LAWYER and human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis admitted that on April 27 and 28 last week, the day of the Bali Nine (minus one, in the end) execution, he had a difficult time holding back his tears. With a heavy heart, he escorted the two convicted drug smugglers, Australian Andrew Chan and his fellow countryman Myuran Sukumaran, to Nusakambangan Prison at Cilacap, Central Java. Todung found it difficult to think that Chan and Sukumaran would face the firing squad soon. Chan had, the day before he was put to death, married Febyanti Herewila in prison.

For Sonita Lontoh, a visit to Jakarta does not mean she will spend all her time with her beloved mother, Constance Lontoh. Like on her last visit two weeks ago, she spent a couple of days attending the World Economic Forum in East Asia, where global leaders from government, business, international organizations, academia and civil society met to dialogue on how to improve cooperation. "I was invited," she said.

The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) has finalized plans to convert 655 hectares of estuary in Central Kalimantan into a protected habitat for rehabilitated orangutans.

At the 26th ASEAN Summit held from April 26-27, the 10 member states adopted three documents and pledged to continue maintaining stability and peace in the region. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who hosted the summit, said he believed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had made great progress in the establishment of ASEAN Community, slated to commence at the end of the year.

Kisah Cinta yang Asu (A Dogged Love Story), Sendiri Diana Sendiri (Alone, Diana Alone) and The Fox Exploits The Tiger's Might prove one thing: Short films can stand alone and deserve a wide showing in major cinemas. The short film category, often thought of as the minor leagues of filmmaking, is in fact a formidable art form in and of itself.

An archeologist from the National Archeological Research Center, Titi Surti Nastiti, has a list of Javanese inscriptions stored in museums across Europe, especially the Netherlandssix of them at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden; two at the Tropen Museum in Amsterdam; and another at the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) will conduct research on Enggano Island in North Bengkulu Regency from April to June. According to the institute's biological science research coordinator, Amir Hamidi, the objects of research will vary, ranging from biological diversity, marine potentials, culture and language.

No Detention for Abraham Samad

THE plan by state-run oil and gas company Pertamina to liquidate its subsidiary, Pertamina Energy Trading Limited (Petral), is clearly not the solution or a guarantee that the mafia behind fuel imports will disappear. The main issue is not whether Petral is dissolved or not. Far more important is how to establish an increasingly efficient and transparent fuel supply mechanism. This would make it easier to carry out a transparent audit if anything strange or suspicious were found in the supply process.

THE Asia-Africa Conference, held two weeks ago and attended by several heads of states, seems to have been a merely ceremonial affair. Half the respondents who followed last week's Tempo poll believed the event, which cost Rp200 billion, was not beneficial for Indonesia. So what were the results of this conference, which took place in Jakarta and Bandung? Underwhelming, to say the least.

Response for Syaiful Pandu

Drone or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has become an important information component. Taking photographs or mapping from a certain height no longer needs the services of an aircraft or a helicopter, which tends to be very expensive.

Jemani Ikhsan's long journey came to a screeching halt at Phuket International Airport, Thailand, on a Monday two weeks ago, at around 7:30pm. He had just disembarked from the Silk Air aircraft from Singapore and was on his way to the airport exit. Two days earlier, he had flown out of Bogota, Colombia.

For the last few weeks Bank Indonesia has been busy supporting the rupiah. It appears that the monetary authorities were keen to show a stable situation when Indonesia hosted two major conferences, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the 60th anniversary of the Asia-Africa conference during that time. But with the country's reserves shrinking, one wonders how long it can afford to do so.

This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.