[Kabar-Irian] News: Oct 9-12 06
========================KABAR IRIAN=========================================
News on Irian Jaya/West Papua/IRJA-BAR
Unsubscribe/Change Options:
http://www.kabar-irian.com/mailman/listinfo/kabar-irian
Archives: http://www.kabar-irian.com/pipermail/kabar-irian
Email Commands- Subscribe/unsubscribe/options/help
List-Post: kabar-irian@kabar-irian.com
List-Help: <mailto:kabar-irian-request@kabar-irian.com?subject=help>
List-unsubscribe:
<mailto:kabar-irian-request@kabar-irian.com?subject=unsubscribe>
List-subscribe:<mailto:kabar-irian-request@kabar-irian.com?subject=subscribe>
Contacts: admin@irja.org, news@kabar-irian.com, editors@kabar-irian.com
Too much mail? Switch to the digest version. As a matter of policy we DO NOT
handle requests except in emergencies.
Oct 9-12 2006
KABAR IRIAN NEWS
TOPICS
* Haze causes not just discomfort, it kills
* Liberal dissenters have rarely had it so good
* 'No funds, pray for rain'
* Fijian nationalists call for Papuan independence
* Australian think tank criticises support....
* Papua Religious Leaders present Churches' report
* Government Resolved to Develop Papua
* Protected species traded quite openly
* 39 Harbors Marked for International Lanes for Narcotics
* There’s Simply No Excuse for Being Bored on a Trip
* Court of Appeal Judgement: Ayamiseba Free At Last
* Two Chinese nationals to be deported from Papua
---
http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/57929
Haze causes not just discomfort, it kills
Chan Chee Khoon
Oct 9, 06 5:12pm
In 2002, Narayan Sastry a Princeton-trained demographer working at the Rand
Corporation, a private think-tank in California’s Santa Monica published a
paper entitled ‘Forest Fires, Air Pollution, and Mortality in SE Asia’ in the
February 2002 issue of the journal Demography.
The smog of 1997 coincided with an El Nino year which exacerbated the
seasonal mid-year droughts. The land clearing and forest fires in that year
burned an estimated 2% to 3% of Indonesian land area mostly in Sumatra and
Kalimantan, but also affecting sizeable tracts in Irian Jaya, Sulawesi, Java,
Sumbawa, Komodo, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Wetar as well as areas in Sarawak
(West Malaysia) and Brunei.
Sastry obtained daily mortality statistics from the Department of Statistics
in Malaysia and correlated these with the daily API readings from the
Malaysian Meteorological Bureau in order to analyse the acute mortality in
Kuching and Kuala Lumpur following days of high air pollution (defined as
days when PM10 exceeds 210 ug/m3).
For a 15-day period in September 1997, the Air Pollution Index (API, largely
based on the suspended particulates of size 10 microns and below [PM10]) in
Kuching reached or exceeded 850. The highest API reading recorded was 930,
and visibility was down to about 10 metres. In Peninsular Malaysia, API
readings hovered in the 200-300 range during the same period. One hesitates
to even imagine what the situation would have been like in the affected parts
of Indonesia closer to the infernos.
His salient findings were reported thus in the professional journal:
"... a high air pollution day associated with the smoke haze increased the
total all-cause mortality by roughly 20%. Higher mortality was apparent in
two locations - Kuala Lumpur and Kuching (Sarawak) and affected mostly the
elderly.
"In Kuala Lumpur, non-traumatic mortality among the population aged 65-74
increased about 70% following a day of high levels of air pollution. This
effect was persistent; it was not simply a moving forward of deaths by a
couple of days (a harvesting effect). This finding suggests that there were
real and serious health effects of the smoke haze.
"One implication of these results on the short-term effects of the smoke haze
in Malaysia is that the effects in Indonesia itself are likely to have been
tremendous. The presence of significant mortality effects in Malaysian cities
that are several hundred miles away from the main fires strongly supports
this notion. Unfortunately, there are no appropriate health or mortality data
for Indonesia to study this issue directly."
In lay language, the immediate death rate among elderly people in Malaysia
(excluding deaths due to accidents or violence) increased by 70% when API
readings exceeded 210.
