INDONESIA, JAPAN TO START NEW ERA OF MILITARY COOPERATION By Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 30, 2013 (ANTARA) - Whenever Indonesian and Japanese officials meet, their agenda topics usually concern economic issues, particularly on trade and investment cooperation.

         But, it seems now Japan wants to open a new chapter of cooperation with Indonesia, which is one of the country's main partners in economic cooperation.

INDONESIA STRIVES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN EQUITY by Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 29 , 2012 (ANTARA) - To the surprise of many people,  poverty problem is now found not only in least-developed countries, but also in middle-income economies, and even social inequality has started to haunt developed countries.     
     President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when speaking in a cabinet meeting on economic issues in Jakarta recently warned that in countries having a high economic growth, usually the gap between the haves and the have nots is widening.

CITIES OUTSIDE JAKARTA STILL REELING FROM FLOODS By Fardah

       Jakarta, Jan 25, 2013 (ANTARA) - While Jakarta's floods attract the attention of most Indonesian government officials, a number of cities outside the capital are still being hit by floodwaters and landslides.
       Among the flood-affected cities are Jayapura (Papua province), Bekasi, Kerawang, Sukabumi and Indramayu (West Java), Bandar Lampung (Lampung), Tangerang and Lebak (Banten) and East Nusa Tenggara.  The natural disaster has claimed a number of lives and threatened rice harvests.

PROS AND CONS ON IDEA TO MOVE CAPITAL CITY FROM JAKARTA by Fardah

      Jakarta, Jan 25, 2013 (ANTARA) - Following major floods that almost crippled Jakarta recently, an idea to move Indonesia's capital city to another place has once again surfaced.

         Jakarta has been hit by a five-year cycle of big floods that put most of the city under water, crippling transport and economic activities, as well as claiming at least 20 lives.

DESPITE BEING AFFECTED BY FLOODS, INDUSTRIES PROVIDE AID FOR REFUGEES By Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 23, 2013 (ANTARA) - Major floods hitting Jakarta last week almost crippled the capital city as the inundations forced 30,000 people to take refuge and hundreds of industries to halt operation.

         Flood waters blocked the access to the Jakarta Industrial Estate Pulogadung (JIEP) in East Jakarta, PT JIEP spokesman Achmad Maurizal said last week (Jan 17, 2013).

AUTHORITIES TO TIGHTEN SECURITY IN 2014 GENERAL ELECTION By Fardah

    Jakarta, Jan 18, 2013 (ANTARA) - As Indonesia prepares for general election in 2014, government officials and other stakeholders are looking into ways to increase security in the region.

         The Indonesian Police (Polri) and the General Election Commission (KPU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on security arrangements for the general election on January 16, 2013.

AS FLOODS CRIPPLE JAKARTA, PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY FIRST by Fardah

    Jakarta, Jan 17, 2013 (ANTARA)  - Most parts of Jakarta were covered with flood water on Thursday crippling transports to the capital city, following incessant heavy rains since Tuesday.

         Many office workers from suburban areas could not enter the city center  as roads were cut off by the floods.  Passenger trains from  satellite cities such as Bekasi, Depok and Tangerang have to stop halfway to Jakarta forcing many passengers mostly civil servants and company employees to return home.

SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND RAPE CASES DOMINATE CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN IN 2012 by Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 16, 2013 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for the protection of children from any form of abuse - both physical and mental.

         "Over the past few years, the government has been working hard on two issues with regard to children - their protection and empowerment," the head of state said at a function to mark the National Child Day in August 2012.

CV Fardah

 FARDAH  ASSEGAF


http://fardahassegaf.blogspot.com/

e-mail: fardah@antara.co.id

fardahassegaf@yahoo.com

IMPACTS OF CYCLONE NARELLE, TYPHOON BOPHA MAKE INDONESIA VERY WINDY by Fardah

   Jakarta, Jan 14, 2013 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has been very windy over the past two weeks as the impacts of Cyclone Narelle that has been developing in Australia and Typhoon Bopha which has been hitting
the Philippines.  

     In many Indonesian regions, ships and boats could not sail and fishermen have been warned to be cautious due to strong winds and huge waves triggered by the cyclone and typhoon respectively affecting Australia and the Philippines, which are Indonesia's neighboring countries.

INDONESIA CALLS FOR TRUST BUILDING, RECONCILIATION IN MYANMAR'S RAKHINE STATE by Fardah

         Jakarta, Jan 11, 2013 (ANTARA) - Following his visit to Myanmar's State of Rakhine, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa has called for trust building and reconciliation between Rohingya and Rakhine etchnic groups who were involved in violent conflicts last year.

   The situation remained "unfavourable" with widespread distrust between the communities. Obviously, besides basic necessities such as housing, food, medicine and education, there is also a need to promote mutual trust and reconciliation between the two ethnic groups in Rakhine State, the minister stated in a statement on Wednesday.

AS APEC CHAIR 2013, INDONESIA SETS THREE PRIORITIES by Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 9, 2013 (ANTARA) - This year, Indonesia will be hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. This is the second time that Indonesia will be hosting the APEC Summit, after 1994. Indonesia is determined to promote a stronger and a resilient Asia Pacific region, as the locomotive for the world's economic growth.

        Indonesia's President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has announced this year's theme for the summit, "Resilient Asia Pacific, Engine of Global Growth".

INDONESIA TO BOOST SEAWEED PRODUCTION IN 2013 by Fardah

     Jakarta, Jan 7, 2013 (ANTARA) - Indonesia, a major producer of seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii and Gracillaria) has set a seaweed production target of seven million tons this year, or an increase of two tons from last year's seaweed production.

         The country is also encouraging seaweed farmers to process their production to add value to their products, and thus it will increase the products' prices and later improve the farmers' welfare.

INDONESIA SPEEDS UP RISKY EVACUATION OF MIGRANT WORKERS FROM SYRIA by Fardah

    Jakarta, Jan 5, 2013 (ANTARA) - As armed conflicts escalate in Syria, the Indonesian government has declared Damascus a dangerous place for its citizens, who primarily are employed as migrant workers, and requested that they leave the country immediately.

         "Syria is a dangerous place. This is the reason we have declared a state of emergency in Damascus. The Indonesian government has ordered Indonesian citizens to leave Syria. The government has requested its citizens to go to Lebanon," said the Chief of Economic, Information and Socio-cultural Functions at the Indonesian embassy in Beirut, Ahmad Syofian, on December 26, 2012.

FLOODS EXPAND IN SEVERAL INDONESIAN PROVINCES by Fardah

    Jakarta, Jan 4, 2013 (ANTARA) -  Floods that have hit some parts of Indonesia since November 2012, are currently expanding in a number of provinces such as North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, Gorontalo (northern Sulawesi), East Java, and Jakarta.

         In North Sumatra, two people were killed and one missing when floods struck South Nias, Central Tapanuli, West Nias, and Mandailing Natal districts.