Giant Whale Stranded on Batubelig Beach
A giant whale, 12 meters in length and 1.5 meters in diameter, drifted ashore at Batubelig beach, Kerobokan, Badung district, on Wednesday (14/1). The corpse of the large animal had been tossed on the beach by huge sea waves on Wednesday afternoon at around 12 midday local time, according to witnesses. The carcass of the endangered mammal drew the attention of dozens of local people as well as foreign tourists who were astonished by the sight. I Made Suarta, the head of the maritime section of Badung’s maritime and fisheries office, said his office had no particular information on the type or origin of the whale. Concerning the cause of its death, Suarta said he could not yet give a correct explanation but it was believed the whale had died in the sea a few days ago and its body was then carried ashore by waves. A week before, another whale was also found stranded on the Tabanan beach. (January 15th 2009, Antara News)
Bali Hit by Wet Season Floods
Rivers burst their banks due to monsoonal rain on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, leaving 2,000 homes under water and tourists shut in their hotels, officials say. “Heavy rain fell non-stop for over eight hours Saturday (10/1). The rain and high tides caused some rivers in Bali to overflow and flooding in several areas,” Bali welfare department Chief Anak Agung Gde Alip said. Denpasar city and the southern regencies of Gianyar and Badung were flooded, affecting souvenir shops and homes, he said. Floods hit tourist spots such as the resorts of Kuta and Legian, the arts village of Ubud and Gianyar regency, especially around River Mumbul, inundating homes, restaurants and museums. Waters had begun to recede on Monday (12/1) but hundreds of families had to be evacuated from their homes and given shelter in temporary relief camps. “In one area called Sindhu, people were neck deep in water and had to climb onto their rooftops. Their houses were submerged and they lost their belongings like television sets and furniture. We are rescuing them,” he said. (January 12th 2009, AFP)
Kenya and Indonesia Celebrate Favorite Son
Thousands of Kenyans in the African village where new US President Barack Obama’s father was born, have celebrated the presidential inauguration ceremony. A crowd of more than 3,000 people gathered in Kogelo to view Mr. Obama taking the oath of office, at which time they broke into song and dance. The Washington ceremony was shown on a giant screen surrounded by a message reading: ‘Congratulations, our son, our hope.’ Many Kenyans took a day off work for the inauguration and to join the colorful celebrations. Television screens were organized in town halls, bars and restaurants all over the East African country, with several night clubs booked especially for inauguration night celebrations. In Indonesia, where Barack Obama was educated as a young boy, there was song and dance for the new president. Students at the Jakarta primary school Mr. Obama attended during his four years in Jakarta in the late 1960s led the celebrations.Some of his former classmates also attended. Barack Obama has written a letter to the people of Indonesia, thanking them for their enthusiastic support. In part of the letter he said: ‘My childhood years in Jakarta provided me with many lessons and memories that I carry with me to this day.’ (January 20th 2009, Indonesia News.com)
Bali Promised a Search and Rescue Helicopter
BeritaBali.com reports that Indonesia’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, has promised that Bali will soon possess its own search and rescue helicopter. The promise was made by the only Balinese in the current presidential cabinet during a ceremony held at the office of the Regent of Buleleng on Friday, January 16, 2009. Wacik said he will soon discuss the proposed helicopter in Jakarta and agreed that such an aircraft is needed respond to accidents or natural disasters. The initiative for the helicopter was in response to complaints from Bali’s governor Made Mangku Pastika who said, “Bali has no search and rescue helicopter, so how can we ask Australia to remove (negative) travel advisories if our facilities, security and safety are found lacking?” Helicopter assistance to Bali now comes from an aircraft based in Surabaya which, according to Bali responders, is too far away and entails complicated and time-consuming bureaucratic procedures to mobilize in the event of an emergency.(January 17th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
Indonesian Tourism to Achieve Target in 2009
Despite Global Crisis
The Indonesian Tourism and Culture Minister Jero Wacik said that the global financial crisis will not be a major obstacle for the country in achieving the target of attracting 6.5 million foreign visitors in 2009. “To be honest, we are not so worried about the crisis after learning the situation in 2008. People are willing to release the pressure from the tough situation by traveling with limited budget,” he told Xinhua on Thursday (15/1). He reiterated that the current financial crisis did not mean that people would set aside recreation needs. “Unlike terrorism threat, which cast a bad impact on Indonesian tourism in 2002-2005, the financial crisis can not forbid people from traveling for recreation,” he said. (January 17th 2009, Xinhua)
Captain Named Suspect in Indonesian Ferry Disaster
Police have named the captain of a passenger ferry that sank off the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi a suspect for negligence in the accident that left more than 220 people missing and believed dead, officials said Monday. Only 35 people including the captain were known to have survived, and nine bodies were found after the accident, leaving more than 220 others unaccounted for. South Sulawesi police spokesman Heri Sabuansuari said the captain, identified only as Sabir, was a suspect for negligence that caused loss of life. The Teratai Prima ferry, carrying 250 passengers and 17 crew members, sank on January 11 in rough seas off the port town of Majene while en route from Pare-Pare on Sulawesi Island to Samarinda, East Kalimantan. Transport Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said last week that a preliminary investigation showed the ferry capsized after it was hit by waves in stormy weather. He said there would be an investigation into why the captain set sail despite warnings about bad weather.
Indonesian Port Repaired Whaling Ship, Despite Reports
A Japanese whaling ship did receive repairs at an Indonesian port last week, contrary to reports that local authorities refused the Yushin Maru 2 permission to dock. Late last week conservationists in Indonesia and Australia were applauding a reported decision by port authorities in Surabaya to refuse the Japanese whaling ship the Yushin Maru 2 permission to dock for repairs to its broken propeller. The ship did leave the dock last Thursday (15/1) after protests earlier in the week. A spokesman for the state-owned Surabaya shipyard PT Pal now says that the necessary repairs had already taken place, the day before the ship left. A spokesman for the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta has also confirmed that a consular representative was at the dock last week to witness the epairs. (January 19th 2009, ABC News)
First Lady Saddened Over Fast Growing AIDS in Indonesia
First Lady Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono expressed sadness over the spread of AIDS in Indonesia which is said to be the fastest in Asia, when she addressed a students` pledge ceremony on `How To Say No To Drugs and Free Sex` at Halim Perdanakusuma`s Puri Ardhya Garini Hall, here on Thursday (15/1). She said that misuse of narcotics and free sex were not part of Indonesia’s culture and were against the religions professed by the nation. According to statistics reports provinces undergoing fastest growing of AIDS were Jakarta, Papua, West Java, East Java, Bali, Central Java, Riau Islands and South Sulawesi. Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono, who was appointed ambassador for HIV/AIDS handling by the National AIDS Council in 2006, said she was sad to see the fast growing of AIDS/HIV cases in Indonesia. (January 16th 2009, Antara News)
John Fawcett Honored by President Yudhoyono
At a special ceremony in Jakarta on December 23, 2008, President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono presented John Fawcett of the John Fawcett Foundation with the prestigious Satyalancana Kabaktian Sosial Award for his outstanding humanitarian work in Indonesia, especially in providing free cataract surgery to the poor in Bali, Kalimantan and Nusa Tenggara Barat. Fawcett is Founder and CEO of The John Fawcett Foundation, headquartered in Bali, which works primarily in providing sight restoring cataract operations to the poor, a task he has been pioneering since 1991. Over those years the projects has provided surgical assistance to over 25,000 cataract patients otherwise unable to pay or access the surgery that can return their sight. (January 17th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
Governor Outlaws the Import and Export of Pet Dogs : Rabies Outbreak
In the escalating effort to bring Bali’s current rabies epidemic under control, governor Pastika has sealed the island’s borders for both the import and export of dogs until further notice.Pastika told the Jakarta Post, “we are closing the seaports and airport to any dog trade. This is to prevent rabies transmission off the island.” Vaccinations programs for humans are now available in Bali following the confirmation of several rabies related deaths. Meanwhile, a massive free vaccination program is now underway for pet dogs and an extermination program is being conducted on the Island’s feral dog population. Bali’s total dog population is estimated at 20,000. Unhappy with the spread of the disease, Governor Pastika was quoted by Beritabali.com as calling on all pet owners to see that their dogs are vaccinated and to cage their animal to prevent free-roaming through local communities. The Governor reminded pet owners that they are ultimately responsible for their pets behavior meaning they can be criminally prosecuted if their dog causes harm or death to others. On Friday, January 16, 2009, a 32 year-old taxi driver, Thomas Aquino, died at Bali’s Sanglah General Hospital, six months after being bitten by a neighbor’s dog. Pending formal test results performed during an autopsy, Aquino’s cause of death is being officially listed as resulting from a brain infection. Six months prior to his death, however, the man was bitten by his neighbor’s dog with the dog dying just three days after the attack. To date, between 4-6 deaths in Bali are linked to the current rabies outbreak. (January 19th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
2,500 Year Old Stone Sarcophagus Discovered in Gianyar
The discovery of a stone sarcophagus in the village of Keramas in the sub-district of Blahbatuh, Gianyar on January 12, 2009, provides further evidence of existence of advanced cultural settlements of Bali dating back at least 2,500 to 3,000 years. Shaped out of two pieces of stone to resemble a turtle, the important archeological discovery has a length of 1.5m, a width of 1 meter and a depth of 2.5m. When discovered the stone vessel contained a large quantity of human bone fragments. The sarcophagus was uncovered by two local men who were quarrying for building stones at a depth of around 3 meters. Once the workmen knew that their discovery was not a large stone, but an artifact with historical significance, they contacted the local village chief and the nearest police stations who quickly cordoned off the site. The Chief of the Archeology Department of Denpasar, I Wayan Suantika, confirmed an estimated age of between 2,500-3,000 years for the sarcophagus. A preliminary examination of the human bone fragments suggest an age dating from 300 and 500 B.C. Suantika told NusaBali that such elaborate burial vessels were traditionally reserved for religious or traditional leaders. The sarcophagus in the shape of a turtle and, according to Suantika, includes stone handles to permit transport of the coffin to the burial site. The shape of a turtle reflects a belief that the animal depicted would deliver the deceased to a final resting place. According to Suantika, this is one of 12 sarcophagi discovered in the Keramas area of Bali. (January 19th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com)
