Kabar Indonesia

First Christmas Mass goes on smoothly in Indonesian capital

2006-12-25T11:37:00.000+07:00

The first Christmas Mass held at Jakarta Cathedral went on smoothly on Sunday despite drizzle showering down the Indonesian capital.

The congregation came to the cathedral since 3 p.m. local time while police were on alert outside the 2,000-seat church. The church also deployed 80 security guards, the Antara news agency reported.

The second mass is slated at 7:30 p.m. while the third at 10 p. m.

Jakarta Police deploys 18,000 officers at churches in the capital while tens of thousands are on duty elsewhere across Indonesia.

Indonesian police guard churches

2006-12-24T10:33:00.000+07:00

Police searched worshippers and swept for bombs at churches in Indonesia on Sunday amid warnings by Western nations that Islamic militants may be plotting Christmas attacks.

Indonesian officials downplayed the alerts, which have become something of a tradition themselves since Christmas Eve bombings at churches across the country in 2000 killed 19 people.

Abu Bakar Bashir calls court ruling a ‘blow’ to West

2006-12-23T03:30:00.000+07:00

Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir said on Friday that a court ruling clearing him of any part in the 2002 Bali bombings was a blow to the West and served as a warning that Western attempts to subjugate Indonesia would fail.

Polygamy debate moves to Indonesian streets

2006-12-22T07:26:00.000+07:00

Hundreds of Indonesian women marched through Jakarta today in two rallies for and against polygamy after a popular Islamic cleric took a second wife and sparked heated debate on multiple marriages. A large group of veiled Muslim women supporting polygamy staged sketches on a main city street depicting harmonious relations between two women marrying the same man.

"Polygamy is halal (allowed in Islam). Extramarital affairs are haram (forbidden)," said one of their posters. Moments later, another group of women marched at the same location, shouting anti-polygamy slogans. "One, I love my mother. Two, I love my father. Three, I love my brothers and sisters. One, two, three, I reject polygamy," they chanted to the tune of a well-known children's song.

The protests came after popular cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar took a second wife, prompting fiery discussion about polygamy laws in the world's largest Muslim country where multiple marriages are only banned among civil servants. The turban-clad but leather-jacketed Gymnastiar's announcement led the government to consider extending the ban to lawmakers, a move that sent many legislators leaping to the defence of polygamy, arguing it is allowed under Islam.

Holidays Heighten Terror Threat

2006-12-21T14:04:00.000+07:00

Europe: Security officials are worried about terrorist attacks during the holiday season, saying the threat is at the highest level while acknowledging they have not uncovered any specific plots. The concerns stem from perceived Muslim anger about world events this year, the foiling of several terror plots across Europe, and the large numbers of travelers during the holidays. The threat is considered much greater in Europe than in the U.S.

Indonesia: The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta issued a statement reminding Americans that in recent years terrorist attacks have occurred in Jakarta and elsewhere during the Christmas-New Year's holiday season, and urged travelers to remain vigilant. Most of the attacks against Westerners have occurred in Jakarta and on the island of Bali. Thousands of police have been deployed throughout the country to guard Christian churches against possible attacks by the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah. Pickpocketing and drive-by purse-snatching also increase at this time, and sometimes thieves watch people shopping to choose their targets.

The Day in Pictures

2006-12-21T13:03:00.000+07:00

A worker uses a steamer to smooth the wrinkles on a large billboard advertisement for a skin care product in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia is struggling to boost its economic growth through foreign investment as a vast capital injection is needed to tackle widespread poverty and unemployment in the world's fourth most populous country.

Scientists find over 50 new species in Borneo: WWF

2006-12-20T17:01:00.000+07:00

Dozens of new species of animals and plants including a catfish with protruding teeth and a tree frog with striking bright green eyes have been found in the past year in the forests of Borneo, a WWF report said on Tuesday.

US warns of terror attacks in Indonesia

2006-12-19T10:12:00.000+07:00

Americans and other Westerners in Indonesia should remain alert to the possibility of militant attacks over the Christmas and New Year period, the US embassy in Jakarta said on Monday.

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, has in recent years been hit by a series of bomb blasts blamed on Islamic militants.

Israel launches Web site in Indonesian

2006-12-19T10:10:00.000+07:00

In an attempt to promote Israel's image in the world's most populous Muslim country, the Foreign Ministry on Sunday launched a Web site in the Indonesian language.

Although the site did not attract much attention from world media, it is an attempt to reach out to a nation that does not technically recognize Israel.

Three quakes shake Indonesia

2006-12-18T11:07:00.000+07:00

Three moderate earthquakes have struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an official from the country's meteorological agency said today, with a witness reporting that four people were killed in one area.

The first earthquake struck at 4:10am (local time on Sunday) with a magnitude of 5.8.

‘Stop blame game, help Indons fight fires’

2006-12-17T21:59:00.000+07:00

Instead of finger pointing, efforts should be made to help Indonesia put out forest fires that cause the annual haze in Malaysia and Singapore, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

With Indonesia’s offer to allow Asean member countries to help it put out fires, he said Malaysia would study whether it could send firemen and water bombers to the archipelago.

Asian Governments Pledge to Fight Air Pollution

2006-12-16T21:07:00.000+07:00

Government leaders from around Asia have pledged to boost air quality control programs in some of the most polluted cities of the world. As Chad Bouchard reports from the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, widespread urban smog threatens economic growth and is blamed for more than a half-million premature deaths each year.

Poor emissions controls and the expanding use of outdated technology are spreading a scourge of smog in many of Asia's megacities.

Winning the election seen as easy part for ex-GAM spokesman

2006-12-15T17:18:00.000+07:00

Former Free Aceh Movement leader Irwandi Yusuf, who leads Aceh's gubernatorial race, will face an uphill struggle to govern the province, analysts said Thursday.

Mohammad Qodari, of the new research institute Indo Barometer, said while Irwandi was polling convincingly at around 26 percent of the vote, being on an independent ticket would pose problems for him and running-mate Muhammad Nazar in the future.

Landslide Kills 17 on Indonesian Island

2006-12-15T17:13:00.000+07:00

A landslide swept over a remote village on Indonesia's Sumatra island before dawn Friday, killing at least 17 people, local officials said.

A number of other people were still missing, the officials said.

Playboy is global icon of pornography

2006-12-14T17:43:00.000+07:00

Playboy was targeted for prosecution by a hard-line Islamic group in Indonesia because it is “the world’s icon of pornography”, a prominent member testified today in the trial of the American magazine’s top editor.

The co-chairman of the Front for Islamic Defenders, who goes by the single name Baharuzaman, filed a complaint with police which led to the indecency charges against editor-in-chief Erwin Arnada.

Jail time brought Bashir 'closer to god'

2006-12-14T17:39:00.000+07:00

Radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir says he's grateful for his time in prison because it brought him closer to god.

The frail 69-year-old, often cited as the spiritual leader of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), said he was initially angry at being labelled as a terrorist.

But now he sees it as a "blessing".

Indonesian Activist's Death Remains Unsolved

2006-12-13T20:35:00.000+07:00

The story of a murdered human rights activist reveals the distance Indonesia still has to go before government critics can speak freely. Munir Talib Sahir was poisoned on an international flight to Amsterdam.

Shock as bolter takes the lead in Aceh poll

2006-12-12T10:12:00.000+07:00

A HARDLINE former independence fighter is poised to top a landmark poll to become the governor of Indonesia's Aceh province, in a shock result likely to provoke tension with Jakarta.

Sources close to the count confirmed Irwandi Yusuf was leading and should receive more than a quarter of the votes - which would see him elected and avoid a proposed run-off between the top two place-getters next year.

Indonesia's biggest party offers apology for video scandal

2006-12-11T06:03:00.000+07:00

Indonesia's biggest party Golkar has apologized for the steamy sex video showing one of its senior members cavorting with a naked singer which has sparked a public uproar.

"Many things have hit Golkar lately. There were weaknesses. There were mistakes made. Therefore, the party's central board apologizes to all for the embarrassment," Golkar chairman Jusuf Kalla, who is also Indonesia's Vice President, was quoted Monday by major newspaper The Jakarta Post as saying.

