Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) by Indonesia: President
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit would be held in Manado, North Sulawesi on May 11 through 15, 2009 under Indonesia’s initiative. He said that Indonesia had asked five countries to take part in the CTI to discuss ways to safeguard coral reefs in the region. As the coral triangle involves six countries, Indonesia was encouraged to ask them to lobby the United Nations so that the world body would approve the holding of the CTI summit, the president said. The six countries which are directly involved in the CTI are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and two observers, namely the United States and Australia. He said that coral reefs needed to be protected because they are useful to human life and prevent global warming. The president said that the CTI activities would be successful and would gain attention from the whole world. The CTI summit will be concurrently held with the World Ocean Conference (WOC) to discuss efforts to save the sea from the threats of climate change, global warming and criminal acts.(December 26th 2008, Antara News)
Garuda Expands Domestic and International Services
As the economic crisis continues to force most international carriers to slash routes and spending, Garuda International has revealed it will go against the grain with plans to fly new routes and expand its business. The flag carrier announced Wednesday (31/12) that it will launch 16 new flight routes this year-13 domestic and three international - in addition to adding more aircraft to its fleet. Garuda’s new routes will gradually begin operations from Jan. 16, and will later be supported by 14 new Boeing 737-NG aircraft when they are delivered in mid-2009. Garuda says the new international routes will link Denpasar with Adelaide and Hong Kong and Surabaya with Hong Kong. Garuda mainly serves domestic routes, making it relatively immune to the global shakeup. The airlines international routes include flights to Japan, Australia and the Middle East. Garuda used to operate flights to six European cities before the European Commission imposed a flight ban in mid-2007 on all Indonesian airlines, due to safety concerns following a spate of fatal incidents involving Indonesian airlines. The Transportation Ministry has expressed its belief that the commission will lift the ban in March. (January 5th 2009, e-travelblackboard.com)
Indonesia Planted 79.1 Million Trees in 2008: Minister
Indonesia planted a total of 79.1 million trees in less than one month during the National Movement to Plant 100 Million Trees in 2008, Forestry Minister MS Kaban said. First Lady Ani Yudhoyono launched a tree planting movement for women at Ancol Ocean Park, in northern Jakarta, on December 1. The theme of the 2008 tree planting movement was “The food resilience of family” to encourage the people to plant fruit-bearing and edible trees. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched the Indonesian Tree Planting Day 2008 on November 28, 2008. First Lady had previously won a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) award for her efforts in encouraging Indonesian women to plant millions of trees simultaneously across the country in 2007. (January 1st 2009, Antara News)
Four Killed as Quake Strikes Indonesia’s Papua
A series of powerful earthquakes off the northern coast of West Papua, Indonesia, early on Sunday (4/1) killed four people, injured several others and flattened buildings, officials and local television said. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS ) said a magnitude 7.6 quake occurred some 150 km (95 miles) northeast of Manokwari in the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, at a depth of 35 km (21.7 miles). An official at Indonesia’s meteorology agency said there were several quakes in the area during the night. “Hotel Mutiara and tens of houses are flattened to the ground,” Pitsau Amafnini, an eyewitness, told Reuters. However, an important BP-led liquefied natural gas (LNG) project close to the area was not affected, a BP spokesman told Reuters. Local media reported that the health, social, public works and transport ministers flew to the affected area, to take medicine, food, tents and cash for victims, and to inspect the local airport following a report that it had been damaged. Manokwari, with a population of about 161,000, is in a remote, sparsely-populated part of Papua which attracts tourists thanks to its diving sites, wildlife including birds of paradise, and spectacular scenery. The quake triggered a small tsunami that hit the Japanese coast but there was no damage, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said. The Indonesian authorities also issued a tsunami warning for Papua, but lifted it shortly afterwards. A strong earthquake rattled Indonesia’s West Papua province early on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey says. An quake of 6.1-magnitude was the latest in a series of powerful tremors and aftershocks to have hit the region on Wednesday (7/1). The shallow quake hit at 7.48am local time just off the coast, some 75 kilometres west of the region’s main city of Manokwari. There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.(January 7th 2009, Reuters)
Illegal Logging Cases Down in 2008, Minister
Forestry Minister MS Kaban said here Tuesday (23/12) that the number of illegal logging cases in Indonesia this year fell to 300 from 960 a year earlier. “We only had 300 illegal logging cases in 2008,” the minister said at a function to celebrate the national tree-planting month at Mekarsari village, Banten province. According to Kaban, the drop was the result of tight supervision by the police and the ministry which led to the disclosure of illegal logging cases in Kalimantan, Sumatera, Papua and other areas in Indonesia. Kaban said his ministry would keep coordinating with the police to eliminate illegal logging cases which could damage the environment and ecosystem. Damage to forests could trigger landslides, floods, droughts, and erosions, he said. Asked about the area of damaged forests this year, the minister said it also decreased to 1.08 million hectares from 2.8 million hectares in 2007. According to the minister, the drop was attributed to the efforts by all concerned parties such as the police, forestry officers, and non governmental organizations (NGOs) to catch the illegal loggers in several areas. “We have set ourselves a target of lowering the number of illegal logging cases by 70 percent in 2009 from 300 this year,” he said. (December 23rd 2008, Antara News)
Elephant Problem Solvable only if Illegal Logging Stopped
Wild elephant incursions into human settlements in Aceh will continue if nothing is done to stop illegal logging in forest areas, a local nature conservation official said. “The problem will persist unless illegal logging is stopped,” Andi Basrul, head of the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), said here Saturday (3/1). During December 2008, wild elephants had invaded a number of villages in Aceh, damaged a few houses and injured several people. Basrul said his agency could not do much to stop the animals’ incursions because they were merely reacting to the damage being done to their habitat. Villagers were known to have tried to fight the elephants by poisoning them but Basrul said the villagers’ actions would not be effective and only cause the elephant population to shrink. The root cause of the present conflict between elephants and humans was the damage done to the animals’ habitats by illegal logging, he said. The wild elephant problem existed in the districts of Aceh Jaya, South Aceh and North Aceh, he said. The only way to solve the problem, according to Basrul, was the consistent implementation of the Aceh provincial government’s moratorium on forest logging. (January 3rd 2008, Antara News)
Trawangan-Bali Fast Ferry Sinks
Bali Post reports that 35 foreign tourists and 5 local tourists had a close call with fate on Friday, January 2, 2009, when the fast ferry boat carrying them from Gili Trawangan (near Lombok) to Serangan Island at Bali sunk just miles of Bali’s coast. The Lian Sengiggi lost power and started taking on water near the Watu Klotok Temple in the Klungkung Regency. Using life preservers the crew and passengers abandoned ship and made it to shore, some with the help of local fishermen who came to their assistance. According to Bali Post, a number of passengers rescued from the sea were not listed on the formal official manifest sent from Gili Trawangan, suggesting the ship was not in compliance with shipping rules. The ship reportedly left Gili Trawangan at 12 noon and, after two hours into its journey, lost power and began to take on water. The ship quickly sank and the passengers, jumped into the sea where they held onto each other, forming three separate groups. Two of the groups managed to swim to shore at Jumpai, while the third group was carried by strong current to Kusamba beach where local fishing boats came to their rescue. The ship’s captain, Agus Purnomo, refused to comment to the press on the circumstances surrounding the loss of his ship, saying, “Frankly, I panicked. I can’t explain anything. What’s clear, the water suddenly rushed in. I don’t remember anything more.” The ship carried a crew of 4 with the 40 tourists hailing from Indonesia, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, Great Britain and Germany. (January 5th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
Twenty Three Small Islands Facing Total Destruction: NGO
At least 23 small islands in Indonesia are on the brink of total destruction due to mining activities, a non-governmental organization said. “Based on our studies, more than 23 small islands in the country are now on the brink of total destruction due to mining activities,” the People`s Coalition for Justice Fisheries (KIARA), said in a press statement on Tuesday (23/12). It said that the small islands were facing the threat of destruction because the mining activities did not take into account the islands` supporting capacity, environmental conditions and the livelihood of local residents. KIARA said it was ironical to see the fact that the mining activities in the country’s coastal and sea areas had been taken as a model for development which gave an emphasis on economic targets. (December 24th 2008, Antara News)
Walhi Calls for Moratorium on Tourism Projects In Bali
Friends of the Earth Indonesia - Bali - an environmental watchdog group known locally as Wahli, has sent a letter to Governor Made Mangku Pastika calling on the chief executive once again to take urgent and decisive actions to save Bali from the deleterious effects of tourism. As reported in Kompas, the Director of Walhi Bali, Agung Wardana, said, “firm action is very important, bearing in mind that the environment of Bali is suffering under an escalating attack.” He warned that if environmental conservation is not quickly taken into hand via a moratorium on tourism development, conflicts between those wishing to protect the island’s ecology and those hungry for more land will boil over and only increase over time. Wardana also told the press, “Governor Pastika, who was selected directly by the people of Bali, showed at the beginning of his term a synergy to work on behalf of the Island’s environment.” In Wardana’s view, Governor Pastika has taken firm actions against a number of projects threatening Bali’s natural environment. He hopes that the Governor will continue to take uncompromising action to keep Bali’s ecology safe in the midst to the current boom in tourism facilities. He also pointed out the growing imbalance in the Island’s natural environment was demonstrated by the floods that have affected Badung, Gianyar and the city of Denpasar. (January 3rd 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
Aceh FPI to Recruit Jihad Fighters for Palestine
The Aceh chapter of the Islam Defenders` Front (FPI) is to recruit Muslims ready to become jihad fighters to face the Israeli military onslaught in Palestine, a spokesman said. “The recruitment of martyr fighters to Palestine will be conducted on January 5, 2009. At present, some 13 applicants wishing to become martyr fighters have already registered themselves,” Yusuf Al-Qardhany, chairman of FPI`s Aceh chapter, said here Saturday (3/1). According to him, at least 60 martyr fighters from Aceh will be sent to Palestine via Eqypt. Prior to their dispatch to Palestine, they would be given military training for a week, Yusuf said, adding there were military training grounds in Aceh like those in Afghanistan. The registration for the recruitment of martyr fighters would be opened for two weeks starting January 5, 2009. The applicants would have to fill a form containing the approval of their parents for their dispatch to Palestine as martyr fighters. The sending of martyr fighters, according to Yusuf, was part of FPI’s support for its Palestinian brothers who had to struggle for their land from Israeli occupation. “As a manifestation of Muslim brotherhood, we are ready to become martyr fighters to help our Muslim brothers in facing the brutality of Israeli forces. Israeli air attacks in the past six days in the Gaza Strip had actually killed over 435 people in Palestine most of whom are women and children. Israeli air attacks had triggered world reaction including Indonesia in the form of street rallies protesting the Israeli onslaught. The demonstrations were also marked with the burning of Israeli flags and fund raising for Palestinian victims. (January 3rd 2009, Antara News)