We are rightly concerned about the possible long-term health effects of
repeated annual exposures to these smogs. But we already have strongly
suggestive evidence that smogs such as we experience now can kill.
The writer is professor (Health & Development), School of Social Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Do you have a viewpoint you want to share? Speak up! Send your 'Letters to
the Editor' to editor@malaysiakini.com. Your letter may be published in
Malaysiakini, and do let us know if you wish to remain anonymous.
---
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/liberal-dissenters-have-rarely-had-it-so-
good/2006/10/09/1160246068437.html
Liberal dissenters have rarely had it so good
Gerard Henderson
October 10, 2006
IT WAS a loser's speech that just happened to be delivered by a winner. In
his address at Adelaide University last Wednesday, the Liberal backbencher
Petro Georgiou saw a need to defend the "traditions which lie at the heart of
our party". In particular the custom that Liberal MPs exercise "their
conscience on matters of principle", and that there is "respect for both the
liberal and conservative strands" within the party.
Members of the audience would have got the impression that all three customs
are under sustained attack or have been abandoned. Yet Georgiou's own
position in the party indicates this is not the case - as does that of the
two Liberals who flew into Adelaide to support him, the West Australian MHR
Judi Moylan and the Victorian senator Judith Troeth.
All three have had significant victories in recent times. They were among a
group of Liberals opposed to John Howard's intention to tighten the existing
border protection legislation, following the arrival of asylum seekers from
West Papua. Troeth's role was crucial to the decision of the Prime Minister
to junk the legislation. On any analysis this was a victory for the liberal
tradition within the Liberal Party.
Then there is the matter of Liberals exercising their conscience on matters
of principle. Georgiou told his audience that when he, Moylan and the
Victorian MHR Russell Broadbent crossed the floor over the asylum-seeker
legislation their "actions were met with public attacks from some
parliamentary colleagues".
Well, that's true. But it is also true that Howard publicly supported Moylan
last month when she retained preselection for the safe Liberal seat of
Pearce, following a challenge from someone on the right of the party. Last
April Georgiou was also subjected to a preselection challenge. He won
comfortably, following a public endorsement from Peter Costello.
So, clearly, crossing the floor or the threat to do so does not prevent
endorsement by either the Liberal Party's leader or deputy leader. In
Adelaide, Georgiou looked forward and suggested that the NSW senator Marise
Payne might lose preselection "because of her positions on refugees, abortion
and civil liberties". This, of course, is possible. However, it should be
noted that there are reports that Howard has indicated that the NSW Liberal
Party Senate team should not be changed.
The contemporary Liberal Party has a relatively good record in managing
dissenters. Two members of the cabinet have crossed the floor and voted with
the Opposition - Philip Ruddock and Amanda Vanstone - as had the recently
retired Robert Hill. Certainly there were more frequent floor-crossers during
the Menzies government, the most prominent of whom were Reg Wright, Ian Wood,
William Wentworth and Harry Turner. But none made it to the ministry during
Robert Menzies' time. It was much the same during Malcolm Fraser's
government. Liberal dissenters were heard but rarely promoted.
In the speech Georgiou complained "the social justice proclaimed by Menzies
as one of the party's cornerstones has been forgotten by many members of the
Liberal Party and has been reviled by others". Certainly there was a
tolerant, accepting side to the party's founder. But there were other aspects
as well. A few examples illustrate the point.
As prime minister at the start of World War II, Menzies temporarily banned
the Communist Party. In the early 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, he
unsuccessfully attempted to ban the Communist Party. In 1960 the Coalition
revamped the Crimes Act by toughening the provisions with respect to treason
and sedition. In his biography of the civil libertarian activist Brian
Fitzpatrick, Don Watson wrote that "there was wide opposition to the bill
from the trade unions, the press, the ALP and academics". None of these
groups believed social justice was a cornerstone of the Liberal Party.
