Indonesian “Kris” Added to World Heritage List
UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has named Indonesia’s “Kris”, a wavy-bladed ceremonial dagger, as a world heritage, Neka Ubud Museum director Pande Wayan Suteja Neka said here on Thursday (17/7). “The world has acknowledged the existence of Indonesia’s Kris since November 25, 2005,” Suteja Neka said, adding that similar daggers from countries such as Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines were not as well-known world-wide. According to Neka, the daggers had been used as traditional weapons of Indonesian people, especially the Hindu community in Bali, from generation to generation. “I have collected hundreds of Kris in the museum because of their beauty and artistic design, and not because of their alleged magic powers,” Suteja Neka said. (July 17th 2008, Antara News)
Ngurah Rai Immigration to Deport Two Iranians
The immigration office at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport will soon deport two Iranians who were arrested for using fake passports, a spokesman said. “They were arrested on July 14, 2008, when they were about to depart to Japan by a Garuda Indonesia flight,” Bambang Hendro Purnomo of the Ngurah Rai airport immigration office said on Wednesday (16/7). The Iranians were arrested for holding fake Dutch and Swiss passports which they had bought in Thailand for US$1.000. (July 16th 2008, Antara News)
Turtle Satay Seller Could Get Five Years Jail
Local Jimbaran man Wayan Kayun could face five years jail and a hefty fine for preparing and selling turtle satay and “lawar”, a traditional Balinese dish. Kayun claims to have purchased the 15kg of turtle meat from a local fisherman off of Jimbaran bay. According to local maritime authorities the meat was confirmed to be from the Green Turtle a protected species in Balinese waters. Mr. Kayun claims that he was not aware that he was breaking any laws by using the meat. (July 16th 2008, Bali Post)
Bali Ghost Ship Threatens Reef
Environmentalists fear a ship that ran aground on Bali’s most prized surf break and is leaking fuel could break up under heavy swell. A small flotilla of local fishing boats failed on Thursday (17/7) to pull the Taiwanese fishing boat off the Padang-Padang reef. Police, meanwhile, are treating the vessel as a crime scene, with the crew missing and rumors swirling that the captain may have been murdered. Environmentalists said efforts to move the vessel would resume as soon as possible amid fears the vessel could break up and smash the reef if the large swell eventuates. “There has already been an oil spill and we have to get the ship to safety before the big waves come, or we will be dealing with a huge smash-up on the reef,” said Adriana de Matteo of the Role Foundation, which runs marine revival programs in the area. The organizers of the Rip Curl Cup surfing contest, which had been due to begin at the break tomorrow, said the event had been postponed until Monday and might be moved to another location. They said the decision to delay the event was based on swell charts, which forecast bigger waves next week, but added the situation with the ship was very worrying. “The police realize the urgency of this and are very concerned this will be an environmental disaster if they don’t get the ship off,” said Rip Curl marketing director Clemens Berger. “The ship could be pushed into the rocks and break open and then we will have machine oil all over the reef. It’s not an oil tanker, but there would still be a lot of oil floating around and the surfing industry is very worried about that.” Berger said police told him the Ho Tsai Fa No. 18 vessel was being treated as a crime scene. “The police told us that the crew is missing and the boat is under investigation,” he said after speaking with police at Padang-Padang. “They said it (the vessel) had been running on its own for quite a while and the last time it was sighted was in Papua.” It had not been in radio contact since May and was suspected of illegal fishing activities. (July 17th 2008, AAP)
Russian Tourist Arrested on Drug Charges
A 19 year old Russian man from Moscow with the initials of PP has been arrested for the possession of 23.5 grams of marijuana. The man who was staying in Poppies Lane, Kuta, was caught in his room on Tuesday (15/7). Local residents in the area apparently informed the police that the man was a user of narcotics. Mr. P claimed that he purchased the drug from a local man by the name of “Oki”. (July 22nd 2008, Bali Post)
Indonesia Court Rejects Appeal by Bali Bombers
Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected a third appeal for a case review by three men on death row for their role in the 2002 Bali bombings, a court official said on Thursday (17/7), removing another obstacle to their execution. The Bali court official, who declined to be identified, said the Denpasar District court had received a rejection letter and would hold a news conference on Friday. The three Islamic militants, Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas alias Ali Ghufron and Imam Samudra have been on death row since 2003 when a Bali court sentenced them to death for their roles in the nightclub bombings that killed 202 foreigners and Indonesians on the island in 2002. The three have repeatedly told the media they were ready to die as martyrs and would not seek presidential clemency.( July 17th 2008, Reuters)
PLN to Overcome Power Deficit in 2010: Minister
Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa said state-owned electricity company PLN was expected to overcome power deficit in 2010 after the government had completed the construction of thermal power plants (PLTUs) with a combined capacity of 10,000 MW. The 10,000-MW power plants project was being implemented in two stages with the first expected to be completed between 2008 and 2009 and the second in 2010. “We predict that in 2009 there will still be a power deficit. So, what we can do in the short term is to shift work days to power-surplus Saturdays and Sundays,” the minister told a press gathering here on Saturday (19/7). “If industries are unwilling to shift their weekdays to Saturdays and Sundays, they will be impacted by power cuts on working days,” he said. (July 19th 2008, Antara News)
