The Secretive World of Google

The companys motto Dont be evil was described as a lie

A new book released next week lifts the lid on the secretive world of Google, revealing how the founders fell out with Apple's Steve Jobs and what happened in the search engine's exit from China.
'In the Plex' was written by Steven Levy, a technology reporter who says his latest work is 'informed by a two-year deep dive into the company'.
He reveals that when founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were on the hunt for a chief executive they wanted Steve Jobs to take up the job. The only problem was that Mr Jobs had a much better job at Apple - a much more superior company at the time.
He turned their offer down but because he saw the potential of Google he agreed to mentor Mr Page and Mr Brin, even sharing advisers. Eric Schmidt, the man who eventually took the job as chief executive until last week, was also installed as a board member at Apple.
Problems came when Google bought and started work on the Android mobile phone system. Apple saw it as a direct threat to iPhone and relationships broke down with Mr Jobs feeling betrayed by the pair.
When he saw features like the 'pinch-and-zoom' control to look at websites and images during a visit to Mountain View, California, the home of 'Googleplex', he was apparently furious.
He believed the best ideas from the iPhone had been stolen. Mr Schmidt stayed on the board at Apple but Mr Jobs somehow managed to keep the development of the iPad hidden from him.
'Apple didn't enter the search business, so why did Google get into the phone business?' he said according to the Times.
He also described Google's motto of 'don't be evil' as 'bulls**t'. The book looks at the company's decision to pull out of China in 2009, nine years after the decision to make in-roads into the country.
Hackers, believed to be state-sponsored, broke into Google email accounts so Mr Brin decided it was time to pull out of China. It was in the country that 'the worst moment in Google's history' came about.
An executive was sacked after they gave iPods to Chinese government officials - a customary business practice. The firing led to low morale at the Beijing office.
Mr Schmidt had wanted to stay in the country but he was outvoted and it is believed that the decision had 'long-lasting implications for Schmidt's relationship with the founders'.
He left the company last week and Mr Page took over as chief executive, promoting seven executives, hinting that he wants to take the company on a more innovative footing rather than being driven by profits.

Brutal Justice in Indonesia

Brutal: An Indonesian official prepares to whip Irdavanti Mukhtar as another announces to the crowd what her punishment she will receive

A woman flinches as she is about to be repeatedly caned for having an extramarital affair. Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband.
The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia. The jeering crowd recorded the brutal beating on their mobile phones and camcorders and shouted for more beatings in the strict Muslim city.
Mukhtar had been sentenced to the punishment the previous day by a Sharia court where prosecutors said that she was guilty of being in 'close proximity' to another man. Under Sharia law the offence carries a maximum beating of nine strokes with a cane or a minimum of three.
Neighbours had seen Mukhtar with the man and had barged in on her while the couple were in her bedroom, although it is unclear what they were actually doing. The mob then dragged them to the local police station to be charged.
It is believed Sharia Police are also investigating a claim that Mukhtar was molested by the crowd before they took her to be charged.
Shortly after the caning on Friday Mukhtar passed out and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. She was one of four people, including the man she was caught with, to be caned for extramarital affairs.

US Forgives USD50 Million Indonesia Debt to Conserve Forest

A forest is cleared for land by a burning nearbye in Pangkalan Kuras on October 2, 2010 in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Norway entered a partnership with Indonesia to support Indonesias efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests and peat lands.

he United States has written off Indonesian debts totaling 50 million US in exchange for the conservation of forests in Sumatera and Kalimantan, a US official said here Friday.
"We have forgiven Indonesian debts amounting to 50 million US dollars in favor of a forest conservation program in Indonesia," US Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Ted Osius said.
He said the funds Indonesia would otherwise have to set aside to pay the debts would be used to conserve forests in Sumatra (30 million US dollars) and in Kalimantan (20 million US dollars).
Therefore, Osius said, he hoped the Indonesian government could make use of the funds to rehabilitate forests that had become critical in recent years. Beforehand, the US government had provided a 500 million US dollar grant for an environmental conservation program in Indonesia to be implemented over the next five years.
"Our government is very concerned about environmental conservation in Indonesia," Osius said at a meeting with environmental and human right activists.
There were six countries, including Indonesia, which were receiving the US government’s serious attention in relation with environmental conservation.
"The US consulate general in Surabaya is responsible for assiating environemmenal conservation in eastern Indonesia," he said.
Despite the environmental conservation program, the US government also paid attention on protection of marine and energy which was based on environment in facing climate change.
"We even support the Indonesian government to be able to explore alternative energy potentials that have yet to be developed," he said.

