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Dans un réunion sans précédent qui a eu lieu hier et assemblé les victimes des atrocités de 1965, ainsi que des hauts responsables indonésiens, l'Indonésie a ouvert des discussions sur le massacre de 500.000 communistes et leurs partisans.

"Ouvrons cette histoire ensemble afin que nous puissions tous savoir ce qui a été mal dans notre système national, pourquoi cette nation pourrait avoir la capacité de commettre des massacres», a déclaré l'organisateur de la conférence Agus Widjojo dans un communiqué, tel que rapporté par BBC Indonésie .

Le massacre a commencé en 1965, quand un coup d'Etat a été blâmé sur les communistes. Les tensions entre l'armée et le Parti communiste sont venus à une tête quand six généraux ont été tués par des soldats qui étaient prétendument sympathiques aux communistes.

Ce qui a suivi a été l'un des pires massacres du 20 ^e siècle. communistes présumés et leurs sympathisants ont été torturés et tués, beaucoup d'autres ont été arrêtés et emprisonnés sans procès. Environ un demi-million de personnes ont été tuées et personne n'a tous été jugés pour ces crimes contre l'humanité.

Aujourd'hui, les descendants des membres du Parti communiste sont toujours l'objet de discrimination, car il leur est interdit de prendre des emplois du gouvernement. En dehors de l'hôtel Jakarta où la conférence a eu lieu, les manifestants anti-communistes ont pris part à des manifestations, car ils craignaient la renaissance du communisme dans le pays.

Grâce à cette conférence, le gouvernement envisage de faire la paix avec son passé tragique, bien que ministre de la Sécurité Luhut Panjaitan dit qu'il n'y aurait pas d'excuses officielles publié.

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Indonesia’s Supreme Court today overturned the acquittal of Canadian Neil Bantleman and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong.

The former JIS teachers were sentenced to prison for allegedly sexually abusing kindergarten-aged boys between January 2013 and March 2014. The case against the two was heavily criticized as fraught with irregularities, however even without substantiating evidence the pair were jailed in April last year.

Bantleman and Tjiong were originally sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the verdict was overturned by the Jakarta High Court in September, allowing them to go free. Pending the government’s appeal, neither of them were allowed to leave the country, and passports were revoked.

Today the Supreme Court ordered Bantleman and Tjiong to serve 11 years each, one year more than their original sentence, spokesman Suhadi told AFP.

It is not clear if Bantleman can appeal. The reasoning for this decision is also not clear.

Rully Iskandar, a spokesman for JIS, told reporters Bantleman’s travel ban was supposed to remain in place until the end of February, pending the Supreme Court decision. He gave no indication where Bantleman was currently.

“We have been communicating with Neil’s and Ferdi’s family and of course they were shocked, this is unexpected,” said Iskandar.

South Jakarta’s district attorney office says that Tjiong has been re-imprisoned at Cipinang Penitentiary, however Bantleman’s whereabouts are unknown at this time. They hope he will cooperate.

Five Indonesian cleaners were also jailed last year for committing sexual abuse at JIS. Their lawyers claim they are innocent.

You can read Indonesia Expat’s interviews with the female JIS cleaner in jail here and with the male JIS cleaners in jail here.

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On Tuesday, Indonesia celebrated National Book Day. But the event was disturbed by reports of book raids and confiscations by the country’s officials in a bid to stop left-wing ideologies from further spreading.

Not many people in Indonesia are aware of its National Book Day, which was founded in 2002 and takes place on May 17 every year – a date that coincides with the establishment of the country’s national library in 1980.

This year’s national book day was troubled by reports that Indonesian officials and national armed forces, better known as Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), have been confiscating books promoting ideologies like Marxism, Leninism and communism in an attempt to prevent the revival of communism in Indonesia.

Gramedia, one of the nation’s largest book stores has suspended the distribution of such left-wing books.

“The books are still available, but they are not allowed to be displayed. That applies in all Gramedia [outlets],” one of the book store chain’s staff members admitted, as reported by CNN Indonesia.

The book’s confiscation has polarized the country into those who support the confiscation and those who fear for the loss of freedom of thought and expression.

