Australian model Michelle Leslie, jailed in Bali and accused of possessing drugs, says she only now knows how important freedom is. The 24-year-old was arrested after police raided a dance party and allegedly found two ecstasy pills in her handbag. Police have indicated charges and a trial are imminent. If convicted, Leslie faces 15 years in jail. "Freedom, that word meant nothing to me," Leslie told News Limited newspapers. "That word is now everything to me." The model was used to living a lavish lifestyle, traveling the world and waking up to her millionaire boyfriend, Scott Sutton each morning, the newspapers said. Now she shares a four by three meter cell, with an open sewer running through it, with 13 other inmates. Leslie said she missed the simple things in life. “Just small things in life that you actually thought little of, watching a sunrise and sunset, children laughing, going to dinner. All those things that seem so insignificant they're so precious and important right now," she said. (September 11th 2005, AAP)
Indonesian Militants Raising Funds for New Attacks
Muslim militants in the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines and their Indonesian allies have been trying to solicit money from unidentified Middle Eastern financiers to buy weapons and fund new terror attacks, according to government reports. Details of the fund-raising effort and planned attacks were obtained by Philippine security officials from Indonesian counterparts, who recently captured two suspected militants with knowledge of Filipino rebel activities, the reports said. Copies of the reports, which summarized intelligence relayed by Indonesian authorities, were seen by The Associated Press on Friday. Such ongoing collaboration indicates continuing operational ties between militants in the Philippines and Indonesia despite years of anti-terrorist crackdowns in the neighboring countries. According to one report, Abu Sayyaf rebels may stage new kidnappings to raise funds if they fail to get money from foreign supporters. (September 10th 2005, AP)
Indonesian Fish Products Could be
Poisonous - European Union
Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Freddy Numberi has said that the European Union (EU) is to carry out inspections on Indonesian fish products that will be exported to Europe. These inspections are to be carried out because the EU authority on food and fish products has found indications of poisonous and dangerous elements within Indonesian fish products. According to Numberi, trade globalization and foreign consumers demand quality control and food safety as regards these products. “Therefore, if Indonesian fish products contain poisonous and dangerous elements, the export of the products will certainly be refused by the receiving countries. The EU has refused at least two containers of Indonesian fish products,” said Numberi. The European Union has a control system named Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, which is applied to all food and fish products. Numberi said that the authority has found antibiotic contents of Chloramphenicol and Nitrofuran in shrimp products, lead in tuna and marlin, Histamine in tuna, Vibrio Parahaemolyticus bacteria in shrimps, carbon in tuna and malachite green in milkfish and catfish. Based on data issued by the Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Department, the EU has imposed an embargo on Indonesian shellfish products. This is because there as yet there is no National Shellfish Monitoring Program, a system that can guarantee the quality and safety of the food. (September 10th, 2005 Tempo)
Strong Earthquake Rocks Tsunami-ravaged Aceh,
No Damage or Injuries Reported
A strong earthquake rocked Indonesia's tsunami-battered Aceh province, causing residents to flee their homes in panic, seismologists said Sunday. The magnitude-5.8 earthquake was centered under the Indian Ocean, about 34 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital Banda Aceh, said Sutiono, an official at the Jakarta office of the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency. The tremor occurred at 11:57 p.m. Saturday (10/9)) at a depth of 33 kilometers beneath the Earth's surface, added Sutiono. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake at magnitude 5.9. (September 11th, 2005 AP)
Balinese Girl Forced to Marry Keris When Husband Does a “No-Show”
Dewi (28) of Kediri, Tabanan was forced to marry a sacred sword (Keris) when her husband-to-be failed to attend their wedding ceremony on Monday (12/9). Dewa (35) also of Kediri had promised to marry Dewi at her family home. A lavish ceremony had been prepared and the invitations issued to the family at large, however Dewa mysteriously disappeared and has not been seen since. In order to avoid embarrassment, and so that the ceremony could continue as planned, Dewa was represented by the family sword (Keris). (September 16th 2005, Denpost)
Embassy Bombers Sentenced to Death
