President Wants Colossal Film on Balinese
Culture & Arts
Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had instructed him to make a colossal film on Balinese traditional culture and art, how they developed, and remained vibrant and full of vitality until the present.
However, he admitted the President’s instruction had yet to be realized because around Rp 1 trillion in funds would be needed to produce such a film. Wacik said he had recently invited a world-class film producer to discuss the process of making the proposed film but it turned out the project would require an enormous amount of funds. “But hopefully, the problem of funds to make the film can be overcome somehow,” Jero Wacik said, adding that he would count on the support of many parties to realize the president’s instruction. (June 12th 2008, Antara news).
Malnutrition Kills Indonesian Children
At least 21 toddlers have died of malnutrition in eastern Indonesia in recent months due to a food shortage that threatens thousands more, a local official says. Another 116 youngsters have been admitted to clinics and hospitals in critical condition, said Stephanus Bria Seran, who heads the health department in East Nusa Tenggara province. The food shortages have been caused by flooding and drought. Farmers fear the next harvest may also fail due to excessive rainfall and landslides. Children’s diets began lacking sufficient nutrients, causing diseases and death over the past six months, he said. In the same period, nearly 85,000 children have been registered as malnourished in the province, one of the countries least developed. The figures show a sharp jump from the whole of 2007, when 10 toddlers died out of 68,000 registered as malnourished in the province. (June 12th 2008, AAP).
President Stresses Need for Good
Infrastructure Facilities in Bali
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stressed the importance of building good infrastructure facilities on the Indonesian resort island of Bali to improve the local people’s welfare.
The president made the statement here on Saturday (14/6) at a function to dedicate a number of infrastructure projects including coastal safety, irrigation, sports and sewage treatment facilities.
“If infrastructure facilities here are constructed in a proper manner, they will improve Bali’s image in the eyes of the international community,” Yudhoyono said. He added infrastructure development would also facilitate the local people’s livelihood in a number of fields, including economy. The head of state noted that the promotion of Bali’s natural beauty should also be supported by a clean and healthy environment. After dedicating the development projects, the head of state is also scheduled to open the 30th Balinese Traditional Arts Festival (PKB) in the evening. Some 12 foreign ambassadors based in Jakarta are also expected to attend the annual cultural event. (June 14th 2008, Antara News).
Bali to Host Asia-Pacific AIDS Congress in 2009
The Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali is scheduled to host the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) on August 9-13, 2009, a spokesman for the event’s organizers said.
“The congress will take place under the auspices of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific. About 500 delegates from 50 countries are expected to take part in the congress,” chairman of the meeting’s organizing committee Prof. Zubairi Djoerban said here on Friday (13/6). He said the Bali congress would carry the theme: “Empowering the People, Reinforcing Networks.” Djoerban said the theme was related to the efforts to eradicate the HIV epidemic in the last 20 years which needed better networking and cooperation. “We hope participants from Asia and the Pacific will share experience, particularly those who are policy makers,” he said. Indonesia is one of the countries where the number of HIV cases is growing fast while the figure for Asia is actually declining. The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has continued to increase while it is estimated the disease will infect 400,000 and kill 100,000 people in 2010. (June 14th 2008, Antara News).
Aust / Indonesia Sign Forest Carbon Partnership
Indonesia and Australia have signed a new forest carbon partnership that aims to fight climate change in the region. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has also agreed to co-chair a democracy forum in Bali later this year. After meeting inside Indonesia’s presidential palace for about an hour, Mr. Rudd and President Yudhoyono emerged to sign the Australia-Indonesia forest carbon partnership, through which the two nations agreed to work together to participate in international carbon markets. After the meeting, Mr. Rudd said the Indonesian President was committed to taking part in an expanded inter-faith dialogue. “There is a thesis in the world at the moment sometimes called in the academic literature the Huntington thesis, about the clash of civilizations,” he said.“The President and I don’t agree with the Huntington thesis. The President and I have a different view and we intend to work together on that different view - that there is nothing inevitable about the clash of civilizations.” But when asked about the biggest religious story in Indonesia at the moment - the government-decreed restrictions on the activities of the Muslim sect known as Ahmadiyya - Mr. Rudd expressed ignorance of the subject. Mr. Rudd has also announced that he intends to host a major conference on the future of Australia-Indonesia relations in 2009. It will focus on where the two countries’ relations should be by 2020.Speaking to business leaders in Jakarta, Mr. Rudd also announced that he and Mr. Yudhoyono had agreed to jointly take a proposal for the establishment of a regional disaster response centre to an APEC meeting in Lima, Peru later this year. (June 12th 2008, ABC News).
Australian Singer Jessica Mauboy to
Perform in Indonesia
Talented Australian singer and 2006 Australian Idol runner-up Jessica Mauboy will be traveling to Indonesia in June and August 2008 to perform at a range of events, according to the Australian Embassy’s website here on Thursday (12/6). Jessica will be performing at a range of events, including on the hugely popular Indonesian Idol, it said. With an indigenous Australian mother and Indonesian father, Jessica’s unique family background makes her a perfect cultural ambassador for Australia, a living example of the strong cultural and people-to-people ties between Australia and Indonesia, the embassy said. Jessica will be singing from her 2007 album, `The Journey` and hopes to also share with Indonesian audiences a taste of her solo album, which she has been busily working away on this year. She will also be making a few surprise appearances at other Australian events while she is in Indonesia. (June 12th 2008, Antara News).