Among those who agree with the ban was head of the national library Dedi Junaedi:

“I agree. These left-weeks books prove to be threatening. In the New Order, these books were forbidden. To be able to read it, there must be an official permit,” he said.

On the contrary, a group of journalists, editors, media communities and publishers known as Masyarkat Literasi Yogyakarta (MLY) expressed their concern for this confiscation. One of the members of the group, writer Anton Kurnia believes TNI’s move is against the law:

“What the police and the officials are doing is against the law because they have no authority to confiscate [the books],” he claimed.

In Jogjakarta, MLY reported that two publishers and one book store were raided in a “terror” attack on May 10 and 11. The group believe this confiscation of literature should not happen in a democracy and is against the Constitution.

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As demand for palm oil, timber and minerals continues, governments, companies and criminal gangs are exploiting land with little regard for the people living on it. This is becoming a battlefield for human rights violations, and land and environmental defenders are losing their lives through their peaceful environmental actions around the world.

In a Global Witness Report titled On Dangerous Ground published on June 20 2016, Indonesia has had over 10 documented murders of environmental activists since 2014. Compared to Brazil, who have had over 200, this is relatively low, however with three deaths in the archipelago taking place in 2015 alone, which Global Witness are calling the “deadliest year on record”, this is not a number to take lightly.

Brazil had 50 recorded killings in 2015 and the Philippines 33, with a large percentage of the victims in the Philippines being indigenous people.

In Indonesia, on September 26 2015, Salim Kancil was beaten to death by a mob for being one of the organizers of a protest against a damaging sand mining operation going on at Watu Pecak beach, Lumajang. Over 30 people were arrested, including two village officials who allegedly master minded the attacks (one of whom was also charged with illegal mining and money laundering). WALHI (Indonesian Forum for the Environment) has discovered that earlier threats against the victims had not been responded to.

Felipe Milanez, former deputy editor of National Geographic Brazil said, “Killing has become politically acceptable to achieve economic goals… I’ve never seen, working for the past ten years, in the Amazon, a situation so bad.” For many of the killings that Global Witness has documented, many go unrecorded.

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A study conducted by Google and Temasek revealed that Indonesia will take over Southeast Asia’s digital economy by 2025. 

Yesterday, Google and Temasek released findings from research conducted in six countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, with the theme ‘Economy SEA: Unlocking the US$200 billion opportunity in Southeast Asia’.

The findings predicted that in less than ten years the digital economy in these countries will reach US$200 billion, and Indonesia in particular is expected to account for US$81 billion.

The astounding figures were based on the revelation that internet users in the country have increased by 19 percent each year and are projected to reach as many as 215 million before 2020.

Speaking at the research launching, Managing Director of Google Indonesia Tony Keusgen was confident that this growth of internet users would push Indonesia forward to become a significant player in the digital economy in Southeast Asia. “Indonesia is becoming the Silicon Valley of all of Asia. That’s exciting; we’re on the tipping point of the frontier of the Internet for this nation,” he said.

According to the study, three main industries in Indonesia will benefit from this growth of internet users: ecommerce, online travel, and online transportation. The country is accordingly expected to reach 52 percent opportunity in the ecommerce sector; 17 percent in online travel; and 22 percent in online transportation by 2025.

Keugen himself remained positive that Google and Temasek’s findings in these industries will come to fruition. “I really hope that you’re as excited as I am about the future economy of the Internet. But not just about the future of the internet economy but the future of Indonesia,” he said.

Also speaking at the launching were Director of Temasek Tai Le, CEO and Founder of GO-JEK Indonesia Nadiem Makarim, CEO and Co-Founder of Traveloka Ferry Unardi and CEO of MatahariMall.com Hadi Wenas.

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Bogor, a West Java suburb of Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta, was recently named as the second worst city in the world to drive in. In fact, the local media reports five out of ten of the world’s worst cities for driving are in Indonesia, according to a new survey from popular navigation app Waze.

A recent study by Castrol named Jakarta as the city with the world’s worst traffic conditions, and since then, local reporters have had a heyday with the moniker. However, Castrol’s study focused on the metric of stop-go traffic. Waze’s survey aimed to create a numeric score of driver satisfaction which factors in six qualitative and quantitative attributes such as traffic, safety, driver services, road quality, social economic factors and helpfulness of the navigation app.

