The Comfort Woman
As job titles go it is difficult to think of any more crass, more cynical than ‘comfort woman’. To the...
Antony Sutton
Bandung’ Colonial Legacy
Bandung, with its factory outlets and bakeries selling the ubiquitous brownie, this city has long been a favourite destination for...
A Day at Banten Lama
Jakarta is sadly lacking in opportunities for a pleasant day trip out of the city. The traffic, not to mention...
Run to New York
The English, bless our little cotton buds, have always loved a gallant loser. Years of feeble cricket and football performances...
Literary Works Capable of Change
Take an ambitious businessman drunk on being so close to power, a media baron who uses his political acquaintances to...
Bengkulu Blues
At first sight Bengkulu seems an odd place for a trading post. It’s situated on the west coast of Sumatra,...
Of Spice and Profit
Nearly half a millennium before the world, slowly getting connected by grainy black and white TV images, was entranced by...
Going Nowhere Fast – Can Jakarta Learn from Bangkok?
Bangkok’s new international airport may look like the result of a kindergarten class having too much free time with the...
Love In The East
The early days of the expatriate in South East Asia back in the 16th and 17th centuries were fraught with...
Zheng He, The Chinese Muslim Eunuch
Zheng He is renowned today as a great explorer, honoured by both Chinese and Muslims throughout South East Asia. But...
Treading in Jogjakarta’s Ancient History
Jogjakarta and its Hill of Stones Anyone with but the flimsiest knowledge of Indonesia will know the pivotal role Jogjakarta...
Did You Know??
In 1602 eight early British expats were dropped off in what is now known as Banten Lama by the first...
It’ a Swamp Out There!
There isn’t a lot of green space left in Jakarta. Perhaps more than people realise, but still very little. What...
Gereja Sion
Back in the middle of the 17th century, Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta was one of Batavia’s hottest addresses. It was a...