JAKARTA, July 17, 2007 (AFP) – When Singapore’s Dr Love invites you up to his hotel room, you don’t say no. And once you’re inside, he doesn’t disappoint. The doctor’s got plans for educating close to the entire world about sex. The starting point is his laptop — and Indonesia. Wei Siang Yu, nicknamed "Dr…
Read moreIndonesia’s new investment stance: a confusing step forward?
JAKARTA, July 15, 2007 (AFP) – Indonesia’s new list of foreign investment limits by sector has caused head-scratching among investors. But analysts and the government say that despite confusion, it is a step towards untangling the infamous bureaucracy of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Indonesia is seeking to court foreign investment, with leaders insisting they are…
Read moreIndonesia winning plaudits in post-9/11 terrorism battle
JAKARTA, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) – The Bali bombings brought the horror of September 11 to Asia, but Indonesia took a different approach to the United States in tackling the Al-Qaeda threat which has met with considerable success. The 2002 blasts on Indonesia’s palm-fringed island of Bali claimed the lives of 202 people, mostly western…
Read moreJI weakened by arrests, but could rebound: analysts
JAKARTA, June 16, 2007 (AFP) – Indonesia’s capture of the leader and military boss of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah has dealt the network a major blow but it still has the ability to bounce back, analysts say. Indonesia’s anti-terror police announced Friday they were holding in custody Zarkasi, an Indonesian-born veteran of the…
Read moreHistory of neglect gives East Timor’s coffee an edge
ERMERA – Machete in hand, farmer Nando Santosbaros rests as rain patters on the majestic shade trees sheltering his organic coffee cherries in East Timor. Though he hasn’t heard of them, and their jazz-infused stores are a world away, global coffee chain Starbucks is one of his biggest fans as hip caffeine addicts seek out…
Read moreIn world’s youngest nation, soccer unites
DILI – Eleven-year-old Nuno de Oliveira intently watches a late afternoon football match on a muddy, barely marked field in East Timor’s capital. One day, he hopes to don the red and yellow shirt of his fledgling nation. "I like to watch them pass the ball around. The way they pass it, it’s cool," says…
Read moreEast Timor’s first couple: from rebels to royals
DILI – He was a political prisoner. She was an activist. Together they sought to end the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Now Xanana Gusmao is free and president of the worlds newest nation while Kirsty Sword is his wife and the countrys First Lady. They talk to Jakarta News Editor Samantha Brown about how…
Read moreCigarette museum proves unlikely Indonesian tourism attraction
SURABAYA, Indonesia – The sweet, pungent scent of cloves and tobacco hangs heavy in the air as women paste, roll and snip cigarettes, their fingers flying faster than the eye can follow as tourists observe the public face of one of Indonesia’s most successful companies. Staring down the global trend towards demonising tobacco, Sampoerna, which…
Read moreIndonesia faces more disasters unless government reforests: activists
JAKARTA – Landslides and flash floods which may have killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Java this week will be repeated unless the government reforests denuded areas, activists warned Wednesday. Sixteen people were confirmed dead but up to 200 were feared killed after tons of mud slammed into a village in Central Java Wednesday,…
Read moreTerrorist’s last hideout a tourism boon to sleepy Indonesian town
BATU, Indonesia – A huge banner points the way to Indonesia’s latest tourist attraction: the shattered remains of the house where Azahari Husin, one of Asia’s most-wanted terrorists, spent his last hours. "From the first day until today, it’s been non-stop. And it’s been 42 days," 35-year-old Danny says as he does a brisk trade…
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