See: Jakarta Applies New Odd-Even Traffic Restrictions

With 10 being ‘satisfying’ and 1 being ‘miserable’, Bogor scored a shameful 2.15 on the Waze index. The only city worse than Bogor was Cebu in the Philippines, which topped the worst cities for driving list with a score of 1.15.  

Denpasar, Bandung and Surabaya came in at fourth, fifth, and sixth place respectively. Jakarta ranked ninth, according to Waze, with 3.39 points. This is counterintuitive, as the survey indicated Jakarta is still the most dense metro area for driving, which means Jakarta drivers spend a lot of time in traffic. Denpasar and Surabaya scored 0.90 and 0.94 respectively on the traffic density measurement.

Editing by Caranissa Djatmiko; featured image by Anton Ardyanto; video by Armin Georg Hochwald

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The government is pushing for Bali to be the country’s gastronomy capital. Jakarta has carried out campaigns to raise awareness on the origins of Balinese cuisine and to promote local culinary culture.

Indonesia’s recent partnership with the UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories at the PATA Travel Mart 2016 in Jakarta was meant to help the country to become the regional hotbed for the sustainable tourism industry.

The “Wonderful Indonesia” campaign is geared towards improving Indonesia’s tourism competitiveness across the world.  Tourism and Culture Minister Arief Yahya has confirmed the country’s strategic plans on developing and promoting more tourist destinations in the country, in line with the promotion.

Bali is second to none in the race to becoming Indonesia’s prime gastronomy destination. Based on the region’s amenities, accessibility, and attractions, it is better suited for the role than the other cities in the country, including Jakarta.

On September 23, Lokot Enda, the Tourism Ministry’s deputy assistant for cultural tourism development, explained how Bali is the perfect place to start the campaign, as it already has the “brand and resources to become a gastronomy tourism destination.”

Enda added that accelerating culinary tourism will be easier when focusing on Bali as opposed to starting from scratch on a new area, which could take nearly a decade.

At the  2016 Tourism Gastronomy Destination International Conference, Enda claimed that a team has already convened in the island province where strategies and details of the campaign were discussed. Bali is more accomplished in terms of culinary attractions when compared to Jakarta.  The demand for restaurant experience in the region is high, one particular restaurant even requires reservations to be made at least a year in advance.

While Bali is popularly known for its beaches, coral reefs, dances, history, and culture, the government is looking towards new culinary experiences that tourists can enjoy on holiday.

Gastronomy tourism in Bali will also involve raising awareness on the province’s different dining options. The campaign will support people and things such as culinary festivals, traditional markets, local food producers, and cooking shows. All tourism activities and events related to food are set to be highlighted by the campaign.

Featured image via PegasusIndonesia; image via CF.UA

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After an infamous money laundering trial, Tubagus Wardana has been found guilty. Many see his one-year sentence as a slap in the face for Indonesia’s taxpayers.  

On October 18, an Indonesian court declared businessman Tubagus Chaeri Wardana guilty of corruption and money laundering. Between 2011 and 2014, Wardana manipulated prices of medical supplies sold to the Banten Public Health Service. His markups on goods bought and sold did not comply with Indonesia’s regulations, and as a result, Wardana pocketed Rp.9.6 billion (US$736,000) of taxpayers’ money.

Wardana used around 300 companies to siphon off money from state projects from the office of his sister, the former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, for years. Ratu has also been convicted for graft. Wardana was also involved in bribing Akil Mochtar, the high-profile former Head of the Indonesia’s Constitutional Court, who sold verdicts at a premium for years. The Rp.1 billion (US$76,804) bribe Wardana was involved in was designed to change the outcome of the Lebak Banten Regency election.    

Although Wardana was a private businessman, he was often active in political matters in Indonesia. His wife Airin Rachmi Diany is the mayor of South Tangerang and Chosiyah held office in Banten for several years.     

