Indonesia to Pay Bills for All Citizens' Births

Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita | August 19, 2010

Jakarta. The government on Thursday announced a plan to provide free birth care to all, helping to prevent cases of mothers selling their babies to pay for the deliveries and hospitals holding the infants ransom until the medical bills are paid.

In the next year, the state will start a pilot program to pay for all births in community health centers (Puskesmas) and state hospitals nationwide.

Although the benefit is aimed at low-income mothers, even the wealthy qualify, so long as “they are willing to give birth to their babies in third-class wards in hospitals,” Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said.

But the scheme comes with a caveat, she said. After the project’s first year, free delivery benefits will be limited to a mother’s first two children.

“This is expected to boost our stagnant family planning program,” Endang said, adding that the country was at risk of a population explosion.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed on Monday that the latest census put the population at 237.6 million people, a 32.5 million increase in a decade.

The rapid rise showed that the nation’s family-planning program, remarkable for reining in a population boom during the three decades under President Suharto, was no longer effective, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has said.

Health Ministry officials said the free delivery program was also expected to reduce the country’s extremely high maternal and infant mortality rates.

The latest maternal mortality figure for Indonesia is 228 deaths per 100,000 births, one of the highest in Southeast Asia, while 34 out of every 1,000 infants born die within their first year.

Budiharja, the Ministry of Health’s director general for community health and education, said the program should bring maternal deaths down to 102 per 100,000 births and reduce the infant mortality rate to 24 out of 1,000 births by 2015.

The progress would meet UN Millennium Development Goal targets.

“We hope that the number of births handled by the professional medical workers will increase to 100 percent,” Budiharja said.

A normal delivery at a Puskesmas or state hospital costs from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 ($34 to $56).

However, recent cases of women selling their newborns in order to pay for their medical bills have highlighted the fact that many low-income mothers still can’t afford deliveries.

Others who can’t afford care opt to give birth at home, contributing to the high mortality rate.

Budiharja said the free care was intended for all birth procedures, including those requiring Caesarian sections or postpartum complication treatments.

The government is developing Puskesmas capable of providing basic obstetric, neonatal and emergency services, Budihara said.

“Out of 7,000 Puskesmas in Indonesia, more than 2,500 of them have been able to provide those three services, but only 1,600 of them provide the services 24 hours,” he said adding that all regional hospitals in Indonesia were expected to be able to provide more comprehensive care.

The 2011 draft state budget revealed on Monday included Rp 26.2 trillion, an almost 26 percent increase, in funding for the Ministry of Health.

Additional reporting from Antara

Related Article:

Government to exempt the poor from baby delivery cost

KCJ to receive 50 more used carriages from Japan

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 08/19/2010 9:33 PM

PT Kereta Api Indonesia Commuter Jabodetabek (KCJ), a unit of state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), will order 50 used carriages from Japan to increase the seating capacity of the company’s service in Jakarta.

KCJ president director Bambang Wibiyanto said the used carriages, worth Rp 1 billion each, would be delivered to Jakarta by year-end.

“We want to provide more a comfortable service for the commuters. By increasing the number of carriages, we can transport more people in Greater Jakarta,” he said after the launch of the 7000 series electric train in Jakarta on Thursday.

As the only company providing a mass transportation alternative in Greater Jakarta, KCJ plans to procure 118 used carriages from Japan this year. So far the company has received 60 of the carriages ordered.

Currently KJC and KAI operate 410 carriages, servicing 450,000 passengers daily. Bambang said the company needed at least 500 carriages to serve 550,000 passengers in Greater Jakarta every day.

Dirgantara Produces Airbus 350 Components

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 19 August, 2010 | 16:09 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Bandung: Bandung based aircraft manufacturer, Dirgantara Indonesia, will produce components for Airbus 350 wings.

“The contract is valid for 5-10 years. I hope that it will be extended,” said Rakhendi Priyatna, Dirgantara Indonesia spokesperson, when contacted by Tempo.

Previously, Dirgantara made components for Airbus 380, 320, 330, 340, and Airbus 400 for the military.

The components are ordered through British Aerospace System with a contract valid since 2004.

This year, PT Dirgantara revenue amounted to Rp1.5 trillion.

