Three Cars Crushed by Tree during Strong Winds - Denpasar
Three cars were crushed beyond repair by a large tree that
fell during storm in Denpasar on Thursday (26/1). The cars,
a Kijang, a Karimun and a BMW were parked outside the BNI
Bank on Jln. Puputan, Renon when the tree came down crushing
the cars and a motorbike. No one was hurt in the incident.
Two of the vehicles were owned by the BNI Bank; the BMW sedan
was owned by an employee and will cost an estimated 45 million
rupiah to replace. (January 27th 2006, Bali Post)
Major Earthquake Hits near Indonesia
A major earthquake struck in the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia
on Friday (27/1) but no immediate threat of a tsunami was
forecast, the National Earthquake Center said. No damage or
casualties were immediately reported after the tremor, which
had a magnitude of 7.7, hit at 1:58am local time. The quake
occurred at an estimated depth of 212 342km below Earth's
surface, according to the US. Geological Survey in Golden,
Colorado. The location was 440 km northeast of East Timor's
capital Dili, the USGS said. "Because this is a deep
earthquake there is little possibility of a tsunami,"
Jabar, an analyst at the National Earthquake Center in Jakarta,
told Reuters. National news agency Antara said shocks from
the quake caused panic among residents in Ambon, the capital
of Moluccas province on the Banda Sea, but added there were
no immediate reports of damage. "It shook my house and
woke me up," Renna Tetelay, an Ambon resident, said by
telephone. She said the shaking lasted about a minute. (January
28th 2006, AEDT)
Narcotics Store Found in Kerobokan Prison - 2 Inmates Arrested
A surprise search of the Kerobokan prison on Friday (27/1)
uncovered a store of narcotics including heroin, marijuana,
and equipment used for shabu-shabu, as well as one shot-gun
and foreign currency to the value of 60 million rupiah. The
search was conducted by various divisions of police squadrons
and was concentrated in the Esther block of the penitentiary
building. It took the police less than 2 hours to uncover
the stash of prohibited items and arrest two of the inmates
“Gadar” and “Salim”. The Kerobokan
Jail has come under increasing scrutiny following repeated
reports of narcotic trafficking from with the prison itself.
(January 28th 2006, Bali Post)
Bali Bomb Chief in Central Java: Police
One of Southeast Asia's most wanted militants, Noordin Top,
is hiding in Indonesia's Central Java province, police said,
as they declared more suspects in last October's Bali bombings.
Deputy national police spokesman Brigadier-General Anton Bahrul
Alam said police had arrested 12 suspects for their involvement
in the October 1 suicide attacks on restaurants. Twenty people
were killed in the attacks, including four Australians. Alam
said four people who had been arrested in Bali were directly
linked to the bombings. The others, detained in Central Java
province, were named as suspects for helping hide accused
militant mastermind Noordin M Top. Asked whether Malaysian-born
Top was still in Central Java province, Alam said: "Of
course. Where else would he run?" Top is blamed for helping
mastermind a series of bombings in Indonesia in recent years.
Police say Top is an expert in recruiting young suicide bombers
among Indonesia's impoverished masses. (February 3rd 2006,
AEDT)
200kg Shabu Shabu Store Found in Jakarta
A police operation in Jakarta on Thursday (2/2) uncovered
a stash of 200kg of Shabu Shabu as well as 1kg of dried cannabis
and laboratory equipment for the manufacture of narcotics
to the value 250 million rupiah. Police arrested two Chinese
citizens Liang Qian Jun (38) and Qu Yong Qian (39) as well
as one Indonesian man known as Jeckly (alias Che Che). One
other man was shot dead as he tried to escape through an open
window. A police spokesman in Jakarta said that this was a
major breakthrough for narcotics investigators and felt that
it would lead to further arrests in Indonesia as well as overseas
as the arrested men appeared to be part of a large syndicate.
(February 3rd 2006, Bali Post)
Popular Indonesian Actor Arrested on Narcotics Charges
Popular Indonesian actor Roy Marten (54) has been arrested
on charges of possession and use of a narcotic substance.
Police acted on an anonymous tip that a man by the name of
Illyas Yacob alias “Papi” had been dealing in
narcotics. When police swept the house of Yacob on Thursday
(2/2), Mr. Marten was also caught in possession of Shabu Shabu
which had been hidden inside the actor’s shoe. Mr. Marten
has been a popular face on Indonesian game shows and soap
operas since the 1980’s. (February 4th 2006, Bali Post)
3 Year Old in Near Drowning on Sanur Beach
Three year old Nabila of Jln. Letda Retda, Denpasar, nearly
drowned on Sanur Beach on Sunday (5/2). Nabila was visiting
the beach with his family, and while the family were eating
their meal on the beach the boy wondered off to the water
and was playing on a raft. According to eye witnesses the
tide was not high and the sea was calm, however after playing
at the oceans edge Nabila was seen to be floating face down
in the water and was assisted by several holiday makers who
attempted to revive him at the scene. Nabila was rushed to
Sanglah general hospital where he was treated in the emergency
room and is still in serious condition in the Intensive Care
Unit. (February 6th 2006, Denpost)
Indonesia Freezes Phone Prices
Communications and Information Minister Sofyan Djalil has
given an assurance that the government will not raise telephone
call tariffs this year. "True, [telephone call rates]
will not be raised in view of the current adverse socio-economic
conditions," he said. To increase phone call rates, the
Communications and Information Ministry still has to wait
for the result of a study still being conducted by the Indonesian
Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (BRTI), he said. The
result of the study will later be applied to the current socio-economic
conditions, he added. PT Telkom president Arwin Rasyid has
proposed a phone call rate hike under a tariff rebalancing
scheme. The proposal is based among others on subsidized tariffs
for local phone calls, monthly fixed phone rates and rising
operational costs as the result of fuel oil price hike, he
said. Meanwhile, telecommunications analyst Roy Suryo said
there is no reason for PT Telkom to raise telephone rates
this year. "There must be clear reasons," he said.