Despite Recession American Tourist
Flow to Bali Increasing
The economic recession currently hitting the Americas seems not to have discouraged people in those countries to spend vacations in Bali, provincial tourism data show. The number of American tourists who came to Indonesia’s “Island of Gods” during the January-April period in 2008 rose 29.5 percent from 24,148 to 31,280, according to a report released by the Bali provincial tourism office on Saturday (14/6). The monthly number of American tourists who flew directly to Bali increased continuously during the January-April period. In January the number was 6,620, in February 7,282, in March 9,304 and in April 8,074. Of the 32 countries in the American continent, the United States, Canada and Brazil were those from where most of the tourists came. During the January-April period the number of tourist arrivals from the US was 19,939, from Canada 7,334 and from Brazil 1,636. Most of the overall number of foreign tourists who flew directly to Bali in the January-April period came from Asia-Pacific countries, namely 355.029. The second biggest number of foreign tourists came from Europe (152.005), followed by ASEAN member countries (51.854), Africa (3.271), America (31.280) and the Middle East (629). (June 14th 2008, Antara News).
School Children Warned Against Consuming
Drug-Laced Candies
School children have been warned to beware of drug-laced candies, allegedly circulating at schools, drug management activist Baby Jim Aditya said here on Thursday (19/6).She called on parents to watch over their children and to control the locations were the drug-laced candies are sold freely around schools. “I have heard from several mothers who admitted that their children would eat only the sweet they bought from particular vendors near their schools,” Baby said in a dialog to mark International Anti-drugs Day, organized by Social Affairs Ministry, on Thursday. She said a child who would like to keep buying candies from one special vendor only has indicated that the sweet food might contain a particular substance which made the child addicted.“Of course, there is no official report or evidence about the issue but it does not mean that parents have to ignore it,” she said.Recently, five Sekar Bangsa kindergarten children in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, were admitted to Fatmawati Hospital after they ate chocolate candies which were distributed to them by one of their friends. The kindergarten children felt dizzy and nauseated after eating the candies. (June 19th 2008, Antara News)
Garuda Indonesia-Singapore Airlines Cooperate to Lure more Tourists
Indonesian Flag career PT Garuda Indonesia has announced that starting Friday (June 20) it will carry out an agreement with Singapore Airlines in flight operations and ticket sales to lure more foreign tourists flying to Bali through Singapore. “In the first stages of the cooperation with Singapore Airlines flights cover the Bali-Singapore route vice versa once a day starting on August 1, 2008,” Emirsyah Satar, Garuda CEO told the press here Friday (20/6).
Emirsyah said, Garuda under a special prorate agreement (SPA)will fly from Singapore to Europe, United States and the Middle East. It means that Garuda can sell its tickets to several parts of world through Singapore Airlines, he cited. Garuda under this cooperation sets its load factor up to an average of 80 percent, he said, adding that the number of passengers in the first semester this year has been estimated at 4 million. (June 21st 2008, Antara News).
Indonesia Introduces Green Building Institution
Indonesia has established the first green building institution to certify and rate environmentally friendly housing and workplaces, local press reported Friday. The Green Building Council of Indonesia (GBCI) is currently making comparative studies on international best practices and plans to launch its first-ever rating system early next year. The GBCI currently has 64 members comprising academics, property industry players and professionals and is applying for membership in the World Green Building Council. The concept of green buildings emphasizes increased efficiency in the use of electricity, water and building materials, from the design stage and construction through to maintenance, reported English-language daily The Jakarta Post. The council would issue certificates with four levels certified, silver, gold and platinum -- depending on how they met the required measures. (June 20th 2008, Xinhua).
Bali a Target, says General
Bali has failed to introduce enough security to prevent more terrorist attacks and remains a prime target, says Made Mangku Pastika, the island’s former police chief who captured the Bali bombers. After opening his campaign to become Bali’s first directly elected governor, General Pastika vowed to upgrade security across the island to international standards, but also called on Australians to defy terrorists by continuing to visit. “The terrorists still consider Bali is the best place to do their activity and send a message to the world,” he said. Highly respected in Bali and across Indonesia, General Pastika is almost certain to win next month’s poll, which would give him powers equivalent to a state premier. His comments are likely to increase pressure on Australia to lift its warning against travel to Indonesia, which remains the biggest irritant in the Australia-Indonesia relationship. General Pastika ran the operation that identified, jailed or shot most of those involved in the 2002 bomb plots. In an interview with the Herald he said improving Bali’s safety would be his priority as governor. “Bali is dependent on tourism and tourism needs security, safety and in all facilities, hotels, tourist attractions and all those things.” A comprehensive, international security system was essential, including closed circuit television cameras in tourist areas, General Pastika said. Despite his assessment, he called on Australians to return to Bali. “Once we are scared of terrorism they are winning; that’s why I appeal to all the people of the world; don’t be scared of terrorism, just come.” Canberra should not be blamed for its warning of a highly likely attack in Bali, he said. “It’s one of the jobs [of government] to protect their people … we need to increase our security standard to match theirs.” (June 26th 2008, Brisbane Herald).
