Petrol in Short Supply - Street Vendors Sell at Rp 10,000
/ litre
Petrol supplies reached a critical point on Saturday (12/5),
as most petrol stations in the South Bali region ran out of
supplies forcing them to close down their pumps, despite the
fact that petrol stations in tourist areas are supposed to
be given priority. Some enterprising street vendors raised
the price of bottled petrol to Rp 10,000/liter. The Pertamina
fuel company said that it hoped supplies would be back to
normal early in the week (May13th 2007, Radar Bali)
Two Hotels in Sanur Pumping Sewerage into the Ocean
Two of the oldest and largest hotels in Sanur are currently
pumping sewerage directly into the ocean off of Sanur beach.
According to an environmental group the two hotels concerned
are the Grand Bali Beach Hotel and Hotel Sanur Beach. According
to studies conducted by the group, waste pumped into the ocean
from the Grand Bali Beach Hotel contained nitrates at a concentration
of 2.410 mg per liter, the acceptable level being only 1mg
per liter. Phosphates were found to be 6.7 mg per liter, more
than three times the acceptable level of 2 mg per liter. A
spokesperson for the group said that with the current levels
of contamination, Sanur beach is no longer a safe place to
swim. He also said that forcing the hotels to refrain from
dumping their waste was difficult as by-laws pertaining to
this were not clear. (May 13th 2007, Jawa Pos)
Dengue Fever Patients Flood Denpasar Hospitals
Denpasar hospitals are overflowing with hundreds of cases
of dengue fever. Many patients are being treated in corridors,
sleeping on tiled floors while intravenous therapy is administered
to prevent them becoming dehydrated. 106 patients were being
treated at the Sanglah General Hospital over the weekend,
20 % of those being children. Dengue Fever is spread by mosquitoes
and intensive fogging in attempt to control the Adaes Egypti
mosquito population has been carried out in the Denpasar,
Sanur and Kuta areas.(May 13th 2007, Radar Bali)
Sanglah Hospital Investigated on Corruption Charges
The Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar has come under scrutiny
for charges of alleged corruption. Dr IG Lanang Rudiartha
was questioned by Denpasar police (POLDA) concerning funds
of 2.3 billion rupiah. The misappropriated funds from the
Sanglah ASKES program were apparently transferred to a private
bank account. Other members of staff from various departments
within the hospital were also interrogated regarding the missing
funds. (May 11th 2007, Radar Bali)
Indonesia Ends Boycott of UN Virus Sharing Network
Indonesia has resumed sharing samples of the H5N1 strain of
the bird flu virus with the international health community,
the country’s health minister announced Tuesday (16/5).
Siti Fadilah Supari told delegates attending the annual gathering
in Geneva of the World Health Assembly, the ruling body of
the World Health Organization (WHO), that Indonesia had started
sending samples to a collection centre in Tokyo last week.
It was in December that Indonesia, which has seen 76 deaths
from avian flu, the highest number of any country, boycotted
the virus sample sharing scheme to used by pharmaceutical
companies in the development of effective vaccines. The government
feared developing countries would lose out as any potential
treatments risked being priced out of reach of all but wealthy,
developed nations. The decision quickly brought experts from
the WHO to Jakarta and resulted in a swift review of access
to vaccines to try to ensure a fairer system. The minister
said it was hoped the WHO and the collection centers could
be trusted to act responsibly and demanded that donor states
“should be alerted to any non-appropriate use of samples
provided by Indonesia or any other country.” Avian flu
is just one topic up for discussion by delegates from 193
member states during the 60th World Health Assembly. (May
16th 2007, Earthtimes)
Gandhi Memorial International School Launch in Bali
The Gandhi Memorial International School held an invitation
event at the Grand Bali Hyatt Hotel on Sunday (13/5) to launch
its new campus which will open in July 2007 in Jln Yeh Penet,
Renon. The event was opened by the wife of the Governor of
Bali, Ibu Mas Beratha, and school will cater for students
from kindergarten to senior high school (grade 12). The GMIS
currently runs several highly successful campuses in Jakarta,
but this is the first GMIS to operate in Bali. A spokesman
for the GIMS group said that the school would run on a full
English program, keeping the principles of the teachings of
Gandhi close to its heart. He also wished it to be known that
the school was in no way associated with the Taman Rama Gandhi
School in Ubung, Bali. The school will offer the International
Bacheloreate program as well as Cambridge O and A levels.
(14th May 2007, Bali Post)
Bird Flu Feared in Indonesian Death
An Indonesian woman who tested positive in preliminary tests
for human bird flu has died. The latest death, if confirmed,
would push the country’s death toll from the disease
to 76, the worlds highest. The 26-year-old woman was four
months’ pregnant with her second child.She died at a
hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, early Tuesday (16/5). It
is not immediately clear whether she had been in close contact
with infected poultry, the main channel of human bird flu
infections in Indonesia. She began to show symptoms of bird
flu infection eleven days ago and was treated first at home,
then moved to two different hospitals before she died. The
World Health Organisation says the deadly H5N1 strain of bird
flu has infected at least 282 people and killed around 170
of them, mostly in south-east Asia, since the end of 2003.