Ebony Tree in RI on Brink of Extinction
The ebony tree (Diospyros celebica) population in Indonesia is on the brink of extinction, Forestry Minister MS Kaban said here Thursday (17/8). “Nowadays, we can hardly find ebony wood,” Kaban said. He said the ebony population was growing much slower than the rate at which it was being exploited in its habitat in Central Sulawesi. Ebony wood exports had reached its peak of 26,000 cubic meters in 1973 with the rare wood mostly going to Taiwan and China. Exports continued to decline due to scarce supply in its habitat. The so-called black wood sold at Rp5 to 6 million per cubic meter. It takes an ebony tree some 90 to 100 years to become fully grown. Kaban said, the tree’s slow growth which was not balanced by replanting efforts had pushed the highly-prized tree to the brink of extinction. The minister called on people to start replanting ebony trees. “This is for the future of the next generations,” he added. (July 18th 2008, Antara News)
Indonesian Woman Faces Death Penalty for Drugs
A young Indonesian woman faces the death sentence for trying to smuggle more than 3 kilograms of heroin into the country two years ago, media reports said Thursday (17/8). Chief prosecutor Hari Darmawan Wednesday urged North Sumatra’s Medan District Court to hand down a death sentence for Winanti Rosmanasari, 24, who is accused of violating the country’s anti-narcotics laws. Darmawan said Rosmanasari had attempted to smuggle 3.3 kilograms of heroin into the country from Laos on behalf of her boyfriend, a Nigerian citizen living in Jakarta, identified only as Jefftah alias Mokoson. Chief Judge Ardi Djohan had to stop Rosmanasari from disrupting the court hearings as she cried hysterically when the prosecutors demanded the death sentence, The Jakarta Post reported. Rosmanasari was apprehended in February by custom authorities in North Sumatra’s Belawan Port as she arrived from Penang, Malaysia. Custom officers foiled the smuggling attempt when an X-ray machine showed suspicious contents in her baggage. (July 18th 2008, AFP)
Bali Arrest of Aussie Child Sex Suspect
An Australian man who fled the country after being accused of child sex abuse has been detained on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. Paul Francis Callahan, 47, was arrested in the tourist precinct of Kuta on Saturday (19/7) following a request from Australian authorities, Bali police said today. Authorities plan to seek his extradition to Australia where he is expected to face up to 12 charges, including gross indecency and sexual assault of someone under 16 years. The offences allegedly occurred in Canberra six years ago. Mr. Callahan left Australia in 2003 after the abuse claims surfaced, Bali deputy police Chief Erwin Chahara Rusmana said. Despite being in Indonesia illegally, Mr. Callahan was running a surf wear company in Bali and had an Indonesian wife and child, he said. “We ask people to be aware ... we also ask children under age who frequently mingle with Australian citizens to be careful.’’ He said. The arrest comes three months after a Jakarta court formally approved the extradition of an Australian accused of child sex offences. Former South Australian priest Charles Barnett, 67, remains in custody in Jakarta waiting to be sent home to face charges over alleged sexual offences against six boys between 1977 and 1994. (July 19th 2008, AFP)
Father Pleads for Bali Bombing Trio
The father of an Australian killed in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings has written to Indonesian authorities urging them not to execute three men convicted over the blasts. Brian Deegan, whose son Joshua was one of the 202 people killed in the blasts on the resort island, said “no good, only harm” would come from their deaths. His appeal in a letter released on Friday (18/7) came a day after an Indonesian court rejected a final appeal by the trio, moving them closer to their executions. Ali Ghufron, Imam Samudra and Amrozi Nurhasyim can still appeal for clemency to the president, but have repeatedly said they will not do so because such an appeal has to be accompanied by an admission of wrongdoing. Deegan said in the letter that he was opposed to the death penalty in all cases, and that his son had shared that position. (July 18th 2008, Reuters)
Speedboat Explodes of Sanur Beach. Four Japanese Tourists Injured
A speedboat owned by the Cactus Dive company caught fire off of the Semawang beach in Sanur on Friday (18/7). The incident happened at about 4pm.and was apparently caused by a leaking fuel tank which was ignited by a cigarette. All six passengers on board sustained second degree burns to their legs, and were treated at the Sanglah Hospital Emergency Room. Four of the injured were Japanese tourists returning from a diving trip, and two were diving guides Mr. Wayan Ariana, and Mr. Nyoman Wenten. According a spokesman for the dive shop the boat sustained only minor damage. (July 19th 2008, Bali Post)
Indonesia Bird-Flu Toll Hits 111
A 38-year-old man has died of bird flu in Indonesia, bringing the unofficial death toll in the world’s hardest-hit nation to 111. Health workers confirmed the tests from the victim came back positive for bird flu. Asnawi Sandri, died on July 10, relatives said. He had symptoms of the disease, including high fever and coughing, when he was hospitalized. The Indonesian government recently started delaying announcements about bird flu fatalities, sometimes by several weeks. (July 12th 2008, AP )