In 2009, Dirgantara succeed in getting a contract of Rp1.1 trillion.

ALWAN RIDHA RAMDANI

Five Banks Sign Agreement for New East Kalimantan Power Plant

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 19 August, 2010 | 16:22 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Five national banks signed a financing agreement for a 2 X 100 megawatt coal power plant construction in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, worth around Rp2 trillion.

Governor Awang Faroek Ishak attended the singings today (19/8) by Steven Johanes (Bank Central Asia), I Made Suka (Bank Rakyat Indonesia), Ronny Kuntadi (Vice President Bank Mandiri), Oswald Tambunan (Grup Head Corporation BNI 46) and Aminuddin (Chief Director of Bank Pembangunan Daerah East Kalimantan).

Aminuddin said the signings today followed a similar MoU with the State Electricity Company for the plant to be built in Kariangau area, which is part of the first batch of the 10,000 megawatt projects.

The syndication charged 8.125 percent interest for the loan which sould be repaid in 10 years.

The five banks had also agree to provide loan for another coal power plant in Maluku.

FIRMAN HIDAYAT

Fourteen New Airstrips Planned for Eastern Indonesia

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 18 August, 2010 | 18:35 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Government will offer construction projects of 14 new airports in eastern parts of Indonesia including restoration works for over a hundred airports next year that will be open for private contarctor as well.

Transport Minister Freddy Numberi said today (18/8) after the presidential speech on annual budget projection for next year the government appropriate Rp198 billion for the new airports for small planes.

Public Cmmunication Chief of the Transport Minister Bambang Ervan said the 14 areas are Eastern Seram (Maluku), Bone (Sulawesi), Enggano (Bengkulu), Muara Bungo (Jambi), Muara Teweh (Central Kalimantan), Morowali Central Sulawesi), Saumlaki Baru (Maluku), Sinak Baru (Papua), Tojo Una-Una (Cenral Sulawesi), Tual Baru Maluku, Wagete Baru (Papua), Waisai Raja Ampat (Papua), Nam Niwel, and Sumarorong (West Sulawesi).

The plan include restoration for 118 airports including expansion at five major airports Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Djuanda (Surabaya), Polonia (Medan), Ngurah Rai (Bali), and Hasanuddin (Makassar).

Freddy also added that Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport in South Sulawesi is part of the plan which is expected to serve direct flights to the Philippines. In Bali he said there were plans to increase the number of airport to support the over-capacity Ngurah Rai Airport.

DANANG WIBOWO

New maritime business center for Belawan port

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Sat, 08/14/2010 10:28 AM | The Archipelago

The North Sumatra provincial administration plans to build a maritime business center at Belawan Port, near Medan, an official says.

Construction of North Sumatra’s first maritime business center will be carried out by PT Pembangunan Prasarana Sumatera Utara (PPSU), a provincial business entity, state-owned port management firm Pelindo I managing director Harry Sutanto said at the governor’s office in Medan on Friday.

He expressed hope that PPSU could immediately carry out the project at the Belawan Port.

Harry said that the physical construction of the maritime business center would include, among other things, offices, a hotel, restaurants and shopping mall.

He said the project was aimed at accelerating infrastructure development in the port sector.

“The project is aimed at expanding the shipping lanes at Belawan Port, including building a terminal at Kuala Tanjung Port in Batubara regency,” said Harry after signing a memorandum of understanding on the joint venture project between Pelindo I and PPSU.

The event was also attended by North Sumatra Governor Syamsul Arifin.

Harry said that the joint venture would optimize the potential resources of Pelindo and the province.

The joint venture will also be a guide for organizing working plans that will be of mutual benefit to both parties and have a multiplying effect on the acceleration of development in North Sumatra in the future, he added.

“North Sumatra, which stretches along the Malacca Strait, is an area with great economic potential, especially in the maritime sector. The move to work with the provincial administration is a form of positive synergy to develop that potentials,” Harry said.

PPSU director Syarifullah Harahap said he was optimistic that the maritime business center would be completed soon as it would be a very effective way to boost locally initiated income (PAD).

“We have not yet calculated the targeted amount of PAD from its presence, but we are optimistic that the amount would be significant. We will use the services of independent consultants to calculate the amount,” said Syarifullah.

