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Five Years After Tsunami, Indonesia Better Prepared for Catastrophes

The devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia so hard in December 2004 had two positive effects: it pushed the population to reflect and improve its mechanisms for managing catastrophes, for early detection of such events, and in the country's Aceh province it led to the end of a conflict which had lasted 70 years.

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Hundreds of Earthquake Resistant Schools Built Since Indonesian Tsunami

In Banda Aceh, Indonesian students who survived the tsunami were able to resume their lessons quickly, thanks to the overwhelming international response that allowed organizations like UNICEF to get children back into class – first in temporary schools, and now into 346 earthquake resistant, permanent buildings.

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Defeating Terrorism: What Indonesia Can Teach The World

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, is waging one of the world's most determined campaigns against terrorism — and much of the credit goes to the country's American-trained police unit, Detachment 88. Since Feb. 22, 48 suspected terrorists were caught within a seven-week period and another eight killed. In May, a further 16 suspects were arrested and five killed as police foiled a plot to assassinate Indonesia's President and visiting foreign dignitaries.

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Indonesia Pledges New Forests for Orangutan Haven

80 percent of orangutans live in Indonesia, which now has offered the species more another safe haven there. Government officials agreed to reserve 332 square miles of forest (86,000 hectares) on Borneo island for some 200 captive orangutans waiting to be released into the wild.

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Indonesia Throws Out Book Banning Law

Indonesia's constitutional court this week struck down a 50-year-old law that allowed the government to ban whatever books it considered controversial.

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Petite Woman Builds Small Hydro Plants Bringing Electricity to Half Million Indonesians

Indonesian electricity entrepreneur, Tri Mumpuni Iskandar - IBEKA photoAn Indonesian woman has developed micro-hydro projects that have already delivered electricity – and all that comes with it – to half a million Indonesians. The charismatic director wants to get power to the other 90 million Indonesians who are still without it.

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Young Indonesians Green Their Concrete City

Young Indonesians are breathing new life into their polluted concrete capital city with little more than buckets of soil and seeds. A group of mostly young professionals are converting vacant patches of land - once eyesores -- between Jakarta's skyscrapers into lush green vegetable gardens.

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Leading Paper Producer to Halt Deforestation in Indonesian

The world's third largest paper company, Asia Pulp and Paper, announced in February an immediate end to all natural forest clearing in its supply chains in Indonesia. The company's pledge to stop making paper from the pulped remains of some of the last virgin rainforests, along with its improved transparency, will help protect endangered Sumatran tigers and orangutans and forested peatlands that store massive amounts of greenhouse gases.