Spelling out the United States’ foreign policy initiatives for the immediate future, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday said that Washington would put special emphasis on encouraging major and emerging global powers – China, India, Russia and Brazil, as well as Turkey, Indonesia, and South Africa – to be full partners in tackling the global [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Indonesia’
US will encourage India, China and Russia to tackle global agenda: Clinton
July 16th, 2009 |
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EU lifts Indonesian airline ban
July 14th, 2009 |
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The European Commission has taken Garuda Airlines and three other Indonesian carriers off its aviation blacklist, citing safety improvements.
The EU banned all Indonesia-based jets from its airspace in July 2007, after a series of air crashes in Indonesia.
The Yemeni airline, Yemenia, is not on the new list, despite safety concerns raised after one of its aircraft crashed last month, killing 152 people.
Many of the airlines blacklisted by the EU are African or Central Asian.
A Commission statement said "significant improvements and accomplishments of the Indonesian civil aviation authority are recognised in the area of safety".
Apart from Garuda, the ban was lifted on Airfast Indonesia, Mandala Airlines and Premiair.
The statement also said TAAG Angola Airlines could now operate again into Portugal "only with certain aircraft and under very strict conditions".
EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani repeated his call for an international blacklist of airlines deemed to be unsafe.
He first proposed such a list after it emerged that the Yemenia jet that crashed off the Comoros had previously given EU inspectors cause for concern.
"It is high time that the international community rethinks its safety policy; those airlines which are unsafe should not be allowed to fly anywhere," he said in a statement.
"We should gradually move towards an international strategy based on co-operation between countries around the world."</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Al-Qaida threatens China over Uighur deaths
July 14th, 2009 |
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Algeria-based group issues threat to Chinese workers and projects within north Africa in retaliation for Uighur deaths
Al-Qaida’s north African wing has threatened to target Chinese workers and projects in the region in retaliation for Muslim deaths in Urumqi last week.
It is the first time Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network has directly targeted Chinese interests, according to experts at a London-based risk analysis firm.
Stirling Assynt’s report says that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) – based in Algeria – has issued a call for vengeance, basing its statement on information from people who have seen the instruction.
But the assessment does not suggest there is any direct link between Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province and al-Qaida. It also suggests it is unlikely that al-Qaida’s central leadership has decided to stage attacks within China.
Justin Crump, head of terrorism and country risk at Stirling Assynt, said: “For al-Qaida central, it is really not in their interests or part of their plan at all. I think you will see action where it is easy by al-Qaida franchises, but it won’t be al-Qaida policy.
“Strategically it would be highly counter-productive for them if you look at the fact their main assets are in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
He suggested that AQIM’s decision was partly “opportunistic”, reflecting the ease with which they could target Chinese nationals and anger in some Muslim communities worldwide. Indonesia saw anti-Chinese protests yesterday.
At least 184 people were killed and 1,680 injured in the inter-ethnic violence in Urumqi, which first broke out on 5 July, officials say. According to government figures 137 were Han Chinese, 46 Uighurs and one a Hui man. But Uighurs have alleged that far more of them died – either in a crackdown by security forces or at the hands of Han Chinese during revenge attacks for vicious assaults by Uighurs.
Muslim Uighurs make up almost half the 21-million population of China’s vast north-western region of Xinjiang. Many have long chafed at strict rules restricting their religion, which include banning under-18s from mosques, as well as Han migration and policies which they believe favour Han Chinese.
“Although AQIM appear to be the first arm of al-Qaida to officially state they will target Chinese interests, others are likely to follow,” adds the note.
“The general situation (and perceived plight) of China’s Muslims has resonated amongst the global jihadist community. There is an increasing amount of chatter … among jihadists who claim they want to see action against China. Some of these individuals have been actively seeking information on China’s interests in the Muslim world, which they could use for targeting purposes.”
Stirling Assynt estimates that hundreds of thousands of Chinese work in the Middle East and north Africa, including 50,000 in Algeria alone.