(February 3rd 2006, Asia Pulse/ANTARA)
Some 32 Cruise Ships will Anchor at Bali's Amuk Seaport
During 2006 some 32 cruise ships carrying thousands of foreign
visitors are expected to anchor off the Amuk seaport near
the Padangbai harbor at the most-eastern part of Bali Island,
an official said. "The big cruise ships are expected
to anchor at offshore and the visitors will be carried by
small boats to visit tourist objects in Bali," I Gusti
Ketut Sadia, head of Karangasem district transportation office
said here Thursday (2/2). According to him, the cruise ships
which will carry thousands of tourists to several countries
will stay in Bali for two or three days. The amount of cruise
ships anchoring at Amuk seaport in the recent years dropped
drastically, he said, adding that it happened due to the Bali
bombing incidents respectively on October 12, 2002 and October
1, 2005. Last year, only one cruise ship carrying some 2,000
foreign tourists visited Bali, Ketut Sadia cited, noting that
in 1995, however, the number of cruise visiting Bali reached
70 ships.(February 6th 2006, Antara News)
56 Rescued After Indonesian Ferry Carrying at Least 82 Sinks
A ferry carrying at least 82 passengers and crew sank Wednesday
(1/1) in eastern Indonesia after it reported being battered
by high waves. Navy vessels were searching for survivors,
a navy spokesman said. A police officer said one of the rescue
ships had sent word that it picked up 56 survivors. "We
have been told they survived because they were wearing life
jackets,'' Sgt. Made Dwi said from Rote Island, where the
ferry was heading. Naval spokesman Rear Admiral Yusuf Malik
said he was unable to confirm the report. Earlier, he said:
"If the lifebelts and lifeboats were functioning well,
we hope we can find people alive.'' Three navy vessels and
an air force plane were dispatched to the area close to where
the vessel was suspected to have sunk, he said. Malik said
the ship's manifest showed it was carrying 82 passengers and
crew but it was possible more people were on board. The ferry
contacted a local port around two hours after leaving land
to say it was turning back because of bad weather, he said.
"The report said waves were up to three metres high,''
he said. The ferry was traveling from Kupang port on the western
side of Timor Island to Rote, a trip that normally takes around
four hours. (February 2nd 2006, AFP)
Lawyer Calls for Release of Accused Bali Nine Ringleader
The lawyer for one of the alleged ringleaders of the accused
Bali nine drug smugglers has told a court in Denpasar that
his client should be released immediately, because there is
no evidence against him. The lawyer for Myuran Sukumaran says
the charge against his client of trying to export a narcotic
has not been proven, as he was arrested in a hotel without
any drugs being found on him. Defense lawyers for four of
the nine accused have begun delivering requests on sentencing
this afternoon. The lawyers for Renae Lawrence and Scott Rush
are also due to make their submissions today. The case against
Martin Stephens has been adjourned, after his defense team
said it was not ready. The nine were arrested in Bali last
April. They are accused of trying to smuggle more than eight
kilograms of heroin from Indonesia to Australia. (February
2nd 2006, ABC News)
Jakarta Governor Declares Smoke-Free Areas
Governor of Jakarta Sutiyoso here Friday declared smoke-free
areas in the Indonesian capital city. "As of February
4, 2006, pursuant to bylaw No. 2/2005 on air pollution control,
certain locations in the capital are declared as free of smoke
areas," Governor Sutiyoso said. The bylaw was the manifestation
of the Jakarta administration’s and community’s
commitment to controlling the air pollution, the governor
said. According to the data from the United Nations Development
Program (UNDP), Jakarta is the world’s third most polluted
city after Mexico City and Bangkok. "Bad quality of air
outside the buildings is mostly due to vehicles` emission,
but inside the rooms is from smoking," he said. Among
locations where smoking is banned include public transportation
such as buses and commuter trains and public places such as
malls, railway and bus stations and the airport. Having a
total population of around 10 million, Jakarta will also conduct
emission tests on public transportation and private cars and
motorcycles, as well as on industries. The metropolitan city
has also encouraged the use of natural gas fuel for public
transportation, such as the new Trans Jakarta bus way lines
of corridor II and III. To monitor the implementation of the
smoke-free areas, the city has set up a task force consisting
of civil security men. (February 3rd 2006, Antara News)
