INDONESIA A NEWS

I thought it was a joke when I first got the e-mail। CNN's Jakarta producer contacted me to say that the recently captured Indonesian terrorist suspect, Abu Dujana, was willing to do an interview। I felt like saying "Yes, well let's see if Osama's available too, and we can see if we can get them on Larry King as a double act."CNN's Dan Rivers was taken to meet Abu Dujana in secret. 1 of 2But she insisted the police had sanctioned a face-to-face meeting with Jemaah Islamiyah's military commander, at a secret location somewhere in Java. We scrambled to the airport and less than 24 hours later I found myself nervously pacing up and down an empty, echoing corridor of a police building, waiting for a convoy carrying the most dangerous terrorist in Southeast Asia.He appeared in silhouette initially. He was dressed in white and flanked by armed plainclothes police officers. As he approached I could see a slightly built, wiry man, who looked younger than the 37 ye...

PT Bakrieland Development Tbk, a company belonging to the Bakrie Group, plans to acquire the shares of a drinking water company, PT Thames PAM Jaya, this year.According to Hamid Mundzir, Bakrieland's Finance Director, Bakrieland is in fact serious about taking over this company that provides Jakarta with drinking water. So far the taking over process is still in the discussion and negotiation stage.The take over discussions which have been carried out since last year, said Hamid, will continue to be carried out intensively. However, he has not yet been able to confirm the acquisition and transaction amount because these depend on Thames as the seller. "We also still want to see all the available opportunities, so we still need to study the business and the yield," Hamid told Tempo last week. The plan for Thames PAM Jaya shares sale has actually been carried out since last year, with Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso already giving a 'green light' to the sale. So far, 100 ...

An overzealous move by members of the House of Representatives to launch a motion against the government over the Sidoarjo mudflow, the second tabled by the House after the Iran motion, only strengthens public suspicion that Indonesians are good at destroying, but bad at building.The mudflow issue, which has persisted for more than one year, is undoubtedly more important than the Iran motion. No other country is questioning their government's policy on Iran. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, for example, recently questioned why there was such a big fuss over the absence of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the House session on Iran, citing that legislators had not protested when Megawati Soekarnoputri had sent officials on her behalf when as president, she faced such motions. "The government is asking for fairness, so we can think over other issues ...," Kalla said. The writer is neither a supporter nor sympathizer of the Yudhoyono government. However, criticism must be obj...

Muslim hardliners stormed a church in Indonesia during services, smashing images of Jesus Christ and demanding that it be closed down, the pastor said on Monday. Dozens of churches have had to be closed in the Muslim-majority country in recent years, and Sunday's attack was the second on the small Protestant church in the West Java town of Soreang since 2005. Reverend Robby Elisa, who heads the church, said around 100 hardliners attacked while Sunday school was in session. He said his wife was beaten and that at least four stained glass depictions of Jesus were smashed. "They came and forced their way into the church," he said. "The attackers claimed to be from the Anti-Apostate Movement Alliance. The same group had already attacked the church in 2005." The secretary of the church's headquarters in Jakarta, Reverend Budi Setiawan, said that the attack had been reported to the Indonesian Church Association (PGI). West Java, where Islam is strong, has seen a s...