I was gingerly finding a path on roots in the peat land, tread by tread in the reddish water oozing between the trunks of the jelutong and ramin trees. The dense foliage of the new branches still clustered thickly shading the way, but soon it became evident: the 'poems written on the sky' have been almost wiped out at Sabangau River.

A week after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its summit in Jakarta in early March, Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, 53, flew to Amman, the capital of Jordan. Her mission was to swear in Maha Abu-Shusheh, Indonesia's honorary consul for Palestine whom President Joko Widodo had appointed at the OIC summit. The honorary consul will reside in Ramallah, Palestine.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) last week released the results of the country's first-ever national inquiry into indigenous rights abuses, capping more than a year's probe into the drivers of escalating indigenous land conflicts, which have doubled in recent years.

To many people, retirement means an easy life and relaxation. But to Malaysian elder statesman Tun Daim Zainuddin, freedom from government duties and politics means a chance to indulge in a longtime passionart. Yet, for this former Malaysian finance minister, it is not just about collecting paintings, sculptures and antique potteries. For the Tun (Malaysia's highest honorific bestowed on deserving citizens)as he is referred to by friends and associatesthe pleasure is in being able to share art with everyone. Hence the Ilham Art Gallery, containing exhibits that are open to the public for free, the first in Malaysia and perhaps even in the ASEAN region. It occupies three floors of the brand-new and imposing 60-floor Ilham building, which the Tun happens to own.

Belgium sent its 5th and biggest economic mission to Indonesia, led by Princess Astrid as the representative of King Philip of Belgium on March 12-19. The Belgian royalty was accompanied by five ministers and a total of 301 participants representing 127 Belgian companies.

The Myanmar parliament last week elected Htin Kyaw, a close advisor to popular opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as the nation's first civilian president in decades since the Army took over power in 1962. The 69-year-old Htin Kyaw was nominated by the National League for Democracy (NLD), the political party that won by a majority in the recent general elections.

Taxi services based on digital technology should not be viewed from a narrow perspective. The demonstration by drivers of conventional taxis, with the support of the companies that employ them, was a childish reaction. They should take a good look at themselves. On-line taxi fares are lower than those of normal taxis, but this is not solely because they do not pay taxes. It is because there is no mechanism they can use to do so. And most probably, the reason conventional taxis are inefficient is because they take too much profit.

BASUKI Tjahaja Purnama, popularly called Ahok, decided to run as an independent candidate in next year's Jakarta gubernatorial election, and his decision has been met with excitement. Two weeks ago, after he named financial and regional asset management chief Heru Budi Hartono as his running mate, the support he received through Teman Ahokhis primary volunteer organizationgrew even greater.

Prudential's Response

Since it was created in 1817, the Bogor Botanical Garden has succeeded in conserving 60 percent of rare plant species, including endemic ones, 111 of which the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have classified as on the 'red list'. The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is currently conducting a conservation program in four national botanical gardens. They are the gardens in Bogor and Cibodas in West Java, Purwodadi in Central Java, and in Bali. Lately, LIPI has set out to create more than 30 botanical gardens in the regions, among them in North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, West Kalimantan, Riau, and Papua.

The headquarters of the Friends of Ahok, located in the Graha Pejaten complex of Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, was abuzz with activity last Wednesday. Volunteers could be seen sprinting back and forth in the living room of the house, which stands out because of its blood-red walls.

Dasep Ahmadi appeared disconsolate when the presiding judge of the Corruption Court rapped his gavel on Monday last week, declaring the director of Sarimas Ahmadi Pratama guilty of graft in the 2013 electric car prototype project. Dasep was sentenced to seven years in prison and required to pay Rp17.9 billion to the state.

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Adiwijaya immediately received a notification of due payment on his cellular phone as soon as he got off the black Toyota Avanza he had just driven in. The app-based taxi company Uber also sent a copy of the Rp80,000 bill to his e-mail for a trip from Setiabudi, South Jakarta, to Serpong, South Tangerang. "Not bad. With the toll fare, it was less than 100,000 (rupiah)," said Adiwijaya last week.

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.