Thousands Flee Indonesia Volcano
Thousands of Indonesians have been evacuated from the slopes
of a volcano that is spewing out hot ash and smoke in the
east of the country. The alert around Mount Gamkonora, in
North Maluku province, has been raised to its highest level
amid fears a major eruption could be imminent. Scientists
have reported seeing fire and ash clouds rising as high as
4,000m (13,100ft) since Monday (9/7). Some 8,400 villagers
have been moved to special camps away from the volcano. However,
scientists are warning that lava could still reach the camps
if there is a large eruption - and have advised residents
to wear face masks to protect themselves from the ash clouds.
Some 2,000 people are reported to have chosen to remain within
the 8km (five mile) danger zone marked out by officials. Mt
Gamkonora is the highest peak on the island of Halmahera in
North Maluku province, some 2,400km east of the Indonesian
capital Jakarta. It is one of at least 120 active volcanoes
in Indonesia, which is part of the Asia-Pacific “Ring
of Fire”, a series of volcanoes and fault lines stretching
from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia.
(July 10th 2007, BBC News)
Indonesian Forest Fires Turning into Global Menace
Greenpeace on Thursday (12/7) challenged the Indonesian government
to immediately declare a moratorium on the conversion and
destruction of peat land forests to put a stop to the country’s
annual cycle of forest fires, which has now become a global
menace given its significant contributions to the problem
of climate change. A team dispatched by Greenpeace to Riau
recently witnessed forest fires flaring up yet again in the
province despite frequent government pledges to stop the annual
catastrophe from recurring, a press statement from Greenpeace
said here on Thursday. Indonesia is currently the third largest
emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide trailing only China
and the US, and this is mainly due to deforestation, land
conversion and forest fires. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has put Indonesia on the global spotlight
when it said that about 50 percent of the world’s total
mitigation potential could be achieved by reducing emissions
from deforestation. Indonesia has the largest intact ancient
forest in Asia, but these are being destroyed faster than
anywhere else on the planet, Greenpeace said. (July 13th 2007,
Antara News)
High Speed Car Cash Kills Canadian Expat
A high speed car crash on Jalan Teuku Umar, Denpasar on Friday
(13/7) has killed Canadian expatriate Mr. More (52), as well
as passenger 25 year old Taufik Hidayat. Another female passenger,
26 year old Sri Maharani was injured in the accident and was
rushed to Sanglah Hospital where she has been treated for
multiple injuries. The Honda Genio sedan ploughed into the
front of a fiberglass store after sideswiping trees at what
police describe as a very high speed impact crash which occurred
at about 2am on Friday morning. The driver of the car had
apparently been under the influence of alcohol at the time
of the accident. (July 14th 2007, Denpost)
Informant Offers to Turn in Bali Bomber Dulmatin
The Philippines army believes it is close to capturing Bali
bombing mastermind Dulmatin, after an informant contacted
the military offering to “surrender” one of the
region’s most wanted terrorists. Eugenio Cedo, commander
of Philippines forces in Western Mindanao, told The Australian
he received a message last week from a member of the Islamic
guerilla group, the Moro National Liberation Front. The informant
promised he could lead Philippines forces on remote Jolo Island
in the southern province of Sulu to the lair of Dulmatin.
Dulmatin is a key figure in Jemaah Islamiah. He has been hiding
out in the southern Philippines along with his Bali bombing
crony Umar Patek since 2003. The US Government has offered
a $US10 million ($11.5 million) bounty for his capture. Since
planning the 2002 Bali bombs that killed 202 people, including
88 Australians, Dulmatin has been accused of joining forces
with the Abu Sayyaf, the Philippines al-Qaeda-linked kidnap-for-ransom
group. (July 16th 2007, News.com.au)
Young Couple Fatally Attacked on Padanggalak Beach - Sanur
A young couple were attacked while courting on the Padanggalak
beach North of Sanur on Saturday night (14/6). Ketut Gede
Adnyana was stabbed to death and his girlfriend Ni Putu Lia
(16) sustained deep stab wounds to her arms. Lia was found
staggering towards the bypass where she was found by a passer-by
who rushed her to the Sanglah Hospital. Her boyfriend Ketut
was not found until the next morning amongst buffalo grass
adjacent to the beach. According to Lia a stranger had approached
the couple at about 8pm on Saturday night and asked Ketut
for a cigarette. Ketut who did not smoke offered to give the
man money instead, which aggravated the man who started stabbing
wildly at the couple. Police are still investigating the case;
the murderer is still at large. (July 16th 2007, Denpost)
Aussie DJ May Face 10 Years Jail in Bali
Australian DJ Nick Taylor could face up to 10 years in jail
after he was allegedly caught with a small amount of cocaine
in Bali, an Indonesian prosecutor said. Bali police on Wednesday
(18/7) handed the 41-year-old’s case over to prosecutors.
Police recommended three alternative charges under Indonesia’s
narcotics law, including drug possession, which carries a
hefty 10-year term. The alternative charges are drug use,
and being a drug addict who failed to report to police. If
Taylor is able to prove he is a drug addict he could be jailed
for as little as three months. Prosecutor Ida Bagus Argita
Chandra said the indictment would be sent to court next week
at the latest. Taylor would be questioned by prosecutors on
Wednesday, he said. “We’re going to file it soon,
if not this week, maybe early next week,” he said. Taylor,
a frequent visitor to Bali, was recently transferred to Kerobokan
jail where members of the Bali Nine heroin smuggling ring
and convicted marijuana smuggler Schapelle Corby are held.