No alternative to political path, says Aceh candidate backed by ex-rebels

2006-12-10T08:43:00.000+07:00

Former separatist rebels have no alternative but to follow the political path after laying down their weapons, a key candidate backed by ex-combatants has said ahead of elections in the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian province.

Muhammad Nazar, 37, is running for the post of deputy governor in Monday's local elections, the first in which former rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have participated since last year's Helsinki accords ended three decades of war that killed nearly 15,000 people.

U.N. watchdog backs Indonesian nuclear energy plans

2006-12-09T11:40:00.000+07:00

Indonesia should not face any problem in its plan to develop civilian nuclear energy because it has met its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday.

As part of efforts to diversify its energy sources, Indonesia is planning to build nuclear plant power plants on the Muria Peninsula on the northern coast of Central Java province.

Barking Mad In Indonesia

2006-12-08T08:30:00.000+07:00

Let me see if I’ve got this straight ... the Indonesian edition of Playboy contains no nudity but “the models had inviting expressions on their faces” and “the magazine included lascivious and lustful comments”? Does that just about sum it up?

Has there ever been a more retarded, sexually-obsessed (and repressed) group of morons on the face of the Earth? If a religion supports killing and murder of “unbelievers” yet prohibits men from even looking at a beautiful woman, then it’s not a religion - it’s a mental disease ...

Flawed Democracy

2006-12-07T09:03:00.000+07:00

Indonesia ranks 65th in the 2006 Democracy Index, a flawed democracy.

Planned polygamy ban stirs debate in Indonesia

2006-12-06T05:54:00.000+07:00

A recent government's move to extend the ban on polygamy to all Indonesian state officials has apparently triggered strong reactions from lawmakers in the parliament, mostly those from Muslim-based parties.

The government announced Tuesday a plan to amend the 1974 marriage law and widen the ban on polygamy from civil servants to legislators, cabinet ministers, elected governors, mayors and regents and soldiers.

The move came after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reportedly received thousands of text messages and emails from housewives and female activists protesting the second marriage of prominent Muslim preacher Abdullah Gymnastiar.

Gymnastiar -- who has nationwide fans of mostly women and is portrayed a role model as a perfect husband, as well as male admirers for being a modern Muslim scholar -- drew controversy after secretly taking a second wife despite a consent from the first who gave him seven children.

Unlike other Muslim scholars, Gymnastiar is independent from politics and attracted even more supporters in the country when refusing to greet U.S. President George W. Bush during the latter's visit in 2003.

"The president has great concern for women and it is of great importance for the government to ensure protection for women and deliver them the sense of security," said State Minister for Women 's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono.

Many in the world's most populous Muslim nation are practicing polygamy on grounds that Islam allows such practice.

Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, who accompanied Meutia in the Tuesday's meeting with the president, said polygamy is allowed among other societies only if the wife was invalid or infertile.

But still, the husband must earn approvals from the religious court and the first wife.

Meutia asserted that the amendment of the polygamy law will be conducted soon, only to ignite fire in the parliament.

"The government has no business regulating this issue, on which the religion imposes no prohibition," senior legislator Lalu Misbach Hidayat from the Muslim-based National Awakening Party was quoted Wednesday by leading news website Detikcom as saying.

Hidayat said stricter ban on polygamy would force many women into prostitution or increase love affairs, considered to be serious offences to Islamic teachings.

Fellow lawmaker Lukman Hakiem from the United Development Party said the government should defend polygamy according to Islamic rules.

"Will the government allow sinful affairs but ban polygamy which is lawful according to Islam?" he asked.

Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Ma'ruf Amin joined the chorus to oppose the prohibitive law, saying the government should not completely close the door to the practice.

"Polygamy is indeed allowed. The door should not be closed to it, neither should it be widely opened," he said.

Islam allows a man to have up to four wives if he can treat all of them fairly.

Muslims make up of more than 90 percent of the country's 240 million population, but mostly observe the moderate version of the religion. The country is run by a secular government.

Noted female scholar Dr. Musdah Mulia from the State Islamic University of Jakarta said Muslims should stop using religion to justify polygamy.

"There is no single verse in the Koran stating that polygamy is halal (lawful)," she said.

But quite surprisingly, female legislator Yoyoh Yusroh said the expanded polygamy ban could constitute violations against the right to privacy.

As for Gymnastiar's first wife, Teh Nini, she said everything was fine with her despite having to share the house with another wife.

"It was hard for me in the beginning," she said in a radio broadcast Wednesday.

"I kept praying to God... and later found that he had no intention to hurt my feelings. I was just unprepared for this."

Source: Xinhua

Indonesian villagers find human body parts in slain crocodile

2006-12-06T00:47:00.000+07:00

Villagers discovered two human hands, a leg and a T-shirt inside a 500-kilogram (1,000-pound) crocodile they trapped and killed in eastern Indonesia, a media report said Wednesday.

The five-meter (five-yard) long reptile, suspected of eating a 59-year-old fisherman last seen a week ago near a river in East Nusa Tenggara province, was hacked open by residents after it got caught Monday in a nylon snare, The Jakarta Post said.

Sex tape scandal shocks Indonesia

2006-12-05T23:39:00.000+07:00

Mark Forbes, Jakarta

INDONESIA is grappling with its first real political sex scandal — a widely circulated video of one of its most powerful politicians in a hotel room with a popular singer.

Politicians have taken care to keep their lives private in this predominantly Islamic country. Many have playboy reputations but none has been caught on tape.

The politician, Yahya Zaini, is parliamentary secretary of the Golkar Party, the biggest in Indonesia, and head of its religious affairs committee, which has responsibility for moral issues.

Vice-President and Golkar Party chief Jusuf Kalla said the tape must be verified. "The woman in the video could be his wife, who knows? If that is the case, the one distributing the video must be held responsible," he said.

Mr Zaini, who is married, flew back from a parliamentary study tour in Australia at the weekend, as news of the tape spread. He is in hiding in Jakarta.

The singer, Maria Eva, admitted making the tape, but denied distributing it. During a tearful press conference last night, Eva said she had loved Mr Zaini, but their affair ended two years ago. She said she had been pregnant and was pressured to have an abortion by him and his wife.

Eva said Mr Zaini had financed her first album.

She said she had tried to forget the episode and was now a participant in a Koran reading class at the home of Din Syamsudin, chairman of Indonesia's peak religious body.

Eva has appeared in several miniseries, including the Islamic-oriented Divine Blessing soap opera.

It is believed the video was shot as she and Mr Zaini campaigned for Golkar. It was sent to a number of mobile phones and email addresses last week.

Eva's lawyer, Ruhut Sitompul, said Golkar figures had sent her an open plane ticket and told her to leave for Singapore for her safety.

Islamic leaders and political parties have been campaigning for tougher morality laws in Indonesia, including outlawing pornography and public displays of affection. They want harsh action taken against Mr Zaini.

Party deputy chairman Agung Laksono heads Golkar's investigative team. "The team's main task is to investigate whether the porn video is authentic, determine what kind of violation the legislator committed and make recommendations on what actions the party should take," he said.

source: theage.com.au

$1Bln Indonesia Arms Deal in Cards

2006-12-04T10:30:00.000+07:00

President Vladimir Putin and his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, agreed on Friday to boost military and energy cooperation in deals worth more than $1 billion.

Under a series of accords, Moscow plans to sell Jakarta at least $1 billion in arms and help the country develop its space program, and will offer to build Indonesia a floating nuclear power station.

Clinton stresses peace and politics in Aceh

2006-12-03T11:32:00.000+07:00

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Saturday that Indonesia's Aceh province needed full recovery from both the deadly tsunami of 2005 and decades of civil conflict, urging follow-through on elections and a peace plan.

The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hit Aceh the hardest of any area, Clinton noted to reporters at the end of a three-country swing in his role as U.N. special envoy for the tsunami.

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Indians Want AIDS Drugs, Indonesians Promote Safe Sex

2006-12-02T05:23:00.000+07:00

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -- Hundreds of Indians demonstrated on Friday to demand new HIV drugs, while health workers in Muslim-majority Indonesia marked World AIDS Day by handing out condoms to prostitutes for safe sex.

As campaigners around the globe turned a spotlight on the scourge of AIDS, secretive North Korea claimed complete success in its fight against the deadly infection and U.N. officials said Pakistan was in denial about the extent of its problem.

