Denmark Asks Citizens to Leave Indonesia after Threats
Denmark’s Foreign Ministry today urged all Danes to
leave Indonesia, saying they were under threat from an extremist
group over the prophet cartoons. The ministry said it had
received reliable information indicating “a significant
and imminent threat to Danes & Danish interests in Indonesia”.
“There is concrete information that indicates that an extremist
group actively will seek out Danes in protest of the publication
of the Mohammed drawings,” the ministry said in a statement.
It did not name the group. The ministry said the threat was
focused on the eastern part of Java, but that it could spread
to other parts of the country, including Bali. Denmark earlier
today announced it had removed its embassy personnel from
Indonesia because of unspecified threats. Embassies in Syria,
Iran and Lebanon have also been temporarily shut after attacks
by angry mobs protesting over the cartoons published
in a Danish newspaper in September. (February 11th 2006,
AFP)
Doctor Dies of Dengue Fever - Sanglah Hospital
Dr. Gede Made Sumatra (35) of Tabanan died on Thursday (9/2)
at Sanglah Hospital after battling the deadly hemorrhagic
Dengue Fever. Nine others have died so far during the month
of January 2006 at the Sanglah General Hospital during the
current epidemic of the disease. Ironically, Dr. Sumatra had
been specializing in the treatment of Dengue Fever when he
too fell victim to the disease. (February 11th 2006, Denpost)
Brazilian Death Row Inmate's Appeal Rejected in Indonesia
Indonesia's president has rejected an appeal for clemency
from a Brazilian man sentenced to death for smuggling cocaine
into the country, a senior official said. An Indonesian court
in 2004 sentenced Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira to death for
smuggling 13.4 kilograms of cocaine. Higher courts have denied
his appeals. State Secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the
attorney general's office would decide when Moreira would
be executed. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
last year urged Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to grant Moreira
clemency, saying that executing him would "cause enormous
popular shock". Mr. Mahendra said Mr. da Silva's letter
was received before the Supreme Court turned down Moreira's
appeal. The court said Moreira, a hang-gliding instructor
from Rio de Janeiro, had concealed the drug in a hang-glider
frame. But security officers at Jakarta international airport
became suspicious because of its weight. Moreira, 42, fled
after pretending he was going to get a customs declaration
form but was rearrested two weeks later. (February 13th 2006,
Asia Bulletin)
Prohibited Chemical “Glyroxyl” Found to be used
as Food Preservative
Indonesia’s Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM)
will summon suppliers of glyroxyl as the chemical agent is
being widely used as food preservative replacing
formaldehyde. "On Monday and Tuesday, we will summon
the suppliers because glyroxyl is not for preserving food
because it is a sanitary agent to clean equipment," Deputy
on Food Security and Hazardous Material at BPOM, Dedi Fardiaz
said here Saturday (11/2). Dedi said BPOM does not allow the
use of glyroxyl as food preservative as it has similar characteristics
as formaldehyde in killing bacteria. BPOM has received information
on a cooperative unit offering glyroxyl as food preservative
for tofu, chicken and vegetables. "They will be summoned.
There would not be a problem if it was used to clean the equipment
for tofu production. But if the material was to be used as
a food preservative, it is not allowed," Dedi said. Previously,
tofu producers have complained that there is not clear
information on the security standards for human consumption.
"Currently, there are many chemical materials for food
preservatives but it is not clear yet whether or not they
are safe for human health," a tofu producer in Karawang,
Imam Sujono said. Sujono named glyroxyl which has been sold
widely for preservative agent for tofu, chicken and other
food. A shop in Kalibata Tengah sold glyroxyl and prices varied
from Rp25,000 per 150 ml to Rp155,000 per liter. (February
11th 2006, Antara News)
Indonesia Cancels Badminton with Danes
Indonesia canceled a badminton match against Denmark next
month, saying it could not guarantee security followingviolent
protests against cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish
newspaper. The men's singles and doubles matches had been
scheduled for March 14 as part of preparations for the Thomas
Cup. The Indonesia Badminton Association called off the match
Wednesday "to anticipate security problems in regards
to the recent protests," said Sulistiyanto, who goes
by one name and is the group's director of foreign relations.
Denmark this week urged its citizens in Indonesia - the world's
most populous Islamic nation - to leave the country after
days of protests, including one in which protestors stoned
one of its diplomatic missions. The protests, for the most
part, have been small and peaceful by Indonesian standards.