It’s time for civet coffee for Lampung farmers

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung | Thu, 08/12/2010 8:52 AM

Cashing in on the rising popularity of civet coffee is hard for coffee farmers in West Lampung regency, Lampung, to resist.

Farmer Wahyu Anggoro in Way Mengaku district said 1 kilogram of luwak or civet coffee beans could fetch between Rp 250,000 [US$28] and Rp 750,000, while regular dried coffee beans were sold at Rp 15,000 a kilogram. “One kilogram of ground civet coffee could fetch up to Rp 1 million,” said Wahyu.

Civet coffee is made from hard beans eaten by nocturnal animals, which then ferment in their stomachs before they are excreted with their shape intact. After being gathered, washed, sun dried, light roasted and brewed, the coffee is highly prized for its smooth flavor and non-bitter aftertaste, earning it the reputation of the world’s most expensive coffee.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council recently considered declaring the coffee haram but asserted it could be consumed (halal) if farmers cleaned the beans before they are ground.

Droppings used to be eagerly collected by farmers, believing the civet only picked and ate the finest coffee berries. Now the coffee is mostly produced by farmers.

In West Lampung, mainly in Belalau and Balikbukit districts, in recent years the coffee has been marketed locally and overseas, mostly to Korea and Taiwan.

Farmers raise between four to dozens of civets, feeding them with ripe coffee beans freshly picked from the farm. There are 10 luwak coffee trading groups in West Lampung, each able to sell up to more than 7 tons of coffee monthly.

“Traders from Thailand have come especially to buy luwak coffee. Traders usually sell it at higher prices of up to Rp 1 million per kilogram to visitors.,” Wahyu said.

Wahyu said traders should keep updated, such as determining the latest price of civet coffee on the global market, learning how to boost production and improve quality.

“In Lampung, luwak coffee is cheap, but not overseas. That’s why its production is very promising,” Governor Sjachroedin said. A cup of the coffee costs Rp 20,000 in a Bandarlampung hotel and only Rp 10,000 in the city’s cafes.

“We will help coffee farmers to process and package civet coffee, and help its marketing.”

Massive Papua Food Estate to Serve As Nation’s Bread Basket Launched

Jakarta Globe, Arti Ekawati | August 11, 2010

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Indonesia. Indonesia on Wednesday launched a giant project to create a $5 billion agricultural estate spanning three districts in Papua.

The Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate program is the latest attempt by the government to gain self-sufficiency in food production, with a longer-term goal of someday becoming a food-exporting nation.

At a ceremony held in Merauke district on Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Suswono said he expected that the area would become the nation’s bread basket.

“Merauke needs support from all stake holders to become the center for food crop production and renewable energy in the eastern part of the country,” Suswono said.

A number of local investors are currently developing large-scale farms in Merauke, including the Medco Group, the Artha Graha Group and Sinar Mas Group.

According to documents from the Agriculture Ministry, there will be four areas developed between 2010 and 2014 in Merauke and the surrounding areas of Semangga, Sota and Tanah Miring.

Slated to cover about 480,000 hectares, the project is expected to yield a number of agricultural products, such as rice, corn, nuts, fish and cattle.

Speaking about the potential harvests the land could offer, Suswono said he expects the area to produce enormous annual output, including almost two million tons of rice, two million tons of corn and 167,000 tons of soybeans.

He added that the area would also provide grazing for 64,000 cattle.

He said the state could also yield 2.5 million tons of sugar and 937,000 tons of palm oil per year.

The government initially calculated the project would require as much as 1.28 million hectares of land, but after a review by the central government found that large amounts of the land surveyed belonged to indigenous people or was classified as peat land, the estimate was lowered to 480,000 hectares.

Related Article:

Group to propose bill on indigenous people’s rights

Government, UN Unveils Partnership Framework

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 10 August, 2010 | 20:49 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The National Development Planning Ministry has unveiled a cooperation system between Indonesia and the United Nations to promote development in Indonesia covering all plans up to the next four years which involve UN agencies.

Vice Development Planning Minister Lukita Dinarsyah said during the launch at his office today (10/8) the framework is related to the bid to push the government to meet the targets of Millenium Development Goals. "UNPDF is a operational plan which cooperation with UN agencies should be based on." Lukita said.