Indonesia wins Russian military help

2006-12-02T04:16:00.000+07:00

Indonesia's president, keen to buy $US1 billion ($A1.27 billion) worth of Russian arms, said he had won assurances of military cooperation with Russia after talks with President Vladimir Putin.

"First and foremost, we are counting on long-term cooperation with Russia in the military sector," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as telling a joint news briefing with Putin crowning his two-day visit to Russia.

Death toll from Indonesia pipeline blast reaches 12

2006-11-30T23:01:00.000+07:00

SURABAYA, Indonesia (Reuters) - A man died late on Wednesday after suffering injuries from last week's gas pipeline explosion in the Indonesian area swamped by a devastating mudflow, pushing the incident's death toll to 12, a doctor said.

The November 22 blast, which disrupted gas operations in the region covered by state oil company Pertamina's East Java Gas Pipeline, occurred in an area where hot mud has been gushing unchecked since the end of May following a drilling accident.

U.S. wrestling programs pulled from TV

2006-11-30T15:44:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (AP): Several popular American wrestling programs have been pulled from Indonesian television, a spokeswoman saidThursday, following the death of a 9-year-old boy whose friendspracticed fighting moves on him.

SmackDown and other shows produced by the Stamford,Connecticut-based World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. were lastscreened Tuesday evening, said a spokeswoman for Indonesia'sLativi broadcaster, the only company to have aired the programs.

Linda Rifai said the screenings were stopped "to avoid stokingcontroversy" and not because the company was admitting a"correlation" between the death and its shows.

The decision was taken following weeks of pressure fromparents and educators who blamed the programs for violent childbehavior and the boy's death on Nov. 16 in Bandung, West Java.

He was hurt several weeks earlier when three friends practicedwrestling moves on him, but the exact cause of death is stillunclear.

Rifai declined to say if the cancellation of the programs,which had been aired six nights a week for four straight hours,was permanent or temporary.

At least nine other boys, mostly elementary school students,reportedly sustained injuries after wrestling games, whichparents said were inspired by the show.

Source: The Jakarta Post

"SmackDown" TV show under fire in Indonesia

2006-11-29T20:41:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (Reuters) - SmackDown, a popular U.S. professional wrestling television show, should be taken off air in Indonesia, a cabinet minister says after speculation a boy may have been killed by children mimicking the fight moves.

Authorities have yet to decide whether the blows received by the 9-year-old boy in October caused his death a month later.

Japanese, Indonesian Leaders Close to Finalizing Trade Pact

2006-11-28T23:38:00.000+07:00

The leaders of Japan and Indonesia have announced they have made considerable progress on a wide-ranging economic pact, but they have not been able to finalize the agreement.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday affixed their signatures to a 1,000-page provisional trade pact. But some loose ends still need to be tied up before the sweeping economic partnership is finalized.

WHO: AIDS Not Under Control in Indonesia

2006-11-28T00:21:00.000+07:00

The World Health Organization warned Tuesday that AIDS is 'not under control' in Indonesia as the government predicted that up to a million people may be infected by 2010.

The WHO expressed concerned about an increasing number of infections among intravenous drug users, sex workers, and heterosexuals in the eastern province of Papua.

Mudflow victims protest in Indonesia

2006-11-27T21:54:00.000+07:00

Thousands of Indonesians blocked a key road on Java island with sand to press the operator of an exploratory oil well spewing torrents of mud to pay more compensation.

Some 10,000 people have been displaced and entire villages inundated by the mud that has flowed since a drilling accident in May, causing an unfolding environmental disaster in the Sidoarjo area, near Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya.

Indonesian president to begin visit to Japan, expected to agree on outline for trade deal

2006-11-26T23:50:00.000+07:00

TOKYO: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was to arrive late Sunday in Tokyo on a four-day visit during which the two countries were expected to agree on the broad outlines of a free-trade deal.

Yudhoyono will attend a banquet at the Imperial Palace on Monday and hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Indonesians to Join U.N. in Lebanon

2006-11-25T21:43:00.000+07:00

A third batch of Indonesians left Saturday to join a U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, bringing the Asian nation's Middle East deployment to more than 830 troops.

They will join a U.N. mission of around 6,000 personnel monitoring a cease-fire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, reached after the two sides fought a war in Lebanon earlier this year.

Indonesia to decide on Japan’s LNG contract

2006-11-24T12:32:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA: Jakarta will decide next year on the renewal of a contract to sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan, depending on Indonesia’s domestic demand and output, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Friday.

An 8.4 million tonnes per year (tpy) contract with Japan expires in 2010 and another deal for 3.6 million tpy ends in 2011, equivalent to about two-thirds of Japan’s total LNG imports from Indonesia.

Indonesian pipeline blast kills 7, mud flow blamed

2006-11-23T10:44:00.000+07:00

SIDOARJO, Indonesia - Indonesia blamed an uncontrolled mud flow on Thursday for a gas pipeline explosion that killed at least seven people and injured 12 on Java island.

The late Wednesday blast -- which disrupted gas operations in the area -- occurred near the city of Surabaya in a part of the state-owned Pertamina East Java Gas Pipeline.

Religion to remain on ID cards

2006-11-22T22:54:00.000+07:00

This was confirmed by political parties and the government despite protests by minorities. Christian and Muslim representatives have denounced what they perceive as the political intention to use faith to gain mileage without considering the risk of fuelling division.

Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Indonesia’s House of Representatives and government have agreed to continue listing one’s religion on identity cards. Members of different faiths have criticized the agreement as a violation of fundamental human rights and myopic political opportunism.

Children excited, frightened to meet U.S. president

2006-11-21T10:46:00.000+07:00

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Six graders from the SDN Papandayan state school will get a rare chance Monday to meet two heads of state at once.

The 26 pupils and their two teachers will first greet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Bogor Palace on Monday and then welcome visiting U.S. President George W. Bush.

Unsurprisingly, questions about the tight security and agendas of the presidents were not initially high on their minds. Excitement was.

However, with the news of the many protests prior to Bush's visit reaching saturation level, some students said their anxiety had grown with their enthusiasm.

The students will demonstrate to the two leaders what they have learned in their science class; making a simple compass and demonstrating the flow of an electromagnetic current.

"I am so happy that we're all invited to the palace where I can see with my own eyes President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President Bush. I have only seen them on television before," 11-year-old Huraida Rahmawati said.

"But I am also scared that a bomb might go off nearby. My mother did not immediately allow me to go with my class, but my father told me it was OK to go."

"My mother told me to pray and ask God for nothing to happen while we're there," Huraida said.

Her classmate, M. Rifki Afkari, believed the palace would be the safest place to be during Bush's 10-hour visit.

"There are so many police and military personnel there, and every bag will be checked, so there is no way a bomb will explode near the palace," Rifki said.

Rifki said if he got a chance, he would ask Bush a question.

"I will shake his (Bush's) hand and, if allowed, I will ask him why he has come to Indonesia," he said.

Many people have demonstrated against Bush's visit throughout the country, questioning the United States' invasion and occupation of Iraq and the high cost of Bush's visit borne by the Indonesian government.

The Papandayan school is home to 564 students and has been developed with USAID capacity building programs -- the School-based Management and Decentralization for Basic Education training schemes for teachers and school managers.

Acting principal Taufan Hermawan said the invitation to students and the teachers was directly related to the success of the USAID projects.

The school had applied what the teachers learned from the training session in Malang, East Java, he said.

Source: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A rare opportunity to have George W. Bush's ear

2006-11-21T10:43:00.000+07:00

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta

Several public figures have apparently been invited to meet President George W. Bush during his 10-hour stay in Indonesia today. While these meetings are short -- reportedly each person is allowed only three minutes -- they give a rare opportunity for these selected friends of America to raise issues of concern to Indonesians with the president.

And coming so soon after the shocking midterm election defeat of the Republicans, we have a head of state who is most likely to be in a listening mood, more so than at any time since he assumed the presidency in 2000. From that time, his administration has steam rolled through many controversial policies at home and abroad, ignoring much of the opposition to them.

This more open attitude will also likely to be true for his policies in Iraq -- the U.S. is now searching desperately for a face-saving and respectable exit from the occupation -- but it could also be true for his other policies too.

For Bush to leave any impressive legacy, other than the mess he has created in Iraq, he needs to listen more to what well-meaning friends have to say. He ignored those same friends when he launched his war in Iraq in 2003. Now, he'd better listen. He still has two years left to serve.