The shocking part about the case is not the fact that Wardana was convicted, but rather that he was only given a one-year prison sentence — just slightly worse that a slap on the wrist for a serious white-collar crime. Wardana stole government money from taxpayers that was meant to go towards the public healthcare sector. Instead, that money ended up lining his pockets.   

See: Indonesia Looks to Indict More Corporate Criminals

Criminologist Elisabeth Grobler says corruption is rooted in greed. People like Wardana may lack the self-control to be in charge of state funds. To get a mental picture, the amount of money that Wardana stole from taxpayers was the same amount that could be used to buy a large seafaring tanker ship; one that could facilitate the flow of food and medical supplies throughout the archipelago and internationally.     

Wardana didn’t buy a tanker ship, but he did buy a bunch of luxury cars and apartments, which he then gave to Indonesian actresses like Jennifer Dunn and Catherine Wilson. The Corruption Eradication Commission confiscated 42 cars from Wardana, making him the record holder for ‘most automobiles confiscated from a corrupter’ in the history of the archipelago.

With this in mind, the judge’s ruling to give Wardana one year in prison has been met with anger from activists and stakeholders who feel the sentence is far too light.   

For a comparison, on October 19, police arrested a man who stole hundreds of millions of rupiah from a private firm in Indonesia. The culprit will serve more than five years in a local penitentiary. In late August, several burglars who broke into a precious metal shop were threatened with life in prison.  

Wardana’s crime was best described by Ivan Yustiavandana, a director at the Center for Financial Transaction Report and Analysis. He said, “There’s destruction behind the money laundering. Behind every car that was given freely, there’s an unfinished bridge and patients that couldn’t get their medication.”

Image credits: TryJimmy; video via BARAYA TV

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FireEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE) and Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) on 19 November released a new report on advanced cyber attacks against organizations in Southeast Asia. In the first half of the year, organizations observed in the region faced a 45 percent higher risk of dealing with a targeted cyber attack than the global average. In the prior six-month period, they faced only a 7 percent higher risk.

Across the region, 29 percent of observed organizations were targeted with advanced cyber attacks in the first half of 2015. Thailand and the Philippines were hardest hit, with 40 percent and 39 percent of observed organizations exposed to these attacks, respectively.

Percentage of FireEye customers observed to have been affected by targeted malware January to June 2015

More than one-third of malware detections associated with advanced persistent threat (APT) groups originated within the entertainment, media and hospitality industries. By targeting media organizations, threat groups can gain access to news before it is published and potentially identify undisclosed sources.

FireEye observed at least 13 APT groups targeting national government organizations and at least four APT groups targeting regional or state governments around the world.

“Espionage isn’t new but it is increasingly conducted online, and Southeast Asia is a hot spot,” said Eric Hoh, president for Asia Pacific Japan at FireEye. “Geopolitics can drive cyber attacks. As Southeast Asia becomes a larger economic player on the world stage and tensions flare in the South China Sea, organizations should be prepared for targeted attacks.”

William Woo, Managing Director, Enterprise Data and Managed Services at Singtel said, “The report emphasizes the frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks against all types of industries and enterprises in the region. The risk of attack, faced by regional enterprises, is higher than the global average. Therefore these enterprises must prioritize reinforcing their cyber defences. Even though APT attacks can be discovered within a shorter timeframe than before, which is currently after 205 days, this still leaves enterprises wide open to malicious activity within their breached environment.”

Threat intelligence is an important tool for organizations seeking to stay ahead of attackers. The report contains insights into recent developments in Southeast Asia’s cyber threat landscape, such as groups targeting prominent institutions to gather political and economic intelligence, the detection of a known cyber espionage campaign, and threat actors’ evolving techniques to evade detection.

State-owned bank compromised

FireEye observed malware beaconing from a state-owned bank in Southeast Asia. FireEye Threat Intelligence believes the malware, called CANNONFODDER, is most likely used by Asian cyber threat groups to collect political and economic intelligence. In late-2014, FireEye observed the malware beaconing from an Asian telecommunications company. In mid-2014, the company observed threat actors sending spear phishing emails with malicious attachments to employees of an Asian government.

