Vaessen at Brave New Films

Thai protesters win some hearts and minds - 30 Nov 08

2008-12-01T14:56:34Z

Thai protesters have taken over Bangkok's main airport, crippling Thailand's tourism industry and stranding visitors to the country.

Step Vaessen reports from inside the capital's international airport.

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Indonesia praises Obama's victory - 5 Nov 2008

2008-11-08T02:51:59Z

When the results from the US elections came through, Americans weren't the only one's celebrating Obama's victory.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Indonesia in Obama's former elementary school where he spent four years of his childhood.

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Indonesians split over anti-porn law - 30 Oct 2008

2008-11-02T08:55:23Z

Supporters of a controversial "morality law" say it is necessary to fight pornography and save Indonesia from immoral behaviour.

But critics argue that the controversial new legislation amounts to censorship, and poses a threat to freedom of expression and the country's cultural diversity.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta.

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Drought hits Bali's poor regions - 27 Oct 08

2008-10-31T06:53:23Z

Bali's tourism industry has staged a dramatic recovery since the 2002 nightclub bombing, in which more than 200 people were killed.

The influx of tourists in Bali is being blamed for a potential drought that is leaving thousands thirsty.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports on an island whose delicate environmental balance is being threatened by its new success.

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Indonesian youths vie for US green cards - 16 October 2008

2008-10-20T00:53:29Z

By virtue of being the world's biggest economy, the United States receives hundreds of thousands of applications from potential immigrants, especially in developing countries like Indonesia.

While many young Indonesians dream of getting a US green card, they are finding unexpected obstacles.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports.

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Indonesian eyes on US presidential race 13 October 2008

2008-10-17T10:52:43Z

Almost two-thirds of Indonesians have a negative opinion of the United States and anti-American sentiment is running high just weeks before the November 4 presidential election.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen asked three Indonesians if a new president in the White House could change that view.

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Indonesia reeling from US financial crisis 09 October 2008

2008-11-01T09:29:39Z

Indonesian stocks have been hit the hardest in Asia with trading halted since Wednesday, following the sell-off on Wall Street.

Declining demand from the US, its second-biggest export market, is threatening to leave hundreds of thousands of Indonesians without jobs.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen shows just how susceptible Indonesia's economy is to a financial crisis on the other side of the planet.

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China's Uighurs face fasting restrictions -- 10 Sept 2008

2008-10-30T15:32:51Z

Officials in China's western Xinjiang province have stepped up pressure on the region's ethnic Uighur population during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports.

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Sumatra's hazy daze - 01 Sep 08

2008-10-30T03:31:12Z

For centuries, farmers on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan have been lighting fires to clear land for crops.

But since the expansion of the country's palm oil plantations, the haze has become an international problem.

Neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia are both complaining about the increasing pollution from the fires.

Our correspondent Step Vaessen travelled to Riau on the island of Sumatra and filed this report.

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Singapore debates legal organ trade -- 27 August 2008

2008-10-29T21:29:30Z

One of Singapore's wealthiest businessmen is on trial on charges of illegally trying to buy a kidney from an Indonesian man.

The case has stirred debate in
Singapore, and the government has confirmed to Al Jazeera that it is thinking about legalising organ trading.

Step Vaessen reports.

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Obama fan club in Indonesia - June 30 2008

2008-10-27T09:29:42Z

Barack Obama, the US presidential candidate, has got loyal supporters well beyond his home country.

His schoolmates in Indonesia have formed a fan club hoping that he realises his childhood dream of becoming a leader.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta.

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Indonesia's skating police officers battle traffic - 29Jun08

2008-10-27T03:30:04Z

Traffic police in Jakarta are using a new and untested weapon in their daily fight against traffic jams.

Twenty policemen have been trained to use in-line skates while directing traffic.

However as Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports, the roller brigade is still a little unstable on its feet.