Those Indonesians invited to meet him at the majestic Presidential Palace in Bogor today have been picked because they are considered friends of the United States.

They had better make the most of this rare opportunity.

Someone should raise the issue of the fate of the Palestinians, for Indonesia's view of the United States today is increasingly being determined by what the American president does (or rather does not do) about the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Many Indonesians have seen images of Israeli attacks on civilian Palestinian targets, just as we have seen the Palestinian suicide attacks in Israeli streets, courtesy of CNN, the BBC and Aljazeera.

It's a war so one-sided that many here have concluded the only way for Palestinians to get back at Israel is through actions that the West views as amounting to terrorism.

What is certain is that violence breeds violence, and there seems to be no end in sight to this conflict unless the United States steps in. The initiative for peace remains in the hands of the most powerful country on earth, which has also been the chief supporter of the Jewish state.

Then, there is the war in Iraq. There is no point in telling President Bush that he should withdraw American military forces from Iraq. That point, one could argue, has already been made this month by the American electorate. The questions that remain are how soon, and how the U.S. can withdraw without leaving a bloody civil war behind.

Indonesia could help Bush find some of these answers. This is not so much about helping him out of his predicament; it is more about helping the Iraqis, who are now being drawn in to brutal turf battles, from further bloodshed.

A meeting with the American president should also be used to discuss matters that are relevant to Indonesia today.

Someone should definitely talk about the Indonesian economy. They should tell Bush how a failure to secure growth and cut back unemployment and poverty could push Indonesia toward religious radicalism and undermine the democracy we have painfully built during the past eight years -- with America's help.

The rosy economic figures that our officials will likely show the President conceal the grim reality on the ground: unemployment (including under-employment) running at 45 million people, or 40 percent of the work force, with an estimated 18 percent of the population, or 40 million people, living under the poverty line. Another 60 million are considered the "near poor", who will be condemned to absolute poverty at the first sign of an economic slowdown.

These conditions have strong social and political implications: a rising crime rate, a breakdown in law and order, and radicalism, including acts of terrorism -- to name a few.

We have a democratically elected government that seems to have a road map for an economic revival: Promote economic growth through more investment, create jobs and thus phase out poverty through economic empowerment.

And Indonesia needs all the help it can get from its friends, including the United States, to reinvigorate the economy, and to do so quickly. At the moment, investment is not coming in fast enough, the economy is not growing as rapidly as it should, unemployment remains high, and poverty is still on the rise.

We are not only racing against time, but also against radical groups, including those using religious symbols to exploit the situation.

At stake is the nascent democracy of the world's fourth most populous nation.

There will certainly be plenty to talk about with President Bush during these meetings. Let's hope those privileged to have his ear are making the right overtones -- explaining Indonesians' concerns, and the country's challenges, and pointing him to areas where the two nations can work together for mutual benefit.

Source: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Iraq war a key point of difference during visit

2006-11-21T10:39:00.000+07:00

R. William Liddle, Ohio

President Bush's brief Indonesian stop on his current trip to Asia is presumably meant to demonstrate that the U.S. has friends in the Muslim world and that Islam is not a barrier to democracy. On closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that even usually moderate and tolerant Indonesian Muslims have rejected U.S. policies in the Middle East.

The democratization of Indonesia does give hope to Muslims elsewhere, but only in circumstances where outside intervention is minimal. In Iraq, it may be another generation before that lesson can be applied.

The Indonesian public has never supported U.S. policy in Iraq. In 2003, the Pew Research Center reported that favorable attitudes toward the U.S. among Indonesians surveyed dropped from 61 percent to 15 percent in the wake of the war. The respected Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI, Lembaga Survei Indonesia) found in 2004 that 55 percent of respondents in a nation-wide poll believed that the U.S. is at war with Muslim countries.

Support for extremists also appears to be growing. In October 2006, 17 percent of Muslim respondents to an LSI survey said that they understood and approved the activities of Jamaah Islamiyah, the organization alleged to be behind the Bali and other bombings. Nine percent agreed with the explicit statement that the Bali bombing was a "jihad to defend Islam."

Most of the credit for Indonesian democratization belongs to Indonesians themselves. Mass anger driven by economic crisis and then collapse forced Soeharto to step down in 1998. Soeharto's vice-president and successor, the civilian aeronautical engineer BJ Habibie, chose democratization as a tactic to shore up his weak domestic legitimacy. The press and parties were freed, and genuinely democratic elections were promised (and held) within a year.

All major opposition forces accepted Habibie's offer. These included Megawati Soekarnoputri's secular nationalists, Christians and Hindu Balinese, the traditionalist Muslims led by Abdurrahman Wahid and the modernist Muslims headed by Amien Rais.

Each of these groups was highly suspicious of the others. Secularists and non-Muslims feared the imposition of an Islamic state and all pious Muslims feared Soeharto-style discrimination and repression.

Traditionalist and modernist Muslims have many historic grievances against each other. The former adhere to the classical Syafii school of interpretation in Sunni Islam, while the latter reject the schools in favor of direct understanding of the Koran and Hadith, traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.

In the next several years, democratic politics enabled these groups to learn that it is possible to live together in one nation. Transformation of the revolutionary 1945 constitution, a pillar of the Sukarno and Soeharto dictatorships, was their greatest achievement. Between 1999 and 2003 four amendments, each a hard-won compromise, established the foundation for today's presidential democracy.

The U.S. played a role in this process, but largely in response to Indonesian demands. From 1986 to 1989, when Soeharto's power was still at its peak, U.S. Ambassador Paul Wolfowitz quietly encouraged pro-democratic forces, like Abdurrahman Wahid's Democratic Forum. To my knowledge (I have known most of the ambassadors since the 1970s) he was the first to do so.

During the Clinton Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development began a democratization program. The Jakarta-based planning team, of which I was a member, recommended carefully calibrated support, beginning with financial assistance to legal and human rights organizations. After 1998, when Indonesians themselves made the decision to democratize, U.S. programs expanded rapidly and continue today.

Indonesia's recent history certainly demonstrates that democracy is possible in a Muslim majority country. But it also suggests that the most important drivers of democratization are the local actors, mutually antagonistic leaders with mass followings, who have the power to cut the constitutional and policy deals that make the system work and give them a stake in it.

Iraqi politicians have not been in a position to apply this lesson since the U.S. invasion.

The writer is professor of political science, Ohio State University, Columbus.

Source: The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Husband reported to police for being lazy

2006-11-19T12:43:00.000+07:00

A HUSBAND in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta has been reported to the local authorities by his two wives for being lazy and refusing to work.

Radio Address by President Bush to the Nation

2006-11-18T23:37:00.000+07:00

The following is a radio address by President Bush to the nation:THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I'm visiting Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam, where I'm attending the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum. On this trip, I am carrying a message for the people of this region.

Indonesia Warns of Bush Terror Threat

2006-11-18T23:30:00.000+07:00

Indonesian police warned Saturday that the threat of an attack by al-Qaida-linked militants has increased sharply ahead of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the world's most populous Muslim country.

Voodoo Practitioner Tries to Jinx Bush

2006-11-17T10:21:00.000+07:00

A renowned black magic practitioner performed a voodoo ritual Thursday to jinx President George W. Bush and his entourage while he was on a brief visit to Indonesia.

Ki Gendeng Pamungkas slit the throat of a goat, a small snake and stabbed a black crow in the chest, stirred their blood with spice and broccoli before drank the 'potion' and smeared some on his face.

INDONESIA: TOP MUSLIM LEADER SLAMS U.S. 'IMPERIALISM'

2006-11-16T22:34:00.000+07:00

A top Indonesian Muslim leader Din Syamsuddin has urged his country's government to ensure that the United States does not exploit its relations with Indonesia solely for its own benefit. "Washington treats Jakarta like an inferior partner and the United States' neo-imperialistic policies interfere in the internal affairs of Muslim nations," Syamsuddin, head of the country's second most prominent Islamic group, the Muhammadiyah, and is deputy-president of the the Ulama National Council Indonesia's supreme relgious organisation, told Adnkronos International (AKI).

