AIYA Links, 28 February: Bu Risma, Mining, Foreign Policy

Good news from AIYA this week: we’re very happy to announce that Asialink signed on as a sponsor of CAUSINDY 2014, and our Victoria and ACT Chapters have elected new Presidents. 

In the news

• The possible resignation of Surabaya’s popular mayor Tri Rismaharini has been the big political story this week—though at press time, it’s unclear whether she’s going.
• Indonesia’s controversial mineral export ban is still causing chaos in the mining industry.
• The Bakrie-Rothschild debacle seems to be drawing to an end, with the Bakrie family to exit the company formerly known as Bumi Resources.
• Finance Minister @ChatibBasri says Indonesia’s GDP growth will slow in 2014 as the government tries to shrink the current account deficit.
• @BenjaminBland has a great FT story about the boom in e-commerce in Indonesia.
• Good news: more critically-endangered Javan Rhinos are being born in Ujung Kulon National Park.

On the blog

• AIYA’s @TimothyPGraham had some fun comparing just how big Indonesia is compared to Australia—take a look!
• WA Chapter President Natrisha Barnett reports on the great discussions at the recent Australia-Indonesia Youth Dialogue.

Longer reads

• The ANU’s @_DaveMcRae_ has a great new paper on Indonesia’s foreign policy ambitions.
• A special edition of the academic journal Critical Asian Studies explores issues raised by Oscar-nominated documentary The Act of Killing.

Video

• In our latest clip from CAUSINDY 2013, Corrs Chambers Westgarth CEO John Denton speaks from a business perspective about enlarging the Australia-Indonesia relationship.
• @_DaveMcRae_ was also interviewed about Australia-Indonesia issues on the Australia Network.
• The FT’s @benjaminbland went to rural West Java to look at how mobile e-commerce is making inroads in villages.

Events and opportunities

• Mau jadi kontributor untuk blog dan website AIYA? Ayo, simak lowongan relawan ini!
• AIYA friend Courtney Saville is raising funds to bring some talented Yogya artists to Australia—take a look at her Pozible page and help any way you can.
• Applications for funded positions on youth delegations through Global Voices until the 6th of March — opportunities include World Bank and OECD meetings.