Today Georgiou maintains "Menzies' legacy has been distorted by some who have
attacked the concept of social justice he constantly advanced". The problem
with this analysis turns on the word "constantly". Sure, Menzies acted
consistently with notions of social justice when he brought about a situation
whereby, finally, Catholic schools received financial assistance from the
Commonwealth. The same can be said about the Coalition's decision to accept
some 15,000 Hungarian refugees following the Soviet Union's brutal
suppression of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. Yet Menzies' long-term
attachment to the White Australia Policy cannot be explained as a commitment
to social justice.
Since he resumed the Liberal leadership in 1995, Howard has run a tight ship
and has stressed the importance of discipline. Like all party leaders, he
does not want his colleagues to cross the floor. However, like Menzies and
Fraser, he has not been vindictive in pursuing those few Liberals who have
opposed him on one or more issues.
Georgiou made some valid policy criticisms in his Adelaide speech. For all
that, his central thesis was flawed. He implies that the modern Liberal Party
has diverted from the true Liberal tradition. Yet, agree with him or not,
Howard is closer to Menzies than he is to Fraser - especially with respect to
foreign policy and national security. To survive such a climate Georgiou is a
winner, even if he presents as something else.
Gerard Henderson is executive director of the Sydney Institute.
---
http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=15745
'No funds, pray for rain'
HAZE SITUATION STILL BAD
After a fleeting respite on Saturday, shifting winds brought back the haze
yesterday. The worst-hit areas were the central and southwestern parts of the
peninsula, particularly Johor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca. But there's some
good news - the number of hot spots in Sumatra and Kalimantan, has also been
reduced.
At 4pm yesterday, visibility in Malacca, Kuantan and Sepang fluctuated
between 1-1.5km. Changing wind conditions and rain in central Sarawak on
Saturday brought relief to the state bordering Kalimantan.
According to the Department of Environment, as of 11am, six areas recorded
unhealthy air pollutant index readings (see above).
Moderate API readings were recorded in 36 areas, including Sri Aman (93),
Kuching (81), Petra Jaya (75), Kuala Selangor (70), Seremban (60), Shah Alam
(58), Kuala Lumpur (56) and Nilai (55).
FUNDS RUN DRY, RAIN ONLY HOPE
"We have run out of operational funds. Without funds, it is impossible for us
to combat the fires. We need to buy fuel for extinguisher tools and for
transportation," Agung Catur, head of the fire-fighting task force in central
Kalimantan province, told the state-run Antara news agency.
Governor of South Sumatra, Syahrial Oesman,admitted defeat and is hoping for
rainfall to douse the forest fires. "Only the rain can put out the fires. So,
let us pray and hope to Allah for an immediate rain," he was quoted as
saying.
NUMBERS TELL A DEADLY STORY
"A high air pollution day associated with the smoke haze increased the total
all-cause mortality by roughly 20%. Higher mortality was apparent in two
locations - Kuala Lumpur and Kuching - and affected mostly the elderly. In
Kuala Lumpur, non-traumatic mortality among the population aged 65-74
increased about 70% following a day of high levels of air pollution."
- "Forest Fires, Air Pollution, and Mortality in SE Asia", based on data from
the 1997 haze episode, as published in the February 2002 issue of the journal
Demography.
'Make Jakarta ratify haze pact'
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should demand that its neighbour Indonesia ratify the
Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution 2002 immediately to tackle
the recurring haze crisis in the region.
Local environmentalists said action must be taken to resolve the problem
which has been going on for years.
"Without Indonesia, the agreement is meaningless. We should demand for
Indonesia to sign the plan and they should cooperate with Asean members to
work on the provisions of the plan.
"If they still refuse to ratify the agreement, it means they simply do not
care for their neighbours as well as their own people," said Centre for
Environment, Technology and Development in Malaysia (Cetdem) executive
director Gurmit Singh.
The pact was signed by all 10 member countries in June 2002. At least seven
nations have ratified the agreement but Indonesia, the main source of the
haze has not done so.
By ratifying the agreement, Indonesia would be able to take preventive action
and list down the types of assistance it requires from other countries.
"It is a failure on the part of its government and also Asean for failing to
act together and put pressure on Indonesia," said Gurmit.
He said Indonesia is not capable of coping with the fire hence an apology
from Jakarta would not help the situation.