Bali Art & Culture on European Tour

2006-11-16T22:12:00.000+07:00

The Gigir Manuk Cultural Dialogue in cooperation with the Indonesian Department of Culture and Tourism, the Bali Tourism Authority and the Bali Tourism Board are conducting a road tour of Balinese Art & Culture to Europe from November 11-27, 2006.

Land Under the Rainbow

The cultural program, entitled "Land Under the Rainbow", will form the backdrop for a series of cocktail receptions hosted for the international travel industry, during which art & cultural performances by the renowned Bajra Sandhi Group will be presented during visits to the following European cities:

Brussels and Antwerp,
Belgium Den Haag, The Netherlands
Luxemburg
Paris, France
Aachen, Germany

Bajra Sandhi Performance Troupe

Founded in 1991, the Sanggar Seni Kreativitas Bajra Sandhi, more commonly known as Bajra Sandhi, is a group of Balinese artists who emphasize the spiritual connection between God and the arts. Striving for purity, truth and beauty through the arts - the troupe is comprised of 14 performers who alternate roles as dancers, musicians or singers " depending on the number being presented.

Past performance have brought the group to Athens, Greece where they performed in events paralleling the opening of the 2004 Olympic Games; to Hanoi where they helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Vietnam; and to numerous performance venues across Indonesia.

Among the highlights of the coming European tour, the group will present:

Gender Wayang - Music normally reserved as the accompaniment of a shadow puppet performance or for performance at a Balinese rites of passage - the Gender is based on a technically demanding rhythm motif, blending intertwined melodies with lively contrapuntal movements. Resonations created give a shimmering and vibrating quality, extremely rich in overtones, emanating from bronze keys struck with bare wooden mallets utilizing the pentatonic 'Slendro' tuning.
Baris Tunggal Dance - Inspired from the original Baris "Warrior" Dance, the name of this dance derives from the word "baris" meaning rows but also meaning troops of soldiers. With its recent development into a solo performance, the dance now describes the strength and grace of heroic movements of a soldier marching off to war.
Legong Keraton Dance - By legend, the Legong is the heavenly dance of divine nymphs. Of all classical Balinese dances, it remains the quintessence of femininity and grace. Girls from the age of five aspire to be selected to represent their community as Legong dancers. Foremost among the Legong repertoire is the Legong Kraton - formerly reserved for presentation only at Bali's royal courts. Highly stylized, the palace version of the dance enacts a drama performed by three dancers: the 'condong' - a female attendant of the court, and two identically dressed Legong dancers who adopt the roles of royal persons.
Jauk Dance - Taken from Bali's rich tradition of masked dance, the Jauk depicts a crooked and wicked giant king.
Sutasoma - A Balinese tari drama or dance-drama, the Sutasoma tells the story of the birth of Jinapati " the pure soul that arrives on earth with the birth of each newborn baby. Deriving his power from wisdom and peace, Sutasoma defeats the evil giant Purusadha through goodness and enlightenment.

The musical accompaniment in the dance drama derives from the rhythms of traditional lullabies for babies and children, where it at the same time also serves as a divine summon for the unseen 'good' forces to guard the infantile pure souls in this chaotic world.

Source: www.balidiscovery.com

US Assists Indonesia with Education Reforms

2006-11-16T21:47:00.000+07:00

The U.S. launched an initiative in 2003 meant to bolster Indonesia's education reform efforts. The White House says that when President Bush visits Indonesia next week, this program will be a major topic of his discussions with the government. One major focus of the program is modernizing teaching techniques at Muslim religious schools, which are sometimes a breeding ground for extremism.

James Hope, head of the U.S.A.I.D. education office in Indonesia, is the program's director. He explains why the new classroom configuration is a departure.

"If you go to a typical Indonesian classroom, the desks are in rows. The teacher is not really facing the class, he's usually writing on the blackboard, kids are quiet, they're not asking questions, they're not working together in groups," he said. "And so they move the desks and put them into groups, so that the kids are working together using problem-solving skills."

U.S.-Indonesia Partnership To Be Focus of Upcoming Bush Visit

2006-11-16T11:23:00.000+07:00

President Bush's trip to Indonesia in mid-November -- his second -- will be an opportunity to emphasize U.S. cooperation with nations that have large Muslim populations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

Bush will have an opportunity to highlight the strength of U.S.-Indonesian economic and military ties, Rice said in a November 8 interview with Indonesia's Metro Today.

Congress is considering a foreign spending bill for the fiscal year that began October 1 that would provide $5 million in military aid and $70 million in economic assistance to Indonesia.

Suspected Muslim militant apologizes for beheadings of Christian girls in Indonesia

2006-11-15T22:40:00.000+07:00

A suspected Islamic militant told judges Wednesday he took part in the beheadings of three Christian girls on an Indonesian island wracked by sectarian violence to avenge the deaths of Muslims, but apologized to their families.

"We are not cold-blooded killers," Hasanuddin, 34, told the Central Jakarta District Court. "We just wanted revenge."

Prosecutors allege that he and two other defendants ordered the brutal Oct. 29, 2005 murders of the girls as they walked to school on Sulawesi, the scene of religious clashes that left at least 1,000 people dead from 1998 to 2002.

Human Rights Commission Disappointed About Poso Handling

2006-11-15T11:43:00.000+07:00

The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said it was disappointed with the government for not using the Commission’s recommendation on settling the conflict in Poso, Central Sulawesi. “As a person who worked at an NGO, I’m disappointed with the government’s attitude,” said Deputy Head of Komnas HAM, Zoemrotin K. Susilo, after meeting with Deputy Governor of Central Sulawesi Ahmad Yahya in Palu yesterday (13/11).

Most Illiterate People Based on Java Island

2006-11-15T11:40:00.000+07:00

Sudjarwo Singowidjojo, the Director of People’s Education at the Directorate General of External School Education, has said that the largest amount of illiterate people is based on Java Island.

“Almost all of them are spread around across all Javanese provinces,” he said on Friday (11/10).

The Department of National Education has recorded that around 13.2 million of Indonesia’s inhabitants are illiterate, with as many as 10 million of them on Java.

Aussie: U.S. Exit May Embolden Terrorists

2006-11-15T10:25:00.000+07:00

If the United States and its allies leave Iraq without a clear victory, it will embolden terrorists from the Middle East to Indonesia, and damage international efforts to contain North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Australia's leader said Tuesday.

New IT council plans an information-based society

2006-11-15T10:12:00.000+07:00

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched the National Information and Communication Technology Council on Monday in an ambitious bid to turn Indonesia into an information-based society by 2025.

Bali unveils Aussie tourism ad

2006-11-15T10:03:00.000+07:00

BALINESE tour operators have turned the tables on Australia with a new internet ad demanding to know: "Aussie, where the Bali are ya?!".

The Indonesian resort island took a massive economic hit when Australian arrivals plunged following the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings.

Kelly Rowland Nixes Accident Rumors

2006-11-14T14:01:00.000+07:00

In Statement, Singer's Reps Say She Is 'Safe And Sound' After Bombing In Jakarta

Despite rumors of a tragic accident in Jakarta, reps for singer Kelly Rowland say she is safe and sound and currently in Los Angeles.

A rumor surfaced last weekend that the singer, a founding member of Destiny's Child, was in involved in a tragic accident in the capital of Indonesia. But it was "simply not true," a press release said Monday.

US Warns of Protests During Bush Indonesia Visit

2006-11-14T01:21:00.000+07:00

The U.S. embassy in Indonesia warned on Monday that demonstrations over a visit by U.S. President George W. Bush could turn violent and told Americans to be vigilant and avoid protest areas.

Bush is scheduled to make a short visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and an ally in U.S.-led anti-terrorism efforts in Asia, on November 20.

El Nino may spell trouble for Indonesian orangutans

2006-11-13T22:03:00.000+07:00

Indonesia's orangutan population, under threat from smog-producing forest fires this year, could be in graver danger in 2007 when dry El Nino conditions are expected to intensify in the region, an ecologist said on Monday.

About 1,000 orangutans are estimated to have died in Indonesia during the dry season this year in which raging forest fires produced thick smoke across huge areas of Southeast Asia.

AP Pretends Indonesian Blast Not From Muslim Bomber

2006-11-13T12:10:00.000+07:00

A bomb exploded at an American fast food restaurant in the Indonesian capital on Saturday, seriously wounding a man believed to have been carrying the device.