Indonesia Govt Urged to Stay Serious in Combating Corruption

Indonesian laborers burn an effigy of a rat symbolizing corruption during a May Day rally outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday May 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of workers thronged the streets of Asian cities Saturday in annual May Day marches, demanding job creation and minimum wage hikes. Writings on the effigy say "Corruptors Regime".

Constitutional Court Chief Mahfud MD urged the government here Saturday to remain serious in handling state officials’ corruption cases.

"Many corruption cases in Indonesia have yet to be handled properly partly due to lack of strict law enforcement," he said.
Mahfud said high ranking government officers were involved in corruption but their cases has remained unresolved. Referring to this reality, the government’s firm stance on combating corruption questioned, he said.
"During President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s first term, the government was so serious in handling state officials’ alleged corruption cases," he said.
According to him, the president’s seriousness could be seen from the speed at which the president issued questioning permits. At the time, the questioning permits were issued within a maximum of two weeks, he added.
Corruption in Indonesia has remained a serious problem as shown by the outcome of annual corruption perception index (CPI) surveys. Referring to the outcome of the 2010 CPI survey conducted by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) released in October 2010, Indonesia’s CPI score remained at 2.8, unchanged from that of the previous year.
With the CPI score, Indonesia remained in 110th position out of 178 countries that 10 independent institutions had surveyed from January 2009 to September 2010, the TII activist, Todung Mulya, said. Indonesia’s position was only better than Myanmar’s but far left behind by Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Thailand.
Muhammadiyah leader, Din Syamsuddin, said combating corruption needs concrete and serious action, not just a rhetoric. For Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) advisory council leader KH Masdar Farid Mas’udi, corruption was an unforgivable extraordinary crime.
"The impacts of corruption on a country are so extraordinary. Corruption is a big crime that can threaten a country’s life," Mas’udi said recently.

E Java Police Yet to Summon Blast Fishing Victim

This photograph taken on February 24, 2011 shows fisherman unloading freshly caught fish at Bitung town fishport in North Sulawesi province. Bitung is one of the major fish port in Sulawesi island. Fishing is a thriving industry in Indonesia an archipelago of 17,000 islands.

Sumenep district police investigators have yet to summon the victim of blast fishing in Kandibas hamlet, Guluk-Guluk village on April 6, a policeman said.
The victim, Muhlis, was still under the intensive care of Moh.Anwar general hospital’s doctors due to his serious injuries, Sumenep police spokesman, Commissioner Edy Purwanto said.
Speaking to newsmen here Saturday, he said Muhlis’ serious wounds had forced him to remain at the hospital so that the police investigators could not yet summon him for questioning. Muhlis was suspected of possessing the home-made bomb frequently used for poaching.
The police did not only find the home-made bomb materials but also a home-made gun and bullets in his house. "We want to know where he gets all stuffs," he said.
Edy Purwanto said a number of policemen were deployed to the hospital to secure him and monitor his health condition. The home-made bomb exploded inside Muhlis’ house on Wednesday at 05.30 am local time, damaging the house and injuring him.
Blast fishing activity in various parts of Indonesia, including East Java Province, can still be found. This condition has attracted world attention. Endowed by nature with more than 50,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, Indonesia has been listed by the United Nations as a nation with the largest coral reef resources in the world, along with Australia and the Philippines.
According to the United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC)’s World Atlas of Coral Reefs (2001), Indonesia had 51,020 square kilometers of coral reefs or 17.95 percent of the world’s coral reefs.
This archipelagic nation topped the list , followed by Australia with 48,460 square kilometers, the Philippines (25,060), France (14,280), Papua New Guinea (13,840), Fiji (10,020), Maldives (8,920), Saudi Arabia (6,660), Marshall Islands (6,110) and India (5,790).
The benefits that Indonesia can get from its coral reefs are obvious because coral reefs are evidently the sources of food and income for a lot of people from fisheries and tourism and also sources of raw materials for medicines.
But the UNEC-WCMC has warned that activities, such as fishing using explosives, are seriously degrading coral reefs in various parts of the world, including in Indonesia.
The UN body’s warning is based on factual information collected over the years. Blast fishing itself has been practiced in Indonesia since World War II.