Taylor, of Byron Bay, was arrested on June 10 following a
party at a Bali villa. Police allege they found 0.3 of a gram
of cocaine in his pocket. (July 18th 2007, AP)
Twenty Six Thousand Teachers in Bali Under-Qualified
Of the 46,000 teachers in Bali only 20,000 have achieved D4/S1
status in a Government drive to upgrade teaching methods and
qualifications Indonesia wide. A spokeswoman for the teachers
association, Kusuma Wardhani said that during this year 105
primary schools (SD) around Bali would be targeted for teachers
to upgrade their qualifications. SD Teachers from Buleleng,
Bangli, Klungkung, Tabanan and Karangasem areas would all
be offered the chance to upgrade their current qualifications.
Wardhani said she hoped that the program would be completed
by 2015. (July 18th 2007, Denpost)
Melbourne-Bound Jetstar Flight Makes Emergency Stop in Bali
More than 300 passengers were scheduled to land in Melbourne
on Monday (23/7), but an engine fault forced the pilot to
land at Denpasar airport. Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway
says engineers are looking into the problem. “To do
an international diversion is obviously something you don’t
normally do,” he said. “[The pilot] did do a shutdown
of the left engine.” “It is a brand new plane,
it is three weeks old,” he added. “We are obviously
working on some contingency for those passengers as we speak.
We have loosened up an aircraft and it will do a ferry service
up to Bali, and all passengers will be returned on that service.”
(July 20th 2007, AAP)
Uncertainty Surrounds Indonesia’s Nuclear Plans
There are conflicting messages coming from Indonesia on plans
to build a nuclear power plant. Indonesia’s Vice-President
Jusuf Kalla says Indonesia has no immediate plans to turn
to nuclear power to fuel its hopes for economic growth. He
says there have been discussions with scientists, but no mention
of a date as to when a plant could be developed. However,
Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantor says Indonesia is determined
to build a nuclear power plant in Central Java by 2017. (July
21st 2007, Antara News)
Rush Driven to Self-Harm in Bali Jail
The youngest member of the Bali Nine, Scott Rush, has admitted
to harming himself as he waits in prison to make a final appeal
against his death sentence. Rush told The Bulletin magazine
that he harmed himself with a sharp piece of metal when the
going got tough. “I just had a stressful day,”
Rush said of the superficial wounds on his forearms. “Renae
(Lawrence) punched a wall and broke her wrist this is what
I did.” The 21-year-old Brisbane man, who was caught
with 1.3kg of heroin at Denpasar Airport in April 2005, is
one of four drug mules to be sentenced to death by firing
squad. Rush appealed his original life sentence only to have
it upgraded to the death penalty when the appeal failed. Rush
said he was certain he and the other five Bali Nine members
on death row would be transferred to another prison, Nusa
Kambangan. This jail, the “Indonesian Alcatraz”,
is located off the coast of central Java and holds the Bali
bombers. Rush also said the harsh surroundings of Kerobokan
prison had failed to bring the Bali Nine members together.
“We try to get along as best as possible,” he
said of his fellow inmates. “I can’t help but
feel Michael (Czugaj) blames me. “I still feel guilty,
but he made the same stupid decision as me.” (July 24th
2007, AP)
Landslide Kills 20 in Sulawesi
At least 20 people have been killed and 52 are missing after
a landslide, triggered by heavy rain, hit Sulawesi province
in eastern Indonesia, officials said here Tuesday (24/7).
The disaster in Batu Bare and Tomboyali districts in Marowali
regency destroyed over 100 houses & disrupted the transport
network, said the Disaster Management Agency. ‘Twenty
bodies have been found and the other 52 are still missing,’
Giri Trigondo, an official of the agency said, adding that
relief and rescue workers were finding it difficult to reach
the site of the disaster as access to the villages was cut
off. (July 24th 2007, Xinhua)
Giant Waves Hit Through the Month of July
Giant waves ranging from 2.5 meters to five meters high hit
several parts of Indonesia, and in Indian Ocean south of Java
island through the month of July. Head of the Data and Information
section of the Geophysics Stations at the Yogyakarta Meteorology
and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Yogyakarta Tiar Prasetya said
here on Monday (24/7) that the giant waves had been hitting
certain parts of the country since July 21, and predicted
to continue raging until July 28, 2007. He said the giant
waves hit the waters west of Aceh, in the Indian Ocean west
of Bengkulu and Lampung, in the Indian Ocean south of Java
island, in the Java Sea, southern parts of Karimata strait,
Masalembo waters, Southeast Sulawesi waters, South Sulawesi
waters, Indian Ocean south of Bali and Nusa Tenggara. The
giant waves also hit the Bali Sea, Flores Sea, Sawu Sea, Rote
strait, Fak Fak strait, Arafura and Merauke Seas. Tiar also
said that the wind was blowing from the east to southeast
at a speed of 28-40 km per hour. “Giant waves such as
these are a real threat to all kinds of ships,” he said.
(July 24th 2007, Antara News)
