 No. 59 July - Sept 1999 | Bookshop
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Indonesia The violence in Ambon
Human Rights Watch Asia
On January 19, 1999, as Muslims around the world were celebrating the end of the fasting month, a fight broke out on the island of Ambon, in Maluku (Molucca) province, Indonesia, between a Christian public transport driver and a Muslim youth. Some 30,000 people have been displaced by the conflict. The death toll by early March was well over 160 and rising rapidly as army reinforcements, brought in to restore order, began firing on rioters armed with sharp weapons and homemade bombs. This detailed report by an experienced researcher answers the questions: Who started it? Why did it escalate so fast? What, if anything, could the government have done to halt it? And what should the government be doing now?
New York: Human Rights Watch Asia, March 1999.
Available on the web: http://www.hrw.org/hrw/reports/1999/ambon/
Catherine J. Iorns Magallanes and Malcolm Hollick (eds)
Subtitled 'Indigenous peoples, environment and international law', this book deals with the competing pressures being placed on land and resources worldwide as the world's population grows. It analyses a range of conflicts over land and resources in Southeast Asia and makes recommendations for their resolution. Case studies in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Examines international standards and laws, particularly in the areas of human rights and the environment.
Bangkok: White Lotus, 1998, 392 pp.
ISBN 974 8434 52 4, rrp AUS$60 Valerio Valeri
This eloquent book, completed by the author shortly before his death in 1998, contends that ambivalence felt by all humans about sex, death, and eating other animals can be explained by a set of coordinated principles that are expressed in taboos. The author evokes the world of the Huaulu, forest hunters of Indonesia. He shows how the hidden attractions of the animal world also delineate that which the Huaulu regard as most human about themselves. An important book by an anthropologist which suggests that, finally, we can begin to understand the taboo.
Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1999, 592 pp. Susan J. Browne
In 30 years of Indonesian control of West Papua, the Indonesian government has promoted economic development schemes and made considerable efforts to win the hearts and minds of the indigenous population. Yet West Papuan nationalism remains strong and political unrest continues to grow. This paper asks why is Indonesian control still not accepted by the West Papuan people, and what prospects do nationalist groups have of achieving their aim of an independent West Papua.
Melbourne: Monash Centre of Southeast Asian Studies, 1999, 32 pp.
ISBN 0 7326 1172 5, rrp AUS$10 Francois Godement
This compelling study of the causes of the collapse of the Asian economy looks at Indonesia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore. Until very recently, it was assumed that the Asian miracle of prodigious economic growth would continue indefinitely. Godement argues that the Asian economies have in fact reached a crisis of maturity. He argues that political cooperation, improved self-regulation and discipline within the financial sector will be crucial if the economies of the region are to weather the uncertainties of the market place in the future and realise their full potential.
London, Routledge, 1999
ISBN 0 415 19834 8 (Paper) rrp $ 45.00
ISBN 0 415 19833 X (Hard) rrp $135.00 Michael Backman
For many years the Asian Miracle was hailed as the shining light that could lead the region out of poverty and into a new world of wealth and prosperity. Some Asian business methods have been seriously questioned over the years but the cynics were condemned as jealous or ignorant of Asian values. The dream of a wealthy, middle-class Asia now lies in tatters and serious questions are again being asked about the ability of some sections of Asian business to follow accepted standards of practice. In this controversial book, Backman examines how business in Asia really operates. Strong section on Indonesia.
Singapore: Wiley Press, 1999
ISBN 0 471 83553 6 (Soft) $36.00
ISBN 0 471 83530 7 (Hard) $60.00 James Cotton (ed)
In 1999, Australian involvement in the political transition in East Timor became inescapable. An increased commitment of aid and personnel signalled a new approach by the Australian government to Australia's neighbourhood as well as implying a critical perspective on the record of 25 years of policy towards East Timor and Indonesia. This book presents a selection of the best papers published under the auspices of the Australian Institute of International Affairs on Australia's role in resolving the East Timor conflict. Contributors include James Cotton, James S. Dunn, Jean-Pierre L. Fonteyne, Peter Hastings, Errol Hodge, Sue Nichterlein, Michael Salla, Keith Suter, Nancy Viviani and Gough Whitlam.
Canberra: Australian Defence Studies Centre, Australian Defence Force Academy, in association with
Australian Institute Of International Affairs, 1999, 248 pp.
ISBN 0 7317 0432 0, rrp AUS$25 Arief Budiman, Barbara Hatley & Damien Kingsbury (eds)
Suharto's resignation in May 1998 released long repressed tensions in Indonesian society. A plethora of new political parties came into being, traditional alliances shifted and fragmented and students and ordinary people, calling for change, took to the streets in unprecedented numbers. This book looks at the events after Suharto's resignation from an analytical perspective, considering not just what happened but why these events occurred and what they mean for Indonesia. It is the product of a December 1998 conference bringing together scholars and activists, both experienced and emerging, from Indonesia, Australia and elsewhere. These essays also lay bare the framework for the construction of Indonesia's future. Includes sections on economics, politics, culture, race and gender as well as law reform.
Melbourne: Monash Asia Institute, 1999, viii+402pp.,
ISBN 0 7326 1179 2, rrp AU$24.95
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