Marty Natalegawa: ASEAN to Consolidate AID Provision to Japan

Overwhelmed: The tsunami engulfs a residential area in Natori, Miyagi

ASEAN member countries plan to consolidate themselves more intensively in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Japan which was recently hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. The minister made the statement here on Saturday after attending the Special ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting at the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta.
"Almost a month after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, every ASEAN member country has sent aid to the impacted areas in Japan. Today’s meeting was about our efforts to create better coordination among ASEAN members to provide further assistance to Japan," he said.
The minister also said at Saturday’s meeting it was agreed that the assistance to Japan which was so far provided on a bilateral basis would henceforth be given by ASEAN as a region.
Marty said, apart from providing humanitarian aid and funds, some ASEAN members also proposed to provide assistance in other forms such as promoting tourism sites in the region among Japanese who want to have a vacation from the tensions after the big quake or sending cultural missions to the impacted areas in Japan.
Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya who was also attending the Saturday meeting stated Japan had been very helpful to ASEAN countries during the past years. "It is now our chance to reciprocate and provide assistance to japan," he said.
Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his opening speech at the Saturday meeting expressed hope that the solidarity between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Japan could become a capital for wider cooperation in various fields.
He said cooperation in disaster handling between ASEAN and Japan had developed for a long tome with Japan being one of the ASEAN partners that has actively given help when one of the ASEAN member countries was hit by a disaster and in view of the fact that Southeast Asia and Japan were prone to natural disasters strong cooperation and partnership would be needed from all parties.
"In connection with that we have already had instruments among others the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response which we should always refer to," he said.
ASEAN, he said, also has Coordinator Center for Humanitarian Assistance, an institution that helps coordinate extension of humanitarian aid in the region.
"This must be made more effective and I believe with the coordination and coherence among us all, members of ASEAN, ASEAN +3, East Asia Forum and ASEAN Regional Forum we could carry out the cooperation well to help a country or a region facing a natural disaster," he said.
The ASEAN-Japan special meeting was attended by Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, special envoy from Brunei Darussalam Princess Masna, Cambodian`s vice prime minister/foreign minister Hor Namhong, Laos` home minister Phongsavath Boupha, Malaysian foreign minister Sri Anifah, Myanmar`s deputy foreign minister Myo Myint, Philippine foreign minister Albert del Rosario, special envoy from Singapore Chew Tai Soo, Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya, Vietnam`s deputy foreign minister Dao Viet Trung, the Japanese foreign minister Takeaki Matsumoto and ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan.

Diplomacy Back in Action for Indonesia

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that diplomacy was now back in action to overcome international disputes.
"Diplomacy is back in action. Now is no longer the time for the use of violence (to settle problems)," he said on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN and Japan at the ASEAN secretariat here on Saturday.
He made the statement in response to the process of negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia in the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) on April 7-8 in Bogor, West Java, which has so far reached no agreement yet.
"I did not say that this is an easy matter. I do not know how long it will finish. But the important thing is that now is time for peaceful means (for settling problems)," he said.
He said the two countries had agreed on an observer from Indonesia but no deadline was set for the Indonesian observer to be placed on the Thailand-Cambodia border.
"The observer is a means in nature while our main goal is assuring stability on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. It is indeed more ideal if our observers are there in the field but for Indonesia the most important thing is the border is safeguarded and political process continues," he said.
Indonesia on February 14 received a mandate from the United Nations Security Council to become a facilitator in the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia after early in February the two countries’ soldiers exchanged fires at the border near Preah Vihear shrine the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 to belong to Cambodia but the area around it is still disputed by the two countries.
Cambodian foreign minister Hor Nambong earlier was reported to be disappointed by the Thai government’s stance he considered complicating the negotiation because it had insisted on an approval from the parliament over the results of the JBC earlier meeting.
"The two delegations in the meeting in Bogor could exchange argument. That is better than exchanging fire so that the situation now is better than in February," Marti said.
He said all foreign ministers of ASEAN would be in Bangkok for an informal ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting that would probably discuss the East Asia Summit.
ASEAN was established in 1967 now consisting of ten countries namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with population reaching 580 million.