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Indonesia businesses struggle with oil prices - 06 June 2008

2008-10-17T21:30:18Z

Small businessmen are feeling the pinch of rising oil prices in Indonesia. Despite widespread protests, costs have soared by 30 per cent in the last few weeks while the government scraps expensive fuel subsidies. Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports on how the country is pulling out of the oil exporters' cartel like OPEC because it cannot produce enough oil to export.

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Papua: Indonesia's silent war - 29 May 2008

2008-10-22T03:30:59Z

Indonesia's eastern-most province of Papua is rich in natural resources, but its people remain the poorest in the country.

For decades Papua was the scene of a low-level independence struggle, but years after the fighting ended, tens of thousands of Indonesian soldiers remain deployed in the province.

Al Jazeera correspondent Step Vaessen reports from a region where many residents still live in a state of fear.

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Quality of life worsens in Indonesia - 28 May 2008

2008-10-20T09:30:30Z

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen finds out what people in Java feel about life 10 years after Suharto's fall.

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High price of speaking up in Indonesia - 27 May 2008

2008-10-19T09:29:54Z

Many of the thousands of political opponents imprisoned under former Indonesia president Suharto's rule were released after he was toppled from the presidency, but 10 years after his fall, people are once again being jailed for expressing their opinions. Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen speaks to a man jailed for life for waving a flag.

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Disappointing pace of peace in Aceh - 26 May 2008

2008-10-18T09:31:44Z

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen examines Aceh's new life as an autonomous region as its people try to return to a normal and peaceful life.

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The Ahmadiyah faces extradition from Indonesia - 03 May 2008

2008-10-19T09:31:48Z

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports on a religous group in Indonesia that has been the target of voilent attacks and now faces being banned from the country.

The Ahmadiyah claims to be an off-shoot of Islam, but a government inquiry has declared them a "deviant" group, and says their beliefs have caused unrest.

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Indonesian schools hit by corruption - 06 Apr 2008

2008-10-15T03:29:21Z

When parents send their children to school, they hope they are going to a safe learning environment.

But for many Indonesians, this simple expectation is not being met.

While education and spending has increased, thousands of dilapidated classrooms still pose a threat to the students' health.

It's a problem that is being blamed on rampant corruption. Step Vaessen reports.

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Tsunami scare for Indonesia - 05 Mar 08

2008-10-24T15:29:42Z

The Indonesian island of Sumatra is bracing itself for a powerful earthquake, after three tremors in as many weeks.

It's feared that a large quake would trigger a potentially devasating tsunami.

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Indonesians assess Suharto's legacy - 14 Jan 08

2008-10-17T15:29:35Z

President Suharto ruled Indonesia for more than three decades, before mounting opposition forced him to step down.

His autocratic style brought economic growth, but against a background of corruption and human rights abuses.

Now, following multiple organ failure, doctors have put the 86-year-old's chances of survival at 50 per cent, and told his family to prepare for the worst.

As a result, many Indonesians have begun to reassess his time in power.

Step Vaessen reports.

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Indonesians divided over Suharto's legacy - 12-Jan-08

2008-10-17T13:33:35Z

An estimated one million Indonesians were murdered under the regime of Suharto, the country's former president, in the 1960s.

But as Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports, the former strongman is still remembered warmly by many Indonesians.

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Bangladesh villages destroyed by Cyclone Sidr - 19 Nov 07

2008-10-22T09:29:32Z

Destroyed homes and makeshift graves hastily dug for bodies found washed up in the rice fields.

The government has declared the destruction a national calamity.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen speaks to families on the banks of the Baleshwar river, and Al Jazeera's Owen Fay speaks from a village in the Pirojpur district of the country.

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101 East - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - 08 Nov 07 - Part 2

2008-10-22T15:30:22Z

The Indonesian President gives 101 Eastan exclusive interview.

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101 East - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - 08 Nov 07 - Part 1

2008-10-22T15:30:32Z

The Indonesian President gives 101 East an exclusive interview.

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