Al-Qaida-linked militants have carried out several bombings in the country in recent years. But police declined to speculate on the motive behind this blast, which comes less than two weeks before President Bush was due to visit Indonesia.

Australia rejects criticism of new Indonesian security pact

2006-11-12T22:45:00.000+07:00

The Australian government has denied that a new security pact with Indonesia means that it would be party to the suppression of Indonesian separatists.

Indonesian police find explosives in suspect's home after A&W restaurant attack

2006-11-12T22:29:00.000+07:00

Police found two bombs, explosive powder, cables and shrapnel in the house of a man suspected in a blast at an American fast food restaurant in the Indonesian capital, investigators said Sunday, suggesting more attacks were planned.

Officers declined to speculate on a motive for Saturday's attack, but said the bomber was "unprofessional," indicating he was not linked to the al-Qaida-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for a string of well-organized and deadly strikes on Western targets in Indonesia since 2002.

Bomb Explodes at Jakarta Restaurant

2006-11-12T22:25:00.000+07:00

A bomb exploded at an American fast food restaurant in the Indonesian capital on Saturday, seriously wounding a man believed to have been carrying the device.

Militants change tune on violence?

2006-11-12T12:53:00.000+07:00

Southeast Asia's biggest militant organization is apparently seeking to rein in its radical wing and invoke Islamic law against the indiscriminate anti-Western attacks demanded by Osama bin Laden.

Show opens for Indonesia puppetry

2006-11-11T14:14:00.000+07:00

Indonesia's first contemporary puppetry festival has opened in Jakarta.

Artists from Indonesia and abroad are performing at locations across the capital to showcase how Indonesia's traditional shadow puppetry has developed into a modern art-form.

Indonesia welcome demonstrations ...

2006-11-11T14:10:00.000+07:00

Indonesia's foreign minister said people are free to demonstrate during U.S President George W. Bush's coming visit.

Muslim groups and political opponents of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are lining up to announce that Bush is not welcome, and are calling for large demonstrations when he arrives in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Villagers initiate reforestation for their own good

2006-11-10T11:21:00.000+07:00

Before the 1970s, the coastal area of Wediombo beach in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, was a dense natural forest, home to diverse flora and fauna, especially birds.

Measuring over 500 hectares, the forest used to be a water catchment for the surrounding regions, maintaining dozens of springs, even during the dry season.

But that is history now. The environmental consequences of uncontrolled logging have been disastrous. Some areas have been converted into farmland and the springs have run dry.

Indonesian schoolgirls beheadings 'act of charity'

2006-11-10T11:03:00.000+07:00

The killings of the three schoolgirls, whose heads were placed in plastic bags and left near a church in their village, signaled a resurgence of sectarian conflict in the province of Central Sulawesi.

The trial of three Islamists began on November 8 in Jakarta, with the men standing accused of murdering three Christian schoolgirls in Poso, Central Sulawesi province, on October 29, 2005. The court was told that the ringleader said the beheading was as an action of "Muslim charity".

Ida Yarni Sambue (15), Theresia Morangke (15), and Alfita Poliwo (19) - were decapitated, and their companion, Noviana Malewa, was hacked in the face with a machete, but survived. The killings of the three schoolgirls, whose heads were placed in plastic bags and left near a church in their village, signaled a resurgence of sectarian conflict in the province of Central Sulawesi. Between the end of 1998 and 2002, the region had been subject to an intense conflict in which Muslims attacked Christians, and vice versa, in which 1,000 people died. The conflict in Sulawesi was part of a larger conflict, the Moluccan War, led by militant Islamist groups such as Laskar Jihad. This "war" killed 9,000 people over the same period.

Saddam and Soeharto

2006-11-09T10:23:00.000+07:00

Pengadilan berjalan relatif baik dalam praktek yang disetujui secara internasional. Paling tidak pengadilan Irak sudah lebih bagus dri pengalian Indonesia. Soeharto tidak bisa diadili hanya dengan alasan sakit selama delapan tahun. Tapi namanya jelek. Menurut editorial The Jakarta Post, Saddam kelihatan membayar untuk dosanya dan bisa tegar, Soeharto masih harus menghadapi pengadilan lebih tinggi (perspektif online).

Tyrants around the world beware. The arms of justice will catch up with you eventually.

That was the message from Baghdad on Sunday, after a court found former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death by hanging.

Indonesia becomes Microsoft's biggest growth market in SE Asia

2006-11-08T16:42:00.000+07:00

Indonesia has overtaken the Philippines as world-software-giant Microsoft's most rapidly growing market in Southeast Asia thanks to a surge in the sales of the company's antivirus products in Jakarta, a report said Wednesday.

Microsoft Indonesia executive Adrian Anwar has said sales of antivirus products in Indonesia jumped by 230 percent in the first quarter of the company's financial year (July 2006 to September 2006), as compared to the same period last year.

Muslim militant stands trial for allegedly beheading Christian girls in Indonesia

2006-11-08T16:36:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia: A suspected Muslim militant went on trial Wednesday on charges of beheading three Christian girls as they walked to school on Indonesia's terror-scarred Sulawesi island.

Prosecutors alleged that Hasanuddin wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims by Christian mobs during sectarian fighting between 1999 and 2002 and left a handwritten note with the girls' heads vowing more attacks.

Meeting George Bush

2006-11-08T09:13:00.000+07:00

Five national figures will have the opportunity to meet president George Bush.

The real issues behind the Marsillam brouhaha

2006-11-08T09:06:00.000+07:00

A web definition describes the word "brouhaha" as "a confused disturbance far greater than its cause merits". The definition fits if you measure the newspaper space and television time devoted to the controversy over the UKP3R. This is the unwieldy acronym for the three-person team assigned to speed up government reform for the purpose of improving investment climate. From Vice President Jusuf Kalla down to officers in the provinces, protest and anger emanate from the rank and file of the Golkar Party. Jusuf Kalla is Chairman of Golkar while the President is the founder of Partai Demokrat. So when Jusuf Kalla remarked that he was not consulted on the creation of the unit, much less the choice of Marsillam Simandjuntak, Golkar officers lined up behind the VP. The media happily exposed the signs of a rift between the President and Vice President, making it a major news story. Even Radio Australia called with a sharp question: "Is the Golkar Party withdrawing their support of the SBY presidency?"

Minimum wage upped 10%

2006-11-07T13:50:00.000+07:00

Raising the legal minimum wage by around 10 and 15 per cent in Jakarta and West Java will not be enough to improve conditions for low-income workers next year, unions say.

A new, unmarried full-time worker in Jakarta will now be legally entitled to receive at least Rp 900,000 (US$98.7) a month, a 9.95 per cent increase in the minimum wage from the current Rp 819,100. Meanwhile employees in the formal sector in West Java must now be paid a minimum wage of Rp 504,000, a 15 per cent rise from the current Rp 447,000.

Southern Philippines Jihad

2006-11-06T15:20:00.000+07:00

Abu Bakar Ba’asyir urges those bent on jihad to go to Indonesia’s neighbour, the Philippines.

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Indonesian court sentences 2 men to death for running Ecstasy factory

2006-11-06T15:15:00.000+07:00

TANGERANG, Indonesia: Two ringleaders of an Ecstasy factory capable of producing millions of illegal pills a year were sentenced to death Monday, and seven foreigners got prison terms ranging from 20 years to life, court officials said.

Indonesia's forest fires force dozens of endangered orangutans to flee

2006-11-06T15:12:00.000+07:00

MANTANGAI, Indonesia: Dozens of endangered orangutans have been driven from their dwindling jungle habitat in Borneo by months of land-clearing fires that have shrouded parts of the region in a choking haze, conservationists said Monday.

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Indonesian-African dialog held in batam, Indonesia

2006-11-05T22:30:00.000+07:00

Forty five African ambassadors and representatives of African embassies in Jakarta, Tokyo, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi and Singapore are attending the Indonesian- African Partnership Dialog (IAPD) started on Sunday in Batam of Indonesian Riau province, according to Indonesian foreign Ministry.

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Animism

2006-11-05T22:25:00.000+07:00

The government is considering making animism an official religion while some conservative Muslim clerics are unhappy about the prospect.

