Killer Komodo Mauls Indonesian Man to Death
An Indonesian fisherman was mauled to death by a komodo dragon after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary for the giant killer lizards, police said Tuesday (24/3).The fisherman died from massive blood loss after being bitten in the leg as he looked for fruit on the deserted island in the east of the archipelago. The Rinca park and the western and northern coastlines of neighboring Flores island are the natural habitats of the deadly lizards, the world’s largest monitor reptile. Komodos can grow up to three meters in length and weigh up to 140 kilograms. Typically they are pack hunters and scavengers, one bite from a komodo can kill as their saliva is laced with highly toxic bacteria. There are an estimated 3,000 dragons in the park and surrounding areas but fatal attacks on humans are rare. A park ranger was attacked in February but survived. Last year a group of European scuba divers became stranded on Rinca Island and had to fight off a curious komodo with their weight belts. (March 24th 2008, AFP)
70 pct of Indonesian Population Consumes Contaminated Water: Official
The current clean water crisis has aroused concern on the part of many parties as nearly 70 percent of the Indonesian population is consuming contaminated water, a local official said. Quoting data from the Public Works Ministry, assistant for public affairs and development to the Bogor mayor Eddy Supriadi Warsa said on Sunday nearly 100 million Indonesians have poor access to clean water. Only 4.5 percent of the population of Java which is home to 65 percent of the Indonesian population can consume clean water, he said at a function marking the commemoration of World Water Day. The data also shows that only 39 percent of city dwellers and 6 percent of villagers nationwide enjoy clean water services, he said. The condition has aroused concern over the looming clean water shortage in the future particularly in Bogor despite the fact that more than 86.98 percent of the city residents have access to clean water, he said. The figure is not a guarantee that the Bogor residents will always get clean water easily unless necessary steps are taken to conserve water sources, he said.(March 23rd 2009, Antara News)
Indonesia Seeks Death for Singing Serial Killer
Indonesian prosecutors have demanded the death sentence for a man who has confessed to killing 11 people and is planning to release a pop album on the back of his infamy. Prosecutors called for the maximum sentence against Verry Idham Henyansyah over the murder of Hery Santoso, who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death before being dismembered in July 2008. Prosecutors said they were investigating another 10 murders confessed to by Henyansyah in his autobiography, The Untold Story of Ryan, which he wrote in prison. Henyansyah confessed to burying the 10 bodies in his parents’ backyard in Jombang, East Java. The former Koran recital teacher, who also says he worked as a male model, has said plans to release an album of 12 pop songs titled My Last Performance, to be recorded in his prison cell next month. Wearing black trousers, a long white robe and Black Muslim cap, Henyansyah looked calm as the sentence demand was read out. “Everyone has to die and I’m ready,” he said. (March 20th 2009, AFP)
Indonesian Minister Wants to Review Vaccinations
Indonesia’s controversial health minister says she wants to end vaccinating children against meningitis, mumps and some other diseases because she fears foreign drug companies are using the country as a testing ground. Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari - who first drew widespread attention by boycotting the World Health Organization’s 50-year-old virus sharing system in 2007 - said Tuesday (24/3) she wanted “scientific proof” that shots for illnesses like pneumonia, chicken pox, the flu, rubella and typhoid were “beneficial”. Supari said she still would advocate immunizations against measles, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B and tuberculosis. Her statement comes at a time when Indonesia is struggling to contain outbreaks of preventable childhood illnesses. The number of cases of measles, tuberculosis and other diseases has skyrocketed. Polio briefly re-emerged after a decade-long absence in 2005. The U.N. children’s agency said it would wait until the country officially changes its immunization policy before commenting.(March 25th 2009, AP)
Indonesia Concerned Over Terrorism Risk in Elections
Indonesia’s state defense institute said yesterday that next month’s elections could spark conflict, but this was likely to be localized and it was most concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack. However President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged foreign business leaders not to delay investment because of concerns over the elections and security. Indonesia, the world’s third-biggest democracy, holds parliamentary elections on April 9 followed by a key presidential vote on July 8. (March 25th 2009, Reuters)
Garuda Indonesia Opens Lombok Tourism with Direct Flights from Bali
On 1st April Garuda Indonesia will commence operation of a daily service between Bali and Lombok. The flight, GA436 will depart Denpasar, Bali at 1835hrs local time and arrive in Lombok at 1915hrs allowing a same day transfer from most Australian services. The return flight, GA437, will depart Ampenan (Lombok) at 1950hrs and arrive in Bali at 2025hrs, again with ample time to connect to international flights to Australia. The flight will operate with a Boeing 737-300series aircraft with 16 Executive Class and 94 Economy Class seats, while a return fare from Bali to Lombok will cost a mere USD50. (March 23rd 2009, TravelBlackboard.com)
German Expat Dies in Harley Crash
Sascha Dambach (38) of Jalan Kesari, Sanur was killed when the Harley Davidson motor cycle that he was riding crashed in Kuta at approximately 07.40 hrs on Saturday morning (21/3). Mr. Damback was rushed to Sanglah emergency room with severe head injuries but was pronounced dead on arrival. Sascha an accomplished underwater photographer had lived in Bali for 20 years and operated a dive safari company from his Sanur office. (March 22nd 2009, Radar Bali)
Boy with Scales for Skin Found in Gorontalo
