Word: indonesian
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DIED. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, 81, acerbic leftist Indonesian novelist and dissident; in Jakarta. Detained in 1965 by the anticommunist Suharto regime, he wrote his most famous work, the Buru Quartet, while imprisoned. The series of books chronicled Indonesia's battle for independence from Dutch colonialists--who in the writer's eyes bore a striking similarity to Suharto. Freed from house arrest in 1992, he remained an outspoken critic of corrupt Indonesian government until his death...
...Orleans is in America, and because it became a political embarrassment as well as a human disaster, Katrina got more sustained attention. But what of other natural catastrophes, like the tsunami in Indonesia? Or the Iranian city of Bam, which, on Dec. 26, 2003 - exactly a year before the Indonesian tsunami - was leveled by an earthquake. Of the 100,000 inhabitants, 30,000 died. The rest were left to flee, or live in rubble. In the poignant Voices of Bam, Dutch filmmakers Mariana Van Der Horst and Maasja Ooms patrol the devastated town and tiptoe into the minds of those...
Since then, the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM), or Free Papua Movement, has waged an independence struggle of peaceful protests and occasional attacks by poorly equipped guerrillas on Indonesian soldiers and foreign interests like the giant Freeport gold mine. Jakarta, which does not want to forfeit Papua's natural wealth or see another province break away as East Timor did in 1999, agreed in 2001 to a Special Autonomy Law. But independence supporters say little has changed since then. Access to the province is notoriously difficult but in recent years human-rights groups have documented a range of abuses by Indonesian...
...public. When they flew into Melbourne last week, the Papuans joyously displayed it and sang. "It's an honor for us to receive these visas," Wainggai says. "But that doesn't mean that the Papuan situation has been resolved." Wrong, say both Jakarta and Canberra. With a displeased Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offering to guarantee the safety of the asylum seekers if they were sent back, Indonesian protesters urging trade boycotts and newspaper cartoonists trading insults, the Australian government has repeated its longstanding opposition to an independent Papua. Manne says the relative speed of the visa decisions - read...
...Howard last week promised a review of that process while doing his best to discourage other Papuans from attempting the same trip, and was full of praise for his Indonesian counterpart, lauding him as "one of the most capable, moderate Islamic leaders in the world." All of this means nothing to little San and Joy Kambu Wainggai as they run around in the autumn chill in bright new beanies and warm pajamas. All they remember of their journey are "big waves." Their father hopes one day to take them home to an independent West Papua. Their mother will be praying...