The firm’s report points out that AQIM attacked an Algerian security convoy protecting Chinese engineers on a motorway project three weeks ago, killing 24 paramilitary police. The workers themselves were not targeted or injured, but the note adds: “Future attacks of this kind are likely to target security forces and Chinese engineers alike.”
It also suggested that other al-Qaida groups in the Arabian peninsula “could well target Chinese projects in Yemen”.
Despite the huge security presence in Urumqi, violence broke out again yesterday. Officials said police shot dead two Uighur men armed with knives and sticks and injured a third as the trio attacked another Uighur man.
But a Han man in the area told the Associated Press that he saw three Uighurs with knives come out of a mosque and attack paramilitary police.
In a separate development, more than 100 Chinese writers and intellectuals have signed a letter calling for the release of an outspoken Uighur economist who disappeared from his Beijing home last week and is believed to be detained.
“Professor Ilham Tohti is an Uighur intellectual who devoted himself to friendship between ethnic groups and eradicating conflicts between them. He should not be taken as a criminal,” said the letter, posted online yesterday.
Xinjiang’s governor accused Tohti’s website of helping “to orchestrate the incitement” of last week’s riot – but the letter’s authors said it was an important site for dialogue between Han Chinese and Uighurs.
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Doubts emerge over Papua killings
July 14th, 2009 |
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The rebel Free Papua Movement has denied any role in the shooting of an Australian at a mine in Indonesia.
Drew Grant was killed near the huge Freeport gold and copper mine, where he worked, in Papua province on Saturday.
Autopsies have suggested evidence may have been altered, and police said that the bullets used were military issue.
The revelations have raised doubts about official accusations that the separatist rebels were to blame for this and two other fatal shootings.
A security guard was killed on Sunday, and the body of a policeman found on Monday, near the mine operated by an Indonesian subsidiary of the US company Freeport McMoran, in the Timika district of Papua.
The Timika commander of Free Papua Movement (OPM), Kelly Kwalik, told the Jakarta Globe newspaper that his fighters neither had the desire, nor the equipment, for the attacks.
Yorris Raweyai, a Papuan lawmaker in the national parliament, dismissed claims that the separatist movement was responsible for the deaths.
"We know the OPM has been labelled as a troublemaker in Papua for four decades. But we also know that they have no guns and fight for their struggle peacefully," he said.
‘Possible manipulation’
Police have confirmed that high-powered weapons issued to military and police were used in the shootings.
Analysts have noted that Freeport is a lucrative posting for Indonesian security forces – they are paid by the mining company and also earn large amounts of money by charging money to local illegal miners.
Some analysts have suggested that the military could loosen its powerful grip on the region following the re-election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Abdul Munim Idris, the doctor who conducted the autopsy on Mr Grant’s body, said that fragments of bullets were found in the body, but no whole bullets.
Asked whether there was any evidence the body had been manipulated, he said: "It’s possible," the radio station reported.
Mr Grant’s body has now been returned to Australia. His wife, Lauren, recently gave birth to their first baby.
Australian Federal Police are in Indonesia assisting in the investigation of Mr Grant’s murder.
Separatist sentiment in Papua has been focused in recent years on calls for a referendum – similar to that held in East Timor in 1999 – to allow Papuans to decide if their resource-rich region should stay in Indonesia.
The former Dutch colony was absorbed into Indonesia in 1969 after a vote by selected elders widely seen as flawed. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Indonesia deaths spotlight murky history of gold mine
July 14th, 2009 |
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A series of killings in the remote highlands of Indonesia’s Papua region have thrown a spotlight on the murky history of a massive US-owned mine sitting atop the world’s biggest haul of gold. Two workers of Arizona-based mining giant Freeport McMoRan, including a  29-year-old Australian
Stephen Fry admits illegal download
July 13th, 2009 |
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TV host says he downloaded show starring his former comedy partner Hugh Laurie because he could not get a legal copy
Stephen Fry has admitted illegally downloading House, the hit US show that stars his former comedy partner Hugh Laurie.
The QI host told an audience in London that he had used the bittorrent system to get a copy of Laurie’s show House.