After the reported discovery of a child with monkey-like physical features in Tilangobula, Bone Bolango district, Gorontalo province, local media attention is now on a young boy with scaly skin all over his body in the same village. Identified as 9-year-old Iskandar Yusuf Daliwa, the boy`s scaly skin is so thick that he appears almost to have no eyelids. “I never get out of the house, let alone go to school. I am too embarrassed about my condition,” Iskandar told reporters who visited him in Tilangobula village on Thursday (19/3). Because of the thick scales covering all parts of his body, Iskandar often feels so hot that he has to pour water over his body every three hours when the weather is sunny. But his parents have always taken care of him with compassion in their house with walls made of pleated bamboo, a dirt floor and a roof consisting of palm-tree leaves. Iskandars mother, Kartin Katili (39), said her son had been suffering the skin deformation since his birth in Bolaang Mongondow district, North Sulawesi. “I once took him to a doctor who later said that my son should be taken to a hospital. But when we followed the doctor’s advice, the hospital refused to treat our son as we had no health insurance,” Kartin said. Recently, not far from Iskandar`s house, a 10-year old child with the facial and physical features of a monkey was found. Identified as Septini Abdul, the child of a married couple had been leading a life like most children although he has a face resembling a monkey, especially the jawbones, nose, and ears, and a body all covered in hair. The child’s mother, Fatma, told reporters visiting the village that Septini`s condition was like that since birth. Septini`s genitals were incomplete, the ears almost had no openings and there were no nipples on the breast. Despite the physical abnormality, Septini who has two normal siblings was attending school normally and was now in the second grade of elementary school. (March 19th 2009, Antara News)
Buddha Bar Agrees to Change Name
Following protests from various Buddhist organizations the Buddha Bar on Jalan Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta finally voluntarily agreed to change its name. The process has been referred to the owner of the trade mark in France, Jakarta vice governor Prijanto said here on Wednesday (26/3). He said however the city administration would not close the bar because it did not violate the law. He said that the bar from France actually could not be forced to change the trade mark because it was already registered with the directorate general of intellectual property rights of the ministry of law and human rights. The directorate general of Buddhist Community Counseling of the ministry of religious affairs Budi Setiawan also stated that the bar would continue to operate as usual. The chief of the directorate, Budi Setiawan, asked Buddhist community members to be wise, calm and peaceful with regard to the settlement of the problem and to avoid anarchy. (March 26th 2009, Antara News)
Bali Records Two More Rabies Fatalities
Rabies in Bali has claimed two more victims. I Nyoman Jama Asmara, 46, died at in the isolation ward of Sanglah General Hospital on Monday, March 23, 2009, after being hospitalized for one day. The second victim, Tukimah, a 46-year-old woman was admitted to the same hospital in the early hours of Nyepi, March 26, 2009, and died 17 hours later, in the late afternoon of the same day. According to Radar Bali, Asmara, a resident of Jalan Uluwatu on the Ungasan peninsula succumbed to rabies three months after being bitten by a stray dog, despite receiving an anti-rabies shot. Doctors blame Asmara’s failure to undergo the complete three-shot therapy protocol, a mistake which allowed the disease to eventually claim the man’s life. Tukimah, a 46-year-old woman, was admitted to hospital after developing a phobia for water. She was reportedly bitten by both a stray dog and a pet dog 5 months ago, but due to a fear of needles refused the recommended series of three shots that would have spared her life. Meanwhile, local legislators are making statements to the press critical of an alleged passive response to suspected rabies cases displayed by local health officials. In any case, both deaths underline the need for those bitten by an animal to seek medical assistance and follow the entire course of treatment to cure the disease. Asmara’s and Tukimah’s deaths are counted as the 8th and 9th fatalities traced to the current outbreak of rabies on the island of Bali. (March 29th 2009, www.balidiscovery.com)
Hail Stones Storm Denpasar
On Thursday, March 19, 2009, Bali’s capital of Denpasar was pounded by heavy winds and hail that damaged several homes along the Jalan Pidada area of Central Denpasar. Bali-based meteorologists report that the hail storm of large ice particles is the first incident of its kind recorded on the island. Rare in tropical equatorial zones, hail storms are usually experienced in sub-tropical areas. Bali weather experts are blaming the ice storm on the presence of large cumulonimbus clouds, strong winds and high temperatures. The Department of Meteorology warns of the possibility of strong localized wind squalls and lighting storms from large cumulonimbus clouds expected to form over Bali during the season shift between March until May. Well known and avoided by pilots, cumulonimbus clouds are vertical cloud formations that can soar thousands of feet in height with shapes that can resemble mushrooms or giant anvils. Characterized by strong vertical winds patterns, these clouds often carry lightning and thunderstorms. (March 29th 2009, www.balidiscovery.com)
Virgin Blue Increases Services to Bali from 5 Australian Gateways
Virgin Blue has announced their intention to increase flight frequencies to Bali, effective June 1, 2009. The added flights, needed to accommodate the continuing strong arrival numbers from Oz to Bali, include:
• A direct flight from Sydney to Bali, operating twice each week on Mondays and Fridays.
• A direct flight from Melbourne to Bali, operating three times each week on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays.
• Flights from Adelaide to Bali will increase from twice to three times each week.
• The airline will continue its services from Brisbane and Perth to Bali.
Brett Godfrey, the CEO of Virgin Blue told the press: “Indonesia was Pacific Blue’s first foray in to the Asian region and its close proximity to Australia is a big draw card for people keen to take a ‘mini-break’ without breaking the bank. Holiday package prices are at the lowest they have been for two decades so it is providing ideal opportunities for some great deals, not just in the air but also on arrival in Bali.” (March 29th 2009, www.balidiscovery.com)
