• Joko Widodo to Visit the Netherlands to Improve Trade Relations?

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo may visit the Netherlands in 2016. In an interview with Dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf" newly appointed Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja hinted at Widodo's visit to the Netherlands. Ambassador Puja informed further that more information about this possible state visit is to follow in the next couple of weeks. "You will be surprised," he was quoted saying. Reportedly, Bert Koenders, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, will visit Indonesia in the next two weeks to prepare Widodo's visit.

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  • Overlapping Land Conflicts & Troubled Mining Business Licenses in Indonesia

    West Kalimantan, South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan are the three Indonesian provinces that scored the worst in the Local Government Performance Index (in Indonesian: Indeks Kinerja Pemerintah Daerah, or IKPD). This index, compiled by Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), measures the degree of coordination and supervision within Indonesian provinces regarding policies and actions related to the prevention of corruption in the mining and energy sectors. The provinces that have the highest scores are Central Sulawesi and the Riau Islands.

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  • Flip-Flop in Indonesian Politics: Reviewing the Mineral Ore Export Ban

    The government of Indonesia is yet to find a middle way between encouraging the development of processing facilities for the country's mining output and the relaxation of mineral ore exports. Based on Law No. 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (New Mining Law), exports of mineral ore should have been fully banned in 2014. However, due to the lack of domestic smelting capacity a last-minute regulation was signed in early January 2014 by former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that softened this ban.

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  • Australia Warns about Possible Islamic Terrorist Attacks in Indonesia

    In an update on Thursday (25/02) Australian authorities advised the public to exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia as recent indications suggest that Islamic militants may be in an advanced stage of preparing violent attacks in Indonesia. Australia warns about possible terrorist attacks throughout Indonesia (including Bali and Jakarta) and it specifically discourages journeys to Central Sulawesi, Papua and West Papua. On Thursday 14 January 2016 Islamic militants engaged in attacks in Central Jakarta, resulting in eight casualties (including the four terrorists).

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