Published in The Earth Times Magazine (March 2002) There is no issue more pivotal to the future of the terror war in Southeast Asia than the relationship between the U.S. and Indonesia’s generals. Nor is there any relationship fraught with more pitfalls. Under the armed forces’ policy of dwifungsi, the military is responsible for safeguarding [...]
Communications Gap Feeds a Revolution (San Francisco Chronicle)
December 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
May 1998 (JAKARTA) – It all came down to body language. “Things were going fine until he saw that picture,” reports a senior source close to the Indonesian presidential palace. “Then his attitude changed completely.” “That picture” was a photo showing IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus standing — arms crossed — looking down at President [...]
Habibie Stumbles Through: First week tough for new Indonesian leader (San Francisco Chronicle))
December 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
June 1998 (JAKARTA) – Indonesia ended the first full week of the post-Suharto era a nation drunk on reform after three decades of authoritarian rule. The most striking thing was the sheer volume of political noise. The long-repressed voice of the Indonesian populous was suddenly released in a cacophony of debate, discussion and denunciation. Everyone, [...]
Indonesian Journalism: Lessons for the U.S.? (CJR.org)
December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Published on CJR.org Feb. 4, 2011 American journalism is, as they say, “in transition.” But while the import of traditional values such as accuracy, balance, and professionalism are under question in the U.S., they remain the gold standard in places throwing off the yoke of autocratic rule and media control. That is reinforced in a [...]
Military calls shots after Suharto goes It `is the strongest, most disciplined, most well-organized entity’ in Indonesia (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, March 24, 1998 JAKARTA, Indonesia – Cronyism and nepotism may appear to be running Indonesia, but in the political chess game to determine what comes after President Suharto, it is the military that casts the longest shadow. The 450,000-strong force, known by its Indonesian initials ABRI, holds a critical role in Indonesian politics [...]
Troops take to streets as riots rage in Indonesian capital; Generals hem and haw over Suharto’s future (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, May 15, 1998 JAKARTA, Indonesia – Widespread rioting and looting gripped the Indonesian capital for a third day yesterday as power brokers maneuvered behind the scenes to pave the way for the end of President Suharto’s 32-year reign. With 20 reported killed, the military ordered its troops to take over the streets. “Jakarta [...]
Forest fires add to Jakarta’s ills for second year Green groups worry about wildlife (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, March 6, 1998 JAKARTA, Indonesia – Widespread forest fires on the island of Borneo are threatening Southeast Asia with a repeat of last year’s disastrous haze shroud, which a new study estimates cost the region nearly $1.4 billion. The fires are concentrated in the Indonesian section of the island, known as Kalimantan. Similar [...]
Indonesians look past new leader Ally of Suharto’s seen as unlikely to bring reform (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, May 22, 1998 JAKARTA, Indonesia – Newly installed President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie led his country into the post-Suharto era yesterday with a vow to increase democratic freedoms, prompting a mix of relief and suspicion from riot-weary Indonesians. Few believed the close ally of Indonesia’s longtime ruler would be more than a transitional figure, [...]
Indonesian unrest hurting tourist trade in balmy Bali Hotel occupancy down, international flights cut back (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, Feb. 12, 1998 BALI, Indonesia – An economic meltdown and small-scale riots on nearby islands are making tourists think twice about visiting this storied tropical paradise. “Do you think it’s safe for me to drive around the island on my own?” Rosemary Reynolds, a tourist from California nervously asked a Bali resident at [...]
Suharto seeks new terms for bailout U.S. sends envoy to back up IMF (Washington Times)
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Washington Times, March 2, 1998 JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Suharto defied the international financial community yet again yesterday, calling for a renegotiation of his country’s bailout plan on the eve of talks with U.S. presidential envoy Walter Mondale. Expressing his impatience with efforts by the International Monetary Fund to bandage his bleeding economy, Suharto said [...]
