Bali Restored as World Renowned Tourist Destination
Foreign tourists have once again put Bali back on the map
according to a recent credit card spending survey. According
to Visa Indonesia manager Ellyana C. Fuad, in the first six
months of this year the use of International Visa cards grew
by 39 percent compared to those in the same period last year
The increasing flow of foreign travelers to Bali was marked
by a rise in the use of credit cards by foreign tourists in
Bali, she said. “A year after the 2005 bombings, the
number of foreign tourists using Visa cards grew again year-on-year
and remained stable until June this year,” she said.
(August 11th 2007, Antara News)
RI, Australia Cooperate in Conserving Sumatran Tiger
Indonesia and Australia have agreed to cooperate in conserving
Sumatran tigers and other endangered animal species, according
to the Forestry Ministry in a press statement here on Wednesday
(8/8). The letter of intent of the cooperation agreement was
signed last month by three parties namely the Forestry Ministry,
the Indonesian Safari Park and the Australian Zoo, it said.
The Indonesian Safari Park and its Australian counterpart
also cooperated in the establishment of a sister zoo relationship.
The programs to be carried out would include a program to
conserve Sumatran tigers and other endangered species in the
wild, efforts to reduce conflicts between tigers and humans,
and a program to rehabilitate Sumatran tigers and reintroduce
them to their natural habitat. Indonesia and Australia would
also implement a Sumatran tiger captive breeding program and
a crocodile rescue training program in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam,
the press statement said. (August 9th 2007, Antara News)
Bali Kite Expo attracts participants from 12 countries
Participants from 12 countries took part in the Bali International
Kite Expo (BIKE) 2007 at Gianyar District, Bali from August
9 to 12, 2007. A total of 42 foreign participants brought
around 300 various kites for the expo.Countries represented
were Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America,
Canada, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan,
Great Britain and the Netherlands. Some 59 domestic participants
from Yogyakarya, Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan, Aceh,
Solo, Tulungagung, Malang, South Sulawesi, Sumatera and Kalimantan
also took part in the expo. (August 11th 2007, Antara News)
Alcohol Shortage Dampens Spirits in Bali
Hotels and bars in Bali have been hit by an alcohol shortage
due to an import and duty problem, officials said Monday (13/8).
A trade ministry official said the state-owned firm responsible
for importing alcohol for hotels and restaurants had not applied
for quotas, which must be renewed every six months. The official,
who declined to be identified, did not elaborate. A local
newspaper reported that the shortages followed the discovery
of an alcohol smuggling ring using falsified duty stamps.
Tourism authorities are concerned that the shortage will affect
the Islands busiest season. Some outlets on the resort island
had been forced to close because of the shortage. According
to government data, tourist arrivals in Bali rose 34 percent
to 781,059 in the first half of 2007 from a year ago. The
island will also host a number of major international meetings
this year, including a key U.N. conference on climate change
in December. (August 13th 2007, Reuters)
Bali Bomber Hurt in Fight - Philippines
An Islamic militant wanted for deadly nightclub bombings on
Indonesia’s resort island of Bali in 2002 has reportedly
been wounded in fighting in the southern Philippines, the
military said Thursday (16/8). General Hermogenes Esperon,
armed forces chief of staff, said Dulmatin, a Jemaah Islamiyah
(JI) militant, was reportedly hurt in clashes with army troops
on August 9 on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.
Esperon said a senior leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf
rebel group, Abu Pula, was also reportedly wounded in the
series of clashes with government troops in Jolo last week,
when a total of 26 soldiers and 31 rebels were killed. Twenty-five
of the slain soldiers were killed in just one day of fighting
on August 9. The United States has offered a reward of up
to 10 million dollars for the capture of Dulmatin and up to
1 million dollars for Patek. (August 16th 2007, Antara News)
Indonesia Demands Bird Flu Medicine before Sharing Samples
Indonesia has confirmed that it will not share live samples
of bird flu virus with the World Health Organisation (WHO)
until it is guaranteed access to affordable drugs to fight
the disease. The WHO has accused Indonesia, which has suffered
more cases of the disease than any other country, of putting
the world at risk by failing to share samples. Indonesian
Health Ministry spokeswoman Lily Sulistyowati says her country
was waiting for a new mechanism to be put in place to govern
the sharing of samples. She says there must be a transparent
system which allowed developing countries affordable access
to any new medicines developed as a result. (August 12th 2007,
ABC News)
Bali to Have International-Standard Slaughterhouse Soon
Bali will soon have a slaughterhouse of international standard
in Gianyar District, Head of the Bali Provincial Animal Husbandry
Ida Bagus Raja said here on Monday (13/7).Mergantaka Mandala
slaughterhouse was built at a total cost of Rp16 billion and
jointly financed by the central government, the Bali provincial
administration & the Gianyar district administration,
he added. In the first year of its operation, the three-hectare
slaughterhouse will have a capacity of slaughtering some 36,000
cows every year, or 3,000/month or 100/day. The operation
of the slaughterhouse was expected to meet beef demands domestically
& internationally, he said. (August 14th 2007, Antara
News)
Indonesian Volcano on High Alert - Hundreds Evacuated
Some 300 families have been evacuated from the slopes of a
volcano on the northern Indonesian island of Siau, a day after
authorities said an eruption could be imminent, reports said
Sunday (19/8). Authorities raised the alert on Saturday for
Mount Karangetang, meaning they fear an eruption could soon
take place, and advised that at least two villages be evacuated,
Indonesia’s volcanology office said on its website.
