Indonesia


The Nias ethnic group displays genetic similarities with the indigenous people of Taiwan. A third cluster of Nusantara has been found.

HJ.T. Bijlmer's 1943 article in the journal Genetica switched on a lightbulb in Mannis van Oven's head that pointed toward Nias, an island off Sumatra's western coast. The molecular biology researcher from the Netherlands was amazed to learn that most Nias people were blood type O. Also the people of Nias seemed to have distinctive features compared with other Southeast Asian ethnic groups.

Cambodia

A semi-autobiographical film by Cambodian director Rithy Panh won the Un Certain Regard award. It is an effort to keep memories alive.

It began with a question: were there pictures made during the time of the Cambodian genocide between 1975 and 1979 which could be used as historical evidence of the Khmer Rouge evil? There were none. What was left were films and propaganda pictures made by the Pol Pot regime.

Rithy Panh, who lives in France, finally decided to create his own pictures, by using ceramic dolls in his film L'Image Manquante (The Lost Picture). It won the Un Certain Regard award for the best film at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

TEMPO.CO, Bandung – No less than 220 traditional music instruments from various regions in the nation will be displayed at the Sri Baduga Museum in Bandung. As many as 31 museums across the country will participate in the exhibition entitled "Mengurai Beda Merangkai Sama" that was officially opened on Tuesday, June 4.

Head of the event, Bambang Subarnas, explained that this exhibition is a government program in collaboration with museums in all provinces in Indonesia. "The exhibition will be enlivened with various events such as workshops, seminars, musical performances and competitions," he said.

TEMPO.CO, Bogor – The Forestry Ministry revealed that out of approximately four thousand types of wood in Indonesia, only three thousand has been identified. This is due to the lack of wood anatomy experts working in research and development institutions for wood anatomy.

Ida Bagus Putera Parthama of the Forestry Ministry said that wood anatomy can reveal the type and origins of wood. This is important for rare trees in forests that are prohibited from being cut down, such as the Ulin wood (Eusideroxylon zwageri) that has extra powerful properties. "It's even stronger than steel," he said.