UN Resident Coordinator El-Mostaha Benlamih said in the same occasion that the main focus of the framework is to improve equality on access into resources, public services, and economic opportunities, and to promote effective participation, protection for the poor, and national and local resilience in dealing with climate change.

Through the framework the UN also aims to achieve effective financing by improve coordination between UN agencies

EVANA DEWI

Indonesia and United States Launch Biodiversity Center in Bali

Jakarta Globe, August 10, 2010

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Denpasar, Bali. Indonesia and the United States launched on Tuesday a biodiversity research centre on the holiday island of Bali to further study of the archipelago’s rich and diverse species.

The Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center, funded by USAID, is a collaboration between three local universities and Old Dominion University in Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

IBRC chief researcher from UCLA Paul Barber said it was a strategic move because Indonesia was still behind on the number of researchers and biodiversity studies despite its abundance of potential research material.

“The center will significantly enhance Indonesia’s capacity to study its own biodiversity,” Barber said.

One of IBRC initiators, I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, said the center would serve as a focal point for biodiversity research, training and species collection.

“IBRC is the magnet that will attract Indonesian and international scientists to carry out researches focusing on biodiversity,” Mahardika said.

“These researchers will employ the latest technology and methods in molecular genetics to gain understanding on the intricate nature and formation of Indonesia’s biodiversity.” he said.

The center is based in Udayana University’s Biomedic Lab in Denpasar where 60 Indonesian and US scientists make up the core researchers.

Agence France-Presse

RI-US team discovers 52 new marine species

Gracey Wakary, The Jakarta Post, Manado | Tue, 08/10/2010 9:55 AM

Sangihe Talaud, the two-month long deep-sea exploration project led by scientists from Indonesia and the US, officially ended Monday at Bitung Port in North Sulawesi.

Gellwyn Jusuf, the Indonesian representative of the Sangihe Talaud expedition, which was also called Index Satal, said he hoped the bilateral cooperation behind the team effort could be continued.

“This is ourfirst deep-sea research with the NOAA Okeanos and  supported by every relevant agency here in Indonesia,” said Jusuf, who is also head of the Maritime Research and Fisheries Agency (BRKP).

“The maritime affairs and fishery minister hopes that this cooperative effort can put Indonesian researchers on par with international researchers. We hope this cooperation can be further sustained,” he added.

The 2010 Index Satal, which lasted for two months, was a bilateral Indonesian-US research expedition intended to explore the fields of maritime biology, geology, oceanography, deep sea exploration technology and maritime information technology.

The expedition was expected to advance understanding of undersea ecosystems, particularly those associated with submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal vents.

The geographical area of operation for the research expedition was entirely within the Coral Triangle Region, the global heart of shallow-water marine biodiversity.

Scientists used a remotely operated vehicle to get a glimpse of deepwater biodiversity in the waters of Sangihe-Talaud region.

At the end of the expedition, 52 new species of were discovered 300-2,000 meters beneath the ocean’s surface, including fish, shrimp, coral and shells.

Researchers also identified six sea mounts near North Siau Island and two sea mounts near Bunaken.

“We found the sea mounts 700-1,600 meters below the sea,” said Indonesian deep sea research team leader Sugiarta Wirasantoso.

Secretary to the coordinating public welfare minister Indroyono Soesilo said the bilateral cooperation was of great advantage to Indonesia, especially in research and development and in exploring available natural marine resources.

“The deep-sea research expedition involving the research ship Baruna Jaya and the US’ NOAA Okeanos Explorer is the Indonesian people’s investment in exploring the diverse potential of the available undersea life which could be used for the sake of humanity,” said Soesilo.

Kristen Bauer, the US Consul General in Surabaya, also attended the closing ceremonies of the expedition, which is expected to be followed by another deep sea research voyage called Index Halmahera.

Pertamina places order for six oil tankers from local shipyards

Alfian, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 08/09/2010 10:16 AM

State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has placed orders for six tankers for about US$102 million to support its fuel distribution across the archipelago.

Pertamina opened the tender three months ago and announced the winners last week, Pertamina senior vice president of shipping Suhartoko told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

“All the winners are domestic companies because we want to encourage the domestic shipbuilding industry,” he said.