The mountain spewed lava and hot volcanic debris as far as
2,000 meters down its slopes on Friday (17/8), the office
said. Metro TV quoted a local police chief as saying that
the 300 evacuated families were now sheltering at a village
hall in eastern Siau. Heat clouds emitted from the volcano
killed three people when it last erupted in 1997. Five years
earlier, seven people were killed in similar incidents. Mount
Karangetang’s last major eruption in 1974 forced the
total evacuation of Siau’s population to a nearby island.
(August 19th 2007, AFP)
Jail Sought for Ramsay Brother in Bali Case
Indonesian prosecutors sought on Tuesday (14/8) a 14-month
jail sentence for the brother of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay
in a trial over heroin possession in the resort island of
Bali. Ronald Ramsay, 38, was arrested in February after entering
a supermarket in Bali’s main tourist strip of Kuta.
Police said they seized 100 milligrams of heroin from him.
Chief prosecutor Gusti Ngurah Agung said Ramsay was guilty
beyond reasonable doubt of heroin possession and asked the
judges to sentence him to 14 months in jail. The defendant’s
brother, Gordon Ramsay, is known as the bad boy of celebrity
chefs and his cooking program “Kitchen Nightmares”
is shown on British and American television. (August 14th
2007, Antara News).
Volcano Erupts on Sulawesi
A volcano erupted on Sulawesi early Tuesday (14/7), sending
plumes of smoke and hot ash shooting 1,500 meters into the
air, officials said. There were no reports of injuries or
damage, but villages along Mount Soputan’s base were
covered in volcanic dust and many residents were wearing face
masks, local volcanologist Sandy Manengke said. “Smoke
and debris keep spewing from the mouth of the volcano,”
he said, adding there was no immediate need for evacuations
because the nearest villages were well away from the danger
zone. (August 13th 2007, AP)
Barge Carrying 1,200 Tons of Gasoline Sinks in Lombok Waters
A barge named Visa I carrying 1,200 tons of gasoline on board
sank in Awang Gulf waters, Central Lombok District, West Nusa
Tenggara (NTB) Province, inflicting material losses worth
Rp12 billion. The boat leaving Bali for Bima, West Nusa Tenggara,
capsized after being hit by huge waves reaching a height of
up to six meters, on Saturday (11/8).The barge was being towed
by Tb (Tugboat) Anugerah when the accident occurred. The tugboat
turned when the huge wave hit the barge and the tugboat later
rescued the barge’s 11 crew members. The local environmental
affairs office would monitor Awang Gulf to anticipate water
pollution due to the gasoline spill. (August 15th 2007, Antara
News)
Bali Bombing - Jail Sentences Cut
Ten Indonesians jailed in connection with two bomb attacks
in Bali have had their sentences cut by up to five months.
Six people convicted over the nightclub bombings in 2002 which
killed more than 200 people received five-month cuts. Four
others, jailed for attacks in 2005 that left 20 people dead,
were given two-month reductions. The cuts - an annual process
to mark Independence Day - drew criticism from relatives of
those who died. Brian Deegan, whose son was one of 88 Australians
killed in the 2002 blasts, attacked the decision. “It’s
always unfortunate that, as we near the anniversary of that
massacre in Bali, that we have received these reports of reduction
in penalties,” he said. He said relatives of the victims
would find the move “very, very difficult”. The
men had been convicted of crimes including helping to plan
the bombings, sheltering suspects and setting up a website
to support the attacks. They had been serving sentences of
between eight and 18 years. “Remissions were given to
the Bali bombing convicts because they displayed good behaviour,”
Ilham Djaya, chief warden of Bali’s main prison, said.
Indonesia traditionally cuts the sentences of hundreds of
prisoners on Independence Day. Australian Renae Lawrence,
one of the so-called Bali Nine convicted of smuggling heroin,
received a three-month reduction to her 20-year sentence.
(August 17th 2007, BBC News)
Distance Swimmer Monte Swims for Hunger Again
Californian distance swimmer Monte Monfore (46) swam approximately
8 km from Watudodol beach in Banyuwangi to Tanjungpasir in
Buleleng on Friday (17/8) in an effort to raise funds for
the Fight Hunger foundation. When asked about swimming against
the tide of world hunger Monte responded, “I’m
thrilled to be doing it. The statistics on hunger are shocking.
Every five seconds somewhere in the world a child dies because
of lack of food. Hunger claims more than nine million lives
a year, and six million are children. More than 800 million
people go to bed hungry every night. And some 350 million
of them are children. This is more than every man, woman,
and child in the United States and Australia combined. With
the World Food Program’s School Feeding Program children
are provided nutritious meals for only 19 cents a day. And
$US34 will feed a child for an entire school year. I ask everyone
to please donate generously. You can make a difference at
www.fighthunger.org.” (August 18th 2007, Bali Post)
Final Bali Nine Appeal Dismissed
A final appeal against the death penalty by three members
of the Bali nine has been rejected. During the appeal in Bali’s
Denpasar District Court, Australian heroin couriers Matthew
Norman, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen pleaded for their
lives, saying their actions were stupid. However the judges
dismissed the appeal before handing details of the appeal
to the Supreme Court which has the power to overrule their
decision. Other members of the Bali nine - Scott Rush, Andrew
Chan and Myuran Sukumaran - have challenged their death sentences
by way of a constitutional challenge for which a response
is expected this month. (August 15th 2007, AFP)
