Indonesia

At least half a dozen people in Jakarta have been killed in rioting over the past several days. The protests followed the release of the official results of Indonesia’s presidential election.

The president of Indonesia is on a shopping trip this week. He recently won re-election to a second term, and at the top of his wish list is a new capital.

Indonesia’s Navy reports that one of its patrol boats was rammed by a Vietnamese coast guard vessel in the South China Sea. The incident stemmed from a dispute over fishing rights.

Indonesia’s restive provinces in West Papua are not expected to factor heavily in this week’s national elections, but while most eyes will focus on results for President, vice president and the legislature, Papuan advocates are trying to get their issues into public view.

This is campaign season in several places around Asia. India has already started voting in elections that will last for a month.  And in Indonesia, voters go to the polls tomorrow in one of the most complicated elections in the world.

Over the past few months, fighting has escalated in a remote part of West Papua. Last December, the West Papua Liberation Army massacred at least 16 construction workers; the Indonesian government sent in a strong force of troops and police, but violence continues.

Fire season in Southeast Asia won’t reach its peak for several months. But parts of Indonesia are already being hit with forest fires and heavy haze.

While politicians in the United States continue to focus on the partial government shutdown, in some parts of the world attention is shifting to upcoming elections. That includes Southeast Asia . . . where one presidential contest appears headed for a rematch.

Internships are a way for students to gain real world experience as part of their education. But the value of an internship depends in part on a company’s willingness to assign students to meaningful work. And in Asia, that’s an issue this week.

The government of Indonesia denounces a report that it used chemical weapons in West Papua as "baseless, not factual and totally misleading." A story in Australia's Saturday Paper said that Indonesian forces attacked villagers with white phosphorous weapons, and published a picture of a man with severe burns on his leg.

At least 24 people have been killed in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in West Papua in many years. Indonesian officials described those killed as construction workers, the rebel group that took responsibility for the attack says they were Indonesian troops disguised as civilians.

Plastic and oceans are a bad combination. It’s a growing problem not only here in Hawai‘i but around the Pacific. And an event this week in Indonesia is the latest reminder.

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to help preserve a series of ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs at Pōka‘ī Bay on the west side of O‘ahu. Other drawings in caves and on rocks have been found all over the world. But a new discovery announced this week in Indonesia is capturing attention not only from the archeologists, but also in the world of art.

Warnings from a UN panel this week about the pace of climate change are putting a new focus on the use of fossil fuels. When it comes to one form of renewable energy, several countries in the Asia Pacific are expanding their goals.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada aren’t the only neighbors working on Free Trade Agreements. Just a few days after taking office, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will travel to Indonesia this week to announce what’s being described as an historic deal.

“Smart Cities” use technology to connect citizens and government. One example is Bandung--the third largest city in Indonesia. The mayor who brought a technology upgrade to the city has just been elected to be the next Governor of West Java. Ridwan Kamil is in Honolulu as part of an event at the East West Center--the “Smart Cities Thought Leaders Forum.” He talked with Bill Dorman about what it means to be a “Smart City” in 21st century Asia.  

In less than a month, more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries will go to Indonesia for the “Asian Games.” The country’s capital is going through a number of preparations — including some dealing with water pollution.

The Trump Administration is reviewing rules about foreign investment in the United States. But it’s not the only government taking a closer look at how foreign businesses operate in other countries. And last week, that sparked some confusion in Indonesia.

As you’ve been hearing on NPR, there’s a lot of attention swirling around a potential summit meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But another top-level meeting in Asia this week may also have significant strategic importance. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

The source of a deadly oil spill off the coast of Borneo has been identified. After denying responsibility for days, Pertamina, Indonesia’s state oil company now admits that unknown quantities of crude oil leaked from a crack in one of its underwater pipelines. We have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

The long running division in the Melanesian Spearhead Group has erupted into public. Senior officials in the Solomon Islands and Fiji have attacked each other over the issue of West Papua. We have details from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific New Minute.

Last week, we reported on the inconclusive decision by the Melanesian Spearhead Group on West Papua’s bid for full membership. Since then, Indonesia’s declared victory in its campaign to block international recognition for the United Liberation Movement, and we’ve learned more about how they did it. Neal Conan has details in today’s Pacific News Minute.

The Indonesian government expelled a BBC crew from West Papua after a series of tweets “hurt the feelings of soldiers.” Indonesia rarely allows foreign reporters to visit that restive area because of the on-going independence struggle, but the BBC was given permission to cover an outbreak of measles and malnutrition. We have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

In recent weeks, the political world in the United States has been focused on today’s U.S. Senate election in Alabama. But on the other side of the world, there’s a legislature that’s consumed by allegations of corruption. And it’s starting to take a political toll. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

There are conflicting reports on a crisis in Indonesia’s restive Papua Province. Police say that an armed group linked to the Free Papua Movement is holding 1300 people hostage in two villages near the world’s second largest copper mine. The group denies it, we have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

Resentment continues in Jakarta after Indonesia’s top military official was denied entry to the United States last weekend. Senior American officials have apologized but Indonesia demands a full explanation. We have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

Declassified documents from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta show that U.S. officials closely followed the massacre in Indonesia in the mid-1960s, but did and said nothing. At least 500,000 Indonesians died after a bungled Communist coup but the documents make clear that mass murders spread to include ethnic Chinese, students and union members as well as communists. Details from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

The President of Indonesia met with a group of civic leaders from West Papua last month to discuss opening a dialogue on problems in the restive province. The group did not include representatives of the United Liberation Movement, which issued a statement that rejected the overture. We have more from Neal Conan in today’s Pacific News Minute.

A well-known international brand has disappeared from Southeast Asia’s largest economy. 7-Eleven convenience stores operate in 18 countries around the world—with more than half of the in the Asia Pacific. But the stores are no longer in Indonesia. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.

Tourism is not only Hawai‘i’s top economic sector, it’s a growing business in many parts of the world. And that includes Indonesia—which has great ambitions and is getting some help from the World Bank. HPR’s Bill Dorman has more in today’s Asia Minute.