Decade-long cyber espionage campaign detected

In April 2015, FireEye released a report documenting an advanced persistent threat group referred to as APT30, which conducted a cyber espionage operation against businesses, governments and journalists in Southeast Asia for 10 years. This group’s malware, called Lecna, comprised 7 percent of all detections at FireEye customers in Southeast Asia in the first half of 2015.

Source: FireEye Inc.

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Indonesia just announced that immigration formality agents are no longer allowed to submit applications for visas and stay permits without having the expat present.

(Disclosure: The information in this article is not sponsored content, but was provided by The Permit House, a formality agent for the immigration process in Indonesia.)

On November 14, 2016, Indonesia’s Ministry of Justice via the Director General of Immigration announced that third parties in the nation’s immigration process, such as formality agents, are no longer allowed to submit applications for visas or stay permits (KITAS) on behalf of expats or their sponsoring companies.

The news came as a shock after agents were invited to a gathering at the Director General on Friday, November 11. Rumours were spreading days before, and the sudden decision will have a big impact for all parties involved, including:

• Expats and visitors to Indonesia
• Companies acting as sponsors
• Formality agents and other third parties
• Government employees at Immigration offices throughout Indonesia

All stakeholders above must now accept that from this day forward:

1. All Immigration licenses issued to formalities agents and alike will be (are) revoked starting November 14, 2016.
2. All applications for visas and stay permits, must be submitted by the (company) sponsor or its staff or by the expat.  
3. No more smooth or urgency procedures will be possible. All applications from expats via a company or private entity will be handled based on a ‘First In First Out’ or FIFO basis.

As of right now, however, the process for obtaining a visa and/or stay permit has not changed. This means:

1. The main impact is that the expat or the sponsor now have to carry out submissions independently. They will have to go to Immigration and stand in line at the counter and wait their turn.
2. As no more urgency processes are possible, the handling time for all applications will increase significantly. The FIFO rule will turn out to be of great effect because the expats and sponsors will need to go Immigration themselves (and return repeatedly) to get an update on their applications. Waiting times will be unpredictable.
3. As government employees will not be allowed to ask for ‘extra payments’, the general costs for visas and stay permit applications (new ones and extensions) will decrease.
4. The prices for Immigration services as set by the government (regulation number 47 OF 2014 ‘about the type and rates of state revenues R’, under category IV ‘Immigration Services’) are set to prevail.

New daily practice

1. Companies will need to appoint a staff member that will accompany the agent to Immigration and submit the applications.
2. While the expat and sponsor before only needed to come for the bio data session, they now will need to come to Immigration between four and seven times to execute the following:

• Submission of the application
• Returning if the application is not complete or has minor issues that need to be solved
• Returning for any news related to progress.
• Returning to make an appointment when Immigration wants to check address (obligatory in the KITAP process)
• Return to pay the dues when the application is in the end phase
• Return for the bio data session
• Return for one more trip to pick up the visa or stay permit

Formality agents and other third parties will continue to provide the same work. However, the expat and/or company acting as the sponsor will now need to join the agents in managing submissions, collecting forms and liaising with Immigration authorities. Source http://www.thepermithouse.com/

Image credits: livelifetraveling, karenfranza2014

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While education quality remains a problem in Indonesia, the government just made it easier for foreign students to enrol in local universities.

In January, the Indonesian government eased international student visa requirements to entice foreign university students to attend college in Indonesia. As a result, overseas students can now apply online for a student visa and stay permit. Indonesia’s immigration office also recently announced plans to let foreigners extend their temporary stay permits (ITAS) online. The plan is scheduled to take effect sometime in the first quarter of 2016, and extensions can only be granted to those who already hold temporary stay permit visas (VITAS).

The move represents a big step forward for Indonesia’s education system, and a seemingly warm invitation to international students. Just one year ago, Akhmaloka, former Head of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB); and Muhammad Anis, Head of University of Indonesia (UI) lamented on Okezone about how difficult it was for international students to come to Indonesia.

Akhmaloka said that previously, international students who came to Indonesia using tourist visas had to go back and forth to renew their stay permits. On top of that, these students had to pay illegal facilitation fees throughout the process. Anis added that international students who must apply for a KITAS could end up paying more tuition in Indonesia than they would in their own countries.