(February 13th 2006, AFP)
Hindu Shrines in Bali to be Presented in Book
A German national is interested in writing a book on Hindu
shrines (Puras) in Bali province which is known the world
over as the Island of Gods, and publish it in English, German
and Japanese. "The book to contain some pictures of the
shrines in Bali, will be written professionally and published
by Dr. Sage Muller of Germany. Dr. Muller is a writer of arts,
culture and religion in many other parts of the world,"
I Ketut Wiana, lecturer of the state-owned Hinduism Institute
said here on Sunday. Ketut Wiana is one of the writers on
Hinduism and on the Puras in Bali Travel News. He hoped the
publication of the book will further boost the number of foreign
tourists to visit Indonesia, Bali in particular. (February
13th 2006, Antara News)
Sumatran Tigers Attacking Villagers' Cattle in Aceh
Farmers in Ratau Sabon and SP-V Patek villages, Aceh Jaya
district, are now scared to go to their rice fields for fear
of attack by Sumatran tigers. At least three head of cattle
have been killed by roaming tigers in Rantau Sabon village,
villagers said there on Sunday (2/12). The two villages are
located some 12km from the Sampoiniet sub-disgtrict town,
or about 130 km from the provincial capital of Banda
Aceh. They are near to a palm oil plantation
of PT Tiga mitra, which has been neglected for about five
years. Ridwan Adnan, one of the villagers, said that the locals
often encountered the tigers when they went to their farm
lands or went home from working. "We are scared and afraid
of the repeat of an incident when three villagers were killed
by tigers` attacks in 1992," he said. He explained that
in the 1992 incident villagers only found the victims` bones
as other parts of their bodies were devoured by the tigers.(February
13th 2006, Antara News)
Indonesian Cleric Detained Under Anti-Terrorism Law
Indonesian police have detained a Muslim preacher in the eastern
town of Poso as part of a nationwide hunt for one of Southeast
Asia's most wanted Islamic militants. Police in the province
of Central Sulawesi say authorities detained the preacher
because of his suspected links to Malaysian Noordin Mohammad
Top, who is accused of playing a key role in a spate of bombings
in Indonesia. A police official in Jakarta says the man has
been detained under the country's anti-terrorism laws. Top
is blamed for helping
mastermind a series of bombings in Indonesia, including suicide
attacks on three restaurants on the resort island of Bali
last October that killed 20 people. Poso was the scene of
religious fighting several years ago that killed around 2,000
people before a peace accord took effect. There have been
sporadic outbreaks of violence and bombings since in the region.
(February 13th 2006, AFP)
Three Meter Long Python Attacks Child; Saved By Cat - Denpasar
A three meter long python wrapped itself around the legs of
Beben, a boy in the suburb of Darmasaba on the outskirts of
Denpasar on Tuesday (14/2). The mother of the child said that
Beben was preparing to leave the house on his bike when he
noticed something under the family car. At first he assumed
it to be a string or a cable but as he touched the object
with his leg the snake emerged wrapping itself tightly around
the boys’ leg. As the snake began to tighten its hold
a stray cat wandered past the car and the snake released the
boy seizing the cat. The snake is now being held in a cage
at the victims’ house until it is claimed by the owner.
If the snake is not claimed in two days it will be killed.
(February 16th 2006, Denpost)
Bird flu Reaches India, Claims More Chinese and Indonesian
Victims
India announced its first cases of bird flu on Saturday and
said eight people were being checked for the disease after
tests on poultry in a western state showed they were infected
with the deadly H5N1 strain. About 50,000 birds have died
in the area in the last few days and samples sent to a government
laboratory confirmed bird flu in the western Maharashtra state,
local animal husbandry minister Anees Ahmed told Reuters.
Livestock and poultry is one of the fastest-growing sectors
in the country. In Indonesia, bird flu claimed its 19th human
victim when tests showed a 23-year-old market worker who died
a week ago had the H5N1 virus. His death takes the number
of known human cases of the disease worldwide to 171
and the death toll to 93. Two hundred million birds across
Asia, parts of the Middle East, Europe and Africa have died
of the virus or been culled. An eighth person has died in
China from H5N1 avian influenza, the government said Saturday.
The 20-year-old woman developed fever after killing poultry
that she kept at her home in the central province of Hunan,
the health ministry said (February 18th 2006, Reuters)
Indonesian Muslims Attack U.S. Embassy
The United States has labeled violent protests against cartoons
of the Prophet Muhammad "thuggery" after hundreds
of Muslims tried to storm the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Sunday
(19/2). The angry mob also protested the presence of an antique
statue at the Consular office. The marble statue of the prophet
brandishing a Koran and a sword is said to have been made
in 1835. They threw stones and brandished wooden sticks in
an attempt to break through the gates. Protesters also set
fire to U.S. flags and a poster of U.S. President George W.
Bush and smashed the windows of a guard outpost. A protest
organizer said Muslims in Jakarta were singling out the U.S.
because they believe Washington has fostered anti-Islam sentiments
"through the issue of terrorism." Islamic tradition
bars any depiction of the Prophet, favorable or otherwise,
to prevent idolatry. (February 20th 2006, CBC News)
Bashir 'To be Free on June 1'
The lawyer for the Muslim cleric accused of inspiring the
terrorists who carried out the 2002 Bali bombings expects
his client Abu Bakar Bashir to be released from prison on
June 1. However, Wirawan Adnan fears Australia might try to
pressure Indonesian authorities to keep his client behind
bars. Bashir is serving a 30-month term for involvement
in the Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88
Australians. Indonesian police and the Australian Government
blame Jemaah Islamiah for that attack and accuse Bashir of
being its spiritual head, although he denies any wrongdoing.
Last August Bashir had one month cut off his sentence to mark
Indonesian independence celebrations. "By
June 1 he will have served his full 29 months so he will be
a free man," Mr. Adnan said. Indonesian authorities have
been able to keep Bashir locked up repeatedly in recent years
after Australia and United States labeled him a dangerous
terror threat. He was arrested in Indonesia a week after the
2002 bombings and was first put on trial in 2003. But terrorism
charges linked to the Bali attacks at that time werethrown
out. He was then found guilty of separate immigration offences
and jailed. Just as he completed that sentence, police cited
fresh terror evidence and rearrested him in April last year.
He was sentenced again in March last year for involvement
in the Bali bombings. (February 17th 2006, Daily Telegraph)
