Posted 14 October 2005 - 02:07 PM
Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world – With a population of over 211 million - 93% Muslims, 3% Catholics, 3% Protestants and I% Hindus, Buddhist and Pagans. Indonesia proclaimed independence on August 17, 1947, and on December 27, 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the Netherlands (Holland).
In 1958 the U.S. attempted to oust Sukarno by supplying a right-wing rebel force in Indonesia with arms and a small air force of B-26 bombers for the failed attempt.
Until the 1965 coup, Indonesia was one of the most dynamic countries. "The Sukarno government," writes Ms. Griswold, "took a number of bold steps in foreign policy that shocked the Western capitals and threatened to be infectious. Indonesia withdrew from both the UN and the Olympic games, declaring them to be dominated by imperialism, and started to set up rival international bodies. At the very moment that the right-wing coup was taking place, a conference against foreign military bases, which of course was aimed first and foremost at the U.S. with its 3,000 installations overseas, was in session in Djakarta."
After twenty-five years of fighting the Japanese, the Dutch and the U.S. imperialists, the 1965 coup and the subsequent slaughter of a million Indonesians, paved the way for U.S. companies who began arriving in 1966, writes Ms. Griswold, for "the feast."
Unilever setup oil and edible fat plants. Uniroyal got its rubber plantation and latex plant. Union Carbide, Singer Sewing Machine and National Cash Register got back properties expropriated during the revolution. Eastern Airlines partnered with the Indonesia airline Garuda; Mobil Oil secured oil exploration rights. For a mere $75 million Freeport Sulphur got a contract for exploiting West Irian copper which is 20 times as rich as ores found in Arizona and Utah. Freeport claims it has since paid nearly $1.7 billion in direct benefits (taxes, dividends, royalties) to the Government of Indonesia.
The U.S. armed, trained Suharto military invaded the former Portugese colony of East Timor in 1975 (now separated againg and under western control, practically) to stop a civil war between pro- and anti-Marxist groups. President Suharto did what his Western mentors had done to acquire colonies or to consolidate their own state boundaries, and 200,000 East Timorese are reported to have been killed resisting the Indonesian occupation.
Indonesia's rmed forces, political parties and civil service has always been dominated by its 6% Christian minority, since its independence as legacy of former western colonists. The vast majority yearn for Islamic Shari’ah laws – but the country’s constitution is based on a pagan system – known as ‘Pancasila’. The current president of Indonesia - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is also a Christian.
[quote name='razif' date='Dec 30 2004, 02:07 PM']very sad when too many web sites was sent to my email and almost created by indonesian[right][post="50530"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote][color="darkgreen"]Perhaps that's why I almost can't find websites about (discussing) [i]hajj[/i]. Too many "skill" used for the "wrong sites".