"It is not logical to ask Indonesia for an apology. We should ask who started
the fire, including the Malaysian companies, if it was true they had
committed the act.
Malaysian Nature Society executive director Dr Loh Chi Leong said the Asean
Haze Technical Task Force should make its strategies and action plans public.
The task force was set up when Asean member countries agreed to an Asean
Cooperation Plan on Transboundary Pollution in 1995.
"Until now we do not know what kind of action has been taken and what is the
task force doing about the whole problem although stakeholders like
plantation owners and farmers have the right to know.
"The finding should be revealed so that the public is assured that action has
been taken and they know how much time is needed to solve the problem," he
said.
Loh believed Indonesia needs help from Malaysia while Asean companies which
have a strong presence in Kalimantan should be recruited to help the
Indonesian government in tackling the problem.
Meanwhile in MALACCA, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Ali Rustam said he
will raise the haze issue at the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle
(IMTGT) meeting and at the meeting of the Islamic World Malay World of which
he is the president.
"We are very disappointed with the haze problem recurring every year in the
absence of serious preventive measures by plantation companies in Indonesia
and the Indonesian government itself," he told reporters after presenting
Hari Raya alms to the poor.
Haze causes mounting illnesses
SINGAPORE: Doctors treated mounting numbers of patients yesterday who had
fallen ill from Singapore's filthiest air in nine years as Jakarta maintained
it could do nothing more to stop the haze from raging fires.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said Singapore has
offered Jakarta help with cloud-seeding to induce rain and assist farmers in
land clearing.
"At the end of the day, it is up to the Indonesian government," he said.
Singaporeans were given a reprieve in the early hours yesterday when a wind
shift carried the acrid haze away from the city-state and the Pollution
Standards Index plunged from a high of 150 Saturday night to 31.
There was a big demand in pharmacies in Singapore for masks. Doctors said
they were treating patients for coughs, asthma attacks and eye irritation.
"People with existing heart or respiratory problems should reduce physical
exertion and being outdoors," the National Environment Agency said.
The severity of the haze this year has reminded many of the severe haze
episode in 1997 and 1998, sickening large numbers of people and costing
billions of dollars in lost tourism revenues. - dpa
Indonesia faces obstacle to put out fires
JAKARTA: Lack of funds has seriously hampered Indonesia's efforts to put out
illegal cropland fires which have sent the choking haze to other parts of
Southeast Asia in the past several days, local media reports said yesterday.
Thick haze from illegal land-clearing fires and plantation estates had
reduced visibility in some places of Borneo to only about 50m, forcing
commercial airplanes to delay or cancel flights to several cities.
"We have run out of operational funds. Without funds, it is impossible for us
to combat the fires. We need to buy fuel for extinguisher tools and for
transportation," Agung Catur, head of the fire-fighting task force in central
Kalimantan province, told the state-run Antara news agency.
Local authorities in south Sumatra province claimed fires raging on peat land
have been difficult to extinguish because the blaze's sources were located 3m
underground.
Governor of South Sumatra, Syahrial Oesman, has admitted defeat and is hoping
for rainfall to douse the forest fires .
"Only the rain can put out the fires. So, let us pray and hope to Allah for
an immediate rain," Oesman was quoted as saying by the daily Media Indonesia.
Fires burning in Kalimantan, and Sumatra, also forced local authorities to
shutdown schools, and were blamed partly for land, river and aircraft
accidents.
The annual haze phenomenon is worst during the dry season, which runs from
July through October due to uncontrolled slash-and-burning practices by
farmers, plantation owners and loggers.
Indonesia banned the practice of open-field burning in 1999. Anyone found
guilty of breaching the law faces a maximum sentence of up to 10-years
imprisonment and a 10-billion rupiah (RM4 million) fine.
According to a Reuters report, the town of Palangkaraya in Indonesia's
Central Kalimantan province on Borneo, visibility fell as low as 30 to 50m.
The Antara state news agency said the air pollution index in the town was at
the "dangerous" level and people were having to wear protective face masks
even in their homes.