Bodies of Freeport Employees Flown to Funeral Home

The bodies of two employees of PT Freeport Indonesia, Daniel Mansawan and Hari Siregar, who were shot to death on Thursday were flown from Tembagapura to the Kuala Kencana funeral home here on Saturday. Daniel and Hari would later be flown respectively to their home towns in Jayapura and Jakarta for burial on Monday.
Daniel and Hari, respectively manager and chief guard of PT Freeport Indonesia’s Security Risk Management (SRM), died after they were shot and their car was torched by unidentified assailants at Tanggul Timur Mile 37 MA 220 on Thursday night.
Hundreds of PT Freeport employees staged a demonstration to show their solidarity with the victims in front of the PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana on Saturday after they carried out a religious service led by Rev. Sam Koibur.
They put up a white cloth full of signatures of PT Freeport employees on the wall of PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana urging the management and security authorities to investigate the shooting to death and burning of their two colleagues.

Cambodia Trusts Indonesia as Facilitator of Talks with Thailand

Cambodia trusts Indonesia as a facilitator of negotiations with Thailand to solve their border dispute, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. Marty was responding to Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s statement recently that his country’s military did not want the planned presence of Indonesian observers in the disputed border area.
"Indonesia is the best facilitator for this issue not only because of its position as ASEAN Chair but also its track record back in the 1990s when it helped solve the domestic conflict in Cambodia," the minister said here on Saturday.
He also said Cambodia fully supported Indonesia’s role as a negotiator since the latter had received a mandate from the UN Security Council stating that Cambodia and Thailand had to negotiate bilaterally but with the appropriate engagement of Indonesia as the ASEAN chair.
The minister expressed disappointment about the Thai military’s stance on the issue of Indonesian observers for the disputed border area.
"We don't understand. If Thailand wishes to have a ceasefire in the border why should they hesitate to receive Indonesian observers," he said.
Asked if Cambodia would follow Thailand’s wish to solve the border problem without the presence of Indonesian observers, the minister said Cambodia still wanted Indonesia to play a role in the negotiation process.
"We (Cambodia and Thailand) have negotiated for years but we haven’t reached any agreement yet. Therefore, we need an outside party or mediator and the best outsider is Indonesia as ASEAN’s chair," he said.
Earlier, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and the commander of all Thai armed forces had resolved not to allow Indonesian observers to enter the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Gen Prayuth said the top brass wanted the Thai-Cambodian conflict to be solved by bilateral negotiations between the two countries, without outside involvement.
He said the army had made a proposal to Cambodia through the Foreign Ministry that if there were to be joint checkpoints in the disputed area, then a special centre should be set up to coordinate their operation.
The coordination centre must be manned by Thai and Cambodian soldiers only. It was not necessary to have Indonesian observers.
If Cambodia insisted on having Indonesian observers, they should be allowed to perform their duty only outside the disputed area, Gen Prayuth said.
"Why do they want to enter the disputed area? It’s not safe there. The question is, if Indonesian observers come, will they be able to order Cambodian soldiers not to violate the Memorandum of Understanding?" he said.
The army chief was firm in his stand that the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the ancient Preah Vihear temple area was a matter to be solved by Thailand and Cambodia, and that Indonesia or any other third country should not be involved.

TNI-AU to Acquire T50 Golden Eagle Planes

T50 Golden Eagle

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) will acquire South Korean-made T50 Golden Eagle training planes next year, a top military officer said here Saturday.
Speaking to newsmen after attending the 65th commemoration of the TNI-AU Anniversary here, Air Chief Marshal Imam Sufaat said there would be a squadron or 16 units of T50 Golden Eagle aircraft.
The procurement of the new training airplanes was part of the Indonesian Air Force’s efforts to meet its minimum essential force by 2024, he said.
"The president’s policy is accelerating the needs of military equipments, especially changing the airplanes whose ages are above 30 years old," he said.
These T50 Golden Eagle planes would replace the British Hawk 53 MKs. Besides those new training airplanes, the TNI-AU would also buy Super Tucano planes to replace those of OV-10 Broncos.
The Defense Ministry had even allocated budgets for purchasing these Super Tucano planes, he said. Asked about the total amount of budget allocated for buying a squadron of T50 Golden Eagle, he said the government had to allocate 400 million US dollars.
"These training planes are expected to have been received by 2012," he said. According to him, the T50 Golden Eagles were so fit for training the pilots of Sukhoi warplanes.