Speaking at the iTunes Festival in London’s Roundhouse, Fry said: “The last thing I illegally downloaded. Was it a gay sex romp? … It was the season finale of House.”
The website stuff.tv said Fry pointed out he had legally downloaded the entire series but was in Indonesia and unable to download a legitimate copy of the final episode.
Asked how he felt about his own work being pirated, Fry, who has written about technology for the Guardian, said: “I’m against cynical bootlegging but I work in a very mollycoddled, overpaid business.”
Fry was invited to speak about copyright and the future of music as part of the free festival, sharing a bill with bands such as The Temper Trap and Mumford & Sons.
After his speech, he said he was not suggesting people should simply help themselves to downloads. On Twitter, he said: “Hope I’m not misunderstood. Such a pity if I get misrepresented as a ‘help yourself and be a pirate’ advocate …”
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Third body found near Papua mine
July 13th, 2009 |
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The body of a policeman has been found near a US Freeport gold mine in the Indonesian province of Papua, raising the recent death toll there to three.
Indonesia has increased its deployment of security forces to the province after the death of two mine employees.
The unexplained series of shootings began over the weekend.
The mine has previously been a target of Papuan separatist anger, but has also been the site of fighting between soldiers and police.
On Saturday, a 29-year old Australian employee of Freeport Mining was shot at and killed by unknown attackers while he was travelling in a Freeport vehicle at dawn, reportedly as he was on his way to play golf.
On Sunday, a Freeport security guard died after a gun battle reportedly broke out between Indonesian police and unknown attackers. The shooting took place near Freeport’s Grasberg mining complex, one of the world’s largest producers of copper and gold.
Freeport Mining’s Indonesian spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan says that security has been tightened in the area and that the mine’s operations have not been disturbed.
Mr Pangaribuan told the BBC’s Indonesia correspondent Karishma Vaswani that these are the first fatal shootings of Freeport employees since the killing of two American workers at the firm in 2002.
The huge Grasberg mine is a source of friction with local people, who have complained about its environmental impact and their share of any revenue generated by the company.
Separatist insurgents have also been active in resource-rich Papua province since the end of Dutch colonial rule in 1962. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Food fight
July 13th, 2009 |
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Mark Gregory
International business reporter, BBC World Service
Food prices soared in 2007 and early 2008, throwing hundreds of millions of people around the world into poverty.
Rioting took place in Egypt, India, Indonesia and other countries over the rising cost of rice and wheat.
Since last year’s peak, trends in global food price have been more complex.
But despite this, the BBC’s own research suggests rising food costs remain a major problem for lots of people in lots of places.
In 2007 and early 2008, various factors were at work. There were poor harvests in grain producing countries. Rising oil prices led to increased transport and production costs.
At the same time, an increased use of biofuels meant less land was available for growing food.
Finally, there were increases in food demand in some emerging economies, notably China, coupled with changes in diets – meat uses more resources to produce than grain.
As a measure of the scale of these cost increases, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) food price index rose 82% over two years, reaching its highest level in June 2008.
This index measures the movement of wholesale prices of five basic food categories: meat, dairy, cereals, sugar and oils & fats.
What’s happened since
Since last year’s peak, some of the factors that caused food prices to shoot up so rapidly have gone into reverse.
Poor harvests have given way to bumper crops. For example, the 2008 global wheat harvest was the best on record.
This year’s wheat harvest is likely to be the second best yet, despite crop failures in Argentina.
Recession in many countries has taken the pressure off demand for food products.
Oil prices have also dropped, lowering food transport and production
Concerns remain
Despite these trends, the BBC’s own research suggests rising food costs remain an issue for many people.
TAKING THE PULSE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY- The BBC is Taking the Pulse of the Global Economy, looking at a range of subjects this summer
- Food prices – which remain a concern particularly in many developing economies
- Highly volatile energy prices – which have been a major issue in the past year
- The plight of migrant workers – as the global recession takes hold in many economies
- Housing markets – which have turned from boom to bust in many countries
- Rising unemployment levels – as firms cut back because of falling orders
For the last 12 monthsthe BBC Food Price Indexhas been tracking what shoppers pay for some basic foods in seven cities: Washington DC, Delhi, Jakarta, Brussels, Buenos Ares, Nairobi and Moscow.