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Adidas Group closes three Indonesian suppliers

2006-11-04T01:20:00.000+07:00

Sportswear giant the Adidas Group, which produces such brands as Adidas and Reebok, has said three of its Indonesian suppliers producing footwear primarily for Reebok had ceased, or would cease operations, a report said Friday.

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Police flood Indonesian city ahead of visit by U.S. president

2006-11-03T12:31:00.000+07:00

Thousands of security forces have been deployed to secure a city on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital where President George W. Bush will meet his counterpart later this month, a police official said Thursday.

Bush will hold talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Nov. 20, after attending an Asia-Pacific Economic meeting in Vietnam, where he will meet Southeast Asian leaders.

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Govt to evaluate discriminatory bylaws

2006-11-02T17:47:00.000+07:00

Breaking a long silence on the issue, the Justice and Human Rights Ministry promised Wednesday to review regional bylaws accused of discriminating against minority groups.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin said he would coordinate with the Home Affairs Ministry, which has repeatedly promised to look over the bylaws.

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RI rejects UN inquiry into poisoning of Munir

2006-11-01T14:34:00.000+07:00

The defense minister rejected calls Wednesday for a UN inquiry into the death of Indonesia's leading human rights activist, amid mounting pressure on authorities following theacquittal of the only suspect in the poisoning death.

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15 named suspects in Poso terror

2006-11-01T14:31:00.000+07:00

The National Police have named 15 people as suspects for their alleged involvement in a series of terror acts in Poso, Central Sulawesi, spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bahrul Alam said Tuesday. Anton the 15 suspects are currently being detained at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta. "They acted in Poso and Palu. They are members of the Tanah Runtuh and Kompak Kayamanya groups," Anton said as quoted by detikcom news portal.

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Police wary of UN rapporteur in Munir probe

2006-11-01T14:28:00.000+07:00

The National Police said Tuesday that they would not allow a United Nations representative to take part in the investigation of the murder of human rights campaigner Munir, despite it being an international case.

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Muazzez Ilmiye Cig

2006-11-01T14:12:00.000+07:00

Indonesians may have the right to say “wer’e not as bad as Turkey”, if the case of Muazzez Ilmiye Cig is anything to go on.

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Russian Aircraft to Fight Forest Fires in Indonesia

2006-10-31T22:41:00.000+07:00

Russia has leased two amphibian aircrafts to Indonesia to fight fires across the Indonesian archipelago.

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Student jailed for 'cat excrement' insult

2006-10-31T22:31:00.000+07:00

AN Indonesian university student got almost four months in jail for calling the president and his deputy "cat excrement," a court clerk said today.

Judge murderer Soeharto free after five years

2006-10-31T00:40:00.000+07:00

Mark Forbes Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
October 31, 2006

TOMMY SOEHARTO, the youngest son of the former Indonesian president, has walked from the gates of Jakarta's Cipinang prison after serving five years for arranging the assassination of a Supreme Court judge.

In chaotic scenes yesterday afternoon Soeharto was hustled into a waiting van, which was blocked by a large media throng. He refused to comment on his release, which is expected to be condemned by human rights groups.

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Son of Indonesian dictator set to be released: prison official

2006-10-30T13:20:00.000+07:00

by Nabiha Shahib

JAKARTA (AFP) - The jailed youngest son of former Indonesian president Suharto was due to be freed after serving just a third of a 15-year term for ordering the murder of a judge, a decision likely to infuriate rights activists.

Outside Jakarta's maximum-security Cipinang prison, a prison official told a waiting media pack that Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra Suharto would be paroled later in the day.

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Suharto's Son Expected to Be Paroled

2006-10-29T12:26:00.000+07:00

The Associated Press

The youngest son of former Indonesian dictator Suharto is expected to be released from prison next week after serving two-thirds of a sentence for orchestrating the murder of a Supreme Court judge, a prison official said Saturday.

Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandalaputra, held for more than four years at the Cipinang Prison in eastern Jakarta, was one of thousands of prisoners to receive sentence reductions for good behavior this week as part of celebrations marking the end of the Islamic holy month Ramadan.

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Setback for Bahasa Indonesia?

2006-10-28T14:49:00.000+07:00

Setiono Sugiharto, Jakarta

On Oct. 28, 1928, Indonesian youth organizations from across the country created the Youth Pledge: One nation, one people, one language.

Since then, Bahasa Indonesia, the Indonesian language, has been significantly enriched by the unstoppable influx of foreign words. Foreign terminology is ubiquitous in advertising, industry, government, the media, politics, and education. This is evidence of language permeation, the process of lexical modernization of Bahasa Indonesia. As language by its nature is dynamic, constantly evolving over time, this process is absolutely natural.

Many people, however, especially purists and bureaucrats, perceive language penetration as a threat. Fearing that local languages could become extinct, they have tried to protect them from infiltration by foreign terms.

The government's Language Center has prepared a draft bill banning the use of foreign terminology in many areas and urging the substitution of local words. Legal sanctions could be imposed on those who insist on using foreign terms.

Banning the public use of foreign words on the grounds of preserving local languages is fatuous. It is difficult to see any scientific basis for this argument.

For one thing, the policy itself allows the use of foreign terms under certain conditions. It stipulates that if there are no appropriate substitutes for the borrowed word in Bahasa Indonesia or its language family, the foreign word can be used. This clearly demonstrates that the arrival of foreign terms can enrich a language's vocabulary.

Indonesian, which is derived from Malay, is actually not a pure language. Historically, its development owes much to other foreign languages ,such as Sanskrit, Arabic, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and English. Many terms from these languages have been accepted and absorbed into Bahasa Indonesia and are used in daily communication.

With the influence of these languages, it is clear that Bahasa Indonesia has been developing rapidly and continues to develop, especially in its lexicon. This is progress.

We must question, however, the role the Language Center has played in the development of our national language.

In the past the Language Center, as a government agency, was responsible for carrying out language planning and guiding language development among its constituents, mainly via electronic media and manuals known as Lembar Komunikasi. These activities were also known as language cultivation.

In recent years, however, the role of the Language Center seems to be diminishing. As the government agency in charge of language planning and development, the Center seems to have lost its credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of the public. It has failed to convince language users to adopt the policies it has created.

It is evident that the public still persistently uses foreign terms despite being discouraged from doing so. In fact, the use of foreign words is widespread and uncontrollable, and language cultivation programs are no longer being promoted. Our language planning has experienced a serious setback.

To regain public credibility and to restore legitimacy to the Language Center, some suggestions follow.

First, language planning should no longer be determined through a "top-down" approach. It should instead embrace wider constituents from various related disciplines such as sociology, history, applied linguistics, philosophy, politics, ideology, gender studies and indeed, any domain in which language is used.

Second, the government cannot control the public's language choices. To dictate language use, especially via the law-making body, is tantamount to treating language as a means of indoctrination, repression, and monopolization. That contradicts the very nature of language, which is personal, dynamic, creative, and constantly evolving.

Third, the Language Center should distance itself from government intervention. Rather than being a government agency, it should become an independent institution. Language planning should eschew politics and become purely academic.

Also, it is important to investigate the failures and successes of language planning and involve constituents in the process, in order to ensure that the Indonesian language represents and unites all Indonesians.

The writer is a lecturer and researcher at Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta. He can be reached at setiono.sugiharto@atmajaya.ac.id

Source: The Jakarta Post

Mob attacks police house in Poso

2006-10-27T13:04:00.000+07:00

The Jakarta Post, Poso, Jakarta

New violence flared up in Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday when a mob of villagers ransacked a house rented by policemen after a villager was shot by security forces Sunday night.

On Tuesday, angry residents burned down a police post. Nobody was reported injured in either attack.

Muslim leaders had earlier demanded police withdraw their 3,000-strong force from the town, accusing them of bias and sparking sectarian violence in the area.

The house attacked in Lawangan subdistrict Wednesday was believed to have been occupied by four provincial police intelligence agents. They were absent at the time of the incident.

The mob of about 50 people forced their way into the house, carried the officers' clothes and laptop computers into the backyard and burned them.

Police said the incidents were likely acts of revenge following the death of a civilian, who was shot during a Sunday-night police raid on a house of suspected militants.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam told The Jakarta Post the latest violence involved provocateurs "who want the situation in Poso to stay unstable".

Police were searching for members of the mob, who had "carried various types of fire arms and home-made bombs", Anton said.

