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Laksamana.Net - Sumatran tigers, on the brink of extinction due to poaching and rampant illegal logging, killed 18 people in and around a conservation forest in Riau province last year, an official said Monday (10/1/05). The attacks took place in the 150,000-acre Senepis Tiger Conservation Area and in outlying villages, said John Kenedie, head of Riau’s Nature Conservation Office. "In 2004 alone, 18 villagers were killed. Over the past five years, there have been 40 locals who had fallen prey of the Sumatran tigers," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara. He said the endangered tigers often...

International coconut conference to be held in Riau PEKANBARU, Riau, (JP): The Riau district of Indragiri Hilir will host an international conference on coconuts from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24, district head Rusli Zainal said here on Monday. Rusli said the event would include coconut experts and businesspeople from numerous countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Indragiri Hilir district is rich in coconuts, with 438,000 hectares of land having been developed into a coconut plantation. "A coconut processing company here buys some two million coconuts from local people every year," Rusli said as quoted by Antara....