· January, 2009

Stories about Indonesia from January, 2009

Rohingya Muslims facing cultural genocide

  30 January 2009

Prof. Marranci writes that Rohingya Muslims are “victims of their lack of strategic value, both for their native Southeast Asia and the wider international community.” The Rohingyas are also “facing a slow, silent cultural genocide.”

Indonesia: Chinese New Year Celebration

  26 January 2009

For more than three decades, the Indonesian Chinese have been forbidden to express their culture. Thanks to President Wahid in 2000 who annulled the discrimination against the Chinese and all the minority in general, the Indonesian Chinese now can express their culture openly.

Indonesia: Blaze at Jakarta's main fuel tank

  19 January 2009

Devi Girsang talks about the recent fire at Pertamina‘s fuel tank in Jakarta. Since Indonesia is now preparing for legislative and presidential elections this year, speculations among common people spread out that the incident was not merely an accident.

Indonesia: Flooding in 13 provinces

  17 January 2009

Thirteen Indonesian provinces experienced flooding the past week due to torrential rains. The disaster has claimed the lives of 14 people while three others are still missing. More than 50,000 people have to be evacuated. Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, is under up to two meters of water.

Southeast Asia: Ship of dreams and friendship

  16 January 2009

Take a luxury cruise liner, fill it with some 300 vibrant youths from Southeast Asia and Japan, stir in cultural agenda and social interactions. The result: a strong bond and lifetime friendship. This is the story of the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme.

Indonesia: Facebook users on the rise

  11 January 2009

Budiputra reports that Facebook in Indonesia registered a growth rate of 645 percent in 2008. Indonesia has been the fastest growing country on Facebook in Southeast Asia. However, Friendster is still the most popular networking site in the country.

Indonesia: Indonesian Bloggers Respond to Gaza Attack

  4 January 2009

Israel-Hamas conflict escalation has entered second week; as casualties climbing to around 400 dead and over 2000 people injured. Reactions have also spread across the Indonesian blogosphere. Opinions are mainly pro-Palestinian ones, much of them directed against Israel's military answer to militant Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.