An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale shook Yogyakarta and its surroundings on Sunday (Sept 12) at 11.38 pm. The temblor`s epicenter was located 8.10 degrees southern latitude, 10.37 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 10 km below sea level, around 23 km southeast of Bantul, Yogyakarta, Sidik Pramono, a staff member of the Yogyakarta meteorological, climatology and geophysics office, said here Monday. “Up to now, there is no report of damage in the earthquake, but it caused panic among residents of Yogyakarta and its surroundings,” he said. The temblor was felt by inhabitants of Yogyakarta, Bantul, Klaten dna Sukojarjo, Central Java. (September 13th 2010)
Tenants Ignore Screams as Bali Teenager Murdered
A teenage girl was found murdered with a knife protruding from her neck in a boarding house in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday (7/9) night. Police identified the victim as student Dewa Ayu Agung Diah Cahyani, 18, the daughter of the head of Bangli district’s Industry and Trade Office. She was found naked in the bedroom of the boarding house on Jalan Ida Bagus Oka. Denpasar Police Chief Adjutant Snr. Comr. Suryanbodo Asmoro said the victim’s body had been found by her uncle, Dewa Anom Sayuga, who was contacted by her father, Dewa Gede Suparta, to check on Cahyani because he had not been able to contact her since Tuesday morning. Sayunga said that he arrived at the boarding house to discover Cahyani’s door locked so he peaked through her louver windows and saw her sleeping under a blanket. When she would not rouse from what he believed to be a deep sleep, Sayunga said he inserted a pole through the window and poked her and realised that she was dead. (September 8th 2010)
Masseur Raped 12 Young Girls, Bali Court Hears
Denpasar District Court on Wednesday (8/9) opened the trial of Mohammad Davis Suharto, who is accused of raping 12 children. The trial was closed to the public and families of the victims gathered outside the courtroom. But prosecutor I Gusti Ngurah Agung Kusumayasa Diputra made the indictment available. It accuses Davis, also known as Coden, of raping five elementary school children between February and April in Denpasar. He is also accused of raping seven other young girls when he was working in Batam, Riau Islands. “He would lure the victims with trickery. If they refused, he would choke them till they became unconscious and then rape them,” the prosecutor said. Another prosecutor, Ni Made Ayu Citra Mayasari, said the Denpasar rapes had happened across the city, including on Jalan Tantular Barat, Bypass Ngurah Rai and Jalan Gunung Mahendratta. Ayu Citra said Davis targeted his victims as they were leaving school. The masseur, who was always on a motorcycle, would tell the girls their parents had sent him to pick them up. “They would then be taken to an empty spot and raped. Once he was done with them he dropped them near their homes,” Ayu Citra said. A lawyer for Davis, Wayan Koja, said his client would not contest the charges. When brought back to a holding cell within the court, a weeping Davis told the Jakarta Globe: “I am so sorry and I apologize to the families of the victims. I regret what I did.” Police arrested Davis in May. Women’s groups showered the local police chief with flowers to thank him for cracking the case. The 30-year-old Davis is a native of East Java. Bali has reported a spike in crime this year, particularly involving victims under 21. (September 8th 2010) Legionnaires’ Disease Alert for Bali Travelers
The Australian Government Department of Health has issued a warning to travelers who have recently returned from Bali to be alert for symptoms which are consistent with Legionnaires’ disease. Two Western Australians and one Victorian who recently returned from Bali this month have been diagnosed with severe pneumonia due to infection caused by Legionella pneumophilia. Communicable Disease Control Director Dr Paul Armstrong said all three people were most likely infected in the central Kuta area of Bali. “The early symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are typically similar to severe ‘flu like’ illness, and may include fever, chills, muscle soreness, headaches, tiredness, reduced appetite and diarrhoea, along with dry cough and breathlessness,” Dr Armstrong said. Legionella infections usually develop two to 10 days after exposure. “Legionnaires’ disease is treated with specific antibiotics, and while most people recover, some people may develop severe pneumonia requiring hospitalization,” Dr Armstrong said. Legionnaires’ disease most often affects middle-aged and elderly people, particularly those who smoke or who have lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease or a weakened immune system. “We recommend that anyone who falls in one or more of these risk groups who develops flu-like illness after returning from Bali seeks medical advice, and notifies their doctor of their recent travel,” Dr Armstrong said.(September 9th 2010)
Indonesia Capable of Reducing Gas Emission by 2.3 Gigatons
Indonesia is capable to reduce green house gas emission by 2.3 gigatons in 2030, or equivalent to 46 percent reduction in 2005.This was the result of comprehensive study conducted by the National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) with 2005 data. In that comprehensive study, they analyzed present day green house gas emission and its reduction potential in eight sectors of development with an estimation of green house gas emission in Indonesia in 2005 reaching 2.3 gigatons. If there was no change in the eight sectors of development, DNPI predicted that the total green house gas emission in 2030 would rise by 3.2 gigatons. The eight development sectors in the study covered peat land, forest, agriculture, energy, transportation, oil and gas, cement and building. Agus Purnomo said peat land and forest had the biggest contribution in green house gas emission in Indonesia. Emission from peat land which is rich in carbon contributes 41 percent of total emission in Indonesia in 2005. Agus said the primary initiative to reduce emission from those sectors was by slowing down deforestation and decomposing of peat land, better management of forest, reduction of land clearance through incineration, and the use of degraded land for agriculture. “Now that we know where we should reduce green house gas emission and its costs, we should no longer discuss it abstractly,” he said. He explained that one of the most important achievements in DNPI study was to clarify and quantify the importance of land use and transfer of land use in present Indonesian emission map. (September 7th 2010)
Blood Stock in Bali Sufficient for Lebaran Holiday
The Bali branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (MPI) blood transfusion unit has sufficient blood stock for the Lebaran holidays demand. “We have sufficient blood for the Lebaran holiday by increasing donor supplies donation from non-Muslims,” local PMI spokesperson Made Geria Arnita said here on Sunday (12/9). She said that in addition, the local PMI transfusion unit continued to open its blood donation service 24 hours for volunteers who would like to donate their blood. According to Arnita, the blood stock as of Sunday reached 60 pouches of type-A blood, 10 pouches of type-B blood, 15 pouches of type-O blood, and 10 pouches of type-AB blood. “The amount of blood stock we have at the moment is enough for the Lebaran holidays, because we have also limited our medical services, including surgery except if it is very urgent,” Arnita said. She added that the average blood consumption at Sanglah public hospital and private hospitals in Denpasar ranged from 80 to 100 pouches per day, and 80 percent of which was met from voluntary blood donors. According to her, there were 300 units of the Indonesian Blood Donors Association (PDDI) in Denpasar and Badung district at present. (September 13th 2010)
Fears Rise after Sinabung’s Strongest Eruption Yet
Residents in the shadow of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra are bracing for the worst as the volcano on Tuesday (7/9) had its most powerful eruption since awakening from centuries of sleep last month. The 2,460-meter-tall volcano spewed ash as high as 5,000 meters into the air, which rained down onto evacuation centers up to eight kilometers away. “After this eruption, we now face uncertain conditions and we need to stay alert because nature can do anything,” Surono, head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG), said. “The volcano took its longest time [to erupt], and at the same time this is the most powerful [eruption],” he said, adding that the volcano had erupted five times since Aug. 29. Surono said the chances of another eruption fell between 80 and 100 percent. “Whether it is getting more dangerous or not, we are still studying [the volcano’s] patterns,” he said. “But at least now we have more general knowledge about it - the volcano has a great deal of energy.” Surono said tremors continued nine hours after Tuesday’s eruption, with more than 80 earthquakes in the 24 hours before the blast. An eruption on Friday was followed by 50 tremors. Dhika, an official for the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), said that Tuesday’s eruption had further terrified residents. “They are still in panic now, as the eruption was very powerful and the tremors were three-times stronger than the tremors of the last eruption,” Dhika said. Following the explosion, the PMI decided to extend its operations in the region through Sept. 23. Initial plans had called for them to end on Sept. 14. “People who had gone home are now coming back to the evacuation camps,” Dhika said. “What we can do now is maintain the alert and remain prepared for anything by monitoring [the volcano’s] activities.” More than 30,000 people living along the volcano’s fertile slopes are taking shelter in cramped camps, mosques and churches in nearby villages since the volcano reawakened. (September 8th 2010)