He said the perpetrators could face up to six years in prison for vandalism and theft.

The Associated Press quoted National Police chief Gen. Sutanto saying police were needed in the area to maintain order.

All security officers staying in private residences have been relocated to police barracks.

Late Sunday night, "some perpetrators tried to shoot several police members who were about to conduct a search for weapons and ammunition," Anton said.

Brig. Purwanto received head injuries after being pelted with rocks. The resulting shootout left one man dead and a toddler wounded.

Poso, a town that has a roughly equal numbers of Christians and Muslims, has witnessed at least 1,000 deaths from violence since 1998.

Sharia Complaints

2006-10-26T14:15:00.000+07:00

The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) recently held a seminar in which participants voiced their complaints about creeping sharia in the provinces.

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Mob torches police houses in Indonesia's restive Sulawesi province

2006-10-25T15:00:00.000+07:00

A mob torched houses rented by police in central Indonesia on Wednesday, hours after Muslim leaders accused security forces of fueling sectarian tensions in the region and demanding they withdraw, officials and witnesses said.

No one was injured in the blazes in the Sulawesi town of Poso, said the local police chief, Lt. Col. Rudy Sufahriadi, adding that officers who had been living in the two houses have been moved to barracks for their own safety.

Poso was the center of hostilities between Christians and Muslims in 1998-2002, when more than 1,000 people from both faiths died.

Sectarian violence tensions flared anew following the Sept. 22 executions of three Christian men convicted of leading a militia that carried out a 2000 attack on an Islamic school, killing at least 70 people.

Critics say the men did not get a fair trial.

On Sunday, security forces opened fire on a gang of rock-wielding Muslim youths, killing one man and wounding five others after they went on a rampage, torching police vehicles and homes.

Islamic leaders demanded Tuesday that police withdraw from the area within 24 hours, saying they were adding to tensions. They threatened to disrupt the activities of the local government and the economy if they refused.

The Associated Press

Bali bombing pair released from jail

2006-10-24T22:27:00.000+07:00

TWO Islamic militants jailed for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings were freed by Indonesia today to mark an Islamic holiday.

Journalist Cindy Wockner told News.com.au the pair had been released this morning.

Sirojul Munir, serving a five-year term in the East Kalimantan capital of Balikpapan for harbouring key bomber Ali Imron, received a one-month reduction in his sentence.

A second, unidentified, militant also walked free from Kerobokan prison in Bali.

Munir was jailed in October 2003 for hindering anti-terror police operations by hiding Imron in East Kalimantan shortly after the Kuta nightclub bombings.

Munir had received remissions totalling two years and one month since he began serving his term.

Imron is serving life in prison for his role in the nightclub blasts on the resort island which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Another militant involved in the blasts, Muhammad Yunus, also received a one-month remission but will remain in jail until 2008.

Repeated remissions have been granted out to several of the dozens of militants jailed over the bombings.

Remissions are given to all prisoners who have shown good conduct, except for those on death row and serving life sentences. Three of the 2002 Bali bomb ringleaders are awaiting execution.

Indonesia typically grants sentence cuts of up to six months twice a year - to mark Independence Day and to major religious holidays according to a convict's faith.

- with AFP

news.com.au network

Shootouts in Poso

2006-10-24T11:31:00.000+07:00

One civilian was killed in Poso, central Sulawesi, after fighting broke out between police and groups of Muslims.

Five regular police officers and one Mobile Brigade officer were carrying out an operation in the Gebang Rejo district of Poso, a mainly Muslim area, on 22nd October at 21.15, and were attacked by a number of men, who fired guns and threw homemade bombs and stones at them. Police sources say that the policemen at first fired many warning shots, but fearful of their ammunition running out, and seeing that their vehicles were being destroyed by their attackers, they fired back, directly, and also called for backup.

Increasing numbers of residents spilled onto the streets, apparently roused by tapping on lighting poles, and thereafter the police post on Jalan Irian, with 16 policemen inside, was attacked.

One police Mobile Brigade unit later arrived and evacuated the original six officers by around 22.45. Shots were continually exchanged with the mob. One civilian, by the name of Udin (Syaifuddin), 22 years old, was shot in the neck and shoulder, was taken to the nearest hospital but died 30 minutes after arriving, (Antara) two or three others were wounded, one critically, and one policeman was in need of six stitches in the head. (Detik)

There are suggestions that residents in the Gebang Rejo area were under the impression that the target of the original police operation was an Islamic boarding school, or several schools, and that this was the cause of their attacking police. An M. Kilat of the police in Palu is reported by Detik to have denied that any school was in fact being targeted by police. (Detik). It appears, according to police sources, that police were attempting to arrest a man who was known to have two identity cards (KTP), “Cholid Asyayap”, or “Kholid Assayaf” (Lampung) and “Idrus A” (Poso). (Tempo) The man in question managed to escape.

Police chief Anton Bachrul Alam in Jakarta believes that the attack on the police had been planned some time beforehand. (Detik)

The following day, on the morning of 23rd October at 11.00 a fresh, but smaller outbreak of fighting occured, between police and a group of men who had just returned from the burial of the slain Udin. Police fired warning shots and empty shells. Two people were hurt. (Detik and Liputan6.)

As of the night of October 23rd it is said that six men have been arrested, the youngest 28 years of age, the oldest 40. (Tempo)

Some Muslim residents in Poso have a history of stormy relations with the police, see Poso Muslims & Police, 10th May 2006, and on the more recent troubles in the area, Poso Violence, 1st October 2006.

www.indonesiamatters.com

Experts deplore city's decision to ban newcomers

2006-10-23T16:18:00.000+07:00

The Jakarta administration's attempts to prevent people from moving to the capital to look for work after Idul Fitri are unfair and a human rights violation, sociologists say.

Sociologists Imam Prasodjo and Eko Prasojo both said that carrying out raids on "illegal" migrants after the Idul Fitri holidays would never be an effective way to deter people from coming to the city in search of jobs.

"It will be fruitless as long as the root problem is the inequitable economic development between Jakarta and other places," Imam said Saturday.

He said the raids, which the city has used for some time, could be considered human rights violations.

"I don't see any strong reason for the administration to forbid migration to Jakarta. Governor Sutiyoso himself is not a Jakartan, so what's wrong with other Indonesians wanting to seek a better life in the capita?," he said.

Imam said that the "illegal" migrants were generally of a productive age.

"The migrants also know that Jakarta is not a place for retired people. That's why the newcomers are still productive people," he said.

Eko, who is head of the social and political sciences faculty at the University of Indonesia, said migrants had contributed much to the capital's economic condition.

"We can't imagine what Jakarta would be without the domestic helpers or the people who work to build the high-rises. Like it or not, they also make a big contribution to the city's development," he said.

He said he was concerned Jakarta's move to ban newcomers could be followed by other cities, such as Surabaya, Medan or Semarang.

"It will create exclusive economic development in certain cities. It is not a healthy practice," he said.

Eko said the central government needed to action to empower local economies if it was to trim urbanization in the capital.

"Urbanization is a global phenomena in every country. It can be resolved by spreading economic development at the village level," he said. "However, the government is yet to make local economic development a priority."

The administration usually makes an announcement before Idul Fitri and Christmas requesting that residents do not bring relatives back with them to live in the city after the holidays.

This year, as millions of Jakartans returned to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri, the administration threatened to force the return home of anyone found without and identity card or employment documents after the holiday.

The Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency said around 188,000 people come to the city to stay each year, with more than 13,000 making the move after a religious holiday.

According to a city ordinance on population control and civil registration, those caught in the raids could face three months in jail or a Rp 5 million fine, although usually people are only made to pay up to Rp 50,000.

Imam said the raids, which will be held at several entrances to the city, including terminals, would only waste the city's budget.

The sociologists also urged the central government to speed up infrastructure improvements outside Jakarta in order to attack investment in the region.

Jakarta, the country's capital and center of business, has experienced rapid population growth. Its 60,000 hectares is home to 10 million people at night and 12 million people during the day.

Environmentalists have said that the increasing population will lead to further environmental degradation.

Jakarta is in the process of forming a megacity with its satellite towns Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Puncak and Cianjur. It is hoped that it will help reduce the capital's burden, as around three million satellite residents currently travel into the city every day to work.

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta