THE Indonesian and international press have been extensively covering the story of the teenaged US-Indonesian model, Manohara Odelia Pinot, who has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, following her dramatic escape with the help of the Singapore police. Manohara has claimed […]
Indonesia
Anti-corruption measures “ineffective”
By Deborah LohKUALA LUMPUR, 3 June 2009: Indonesia appears to be fighting corruption more effectively than Malaysia, based on a public perceptions survey by Transparency International (TI). Once looked down upon as a bribery-prone country, more Indonesians, at 74%, are confident that their government’s actions to stem corruption have proven effective, compared to only 28% of Malaysians. […]
Human trafficking rampant off Pengerang
JOHOR BARU, 2 June 2009: Stricter surveillance must be conducted off Pengerang on Johor’s east coast as its proximity to a group of Indonesian islands makes it a favourite haunt for human trafficking syndicates, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said. Its southern region chief, Admiral Che Hassan Jusoh, said the recent drowning of foreigners recently […]
Scholar: Forced conversions un-Islamic
By Shanon ShahPETALING JAYA, 22 Apr 2009: Forcing minors to convert to Islam is un-Islamic, leading Islamic scholar Prof Dr Mohammad Hashim Kamali said today at a public lecture. “Those who use Islam for purposes not germane to aqidah (articles of faith), for example to legitimise marriage, divorce, or win custody battles over children, are misusing the […]
Jakarta urged to intervene in ISA cases
By Gan Pei LingKUALA LUMPUR: The Abolish ISA Movement or Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) wants the Indonesian government to pressure Malaysia for the release of the five of its nationals detained here under the Internal Security Act (ISA). The five, Agus Salim, Zainun Rasyhid, Mahfudl Saifuddin, Mulyadi and Ahamad Ghafar Shahril, have been in detention for between one […]
Islamists lose in Indonesian polls
By Farish A NoorNOW that the dust has settled, Indonesians are counting the cost of the latest elections in the country. With voter turnout rather low — hovering around 40% in some regions — the parties that were sidelined have already begun to complain and bicker about the validity of the results. Voting in the sleepy end of […]
171 million Indonesians vote today
JAKARTA, 9 April 2009: About 171 million Indonesians are to vote today to elect members of four legislative assemblies including for the People’s Representative Council or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR or Parliament) and the Regional Representatives Council or Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD). Simultaneous voting will be carried out to elect representatives for the DPR Level […]
Election lethargy in Indonesia
By Farish A NoorSession of the Indonesian People’s Representative Council (public domain, source: wikipedia.org) WHILE Malaysians are excited by the prospect of three simultaneous by-elections on 7 April 2009, Indonesians next door are showing distinctive signs of electoral fatigue. A news report featured on Indonesia’s Trans7 TV channel summed up the prevailing mood when it reported on a […]
The forgotten Muslims
By Azril Mohd AminOF the unjust borders drawn by Western colonial powers after World Wars I and II, the border between Arakan and south Thailand is among the most cruelly drawn. The Rohingya Muslims of Arakan (now Rakhine) were cut off from the Malay Muslims of south Thailand, as well as the Muslims of present-day Malaysia and Bangladesh. […]
Two quakes hit Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Jan 2009: Two moderate earthquakes struck Indonesia today, one in northern Sumatra and the other in western Irian, according to the Meteorology Department. The Sumatran quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, struck at 8.01am, with its epicentre at 118km southwest of Padang Sidempuan in Indonesia and 395km southwest of Klang in […]
