Rio Tinto tainted titan
Whilst many shareholders will register at Rio Tinto AGMs this year, many stakeholders will be registering their anger and dismay at the intransigence of the company to their needs and concerns. These stakeholders include the indigenous people on whose land mining takes place; the trade unions, made up of the people who work at Rio Tinto sites, and environmental groups, representing the silent voice of nature. The world's largest private mining company systematically fails to address human and workers' rights and environmental protection. Freeport and Kelian are its two Indonesian operations.
International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), 1998, 56pp, ISBN 0-646-35556-2, Ave Emile de Beco 109, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium, tel +32-2-626 2020, fax +32-2-648 4316, email icem@geo2.poptel.org.uk, web http://www.icem.org (free download).

The seen and unseen worlds in Java, 1726-49
By M C Ricklefs Subtitled 'History, literature, and Islam in the court of Pakubuwana II', this book explodes widely accepted stereotypes about the role of Islam in Javanese civilisation. Pakubuwana II was a malleable 16-year old who came to the throne under the religious influence of his pious and mystical grandmother. He was shaped into the model mystic monarch, who eventually went to Holy War against the Dutch East India Company. Islam is central to this mid-18th century story. Readers will gain a unique sense of how members of the Javanese elite thought, prayed and performed at a time when pre-colonial Javanese court culture was at its height.
Honolulu: Asian Studies Association of Australia, Allen & Unwin, University of Hawaii Press, 1998, pbk ISBN 1 86448 627 9, Rrp AU$29.95, hbk ISBN 0824820525.

Herpetological bibliography of Indonesia
By Indraneil Das A comprehensive bibliography of all the amphibians and reptiles in this region, both terrestrial and aquatic. Covers articles, books, catalogues, theses in 14 different language. Excludes New Guinea. Dr Indraneil Das received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Oxford and is now associate professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
Krieger, 1998, 96pp, Rrp US$22.50, ISBN 1-57524-026-2, avail: PO Box 9542, Melbourne FL 32902-9542, USA, tel (407) 724-9542, fax (407) 951-3671, email info@krieger-pub.com, web http://www.web4u.com/krieger-publishing/

Radio wars
Truth, propaganda and the struggle for Radio Australia By Errol Hodge Radio Australia, the multilingual overseas radio service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, is heard by millions of listeners in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. Radio Wars is the first book to tell the story of this important but unexplored aspect of Australia's international presence. Launched in 1939 as a propaganda tool, the service was for three decades caught uncomfortably between those who would use it as an instrument of foreign policy and those who would have it an icon of journalistic integrity. Errol Hodge has had a 30-year career in radio and TV journalism and was head of the ABC bureau in Jakarta.
Chapters 8-10 concern Indonesia. Cambridge University Press, 1995, 324pp, ISBN 0 521 47380 2, hbk Rrp AU$80 pbk AU$31.95.

The fall of Soeharto
Edited by Geoff Forrester & R J May President Soeharto was a giant in the region. He ruled Indonesia for 32 years. And yet he resigned in disgrace on 21 May 1998 amid the worst rioting since he assumed power in 1965. How is it possible he was driven from office a mere 11 weeks after his unanimous re-election as president? What factors contributed to his fall? Who were the main players? What are the prospects for political reform and economic recovery in the post-Soeharto era? This book is the first to address these critical questions surrounding the fall of Soeharto.
Chapters by Ed Aspinall, Marcus Mietzner, Harold Crouch, George Aditjondro and others. Crawford House, 1998, 261 pp, ISBN 1 86333 168 9, PO Box 1484, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia, Rrp AU$29.95; or C Hurst, ISBN 1- 85065-529-4, 38 King St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8JZ, UK.

The last days of President Suharto
Edited by Ed Aspinall, Gerry van Klinken, Herb Feith President Suharto's sudden resignation on 21 May 1998 caught almost everyone by surprise. Coming amidst widespread protest and a shocking economic collapse, it brought to an end over three decades of authoritarian rule and economic growth. Some of the most experienced journalists and academics in the world wrote about the spectacular last days of the president of this the world's fourth largest nation as they happened. This book brings together 46 of the more analytical articles that mostly appeared in English-speaking media at the time.
Monash Asia Institute, expected out January 1999. Email Emma.Hegarty@arts.monash.edu.au.

To be free
Stories from Asia's struggle against oppression By Chee Soon Juan One of Singapore's leading dissidents has fired a major broadside in the 'Asian values' debate. Dr Chee Soon Juan is secretary of the Singapore Democratic Party and the subject of a concerted attempt by the Singapore government to silence him. Here he interviews some of Asia's best known political activists and political prisoners. They include Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, South Korea's President Kim Dae Jung, and Indonesia's Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
Melbourne: Monash Asia Institute, 1998, 374pp, ISBN 0-7326-1173- 3, Rrp AU$24.95. For trade orders contact Bushbooks tel 0414-334 622, fax 02-9212 2468.