PRESIDENT DEDICATES WORLD STATESMAN AWARD TO ALL INDONESIAN PEOPLE by Fardah

 Jakarta, May 31, 2013 (Antara) - Despite some controversies at home, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono finally accepted the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation (AoCF) in New York and dedicated the award to all Indonesian people.

        "I accept this award on behalf of the Indonesian people. May this award provide momentum for us to continue our endeavor in the promotion of humanity and the common good of peoples. May the hard work and resolve of all Indonesians further encourage us to achieve the dreams of our founding fathers: a harmonious society bonded in peace and prosperity," President Yudhoyono said immediately after receiving the award on May 30, 2013.

INDONESIA EXPLORES NEW, ALTERNATIVE TOURISM MARKETS by Fardah

     Jakarta, May 28, 2013 (Antara) - As Europe and the United States are being hit by global financial crisis, Indonesia has turned to new and alternative tourism markets such as ASEAN member nations, China, India and Arab states to ensure that foreign tourists will continuously flow in to the country.

         Indonesia has been intensifying its tourism promotion activities to countries which are not directly affected by the crisis, such as  China, India, Arab states and some ASEAN member nations.

INDONESIA RAISES ALARM OVER INCREASING NUMBER OF DRUG USERS by Fardah

   Jakarta, May 25, 2013 (Antara) - Indonesia is considered a big market for illicit drug  trafficking and no longer merely a transit country as the number of drug users has increased quite significantly.

        "In 2010, the economic loss due to drug abuse was recorded at around Rp41 trillion constituting private and social costs. The drug abuse condition in Indonesia is currently alarming," Chairman of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Commissioner General Anang Iskandar said in Jakarta recently.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIODIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS CRUCIAL ROLE OF WATER by Fardah

    Jakarta, May 21, 2013 (Antara) - On May 22, 2013, many countries including Indonesia are to observe the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) focusing on "Water and Biodiversity".

        The theme is chosen to coincide with the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013, and coincidentally, the period 2005-2015 is the International Decade for Action "Water For Life".

        According to the United Nations, the IDB 2013's theme of water provides Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the public at large the opportunity to raise awareness about this vital issue, and to increase positive action.

MORATORIUM EXTENSION NEEDED FOR BETTER FOREST GOVERNANCE by Fardah

    Jakarta, May 14, 2013 (Antara) - A tag of war between environmental groups and forest industrialists have resumed as Indonesia's regulation on a two-year moratorium on new licenses for forest clearing in primary natural forests and peat lands, will expire on May 20, 2013.

         The presidential instruction no.10 /2011 on forest moratorium  itself had to go through a long and winding road before it was finally issued in May 2011 following pros and cons regarding the policy.

         Strong lobbies of forestry businessmen had reportedly forced the government to delay the regulation release for several times.

JAKARTA TO HOST ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES IN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013 by Fardah

     Jakarta, May 7, 2013 (Antara) - Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Roy Suryo has finally  decided to move the venue of the Third Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) 2013 to Jakarta, ending a controversy about whether Riau Province was appropriate or not to be the next host of the international event.

        The ISG 2013 was initially to be held in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on June 6-17, 2013, but due to some problems, the Games' venue would be moved to Jakarta and its implementation would be postponed to September 22-October 1, 2013, the minister said.

INDONESIA'S FOREST MORATORIUM NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED, EXPANDED: EXPERT

     by Fardah and A. Fitriyanti  
    Jakarta, May 6 (Antara) - Indonesia's forest moratorium should be extended and expanded in order to be effective in further reducing gas emissions and deforestation rate, according to an expert.

         "The greenhouse gas emission reduction Indonesia reached 8.3 percent. It's a lot, but it could be expanded by among other things reviewing the existing concessions," Jonah Busch of the World Resources Institute (WRI), said here on Monday.