Indonesians all over the country have taken to the streets today on the one-year anniversary of Yudhoyono’s re-election, not for something the president has done, but for everything he hasn’t done, writes Angela Dewan.
Indonesia
Timor-Leste: mohawks and a touch of the untouched
Timor-Leste is not for the unadventurous — it has little tourist infrastructure, the language barrier can be a challenge, the US dollar means that it’s expensive when the Aussie dollar’s not doing so well, it’s hot and dirty. But there’s much beauty amongst it, discovers Rebecca Arnold.
Malaysia’s maid problem
Sometimes our South East Asian neighbours seem a lot further away, says W H Chong: Indonesia has imposed a moratorium on sending its citizens to work in Malaysia as maids, and Malaysians are very annoyed.
Border security gets a billion
The government has put its money where its mouth is when it comes to backing its increasingly hardline rhetoric on border security, flagging $1.2 billion Australia’s borders.
The four women left behind
The Padang earthquake that shook Indonesia in September 2009 resulted in deadly mudslides. Patrick Tombola shows the four remaining women peering out over their destroyed village.
Why did the Merak asylum seekers get off their boat?
Yesterday saw an end to the stand-off between Indonesian immigration officials and over a hundred Sri Lankan asylum seekers who have been on a boat at the port of Merak since October. So how were they convinced to leave? asks Crikey intern Elizabeth Redman.
A Bali without bogans, touts or yoga
Ashlee Betteridge reports from Bali on its day of silence to mark the beginning of the Hindi Saka New Year. Yes, commercialism does take a back seat in Bali, at least once a year.
Yudhoyono: Prepare for the Asian century
Indonesia is “more than a beach playground with coconut trees” or a “hotbed of Islamic extremism”. Australia needs to ditch the stereotypes, said Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a speech to parliament.
Sheridan: Nice neighbourly visit but no substance
The visit by Indonesia president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been a positive love fest for all involved, writes Greg Sheridan. But Tony Abbott has been outshining our wannabe statesmen PM.
Rudd and Yudhoyono: We’re the greatest of pals
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Kevin Rudd have jointly penned a slightly odd op-ed on the “enduring partnership” between Australia and Indonesia.
must read Want to settle in Australia? There’s a 40 year wait
A new generation of ‘lost boys’ has emerged, with Afghanistan children being smuggled out by their parents to avoid the Taliban, but instead ending up in an endless refugee queue in Indonesia. Why isn’t Australia helping? asks Pamela Curr.
How Oceanic Viking sunk our relationship with Indonesia
Most of the Oceanic Viking refugees are now resettled in Australia, thanks to pressure applied by Kevin Rudd. But pity those 255 Tamils waiting in Merak, because Rudd has used up all Indonesia’s good will, writes Paul Maley.
Inside Indonesia’s detention centres
Pamela Curr takes you inside Indonesia’s detention centres, where detainees are fed and watered and housed like cattle, and violence and corruption are rife.
How to balance the human stories against the hard rhetoric
With the focus on leadership spills and Copenahgen, people smuggling has been put on the political backburner. But expect refugees to be an even more bloody election battle than climate change, says Suvendrini Perera.
Shirley Shackleton: We must end the deeply humiliating scandal of Balibo
I wonder what pressure in being brought to force Purwanto to become the fall guy for his senior officers by creating mediocre versions of the murders, none of which are credible, writes Shirley Shackleton, writer and activist for East Timor.
Balibo banned in Indonesia
The Australian film Balibo was supposed to be shown at the Jakarta International Film Festival on Tuesday, but was blocked last minute by the Indonesian censorship board.
How Indonesia can become a global superpower
With a lot of land, a lot of people, a big army and a growing pool of cash, Indonesia could be ready to emerge as a world superpower, on par with China, India, Russia and the United States says The Jakarta Post.
Howard’s ghost haunts refugee law
Australia does not have any legal responsibility for refugee claims for the Sri Lankans on board the Oceanic Viking because they were found in Indonesian waters, writes law professor Don Rothwell. But what happens when a situation doesn’t fit the law?
Bartlett: A call to stop mandatory detention for people smugglers
Anyone caught assisting with the unlawful entrance of asylum seekers to Australia is brandished a people smuggler and receives mandatory detention. Is Indonesia’s unhappiness at Australia imprisoning some of their poorest damaging our diplomatic relations? asks Andrew Bartlett.
Getting help from Indonesia was a tactical mistake
Lengthy mandatory detention isn’t the biggest deterrent for asylum seekers, governments turning back boats is, says Peter Mares. The most humane thing Rudd can do is stop the boats coming, because otherwise deaths will simply increase.
Let’s not abandon them to die at sea
Another boat has sunk, leaving desperate asylum seekers to drown in their attempts to get a better life. Amongst all the tough talking and negotiations with Indonesia, we mustn’t forget ourselves as a civilised nation, writes Tony Kevin.
Sheridan: Being hypocritical appears to be the Australian Solution
So, Indonesia did Australia a favour by agreeing to take boat people and house them in their detention centres and all they’ve got from it is a bunch of bad publicity? Time for the lefties to get over the fanatical hypocrisy and stop supporting people smugglers, writes Greg Sheridan.
Downer: The delight I feel watching Rudd mess it up
Alexander Downer is loving the schadenfreude of seeing Kevin Rudd battle Indonesia over asylum seekers. He should have learnt from Tampa that negotiating with Indonesia on refugees is never a good idea.
Best to stay on the boat and avoid Indonesia’s corruption
Indonesia has a notoriously corrupt justice system, yet we have agreed to send innocent people seeking asylum in Australia there. Angela Dewan explores the overcrowded, under funded and crooked Indonesian jails.