In terms of bureaucracy, however, it would seem progress is taking place. With regard to student visas, the government says it will monitor the new policy and make further improvements going forward.

“Student exchange programmes won’t be the only things getting positive impacts from the existence of student visas. Joint research activities between Indonesian universities and partner universities overseas will also get the benefits,” says Technology, Research, and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir on the Ministry’s official website.

The Minister claims there are currently 5,700 foreign students in Indonesia. That number is small when compared to the number of international students in neighbouring countries Singapore and Malaysia. According to UNESCO data from 2014, the two countries have more than 52,000 and 63,000 international university students respectively.

Does Indonesia have what it takes to attract more international students?

Indonesian universities may consider themselves legitimized on the international stage. UI, ITB, and Gadjah Mada University (UGM) are among Asia’s top 150 universities according to QS World University Rankings 2015/16.

Indonesian higher education students regularly participate in international competitions. In 2015, UGM students championed the ASME Innovation Showcase in India (an international engineering contest), while a student from Padjadjaran University also grabbed first place at an international business pitching competition in Vietnam.

Global management consulting firm McKinsey says Indonesia is poised to become the world’s seventh biggest economy by 2030. PricewaterhouseCoopers pegs Indonesia to become one of the top five countries in terms of GDP over the next several years. In a 2015 study, Nielsen placed the archipelago as the second most optimistic country in the world in terms of its economic outlook.

However, last year Indonesia’s economy began to slow. Growth dipped below 5 percent for the first three quarters of 2015, a significant drop from the 6 percent annual GDP increase of recent years. In response, the government took action to bolster the nation’s economy. This included making it easier for foreign companies to invest in Indonesia by revising the Negative Investments List. The government has not commented on the issue directly, but pulling in more tuition fees from foreign university students is likely another mechanism to aid the local economy.

Quality of education remains a problem in Indonesia. According to a recent report from the Boston Consulting Group, Indonesian companies will struggle to fill half of their entry-level positions with fully qualified candidates by the end of the decade due to low upper secondary and tertiary enrolment rates combined with substandard education quality.

This is also shown by the 2015 edition of the Universitas 21 ranking of national higher education systems, which placed Indonesia at the 48th spot out of 50 countries. Indonesia ranked particularly poorly in terms of investment, research output, and employability of graduates.

A sharp difference in cultural values also comes into play, as foreign students consider coming to Indonesia. Despite relative freedom of speech, the nation with the largest Muslim population is still highly sensitive towards issues related to people who identify themselves as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT).

Police and even universities have disbanded events and gatherings involving LGBT societies, even if attendees are engaged in academic discussion.

By and large, universities in western countries accept and even formalize LGBT clubs on campus, provided that they engage in public discourse about the issue to educate the public.

What do expat students need to know about Indonesia’s higher education system?

New Colombo Plan student Nicole Winter on a study tour to Indonesia | Courtesy of DFAT

The nation has five official types of educational body categories: universities, institutes, colleges, academies, and polytechnics. There are currently 4,402 higher education institutions in Indonesia, offering four diploma levels (D1 until D4), a bachelor’s degree (S1), a master’s degree (S2), and a doctoral degree (S3).

Degrees vary depending on the number of credits taken by the student. For example, D1 is equivalent to an associate’s degree, and requires students to finish one year of studies. Usually, it takes about four years to finish a full-time undergraduate degree in Indonesia, while a master’s degree takes about two years.

Local students are required to pass entrance exams to attend public and private universities. However, depending on the institution, international students could be accepted without such tests. They may only need to submit an English proficiency score, a secondary school certificate of graduation, and an SAT score.

Some local universities are already prepared to accept international students. UI, ITB, and Binus provide international programmes with English as the course delivery language.

However, these international class sequences cost nearly four times the price of local programmes, according to online expat guide JustLanded. A semester at a public university could cost around US$157, while at a private university the price could jump to US$1,000. Private institutes usually charge development fees and equipment fees to students.

