RI, Germany join forces in forestry research

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/06/2011 11:09 AM

The Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and two universities in Indonesia have built a partnership in forestry research with the University of Goettingen in Germany.

Rector of the institute, Herry Suhardiyanto, said that they will conduct research on the ecology and socio-economy function of the transformation system of tropical rain forest in low land in Jambi,Sumatra, antaranews.com reported.

He said at the conference on Strengthening Forestry Science and Technology for Better Forestry Development in IPB on Monday that theproject, which involves the University of Jambi and the University of Tadulako in Palu, would be funded by the German Research Foundation for four years, 2012-2016.

They also plan to develop a conservation program for Siberut in Siberut Island, West Sumatra, focusing on the conservation of the biodiversity and sustainable utilization of agriculture land and forest areas.

Gadhafi forces killed detainees, survivors say

Associated Press, Tripoli | Mon, 08/29/2011 12:10 PM

Retreating loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi killed scores of detainees and arbitrarily shot civilians over the past week, as rebel forces extended their control over the Libyan capital, survivors and a human rights group said.

In one case, Gadhafi fighters opened fire and hurled grenades at more than 120 civilians huddling in a hangar used as a makeshift lockup near a military base, said Mabrouk Abdullah, 45, who escaped with a bullet wound in his side. Some 50 charred corpses were still scattered across the hangar on Sunday.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Sunday that the evidence it has collected so far "strongly suggests that Gadhafi government forces went on a spate of arbitrary killing as Tripoli was falling." The justice minister in the rebels' interim government, Mohammed al-Alagi, said the allegations would be investigated and leaders of Gadhafi's military units put on trial.

So far, there have been no specific allegations of atrocities carried out by rebel fighters, though human rights groups are continuing to investigate some unsolved cases.

AP reporters have witnessed several episodes of rebels mistreating detainees or sub-Saharan Africans suspected of being hired Gadhafi guns. Earlier this week, rebels and their supporters did not help eight wounded men, presumably Gadhafi fighters, who were stranded in a bombed out fire station in Tripoli's Abu Salim neighborhood, some pleading for water.

RI-Japan join forces against piracy

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 06/18/2011 9:37 AM

Indonesia and Japan have agreed to increase strategic partnerships in politics, economics and the defense and security sector, which includes facing the threat of piracy, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

“Based on the success story of the RI-Japan economic cooperation and seeing the challenges ahead, we have agreed to continue the cooperation via investment and trade, energy, agriculture and infrastructure building, Yudhoyono said on Friday night after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

The move is in line with Indonesia’s current chairmanship of ASEAN and future role as the host of the East Asian Summit.

“I am glad that Prime Minister Naoto Kan agreed that the East Asian Summit was not a forum to increase tension and conflict in the region but to strengthen the high commitment to safeguarding peace and finding peaceful solutions,” Yudhoyono said as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.