment: Lessons from abroadEdward McMillan Jakarta Can you imagine paying a "congestion charge" every time you drive your car into the city centre? How about growing your own vegetables? Or using solar energy to heat your tap-water? How does paying for several dozen trees to be...

Muslims, minorities, and the state in Indonesia

Muslims, minorities, and the state in IndonesiaMuhamad Ali Manoa, Honolulu Indonesian Islam will remain moderate and tolerant by and large, but problems and challenges will continue to exist. The future of Indonesia depends on the ways in which the government and various Muslim groups actually act...

Challenges in the AG's anticorruption strategy

Challenges in the AG's anticorruption strategyMas Achmad Santosa and Nenad Bago, Jakarta The beginning of this month was marked by two remarkable events reflecting the Attorney General's anticorruption efforts.First, on Dec.

Books on radical Islam reflect diversity

Books on radical Islam reflect diversityKurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The size of the book store at the Paramadina Foundation office in Pondok Indah Plaza III, South Jakarta, is deceptive.The four-by-four square meter store looks too small to accommodate the diverse ideas of the many...

JP/yearend/PAPUA

JP/yearend/PAPUASpecial autonomy implementation in Papua treading water A'an Suryana The Jakarta Post/JakartaFour years after special autonomy legislation came into effect in Papua, it has been called a failure for not living up to the expectations of the people.

The fall of the Soeharto regime also saw economists lose their

The fall of the Soeharto regime also saw economists lose their traditional tools to analyze the economy. Under the centralized New Order system these were the causal relations between the creation of economic policy and interest groups.

Trends in internal security problems in 2006

Trends in internal security problems in 2006Ikrar Nusa Bhakti Jakarta The year 2005 will end in just a few days. During the year, Indonesia faced quite a number of internal security problems, such as the prolonged communal conflicts in Poso and Palu in Central Sulawesi, the terrorist attacks in...

City to test e-procurement system in February

City to test e-procurement system in FebruaryDamar Harsanto The Jakarta Post/Jakarta In a bid to minimize irregularities in city procurements, the Jakarta administration plans to test an online system for the procurement of goods and services in a number of city agencies starting next February.

Corruption busters

Corruption busters Corruption remains as prevalent in our society as it did two years ago. We have only seen marginal progress in the effort to convert the culture of payolas into one of responsible and accountable management.

No great expectations in sports for 2006

No great expectations in sports for 2006Bruce Emond Jakarta The sports year is scheduled to get off to a blazing start in January when the A1 motor racing competition stops by Sentul, Bogor.Hopefully, it will go off with a roar and not a sputter: There have been questions about the preparedness of...

'Tolerance is closely related to education'

'Tolerance is closely related to education'Despite the forced closures of a number of churches this year by hard-line Muslim groups, religious tolerance made a come back over Christmas when Muslim organizations helped with security at churches.

JP/20/image

JP/20/imageRecreating culture: A spectrum of spectacles Throughout the year, Indonesia's diversity -- whether seen in its ethnic cultures or in its cultural forms -- has found the spotlight on a variety of stages.

No great expectations in sports for 2006

No great expectations in sports for 2006Bruce Emond Jakarta The sports year is scheduled to get off to a blazing start in January when the A1 motor racing competition stops by Sentul, Bogor.Hopefully, it will go off with a roar and not a sputter: There have been questions about the preparedness of...

New Year in Bali to have Russian flavor

New Year in Bali to have Russian flavorRita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, DenpasarNew Year's Eve should be a festive event in Bali, with foreign visitors, Russians in particular, set to celebrate the holiday at luxury hotels and villas at the island's top destinations of Kuta, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua...

Religious freedom: Quo vadis?

Religious freedom: Quo vadis?Franz Magnis-Suseno SJ Jakarta 2005 has been a bad year for religious freedom in Indonesia. More regencies introduced regulations based on religious law, thereby disregarding the legislation that stipulates that religious matters are the exclusive prerogative of the...

Rice to visit Indonesia

Rice to visit IndonesiaThe Jakarta Post, JakartaU.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit Jakarta in the second week of January, an Indonesian government official confirmed on Wednesday.Rice's itinerary in Indonesia, however, has yet to be confirmed, said the official, who refused to be...

Bombings have devastated tourism in Bali

Bombings have devastated tourism in BaliRita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, KutaOnly a few days before the deadly bombing of Oct. 1, 2005, the tourism industry in Bali and other places in Indonesia was starting to enjoy robust business after three years of being in the doldrums.

Acehnese reprise their lives in new documentary

Acehnese reprise their lives in new documentaryJP/18/ACEHAcehnese reprise their lives in new documentaryThe Jakarta Post Jakarta The suffering inflicted by the tsunami in Aceh could provide enough material for thousands of films based on the survivors efforts to come to terms with the...

Prospects for 2006

Prospects for 2006Jusuf Wanandi Jakarta I was not a supporter of Susilo Bamang Yudhoyono (SBY) during the presidential election campaign, because I thought that he would not be a decisive leader. However, now I have to admit, that while not a perfect and decisive leader, he has shown more...

The importance of ratifying the anticorruption convention

The importance of ratifying the anticorruption conventionAdnan Topan Husodo, Jakarta Some time ago, on Dec. 9, 2005, the world commemorated Anticorruption Day. That date was chosen because on Dec. 9, 2003, in Merida, Mexico, the United Nations inaugurated the Convention against Corruption.

A baby for the whole clan

A baby for the whole clanI Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, BaliIn Bali, the birth of a baby brings joy not only to the parents but also the entire clan. This affectionate display of communal happiness can be seen in the traditional Balinese Hindu ritual Ngotonin.

Green Jakarta not a utopia

Green Jakarta not a utopia Nirwono Joga Jakarta Jakarta is heading toward ecological suicide. Soil subsidence has reached a depth of 40 centimeters in North, West and Central Jakarta. Seawater intrusion has led to the structural corrosion of buildings and flyovers while the contamination of...

A better economic outlook possible in the year ahead

A better economic outlook possible in the year aheadUmar Juoro Jakarta Eventually, the government decided to put a brake on fuel subsidy spending by raising fuel prices on average by 126 percent on Oct. 1. As a consequence, inflation in that month rose to 8.

Fortune sees revenue up 30% in 2006

Fortune sees revenue up 30% in 2006The Jakarta Post, JakartaPT Fortune Indonesia, a publicly listed communication services provider, expects revenue growth of up to 30 percent next year -- higher than this year's 7 percent growth -- betting in particular on its public relations division.

Beyond well enough

Beyond well enoughArya B. Gaduh Jakarta The economy did rather well in 2005. Estimates by the Asian Development Bank put its growth above that of the regional (Southeast Asian) average and its ASEAN-5 neighbors.