Scientists worry the virus could mutate into a form easily
spread among humans, leading to a global pandemic with the
potential to kill millions. (May 16th 2007, AFP)
Canada to Provide Counter-Terrorism Equipment to Indonesia
Canada is to provide anti-terrorism equipment worth 250,000
Canadian dollars to Indonesia under a technical agreement
signed here on Monday (14/5) by the two sides. The equipment
given to Indonesia was made up of anti-radiation garments,
gas masks, special gloves, and special boots. Canadian Ambassador
to Indonesian John Holmes said after the signing of the accord
that the technical agreement provided for arrangements for
the transfer of equipment that could be used in an emergency
situation to counter a chemical, biological, radiological
or nuclear (CBRN) attack by terrorists. Holmes said that the
agreement was part of a joint statement signed by Indonesia
and Canada in 2004 to strengthen bilateral and multilateral
cooperation in counter-terrorism effort. “In addition
to the counter-terrorism equipment, Canada also provide Indonesian
police and military with counter-terrorism training,”
Holmes said. An Indonesian military officer said, Indonesia
still lacks anti- terror equipment for weapons of mass destruction
such as nuclear, biological and chemical equipment. “Most
of the equipment is still imported, such as masks, gloves
and other items of equipment needed for detection, protection
and decontamination of weapons of mass destruction,”
Antara news agency quoted a senior official of the Indonesian
Army’s Nubika Engineers Company, Eddy Oswantoro, as
saying here on Monday (14/5). (May 15th 2007, Xinhua)
Corby Shows off Language Skills
Two years in a Bali prison have taught convicted drug smuggler
Schapelle Corby at least one lesson - how to speak Indonesian.
The Kerobokan inmate surprised many yesterday by sharing a
joke with Indonesia’s new Justice Minister in his native
tongue, News Ltd papers report. During a surprise inspection
of the jail, Human Rights and Justice Minister Andi Mattalatta
stopped to chat with both Corby and Bali Nine heroin courier
Renae Lawrence. He asked Corby, 29, about the living conditions
in the prison. “I want to get out of here soon, please
sir,” Corby retorted. Mattalatta’s response was
a smile, and the pair continued to converse about her book,
how long she has spent behind bars and her plea to go home.
Much of the conversation was in Indonesian, earning her praise
by those in attendance. One of the onlookers said her skills
were “excellent”. Jail boss Ilham Djaya also complimented
Corby for her calm attitude, saying she was far less cranky
than during her last ministerial visit. Mattalatta continued
on to meet Kerokoban’s second most famous inmate, Renae
Lawrence. The minister urged her to apologize for attempting
to smuggle heroin into Australia. He did not meet any of the
six Bali Nine traffickers on death row, who are appealing
for their lives. Corby’s last-chance appeal against
her 20-year sentence is still months away from being decided
upon by Indonesia’s Supreme Court. (May 15th 2007, MSN
News)
Half of Tanah Toraja`s Forest Area Destroyed by Illegal Logging
Some 65,000 hectares or almost half of Tanah Toraja`s 138,101
hectares of forests have been destroyed by illegal logging
activity, environmentalists say. “Illegal logging activity
in Toraja has reached an alarming level and could threaten
the environment of Toraja, which is a famous tourist resort,”
Luther Sambolinggi, executive director of Wahana Lestari Persada
(Walda) Foundation, said here on Monday (14/5). Some parts
of the forest areas had turned into barren land, while actually
the areas used to be “water reservoirs” for several
rivers flowing through South Sulawesi such as the Saddang
and Pareman rivers, he said.(May 15th 2007, Antara News)
100 kg Japanese World War II Torpedo Found on Jimbaran Property
A massive torpedo weighing over 100kg has been found on a
Kedongan property on Sunday (13/5). The owner of the property,
Iskandar, was digging in his garden when he came across a
huge rusted object which he assumed to be the part of an old
aircraft. He then placed the torpedo on the side of his property
where iron mongers tried to purchase the bomb as scrap metal.
Feeling that the object might be of some antique value, Iskandar
declined to sell the object preferring to keep it on display
at his home. When he was discussing his find with his friends,
it was suggested that the object could be a bomb. After calling
authorities to examine the piece it was confirmed that the
object was indeed a torpedo, and a spokesman from armed forces
said that the shape of the device suggested that it was probably
Japanese from the WWII period. The bomb squad was then called
to disarm the device, although it was thought unlikely that
the bomb could still be active. (May 15th 2007, Radar Bali)
