Indonesia Topics

Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao is scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Tuesday as part of a five-day visit to Indonesia.

Xanana and Yudhoyono are expected to discuss a number of important issues concerning the relationship between the two countries, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said in a statement Monday.

Also during the meeting, the two will witness the signing of four bilateral agreements. These are a trade agreement, a memorandum of understanding on technical cooperation in trade, an MOU on technical cooperation in small and medium industries, and an MOU on technical cooperation in drug and food control.

It will be Xanana’s first visit to Indonesia since being inaugurated as Timor Leste’s prime minister in August. (The Jakarta post)

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have heated up following Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta’s accusation that elements inside Indonesia were involved in a failed assassination attempt against him last month.

Both Indonesia and Timor Leste had hoped for closer ties following the completion of a 370-page report by the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF).

The report contains the joint commission’s findings and conclusions on violence in the then province of East Timor following the UN-sponsored independence vote in 1999. However, the CTF was forced to delay the submission of the report to the Indonesian and Timor Leste presidents following the attempt on Horta’s life.

Xanana on Tuesday also will pay courtesy calls to House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid, Indonesian Military chief Gen. Djoko Santoso and National Police chief Gen. Sutanto.

The prime minister will also meet Indonesian businesspeople during a luncheon hosted by the Trade and Industrial Chamber.

On Wednesday, Xanana will speak at the Indonesian Council on World Affairs forum.

He will be accompanied during his visit by nine Timor Leste ministers.

Here are the new Indonesian Ambassadors to several countries:

1. Abdul Rahman Saleh Denmark, Lithuania
2. Andi M. Ghalib India
3. Banua Radja Manik Cuba, the Bahamas, Jamaica
4. Budi Bowoleksono Kenya, Seychelles, Uganda, Mauritius, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Center for Human Settlements
5. Da’i Bachtiar Malaysia
6. Djafar Husein Sri Lanka, the Maldives
7. Hamid Awaluddin Russia, Belarus
8. Harry Purwanto Finland, Estonia
9. M. Wahid Supriyadi United Arab Emirates
10. Muhammad Hatta Thailand, UN ESCAP
11. Michael Menufandu Colombia
12. Nurul Aulia Yemen
13. Pitono Purnomo Vietnam
14. Yuri Octavian Thamrin The United Kingdom, Ireland, the

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - More than 150 academics, educational experts and professionals are participating in an education seminar hosted by the Australian Embassy here on Thursday to discuss current and future challenges in the education sector.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, opened the seminar and welcomed the cooperation between Australian and Indonesian education practitioners.

“Australia and Indonesia have a long tradition of academic and research collaboration and I am pleased to be able to support the sharing of expertise between Australian and Indonesian universities at this seminar today,” said Farmer.

Senior representatives from Australian`s La Trobe University delivered presentations on current issues and challenges for education and language in today`s globalised world.

“The current widespread interest in developing expertise in English and other languages alongside the national language and local languages in Indonesia make a focus on this topic very timely,” said Dr Lynda Yates, Associate Dean (International), La Trobe University.

“Recently we have seen worldwide trends towards bilingual education in an effort to keep up with the communication needs of globalization,” said Yates.

Meanwhile Professor Vaughan Prain, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education, outlined the latest understandings of how students learn and implications for effective classroom teaching.

Australian alumnus Dr James Riady, CEO of Lippo Group and founder of Pelita Harapan Educational Foundation, was also a keynote speaker at the seminar.

Dr Riady was presented with the Australian Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship in February 2008.

The seminar was organized by Australian Education International and is part of a regular seminar series presented throughout the year. (Antara)

Indonesia’s President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gives a tough reaction to the Fitna movies made by a right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders. He commands to the government and indonesians to ban this movie and prohibits its distribution. The President gives his press conference regarding this matter on Monday (31/3) night with several ministers.

Yudhoyono, the ex-military troops, says,”After I observed and watched the reaction of people in Indonesia and other part of the world, I forbid the movie to be distributed as it will ruin the unity and tolerant between believers in Indonesia”.

Through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Yudhoyono told the minister to send a official protest of this movie.

Fitna, a 17 minutes duration movie, pictures unbalanced stories about Islam and Moslem in the world. It potrays Islam as a violence and intolerant religion that should not be followed.

However, many countries have already banned the moview including the Netherland government itself. Ban Ki-Moon, General Secretary of United Nations says that Fitna the movie has no relation with the freedom of speech and freedom of the press.