September 22, 2015 edition

Satellite data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) downloaded by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) was shocking. A large amount of forested areas in Riau which had seen forest fires over the past three years are located in concession areas held by large companies.
One of them is Satria Perkasa Agung, which is affiliated with Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) Groupthe parent company of the largest group of paper companies in Indonesia, and an umbrella for the Sinar Mas Group. "In 2014 alone, the licensed controlled forest area of Satria Perkasa covered 1,000 hectares," said Riko Kurniawan, Director of Walhi in Riau, last week. This is about 2.5 percent of total forested area in Riau which burned down last year. This company's licensed area in Serapung village, Kuala Kampar, Pelalawan Regency, has again caught fire, along with another 4,000 or so hectares of peat land.

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September 15, 2015 edition

FLANKED by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Darmin Nasution, who will be the point-man for the government's agenda to kick-start the lethargic economy, along with economic ministers, President Joko Widodo last week unveiled the government's economic policy package. Intended to unblock structural and regulatory obstacles to accelerate priority development programs, the first of three packages is seen by analysts as being high on expectations but low on implementation.

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September 8, 2015 edition

Tens of investigators from the National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit forced their way into the offices of Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Pelindo II) in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, two Fridays ago. Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, led the team that came with armed guards.
After showing a search warrant, police spread to several floors of the state-owned company. This included the office of Pelindo II CEO Richard Joost Lino on the seventh floor. The search ended just before midnight.

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September 1, 2015 edition

AT a construction site in the Kendawangan District of Ketapang in West Kalimantan, scores of men in shabby-looking, grey-colored uniforms scurry about, carrying steel bars, digging dirt and pushing wheelbarrows, under the sharp supervision of foremen, riding around on motorcycles. They are not local hires, but workers brought in all the way from China to work at projects funded and operated by the China Hongqiao and Winning Investment companies, in partnership with the local Citra Mineral Investindo, a subsidiary of the Harita Group. The joint venture is currently building a bauxite smelter that will produce 4 million tons of alumina per year.

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August 25, 2015 edition

When Rizal Ramli's name appeared in the new cabinet lineup following the reshuffle by President Joko Widodo, there was surprise and perplexity, given that he once was one of the government's worst critics. The question among Jakarta political pundits was: who brought 60-year old economist Rizal, founder and former head of the Econit Advisory Group, into the fold? For he now holds an influential position among a select group of presidential advisors.
Barely had this public debate simmered down when Rizal Ramli came out with a series of controversial statements that irked his cabinet colleagues and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. How dare he openly criticize a policy of the government he is a member of.

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August 17, 2015 edition

Leiden University-formerly known as Rijksuniversiteit-is the oldest university in the Netherlands. Founded in 1575 by Prince William van Orange, the campus is a favorite of the Dutch royal family, with Queen Juliana among its alumni. She was followed by her daughter, Queen Beatrix, and the current Dutch monarch, Willem-Alexander. In this prestigious campus, Hamengku Buwono IX pursued his university education, starting the same year as Queen Juliana.

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August 11, 2015 edition

August 2015 marks a milestone in Singapore's history: the island state turns 50. Big and small events will be held throughout the country as part of the jubilee. But this will be the very first time that Singapore celebrates its anniversary without its revered and influential founding father, Lee Kuan Yew. "Mr. Lee retired as Prime Minister in 1990. He has prepared well and Singapore is set to take further steps forward." said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in answer to Tempo's questions.
Prime Minister Lee, who is popularly known as BG (Brigadier-General) Lee, follows in the footsteps of his father Lee Kuan Yew, the nation's first president and his predecessor, Goh Chok Tong. "I'm a third generation leader," said Lee. He leads a small nation of just 5.5 million people yet with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and the top third in the worldover US$56,000. Given its sizesmaller than Jakartaits lack of natural resources and its young age, Singapore's story is a remarkable one.

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