Aussies Dominate Tourist Flow to Bali
Australians dominated the flow of foreign tourists to Bali during the seven-month period of January-July 2009, a tourism official said. “Their number in the period was 225,170, an increase of 36.98 percent compared to the same period last year when only 165,112 came to Bali” Antara news agency quoted Ida Komang Wisnu, the chief of Bali’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as saying here Monday. He said the number of Australian tourists accounted for 17.34 percent of the overall number of foreign tourists who visited Bali in that period, namely 1,304,359 or 12.26 percent up from 1,161,915 the same period last year. Wisnu said Australia was on top of the list of ten countries from which most foreign tourists visiting Bali had come in 2009. Australia and Japan were two of the countries with great potential for Balinese tourism and both were often in the top position on the list of countries contributing to Bali’s tourism earnings. In the period, Japan was in second position with 186,265 tourists (14.28 percent), China 116.824 tourists (8.9 percent), and Malaysia 83,909 tourists (6.43 percent). Apart from those countries, other countries like South Korea, Taiwan, France, Britain, Germany and USA also visited Bali. Of the top ten countries, six recorded a significant increase in tourist arrivals in Bali but four countries registered a decrease, namely Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and USA, he said. (September 9th 2009, Bernama)
Green Turtles Slaughtered in Bali
Sea Patrol Police in Bali have intercepted a truck carrying more than 140 kg of Green Turtle meat at Seranagan Island on Friday (4/9). A spokesman for the department said that he was particularly disappointed at this find as in the past they had always managed to intercept the turtles when they were still alive and return them to the wild. Now it seems that the perpetrators had resorted to slaughtering the turtles at sea in order to transport the meat in boxes. The meat was found after a tip-off, and had been hidden under a layer of fish in the back of an L300 van. Green turtles are a protected species in Indonesia and those who sell the endangered turtles will be taken to court and face a maximum punishment of five years in prison and be required to pay Rp100 million in fine (approx.US$12,000). (September 6th 2009, Denpost)
More Rabies Deaths in Bali - Woman Dies
A young woman passed away on Sunday afternoon (6/9) in Sanglah Central Hospital after being treated for rabies symptoms. She was a 21-year-old resident of Buahan village, Tabanan Regency, Bali. She was the daughter-in-law of a deceased man, who died in late August 2009 after displaying similar symptoms. He was the 1st rabies victim from Tabanan, a Regency that has not yet been declared a rabies epidemic area. So far, only Badung and Denpasar have been officially named as epidemic areas, thus receiving all the necessary medical support related to anti-rabies measures.The woman’s husband said his wife was bitten by a stray dog in early August 2009. Unfortunately, not until 15 days after the incident took place did his wife receive an anti-rabies vaccine (VAR) injection. “After she was bitten by the dog, we rushed her to Tabanan Regional Hospital. Yet, the medical personnel there only stitched her wound and didn’t give her the VAR,” he said. Once the young woman displayed symptoms she was once again taken to hospital and was inoculated with VAR twice, but the inoculations failed to save her. “Her condition was already severe when she was admitted to the hospital,” said Raka Sudewi, the attending physician. “She couldn’t move both her legs, she was restless and displayed a phobia of water; all are classic symptoms of rabies,” he added. He said that a sample from the woman would be sent to the laboratory to confirm or deny the presence of the rabies virus. At least 9 people have died in the resort island of Bali due to suspected rabies infections since late last year. (September 7th 2009, Jakarta Post)
Facebook Blocked ‘to Increase Productivity’
The second biggest city in Indonesia has blocked local government employees from using three social networking services, including Facebook, due to a decline in productivity. The Surabaya administration has blocked access to Facebook, Friendster and instant messaging tool Yahoo! Messenger during office hours since Monday (8/9). “In order to increase the concentration of the civil servants, the mayor had to block those three social networking sites during office hours, starting from 8am to 4pm,” administration spokesman Chalid Buchari said. He said the ban was introduced because many civil servants wasted too much time on the services during office hours. “We’re still evaluating the idea that we should block Facebook permanently in all levels of government,” Buchari said. The administration, however, still approved the use of Internet search engines, such as Yahoo! and Google, to access news and information. In May, a meeting of hundreds of Islamic scholars from Java and Bali islands warned that using social networking sites such as Facebook could lead to pornography and “obscenity”. (September 9th 2009, AFP)
Jakarta May Be Largely Protected From Indonesia’s Deadly Quakes
As the hunt for those killed in last week’s Indonesian earthquake continues, residents of the capital, Jakarta, are wondering if their city could be at risk for bigger, more dangerous quakes. Despite the sharp, frightening shaking that the city experienced last week, experts say massive damage is unlikely. Jakarta itself does not sit on a geological fault line. Geologists say that means it is likely the city will only ever feel the effects of earthquakes with epicenters more than 100 miles away. Fauzi, who goes by one name, heads the earthquake and tsunami unit of Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. He says it is unlikely that quakes in the capital would be catastrophic. Fauzi says many people panicked unnecessarily last week and public education campaigns are needed to teach people how to respond to earthquakes. Jakarta requires buildings over four stories to be able to withstand magnitude 7 quakes. Adang Surahman, an earthquake engineering expert at Indonesia’s Bandung Institute of Technology, says most of Jakarta’s high-rises have been built to withstand what scientists refer to as the once in 500-year quake. Visions of soaring high-rises crumbling may grip the imagination but Surahman says it is the smaller one and two storey dwellings that are most vulnerable in places like Indonesia. (September 7th 2009, VOA)
Some Indonesian Adulterers ‘to be Stoned’
Indonesia’s staunchly Muslim Aceh province is set to enforce a strict form of Islamic criminal law, including stoning to death married adulterers, a lawmaker says. “Unmarried people who commit adultery will be caned one hundred times and married persons will be stoned to death,” Raihan Iskandar, a provincial lawmaker from the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, said. Aceh, where separatists had been fighting the Indonesian government since 1976 until a peace deal in 2005, has so far only partially adopted sharia law, which requires modest Muslim dress codes, mandatory prayers five times a day, fasting and the giving of alms to the poor. Sharia was implemented under a broad autonomy package granted by the central government in 2001 to pacify the hard-line Muslim region’s demand for independence. “This bill only focuses on ethical issues which include consumption of alcohol, gambling, committing adultery and raping,” Iskandar said. Aceh’s provincial parliament was scheduled to pass the new law Monday, he added. Crimes such as murder, robbery and corruption will not fall under the new law in Aceh, located at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 234 million people are Muslim, most of who practice a moderate form of the religion. (September 9th 2009, AFP)
Strong Earthquake Jolts Indonesia Again
A strong earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter scale struck off the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java late Monday (7/9), but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, the Indonesian seismology agency said. The quake struck at 11.12 p.m. (1612 GMT) and was centered in the Indian Ocean, 263 kilometers south-east of Wonosari district in Central Java province, Indonesia’s National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said in a statement. It occurred 35 kilometers beneath the seabed and was felt as far away as Bali. There were no immediate reports of injury or structural damage from the quake, the latest of a series of earthquakes to jolt Indonesia in recent days. (September 7th 2009, IANS)
Indonesia PLN: Propose 20%-30% Hike in Electricity Tariffs
Indonesian state-owned electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara has proposed that national electricity tariffs be hiked by 20%- 30% in order to reduce the state’s electricity subsidy burden and improve PLN’s financial performance, president director Fahmi Mochtar told reporters Wednesday (9/9). Mochtar said when the tariff might be increased and by how much is up to the government. He spoke following a meeting with lawmakers. He said electricity tariffs for lower-income consumers could be raised by a smaller amount and those for wealthier consumers, such as businesses, by a larger amount. The government keeps electricity tariffs at fixed rates via subsidies, so increases in the cost of generating power place a greater burden on the state’s finances. Tariffs were last raised in 2003. (September 9th 2009, Dow Jones)
Scientists Discover Giant Rats, Fanged Frogs, Grunting Fish - Papua
Scientists and filmmakers have discovered a new species of giant rat deep in the jungle of Papua New Guinea along with other animals hitherto unseen. The woolly rat, an over-sized vegetarian rodent, measures 82 cm long and weighs in at 1.5 Kg. Its size makes it amongst the largest species of rat known anywhere in the world. The creature was discovered by an expedition team filming for BBC program Lost Land of the Volcano. But the large rat is only one of dozens of new creatures found in the shadow of the Bosavi volcano. The team also found scores of strange spiders and around 20 species of insect. “Highlights include a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish called the Henamo Grunter, so named because it makes grunting noises from its swim bladder,” Steve Greenwood, series producer for Lost Land of the Volcano, said. The fanged frog is only one of some 16 new frogs discovered. The area in which the animals were found is particularly inaccessible and the team spent several weeks scaling the 2,800 meter summit with the help from local trackers. (September 8th 2009, Antara News)
Indonesia Tightens Film Regulations - 60% of Screenings Must be Local
Indonesian parliament tightened government controls on filmmaking Tuesday (8/9), passing a law that would establish a new censorship board with the power to block distribution of foreign and domestic movies. It would require theatres in the world’s fourth most-populous country and largest Muslim nation, now dominated by U.S. films, to allot at least 60% of screenings to local films. Critics called the law a return to policies of the country’s ousted military dictatorship. The law had “all the trademarks of authoritarianism,” prominent director Deddy Mizwar said. “There is no spirit of reform because it goes against the freedom of expression.” It is the second major law under President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to provoke strong opposition from the arts community, after an anti-pornography bill last year imposed harsh punishment for nudity in dance and art, or for content considered erotic. Jero Wacik, the culture and tourism minister said the new bill was meant to boost domestic film production, not limit artistic freedom. “We don’t want to interfere ... in the film industry,” Wacik said. The law will set up a new censorship board with the power to block distribution and will require producers to obtain government licenses from the ministry, which will have wide powers to restrict production. Domestic filmmakers and foreign producers who want to film in Indonesia have to submit details at least three months before filming. Indonesia’s industry produced 87 movies last year. (September 9th 2009, AFP)
Balinese People’s Behavior has Changed - Academic
Balinese people have over the past few year’s undergone behavioral changes as a result of modernization and globalization, an academic said. A lecturer at Denpasar`s State Hindu Dharma Institute, Prof I Nengah Duija, said here Friday (4/9) the behavioral changes were marked by the frequent occurrence of violence. “The behavioral changes of the Balinese people are marked by various acts of violence such as gang fights,” said the anthropologist. He added besides gang fights that suicides, abortions, and sexual deviation among teenagers were increasing and getting out of hands on the resort island of Bali. Mr. Duija said various efforts should be made to instill moral and religious values in the younger generation. He said the behavioral changes could lead to disharmony in the family, and reduce mutual trust among the people, and social institutions. “Following the behavioral changes, it is time for the people of Bali to look back into their past and reminisce about their positive moral and religious values,” Nengah Duija said. The past, according to him was the self reflection of oral traditions which had been over-run by modernization and globalization. He said these changes should be dealt with by encouraging the young generation of Bali to think of their traditions and culture in the community. Every community in Bali, according to him, has different roots of tradition and culture in accordance with language, religion, and geographic location. “Even new traditions can be born if the local community is able to have full and total comprehension and respect towards their surrounding environment,” Nengah Duija said. (September 5th 2009, Antara News)