Freeport Indonesia Workers Demand Safety Guarantee

Hundreds of employees of U.S. mining giant Freeport have demanded guarantees of safety at the world's largest gold mine in eastern Indonesia after the death of two colleagues.
The workers waved banners Saturday outside the office of PT Freeport Indonesia and refused to be transported to the mining site. It was the second day of protests after the death Thursday of two employees traveling in a company car that caught fire, possibly after being shot at by unidentified gunmen.
Ramdani Sirait, a company spokesman, says production at the mine continued as normal. The mine in Indonesia's restive Papua province is run by Arizona-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. It has been a target of violence since production began in the 1970s.

Postponement of Indonesia-Australia FTA Proposed

Industry Minister MS Hidayat has asked that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand should be postponed until after a study of its advantage or disadvantage is finished.
"If an FTA is to be concluded, a list of its advantage and disadvantage must be made first and an intensive discourse with the business world must be held," the minister said here on Saturday.
He said that studies, discourse and clear sectors that were to be affected by the FTA, were very important to avoid the emergence of problems after the agreement was signed.
"It should not happen that the FTA would only benefit Australia while the expected investment does not take place in the country," the industry minister said.
He said that the important thing was the substance of the FTA which should bring benefit to and serve the interest of Indonesia.
The industry minister cited the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as an example, saying it had caused losses and potential losses to a number of industries, such as textile and textile product (TPT) industries, footwear industry, electronics, wood and rattan-based furniture, toys, machinery, steel, food, drink and cosmetics.
Indicators of losses suffered after the implementation of ACFTA could be seen in reduced production of industry by about 25-60 percent, drop of sales at domestic market by 10-25 percent, reduction in profit by 10-25 percent and cut in manpower by 10-25 percent.
Several industries were also closed down while several others turned their activities from producers to assemblers and packers such as what had happened with machinery industries.
"In order to overcome this problem, the ministry of industry is carrying out coordination to take precautionary measures and increased competitiveness," he said.

WB Supports Indonesia's Economic Expansion Master Plan

World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) support the master plan of Indonesia’s economic acceleration and expansion. The master plan is being made by the government in the form of economic development cluster and corridor.
Coordinating Minister of Economy Hatta Rajasa said here on Saturday that the support had been delivered by ADB President Harihuko Kuroda and World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"They will support the master plan to speed up infrastructure development and connectivity as the main pillar in the economic acceleration and integration of regional sector in six corridors," Hatta Rajasa said.
He said that ADB intended to give its direct assistance to both state and private enterprises to develop added value for Indonesian economic acceleration and expansion.
"Thus the connectivity, capacity building, and human resources are the three main pillars the Asian Development Bank is interested in," Hatta said, adding that he has been asked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to talk with the World Bank and ADB about the follow-up of the support.
The economic minister explained that based on ADB and World Bank evaluation, Indonesian economic situation at present was good, although it has to face with three problems namely food price rises, oil price hikes, and inflation.

Indonesia Rated Positively in Washington's Human Rights Report

The government of the United States on Friday released its annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2010 in 194 countries, including Indonesia.
In the report, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was a disturbing trend in 2010 of repression of vulnerable minorities, including racial, ethnic and religious minorities along with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Without mincing words, Clinton lambasted Pakistan as a country where "blasphemy remains a crime punishable by death," adding, "the blasphemy law has been enforced against Muslims who do not share the beliefs of other Muslims, and also against non-Muslims who worship differently."
"In the first two months of 2011, two government officials in Pakistan who sought to reform the law, Governor Taseer and Minister Bhatti, were targeted by a fatwa and assassinated," she said.
On the positive side, Clinton had words of encouragement for the Colombian government which she said, had "began consulting with human rights defenders." She said other nations showing positive directions are Guinea and Indonesia.
Clinton said Guinea got eulogies for holding free and fair elections with the inauguration of its first democratically elected president, while she appreciated Indonesia for a vibrant free media and a flourishing civil society at the same time as it faces up to challenges in preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance.