Bali Suffers a Total Blackout; PLN Warns More to Come
A sub-sea interconnecting high-voltage cable carrying power from Java to Bali failed on Wednesday evening (15/9) plunging much of Bali into darkness starting from 7:05 p.m. Frantic efforts to restore the peak demand capacity of 440 megawatt returned power in some areas within a half-hour, however many consumers sat in the dark until late in the evening before power was fully restored. The failure was traced to an interconnection circuit beneath the Java-Bali straits that officials claim was stuck by lightning resulting in the sudden loss of 100 megawatts of transmission power. The head of the Bali Consumer’s Bureau, Putu Armaya, criticized the State Power Board (PLN) for their second major power outage to affect Bali since May 31, 2009, claiming the failures could form the basis for formal claims by consumers affected by the outage. Armaya said that if PLN does not compensate consumers, his group could lead such a class action suit against the utility. A spokesman for the PLN said that due to increasing demand for power in Bali that the Island could expect rotating power black-outs for up to 6 hours in 2010 in order to conserve energy. (September 19th 2009, http://www.balidiscovery.com/ & Bali Post)
Five Dead in Lombok Clashes
Five people have been killed and nine injured in clashes on Indonesia’s Lombok island between villagers armed with traditional blades and spears, police say. He said that the clash had started between villagers in Ketare Village since Thursday and continued until Saturday (26/9) afternoon in nearby Tanak Awu Village. The bloody clashes, which involved both men and women, took place in rice fields near Lombok’s new international airport, which has yet to start operations. Officer Mahsun said that the clashes began with a revenge attack for the stabbing of a male villager by someone from a neighbouring village. Lombok, part of West Nusa Tenggara province, is near Bali, a well-known holiday destination for foreign tourists. (September 27th 2009, AFP)
Giant Baby Draws Spectators to Indonesian Hospital
Indonesia’s heaviest-ever newborn drew curious crowds Friday (25/9) to a hospital where the baby boy came into the world at a record 19.2 pounds (8.7 kilograms). Akbar Risuddin was born to a diabetic mother in a 40-minute cesarean delivery that was complicated because of his unusual weight and size, Dr. Binsar Sitanggang said. “I’m very happy that my baby and his mother are in good health,” father Muhammad Hasanuddin said Friday. “I hope I can afford to feed the baby enough, because he needs more milk than other babies.” Crowds pushed to get a peek of the extraordinary boy, who measured nearly 24 inches (62 centimeters) when he was born Monday (21/9), at the Abdul Manan hospital in the northern town of Kisaran on the island of Sumatra. The former Indonesian record holder was a 14.7-pound (6.7-kilogram) baby boy born on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta, in 2007. Guinness World Records cites the heaviest baby as being born in the U.S. in 1879, weighing 23.75 pounds (10.4 kilograms). However, it died 11 hours after birth. The book also cites 22.5-pound (10.2-kilogram) babies born in Italy in 1955 and in South Africa in 1982. (September 27th 2009, AP)
Muslim Groups Support Anti-Terrorism Drive in Indonesia
Thousands of Muslim group members in Solo, Central Java staged a mass gathering that pledged their support to anti-terrorism drive in the country, the Kompas daily reported on Saturday. The gathering, that was attended by senior Muslim figures, local regional officials and regional legislators in Solo on Friday (25/9), was aimed at expressing the Muslims’ whole-hearted support on the anti-terrorism campaign launched by the government. During the activity entitled “Islam tells the world that terrorism is not Islamic” senior Muslim figures said that terrorism acts must not be associated with Islamic deeds. Muslims who were taking part in the activity raised banners stating their support for the efforts to eradicate terrorism in Indonesia down to its roots. They supported the acts taken by Indonesian police to curb the terrorists who have been claiming their misdeeds as the act of jihad. Muslim senior figure in the city, Mudrick Sangidoe called on Muslims across the country to wage war against terrorism. “Associating terrorism with Muslim is a humiliation,” he said. (September 25th 2009, Xinua)
Earthquake Strikes off Bali Coast
An earthquake off the holiday island of Bali sent people running from their homes in panic. At least seven people were injured - some were hurt jumping from buildings while others had been hit by falling debris, an official said. The quake - measuring 5.8 according to the US Geological Survey - struck at dawn 75km (45 miles) south of Denpasar. No tsunami warning was issued and there were few reports of serious material damage, local officials said. I heard a loud growling, then the entire house shook...the water in the swimming pool was making waves. Two weeks ago, an earthquake on the main Indonesian island of Java left at least 50 dead. In December 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people around Asia. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most active areas for earthquakes and volcanic activity in the world. (September 27th 2009, BBC News)
Noordin’s Death Does not Mean Terrorism Defeated: Setara Institute
The Setara Institute, a private socio-political think-tank, said the elimination of terror mastermind Noordin M Top does not mean terrorism in Indonesia has been defeated. The institute’s director, Hendardi, said in a statement issued here Monday (21/9), there were still many terror cadres who had been instilled with xenophobia (a dislike and fear of that which is unknown or different from oneself) and ideas justifying the use of violence. A number of suspected terrorists were still on the loose in Indonesia, such as Syaifudin Zuhri bin Djaelani Irsyad alias Syaifudin Jaelani, he said. Along with the fact that various parties in the country that were obsessed with the idea of forming a religion-based state gave rise to the potential of spawning terrorist networks in the community and the nation needed to remain alert about their existence, he said. Another alarming fact Hendardi said, was that Urwah, who was killed together with Noordin in the police raid in Solo on Thursday (Sept 17), had been involved in the Australian Embassy bombing a few years ago and had been arrested, tried and convicted. He said the police and state penitentiaries should pay serious attention to the handling and social reintegration of former terror convicts. The success in hunting down and eliminating Noordin M Top should be appreciated but the police and other law enforcing agencies should not let their guard down or become self-complacent, he said. (September 21st 2009, Antara news)
Japanese Woman Found Murdered in Bali
A 33-year-old female Japanese tourist was found dead Monday (28/9) on the resort island of Bali, with injuries to her body indicating murder, according to local reports Tuesday (29/9). Wilmar Marpaung, detective unit chief at the Bali Police Headquarters, said the body of Rika Sano was found at 4 p.m. Monday in a thicket of bushes on Mertahadi Street in the Kuta beach resort area. Private television networks Trans7 and Surya Citra Television reported that Sano’s body was discovered after local residents noticed a foul smell. Her body was found half-naked with signs of injuries, with her underwear, cellular phone, cosmetics and other belongings scattered around, raising suspicions that she was robbed and raped before being murdered, according to the reports. Police also found a wood log, which might have been used to beat and kill the woman who was from Tokyo, Marpaung said. He refused however to speculate on the cause of death. Sano checked into the Prani Hotel in Kuta with her friend Mayumi Someya, 30, on Thursday night, and at around 2:30 a.m. Friday, a man claiming to be a policeman led her away from her hotel. According to the online news portal Tempo Interaktif, the man showed police identification and a badge to the hotel’s security officer and said Sano was a drug trafficker.The man drove away from the hotel on a motorcycle with Sano riding on the back, but an hour later he came back alone and took her two bags away. Marpaung said the man could have been posing as a policeman, but added ‘‘we are still checking the information.’’ (September 29th 2009, Brietbart News)
Malaysian Police Seize 40 Smuggled Live Ant-Eaters
Malaysian police seized 40 live ant-eaters (pangolins) believed to have been brought illegally out of Indonesia and headed for cooking pots in the country, a media report said Monday (21/9). Six officers from the southern Johor state spent four days staking out a river popular with smugglers when they spotted two boats approaching the coast late Sunday. Two men were then seen loading sacks of live pangolins into a car, before they realized they’d been discovered and immediately sped away, the Star online news portal reported. Azha said the driver escaped but police detained a 24-year-old man who was also in the vehicle. The pangolins, worth more than 70,000 ringgit ($18,919), were surrendered to the state’s wildlife and national parks department. The suspect had been detained and questioned for a previous case of suspected smuggling of pangolins from Indonesia, said police. Pangolins, which are protected species, are popular for their meat which is believed by some to have medicinal value. (September 28th 2009, IANS)
Timor Defends Decision Not to Try War Crimes
East Timor’s government is defending its policy of not pursuing war crimes trials for Indonesian officials responsible for thousands of deaths during their 24-year occupation of the half-island nation. Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa says the country needs to balance justice with the need to reconcile with its giant neighbor, which has refused to cooperate with war crimes probes. Da Costa acknowledged that his government has faced sharp criticism over the issue by human rights groups calling for an international war crimes tribunal to try those responsible. The former Portuguese colony broke free of Indonesian occupation in 1999, when 1,500 people were killed by departing occupation troops. After three years of U.N. governance, East Timor declared independence in 2002. (September 29th 2009, AP)
Indonesia to Produce A/H1N1 Flu Vaccine
Indonesia is to produce vaccine to stop the further spread of the A/H1N1 viruses that have killed 10 people and infected more than 1,000 others in the country, a senior official of the Health Ministry said here on Monday (28/9). The plan comes after the United Nations recently asked major vaccine producer firms in the world, including Indonesia’s drug maker Biofarma, to produce the vaccine, Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health of the ministry Tjandra Yoga Aditama said. “The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the world could only produce three billion doses of the flu vaccine out of a five billion dose expectation. So, we will produce the vaccine,” Yoga told Xinhua at his office when asked whether Indonesia will produce the A/H1N1 flu vaccine. It had not been determined yet the amount of the vaccines to be produced by Biofarma and whether Indonesia would join other countries’ moves to donate the vaccine to under- developed countries. (September 29th 2009, Xinhua)
Australian Dollar set to Break Parity with US Dollar in 2010
The Australian dollar could break above parity with the US dollar for the first time in nearly 30 years if the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raises the base interest rate from a current three per cent over the next 12 months. But economists say the domestic currency is unlikely to stay above US$1 for long. Four out of five economists surveyed by AAP believe the domestic unit can break parity with the US dollar in either the June or September quarters of 2010. ICAP economist Adam Carr said financial markets could be tempted to test the local currency above US$1 in early 2010. If successful, it will be the first time Australia has broken parity since the days of fixed exchange rates before the currency was floated in 1983. (September 25th 2009, Antara News)