Overall, prices have risen by a bit less than 5% over the period of the survey.
But there are some remarkable differences between cities.
In Nairobi, our index suggests food prices rose by nearly a third. In Buenos Aires, the increase was almost a fifth. Both these cities are in the developing world.
However, in the two wealthiest cities, Washington and Brussels, the cost of staple products actually fell sharply – by 17% in the US capital and by 10% in Europe’s hub.
Our survey is not comprehensive, but it may illustrate underlying trends.
Price puzzle
Other data suggests global food prices fell very sharply towards the end last year as many economies went into recession, but have since begun to climb again, although not to last year’s levels.
In May 2009, the FAO’s food price index was 29% below its peak in June 2008. However, the May figure was nearly 10% above the very lowest point reached in February 2009.
The FAO points out that although international food prices have come down from record highs in 2008, they have yet to drop to their levels before the food crisis, and the risk of price volatility remains.
The organisation says the cost of basic staple foods in developing nations remain "stubbornly high" by past standards.
Another important point is that the current economic slowdown has cut many people’s purchasing power – they’ve lost their jobs or seen their incomes cut.
This means they may find it just as difficult to pay for food as they did last year when food prices were higher.
It is something of a puzzle to explain why food prices have started to rise again.
Many economies are in recession, which should mean less demand for food, and global crop yields are generally high.
Some commentators say the fact that food prices remain relatively high in these circumstances suggests there has been a structural shift in the balance of supply and demand for food.
It may be that long term factors such as population growth and increased meat consumption among the new middle class in emerging economies mean food prices will remain permanently higher than before the crisis of 2007/08.
Click here for more from BBC World Service on Taking the Pulse of the Global Economy
</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Australian killed near Papua mine
July 11th, 2009 |
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An Australian man has been shot dead near the Grasberg mine in Indonesia’s restive Papua province, say reports.
The man is reported to have been an engineer working at the gold and copper mine – one of the world’s largest – owned by US giant Freeport McMoRan.
The mine has been a frequent source of unrest over its impact on the environment and the proportion of its revenues going to local people.
In 2002, two American teachers were shot dead in an ambush at the facility.
In a statement, Freeport McMoRan said a shot had been fired at one of its vehicles in the early hours of the morning.
The man who was killed had been sitting in the back of the vehicle and none of the other passengers was injured, said the company.
Police chief Bagus Ekodanto told Reuters the shooting had happened on the road between Tembagapura and Timika.
It is not clear who carried out the attack.
The resource-rich Papua province has been embroiled in separatist insurgency since the end of Dutch colonial rule in 1962.
Supporters of Papua independence see the mine – which has some of the world’s largest recoverable copper and gold reserves – as a symbol of unfair rule from Jakarta.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Australian shot dead near Freeport Papua mine
July 11th, 2009 |
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An Australian worker has been shot dead near the massive Grasberg mine in Indonesia’s Papua province run by a unit of Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, Papua’s police chief said on Saturday. “An Australian working for Freeport got shot at 5.30 this morning,” police chief Bagus Ekodanto said
Indonesia’s traffic nightmare goes from bad to worse
July 11th, 2009 |
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New laws requiring disabled pedestrians to wear traffic signs have met with frustration and derision in Indonesia, where in the eyes of the law cars have taken priority over people. The laws will do nothing to improve road safety or ease the traffic that is choking the life out of the capital
The Tiger Could Lose Its Roar
November 12th, 2007 |
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M’sia needs to work harder and faster if it does not want to be left
behind: Analyst
William Pesek
Those wondering where Malaysia is headed should keep an eye on Mr Tony
Fernandes.
Perhaps no one personifies the promise of Asia’s 10th-biggest economy
better than the 43-year-old entrepreneur. In 2001, he created a budget
airline, beating the odds in an industry dominated by government-linked
companies. AirAsia has been turning heads ever since.
Airline magnate Aristotle Onassis once said the key to succeeding in
business is knowing something others don’t. Mr Fernandes knew that not
only were Asians ready for no-frills carriers, but so were investors.
Mr Fernandes is often called South-east Asia’s answer to Mr Richard
Branson. It seems highly appropriate, then, that the two men teamed to
launch AirAsia X, a long-haul budget carrier that made its maiden flight
this month. Mr Branson’s Virgin Group is among its key backers.
For all his success, Mr Fernandes is a microcosm of why Malaysia’s economy
isn’t on the upward trajectory it could be.
Politicians’ efforts over the years to protect the turf of Malaysia
Airlines (MAS) backfired, leaving Kuala Lumpur lagging behind in the race
for Asia’s travel hub. Malaysia has tied one hand behind its back to help
national champions at the expense of the bigger picture.
“I’m asking this for national interest, not MAS’ interest or that of
anything else,” said Mr Fernandes of his battle to fly from Kuala Lumpur
to Singapore. “The consumers have suffered enough.”
Politicians continue to dither over another national champion:
State-controlled carmaker Proton Holdings. While talks on an alliance with
Volkswagen AG are progressing, the saga is a reminder that Malaysia’s
leaders are wasting time the nation doesn’t have.
In Proton’s case, the exercise is about finding a partner to help revive
sales and return the 24-year-old company to profit. Yet this, like Mr
Fernandes’ fight to expand his innovative airline, is emblematic of how
politicians often don’t grasp that Malaysia’s place in Asia is rather
tenuous.
Malaysia is a remarkable place with incredible potential. Its economy has
achieved great things in the 50 years since independence from Britain.
Once a tropical backwater, Kuala Lumpur is now a modern, skyscraper-filled
city home to the world’s second-tallest buildings, the twin Petronas
Towers.
Yet, the next 50 years will arguably be harder than the last. It wasn’t
one of the original Asian tigers, but Malaysia became one over the years.
However, “the world is moving ahead at a rapid pace and it won’t wait for
Malaysia”, said Mr Razlan Mohamed, chief executive of Malaysian Rating
Corp. The nation “needs to work harder and work faster”.
Ms Chrisanne Chin from MIMS Business School, Malaysian Institute of
Management and INTI University College, puts it this way: “It’s not so
much what Malaysia is lacking, but that China, India, Vietnam and even
Thailand and Indonesia have improved so much they are capable of
leapfrogging Malaysia in another five years because of specific
comparative advantages, from low costs to human capital to technology.”
Human capital is a particular concern. The government needs to do more to
train the leaders of tomorrow and import the talent that companies need to
thrive. It also has to win more of the foreign direct investment flowing
elsewhere in Asia.
There is much backslapping about how the US$147-billion ($213-billion)
economy may expand 6 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent next year. The
real picture can be found in the World Economic Forum’s latest
competitiveness survey, in which Malaysia slipped two spots to 21st place.
A huge obstacle for Malaysia is something that can barely be discussed: A
37-year-old affirmative-action programme favouring the predominant Malay
community.
It alienates non-Malays, limits foreign investment, stifles competition
and keeps the economy from moving toward a meritocracy. Yet, it is a
third-rail issue. Most Malaysians won’t even discuss it without first
looking around to see who is listening.
A sense of political drift doesn’t help. Four years in office, Prime
Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has spent more time trying to solidify the
influence of his political party – the United Malays National
Organisation – than bringing Malaysia’s economy to the next level.
For a glimpse of the future, one could do worse than ask Mr Ramon
Navaratnam, president of anti-corruption group Transparency International
Malaysia and author of the book, Where to, Malaysia?, who has this to say:
“The future is bright, but only if we are honest with ourselves that we
have a lot of difficult work to do … Otherwise, we will see the rest of
Asia pulling ahead and Malaysia walking in place.”
William Pesek is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are
his own.
Globalroundup
November 12th, 2007 |
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M’sians’ kindness backfiring: PM
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that the problem
of rising numbers of illegal immigrants in the eastern state of Sabah was
due to the kindness of locals offering them shelter and jobs, a news
report said yesterday.
Located on Borneo island, Sabah shares a border with Indonesia and has a
large number of illegal Filipino immigrants.
“If our people … want to accept them, give shelter, give work, then they
will continue to come.
” Malaysian people are always very kind, very generous, and that becomes a
problem sometimes,” Mr Abdullah said. – DPA
Copycat YouTube massacre threat
Finnish police have detained a teenage boy who allegedly posted a video on
YouTube threatening a massacre similar to the one that occurred last week
at a high school in Finland.
The 16-year-old posted a 30-second-long video showing his “school and a
person with a weapon in hand”, a police spokesman said. He said the teen
had told police “it was a joke, that he had no intention” of carrying out
the massacre.
Teen killer Pekka-Eric Auvinen posted a video threat on YouTube two days
before the murders at a Finnish school last week. He killed himself after
the shootings. – AFP
6 Key Steps To Meet S’pore’s Energy Needs
November 12th, 2007 |
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Lin Yanqin and Esther Fung
yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg
SPIRALLING oil prices, growing global demand for energy, limited and
uncertain supplies from oil-producing countries, climate change from
greenhouse gas emissions – these are the challenges faced by a Singapore
dependent on imports for energy needs.
But even if Singapore has to be a “price-taker” in meeting its energy
needs, it can still turn “energy challenges” into “energy opportunities”.
To help make this happen, a master plan – outlined in the National Energy
Policy Report – was unveiled by the Minister for Trade and Industry Lim
Hng Kiang yesterday, with six strategies mapped out for Singapore’s energy
future.
Steps will be taken to improve energy security by diversifying energy
sources and the mix of fuels currently used to generate electricity. Plans
are also in place to grow the value-add of the energy industry, now worth
$20 billion, into a $34-billion industry by 2015, and triple the number of
jobs to 15,300.
“There’s very little we can do to affect worldwide demand and supply,”
said Mr Lim after unveiling the details of the energy policy at the
Singapore Electricity Roundtable. “The best solution is a long-term one,
towards efficiency, conservation and a competitive market.”
Traditional strengths like oil- refining and trading would continue to
grow, while others like renewable energy and the trading of energy
products have been identified as growth areas.
More than $300 million has been committed to boost Singapore’s energy
research and development capabilities, such as the Economic Development
Board’s $17-million Clean Energy Research and Test-bedding Programme.
A clean energy scholarship programme to fund some 130 Masters and PhD
students over the next five years for study and research in local and top
foreign universities was also announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
at the opening of a separate event, Global Entrepolis, yesterday.
Diversifying Singapore’s energy supplies was a key strategy of the
framework, Mr Lim said.
Currently, more than three-quarters of Singapore’s electricity is
generated from piped natural gas (PNG) from Malaysia and Indonesia. But
rising domestic demand means that these countries might not be able to
continue PNG exports to Singapore.
Thus, developments, such as the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on
Jurong Island, where construction will begin in 2009, will allow Singapore
to source further for LNG, which can be transported over long distances,
to meet energy needs by 2012.
Singapore will continue to rely on natural gas for energy, Mr Lim said.
“Hydro, geothermal and wind power are not available in Singapore, while
nuclear energy is not feasible due to (Singapore’s) small size.” Solar and
coal power, on the other hand, have potential, but face cost and
technological barriers.
The framework also aims to improve Singapore’s energy efficiency, promote
competition in the energy market, boost international cooperation and get
all government agencies involved in shaping energy policy.
The energy industry regulator, Energy Market Authority, will take on a
more developmental role in policy planning and develop cooperation with in
ternational organisations.
The Energy Studies Institute, which was launched yesterday, will conduct
research in energy economics, energy security, and the environment.
Also underway is the pilot-testing of the Electricity Vending System,
where consumers can choose how much electricity they want to buy.
Trade-offs between the objectives of economic competitiveness, energy
security and environmental sustainability are inevitable, but where they
converge, they should be exploited, said Mr Lim.