Students can find various scholarships to help with tuition fees and living costs. US students can apply for Fulbright scholarships. The Indonesian government also has scholarships for international students. One of them is the Darmasiswa Scholarship, which covers tuition fees and living costs for international students who wish to study Bahasa Indonesia as well as the country’s arts, music, and crafts. Each year, the programme gives away hundreds of scholarships and places students at 54 different universities across the nation. The study period is between six months and one year. It is important to note, however, that the Darmasiswa Scholarship is a non-degree programme.

Outside of studying full-time, there are other ways international students can come to Indonesia. Part-time student exchange programmes exist between partnering universities, and credits are transferable. Foreign students may also join external organizations like AIESEC. The group allows students to volunteer and intern in Indonesia for set periods of time. AIESEC itself is present in more than 15 universities in Indonesia.

Tips from local students

Elizabeth Charlotte Widjojo, a local university student who recently returned to Jakarta after studying for one semester in Taiwan, shares her thoughts on the main differences between studying overseas and in Indonesia. “The tasks in Taiwan were geared more towards practise than theory. Most of our assignments revolved around field research and video projects,” she tells Indonesia Expat.

According to Widjojo, lecturers in Taiwan often asked students to observe what’s happening in the real world and make reports. She participated in a few study trips, going to the offices and exhibitions of various companies. By comparison, Widjojo’s assignments in Indonesia were geared towards academic writing, critical review, argumentative essays, and paperwork, which required her to analyze research.

Adi Putra Lim echoes Widjojo’s sentiment. Lim spent a year studying in Malaysia. Afterwards, he finished his undergraduate degree in Indonesia. “When it comes to teaching methodology, I felt the lecturers in Malaysia really emphasized student comprehension, while in Indonesia, we were taught to memorize the study materials,” he explains.

Lim says that students in Malaysia can see the formula during maths or physics tests. The exams tested students’ comprehension of how to use the formula to answer advanced equations or case studies; while in Indonesia, students had to memorize the formula. Most often, Lim felt like students in Indonesia were expected to answer theoretical questions using textbook answers.

“I think foreign students who come to Indonesia and study our curriculum could go into a bit of culture shock,” Lim says. “They have to memorize many things [to pass exams].” He adds that one thing many international students will also see when studying in Indonesia is the fact that locals are naturally very friendly people, especially towards expats. “Indonesians respect foreigners more, it’s the culture [here],” says Lim.

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l'Indonésie et la Grande-Bretagne ont convenu des accords commerciaux d'une valeur de 1,4 milliard $ au cours de la visite du Président Joko Widodo au Royaume-Uni, où il a rencontré le Premier ministre britannique David Cameron à Londres.

La ​​visite de l'Indonésie à la Grande-Bretagne a deux objectifs principaux:. Accroître les échanges commerciaux et les relations bilatérales entre l'Indonésie et la Grande-Bretagne et figurant également des moyens pour les deux pays pour lutter contre le problème du terrorisme

Président Jokowi et le Premier ministre Cameron ont décidé de mettre à niveau des avions de passagers pour la compagnie nationale indonésienne Garuda Indonesia en faisant un nouveau 1,4 milliard $ US accord avec Rolls-Royce et Airbus.

"Nous sommes le cinquième plus grand investisseur en Indonésie et notre relation a un potentiel plus inexploité. Nous voulons encourager plus d'entreprises britanniques à saisir ces opportunités et nous continuerons à les soutenir en frappant le tambour pour les compétences et l'expertise britannique ", a déclaré le Premier ministre Cameron tel que rapporté par Airbus.

Mis à part les accords commerciaux, les deux dirigeants ont également discuté de la possibilité de l'Indonésie et les agences de renseignement du Royaume-Uni d'unir leurs forces dans la lutte contre les menaces terroristes.

"Et ici, je pense que l'Indonésie a un rôle absolument essentiel à jouer. J'ai été tellement impressionné par ce que je l'ai vu de l'approche de l'Indonésie à la lutte contre le terrorisme et lutte contre l'extrémisme, mais aussi debout pour l'islam comme une religion de paix, "M. Cameron a déclaré lors d'une conférence de presse à Londres.

Président Jokowi continuera sa tournée de l'Union européenne avec Bruxelles comme son prochain arrêt après le Royaume-Uni.

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