RI, S KOREA ENGAGE IN HIGHER-LEVEL DEFENSE COOPERATION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 8, 2011 (ANTARA) - Famed South Korean actor Hyun Bin caught the Indonesian media`s attention when he attended the celebration of the 66th anniversary of the National Defense Forces (TNI) in Jakarta, last October 5, 2011.
       Heartthrob Hyun Bin (29), a member of South Korea`s Marine Corps who was appointed South Korea`s defense industry ambassador, received an Honorary Marine Brevet from the Indonesian Navy for his services.

ASEAN PLUS THREE TO INTENSIFY FOOD SECURITY COOPERATION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 7, 2011 (ANTARA) - Rice is an important factor in achieving food security in the Southeast Asian region as around two-thirds of world rice production originate in ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South Korea) and more than half of the world`s rice exports comes from this region.
          To guarantee long-term food security, the 10-member ASEAN and its three partner countries signed the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Agreement on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Plus Three Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF Plus Three) in Jakarta on Friday (Oct. 7, 2011).

MONTARA OIL SPILL VICTIMS STILL WAITING FOR COMPENSATION by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 6, 2011 (ANTARA) - Victims of the Montara oil spill in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have been waiting for compensation from PTTEP Australasia, the Thai company operating the Montara oil field, for more than two years.
       An explosion occurred in the Montara oil field on August 21, 2009 causing an oil pipe to burst and the resulting oil spill to contaminate the Timor Sea in NTT Province. As a consequence, 40 million liters of crude oil were released into Australian waters and eventually into Indonesian waters. Some 70,341.76 square kilometers of the Timor Sea part of which borders on NTT province was polluted.

KOMODO ISLAND PROMOTION ACTIVITIES BEING INTENSIFIED by Fardah

      Jakarta, Oct 5, 2011 (ANTARA) - The tourism and culture ministry has decided to withdraw the candidacy of Komodo for inclusion in the New Seven Wonders of Nature (N7WN) list, but an NGO, the P2Komodo (Supporting Committee for Komodo Island) is determined to continue the Komodo campaign for N7WN.
       Despite their differences, both the government and P2Komodo have been intensifying promotion activities of the unique island, which is home to the Komodo dragon, the world`s largest lizard, internationally and nationally.

RAINFOREST CONSERVATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT CRUCIAL FOR ORANGUTAN'S SURVIVAL by Fardah

     Jakarta, Oct 4, 2011 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is home to the world`s remaining population of critically endangered orangutans found on Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo) Islands.
      It is estimated that around 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans are left in the wild, 80 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in Malaysia. Of the total number, about 7,300 orangutans are to be found in Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra provinces, and many others in Central, West and East Kalimantan provinces.

YOUNGER GENERATION PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN GREEN ECONOMICS PROGRAMS by Fardah

       Jakarta, Oct 3, 2011 (ANTARA) - Around 1,200 young people from over 100 countries participating in the UNEP Tunza International Children and Youth Conference in Bandung, West Java, September 27-October 1, 2011, voiced their concern about planet Earth`s future.
        "The trend and science tell us that we cannot wait another generation (until a Rio+40) before acting - the green economy is our only future," the young people stated in a Bandung Declaration issued on the final day of the conference.