A Jakarta court Wednesday (14/9) sentenced to death the second man in two days for assisting in the deadly bombing at the Australian Embassy last year. The court found Ahmad Hasan guilty of helping to plan an act of terrorism and giving refuge to perpetrators of terrorism. “Your actions cannot be forgiven because they were undertaken in the name of Islam but they actually hurt Islam”, Judge Achmad Sobari said to Hasan. “They were savage and lacking in all humanity”. On Tuesday (13/9) the same court sentenced Iwan Darmawan Mutho, alias Rois, to death for his part in the Sept. 9, 2004 bombing, which killed 12 people including the suicide bomber, and was allegedly funded by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer welcomed both convictions, saying they showed Indonesia's determination to fully prosecute all those involved in terrorism. (September 15th 2005. Bali Post)
Garuda Flight to Brisbane Returns to Bali Due to Mechanical Problems
A passenger plane owned by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia early on Wednesday aborted the flight to Australia after being airborne for more than two hours due to mechanical problems. The Airbus A-330 returned to the Ngurah Rai Airport in the Bali capital of Denpasar after pilot heard strange noises from the engine, an airport official said. "There were strong vibrations from the engine and the pilot decided to return to Denpasar," Mohammad Fuschad, the head of administration office with the Ngurah Rai Airport, was quoted as saying by the Detikcom online news service. Prior to the landing, the plane flew around several times to reduce fuel and the weight of the plane, Mohammad said in Bali. It was not known the number of passengers and cabin crew aboard the plane. The incident was the sixth since the crash of a Boeing 737-200 in North Sumatra on Sep. 5 that killed some 150 people. A number of Indonesian passenger planes have since aborted flights or made emergency landing due to various mechanical problems. (September 15th 2005, Bali Post)
Pilot of Indonesian Airline Involved in Fatal Crash Arrested Over Drugs
A pilot for Mandala Airlines, one of whose jets crashed and killed 150 people this month, has been arrested for drug use, police said. Drug squad officers arrested the pilot in East Jakarta late yesterday along with two other people, Jakarta police spokesman Ciptono said. 'We have obtained clear information that confirmed his status as an active pilot for Mandala Airlines. It's terrible to know that this case involved someone who is responsible for the lives of many people,' he said. Ciptono said police seized 20 grams of the stimulant crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia from the suspects. A spokesman for the airline, Alex Wijoyo, said the pilot was suspended a week ago for long-running 'disciplinary' problems. He would be fired, Wijoyo said. The 30-year-old pilot joined Mandala three years ago and flew the airline's Boeing planes. 'We admit that the man arrested was one of our pilots,' Wijoyo said. (September 16th 2005, Bali Post)
19 Year Old Girl Dies of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
19 year old Israhyah of Jln. Kecubang in Denpasar died on Sunday (18/9) after succumbing to Dengue Shock Syndrome. Israhyah had been treated in the high dependency unit of the Sanglah General Hospital for eight days, but finally passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning. (September 19th 2005, Denpost)
Indonesian Woman Dies of Bird Flu
An Indonesian woman has died of bird flu, becoming the country’s fourth case of the disease, according to the Indonesian health authorities. The 37-year-old woman died at a private hospital in Jakarta. Blood samples had tested positive for bird flu. Three other Indonesians, a father and his two daughters, died in July in Tangerang district, south-west of Jakarta. The government said infected chicken’s droppings were suspected of having caused those deaths. Indonesia subsequently launched a vaccination drive but has been criticized for carrying out only limited culls of poultry. The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed 62 people in Asia in the past two years. (September 12th 2005, Xinhua)
Indonesia Closes National Zoo Over
Bird Flu OutBreak
The Indonesian government decided to temporarily close the Ragunan Zoo here after authorities confirmed avian influenza outbreak among birds and chickens in the country's largest fauna garden, local media reports said Monday (19/9). The closure was ordered by Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriantono after at least 19 wild birds and chickens, including a condor and a peacock, kept in the zoo were tested positive of bird flu, reported the Detikcom online news service as saying. The 140-hectare zoo is closed for 21 days, it said. Earlier on Sunday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government would not take any risk after bird flu outbreak was detected in the zoo, which is frequented mostly by children. The closure would allow the medical team to launch thorough investigation and take preventive measures, he added. (September 19th 2005, Xinhua)