The domestic manufacturers who won the tender were PT PAL Indonesia, PT Dok dan Perkapalan Surabaya (DPS), PT Daya Radar Utama (DRU) and PT Dumas Tanjung Perak Shipyard.

PAL won a contract to build two 17,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) vessels worth around US$49 million, while DPS will build a 6,500 DWT vessel with an investment of around $14.5 million. DRU and Dumas won contracts to build 3,500 DWT vessels with investments of around $12.8 million for each vessel.

Suhartoko said Pertamina would also order another 3,500 DWT vessel at the same price, but that the company had not decided whether it would  award it to DRU or Dumas.

“The six projects require a total investment of around $102 million. We expect the appointed companies to complete construction within two years,” he said.

Pertamina currently operates 170 tankers and expects to get 47 more tankers by 2014. In January, the company said it planned to buy 12 tankers at a total cost of $333 million this year.

Suhartoko said Pertamina had awarded contracts to construct four tankers in April. Two of the tankers, with a capacity of 23,000 DWT each, will be built by Korea’s Hyundai. Two other tankers with a capacity of 3,500 DWT each will be constructed by a Chinese manufacturer.

“The four tankers will be used to transport LPG,” he said.

Suhartoko added that Pertamina expected to open more tenders in September to procure three more tankers. The first is for a 3,500 DWT LPG tanker likely to be built by a domestic company. The second is for a crude tanker with a capacity of between 85,000 DWT and 100,000 DWT. The third tender is for a very large gas carrier (VLGC) with a capacity of 85,000 DWT.

“The VLGC tender may be announced later as we are still undecided between owning or rent the vessel,” he said.

The new shipping law stipulates that by January 2010, all domestic shipments for 13 specified commodities, including crude oil, must be carried by national vessels. However, in January, Suhartoko said Pertamina had obtained permits to continue using 12 foreign-flagged vessels until March 31 this year.

He said Pertamina still operated one foreign-flagged vessel, a 23,000 DWT vessel transporting LPG from Jakarta to Surabaya. He said it would take time to convince the foreign shareholders to transfer their ownership to local parties. “We hope the vessel can be in domestic hands next week,” Suhartoko said.

Pertamina to Spearhead Indonesian Antigraft Pilot Project

Jakarta Globe, Faisal Maliki Baskoro | August 09, 2010

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Jakarta. An antigraft pilot project is being set up at state-owned energy firm Pertamina, as part of the ongoing effort to combat state corruption.

The move is an initiative of the State Enterprises Ministry and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). If the project succeeds, the agencies hope to establish antigraft units at all state-owned firms.

“We chose Pertamina for this project because of the magnitude and complexity of its business,” State Enterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar said on Monday.

Pertamina is the nation’s main supplier of fuel and it’s biggest dividend payer. It is expected to record Rp 25 trillion ($2.8 billion) in profit this year, with 50 percent paid as dividends to the state.

Mustafa said the unit, whose main function would be educating staff about the perils of corruption, would be set up this month, staffed by workers trained and supervised by the KPK.

KPK Deputy Chairman Haryono Umar said graft in state firms was vastly underreported.

“This unit is meant to reduce that gap by informing people about the penalties in graft cases,” he said.

Jail sentences for corruption range from four years to life in prison, he said.

Haryono also said the program aimed to “create a healthy business situation where graft awareness and good corporate governance are the norm.”

Questions of corruption have surrounded Pertamina since April, when British company Innospec Ltd. plead guilty to bribing Pertamina employees and Indonesian officials in order to keep its fuel additive tetraethyl lead on the market.

According to court documents, between 2002 and 2006, Innospec paid bribes to postpone the enforcement of a 1999 government regulation banning the use of TEL. The law finally took effect in 2006.

As well as setting up antigraft units, the ministry and the KPK are trying to wrap up the State Official’s Wealth Report (LHKPN), which compiles the wealth records of 6,453 senior officials from state-owned firms.

More than 1,000 officials had yet to file, Mustafa said.

He said the ministry and the KPK had issued a reporting deadline of Aug. 17, the nation’s Independence Day.

Officials failing to report by then face sanctions.

Dutch universities and colleges popular among Indonesian students

RNW, 9 August 2010 - 8:06pm

Nuffic Neso Indonesia, the official representation of Dutch higher education in Jakarta has announced that in the coming academic year nearly 400 Indonesians will come to the Netherlands to study at a Dutch university or college. Nuffic Neso helps foreign students secure a place at Dutch institutes of higher education.

University of Groningen

The Netherlands and Germany are the two most important European countries for Indonesians wishing to study abroad. Nuffic Neso Indonesia spokesperson Ariono Hadipuro says this is because Dutch education is held in high regard. And students can pursue their studies in English so there is no need to first learn Dutch.

The historical ties between Indonesia and the Netherlands also play a role in many students' their decision to come here. According to Ariono, “Many Indonesian words come from the Dutch”. A total of 1450 Indonesians will be studying in the Netherlands this year. Each year between 350 and 400 Indonesians enrol at Dutch universities and colleges.

Popular studies among the Indonesians are environmentology, business economics and civil engineering. The northern university town of Groningen is surprisingly popular. Ariono says this is because the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (State university of Groningen) undertakes many promotional activities in Indonesia and has close ties with an Indonesian university.

However, the largest number of Indonesian students who wish to study abroad go to Australia.

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Experts say biomass is feasible alternative

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/06/2010 9:14 PM

Amid an energy crisis and environmental campaigns to phase out the use of fossil fuels, experts agreed Friday that biomass was a suitable and feasible alternative energy source for Indonesia.

Satya Wacana Christian University biomolecular expert Ferry F. Kawur said Indonesia, with its unique tropical climate, was a fertile ground for productive plants that could be a source of environmentally friendly biomass, as reported by Antara.

Biomass sources includes living plants, dead woods and waste.

Ferry was speaking during a launch of a book titled Biomass for Alternative Energy, written by Gan Thay Kong.

Physics professor at Satya Wacana Liek Wilardjo said that people should reduce their energy consumption and also look into the possibilities of developing biomass.

Some environmentalists have supported biomass generated from waste but others oppose biomass generated from palm oil plantations, which they claim destroy primary forests in Indonesia.

Full speed ahead:

If the methane tank runs out the Bio-Bug reverts back to petrol.

The converted Beetle car was developed by sustainable energy firm GENeco

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New legal network for the underprivileged

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/06/2010 9:45 PM

More than 150 lawyers, activists and public investigators have formed the Public Interest Lawyer Network (PIL-Net) aimed at providing free services to marginalized people.

The new organization is backed by several human rights NGOs, such as Elsam, Huma and Sawit Watch.

“We are here to assist those who are currently in battle with the state or big business entities and feel that they receive no fair treatment,” PIL-Net board member Indriaswari Saptaningrum told a press conference Thursday.

PIL-Net secretary Wahyu Wagiman said that the network would focus more on providing free service in the regions, which often witnessed conflict between locals, state officials and big companies.

“We will immediately release the names of our public lawyers so that the people who need our services can contact us,” he said.

The joint secretariat will be temporarily housed at Elsam headquarters, in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta

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Soetarti Sukarno, right, has won her case — and evaded a jail sentence — after legal action launched by state pawnshop company PT Perum Pegadaian. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Justice for all

Grandma Minah, a villager living near Purwokerto, Central Java is embraced by actor Butet Kertaredjasa after receiving a cacao seedling from the anticorruption organization Kompak in Jakarta on Monday. The woman, who made newspaper headlines after a local court sentenced her to 45 days in jail for stealing three cacao pods from a plantation company, was named one of Kompak’s People of the Year. JP/Nurhayati

Thousands of Schools Attend Training on Disaster Risk Reduction

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 06 August, 2010 | 14:59 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta: As many as 2.293 schools in Yogyakarta have organized training on disaster risk management for students and teachers. Yogyakarta is an area susceptible to disasters, from earthquakes, tornadoes, to landslides. The training was facilitated by Arbeiter Samariter Bund, a Germany-based non-governmental organization.

“We have been providing education on disaster risk management to schools since 2006,” said Yogyakarta Arbeiter Samariter executive, Wahyu Sulastomo, yesterday. For this program, Arbeiter Samariter is cooperating with the local Education Office, the Yogyakarta Disaster Risk Reduction Forum, and the European Commission Humanitarian Assistance.

According to Wahyu, in 2006, their training program began from schools in Sleman, Bantul, Yogyakarta regencies. The next year, they moved to Gunungkidul and Bantul, and in 2008 the training was held in Klaten, Central Java.

This Saturday, Wahyu said, disaster preparation training will be organized for children with special needs at the Gadjah Mada University. The program will last for 15 months, involving children from 35 sub districts and 230 villages in Yogyakarta.

Suroyo, the Yogyakarta Education, Youth, and Sports Office chief in charge of Special and Basic Education, said all schools in Yogyakarta are required to follow a disaster risk management simulation every three months.

Besides the training, he continued, at least 90 percent of the school buildings in Yogyakarta are earthquake-resistant. “After the earthquake in 2006, schools in Yogyakarta are designed to resist earthquakes,” he said.

MUH SYAIFULLAH

Ngurah Rai airport to get Rp 2 trillion face-lift

The Jakarta Post, Kuta | Fri, 08/06/2010 10:56 AM | Business

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I said it will spend Rp 2 trillion ($US224 million) to renovate Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport to improve service to domestic and international travelers.

Speaking to reporters in Kuta, Bali, on Thursday, president director Tommy Soetomo said the company would construct a new, 126,000 square meter terminal designated for international flights.

Tommy said the current terminal would be assigned specifically for domestic arrivals and departures.

Ngurah Rai currently serves 9 million passengers per year, comprised of 4.6 million domestic and 5 million international passengers.

"It is already overloaded," Tommy said, adding that "overcapacity should be resolved by expanding its terminals, especially for international routes."

Tommy said that the airport renovation would be internally funded and supported by bank loans.

"*Financing* is still in the final calculation, but the project may cost Rp 2 trillion," he added.

Apart from additional passenger capacity, Ngurah Rai will be equipped with a modern baggage handling system to guarantee the safety, he said.

"It is important for us to develop an airport that can provide security and also safety for every passenger's baggage. It's a must," he said.

He added that a requirement for new safety and security equipment will require more expensive investment in a new airport.

"We have to be able to provide a service level guarantee for customers for airline, cargo or passenger services," he added.

He said Ngurah Rai airport would have 13-14 million international passengers per year after the renovation is completed in 2013.

Angkasa Pura I controls 13 airports in the central and eastern part of the archipelago, including Hasanudin Airport in Makassar, Adi Sutjipto in Yogyakarta, Sam Ratulangi in Manado, Adi Sumarmo in Surakarta, Franskaisiepo in Biak, Eltari in Kupang, Juanda in Surabaya, Sepinggan in Balikpapan, Achmad Yani in Semarang, Syamsuddin Noor in Banjarmasin, Pattimura in Ambon and Selaparang in Lombok.

According to the company's financial report, PT Angkasa Pura I booked Rp 664.07 billion profits in 2009 up from Rp 662.33 billion in the previous year, while the company's assets reached Rp 8.62 trillion in 2009, up from Rp 7.47 trillion in 2007.

Air traffic control for PT Angkasa Pura I and II will be consolidated into a single body by Jan. 1, 2011, as mandated by the 2009 Law on Aviation, he said.

"Flight Information Region *FIR* will not be separated into two regions - Makassar Advanced Air Traffic Services *MAATS* and Jakarta Air Traffic Services *JATS*," he said.

"We will have a more focused handling of flight information," Tommy added, without further elaboration. (ebf)

Astra to up production of Daihatsu vehicles

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 08/06/2010 10:56 AM | Business

JAKARTA: Indonesia's largest automotive distributor, Astra Internasional, will produce an additional 100,000 Daihatsu vehicles this year to maintain its 55 percent share in the domestic automotive market, the company's senior vice president, Arief Istanto, says.

Arief said Astra would need up to Rp 3 trillion (about US$336 million) to support the plan. Astra's total car sales including Daihatsu vehicles reached 370,000 units in the first half of 2010.

Arief said Astra was upbeat it could achieve its sales target of 700,000 units, this year.

Astra booked Rp 6.4 trillion in net profits in the first half, up 52 percent from Rp 4.2 trillion over the same period last year. - JP