Fires were also still raging in the Sebangau National Park in the province. -
Reuters
Haze causes not just discomfort, it kills
In 2002, Narayan Sastry, a Princeton-trained demographer working at the Rand
Corporation, a private think-tank in Santa Monica, California, published a
paper entitled "Forest Fires, Air Pollution, and Mortality in SE Asia" in the
February 2002 issue of the journal Demography.
The smog of 1997 coincided with the El Nino phenomenon which exacerbated the
seasonal mid-year droughts. The land clearing and forest fires that year
burned an estimated 2-3% of Indonesian land area, mostly in Sumatra and
Kalimantan but also affecting sizeable tracts of Irian Jaya, Sulawesi, Java,
Sumbawa, Komodo, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Wetar as well as parts of Sarawak and
Brunei.
Sastry obtained daily mortality statistics from the Department of Statistics
in Malaysia and correlated these with the daily Air Pollutant Index (API)
readings from the Meteorological Department, in order to analyse the acute
mortality in Kuching and Kuala Lumpur following days of high air pollution.
For a 15-day period in September 1997, the API in Kuching reached or exceeded
850. The highest reading recorded was 930, and visibility was down to about
10m. In Peninsular Malaysia, API readings hovered in the 200-300 range during
the same period.
One hesitates to even imagine what the situation would have been like in
parts of Indonesia that were closer to the infernos.
Sastry's salient findings were reported thus in the professional journal: "A
high air pollution day associated with the smoke haze increased the total
all-cause mortality by roughly 20%. Higher mortality was apparent in two
locations - Kuala Lumpur and Kuching - and affected mostly the elderly. In
Kuala Lumpur, non-traumatic mortality among the population aged 65-74
increased about 70% following a day of high levels of air pollution.
"This effect was persistent; it was not simply a moving forward of deaths by
a couple of days (a "harvesting" effect).
"This finding suggests that there were real and serious health effects of the
smoke haze É one implication of these results on the short-term effects of
the smoke haze in Malaysia is that the effects in Indonesia itself are likely
to have been tremendous.
"The presence of significant mortality effects in Malaysian cities that are
several hundred miles away from the main fires strongly supports this notion.
Unfortunately, there are no appropriate health or mortality data for
Indonesia to study this issue directly."
In plain language, the acute (immediate) death rate among elderly people
(excluding deaths due to accidents or violence) increased by 70% when API
readings exceeded 210.
We are rightly concerned about the long-term health effects of recurrent
exposures to the smog. But we already have strongly suggestive evidence that
the smog such as we experience now are not merely an eyesore that causes
discomfort - it kills.
Chan Chee Khoon
School of Social Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
---
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=27309
Radio New Zealand International
The Voice of New Zealand, Broadcasting to the Pacific
Te Reo Irirangi O Aotearoa, O Te Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa
Fijian nationalists call for Papuan independence
Posted at 22:31 on 08 October, 2006 UTC
Fiji’s Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party is calling for independence for West
Papua from Indonesia rule.
The call coincides with the staging of the 3rd Melanesian Arts Festival in
Suva where the nationalists staged a march with placards calling for West
Papuan freedom at the weekend.
The president of the party and former coup convict, Iliesa Duvuloco, says
thousands of West Papuans are fleeing the country because others are being
killed by the brutality of Indonesia rule.
The Daily Post quotes Mr Duvuloco as saying West Papuans are Melanesians and
Indonesia, as an Asian country, should not rule them but give them
independence.
Mr Duvuloco says once the Melanesian Arts Festival winds up, they will take a
petition to the Indonesian ambassador in Suva, Gurino Babang, calling on his
government to give West Papuans independence.
He has also called on the Fiji government and all Melanesia countries to help
West Papua gain freedom.
---
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/bulletins/rnzi/200610100755/australian_think_ta
nk_criticises_support_by_australian_groups_for_west_papuan_self_determination
or
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=27333
Australian think tank criticises support by Australian groups for West Papuan
self determination
Posted at 7:55am on 10 Oct 2006
An Australian think tank has criticised support by Australian groups for the
West Papuan self determination movement as misguided saying it adds to the
pressures in the Indonesian province.
The Lowy Institute, in a report called the Pitfalls of Papua, says this
support generates unrealistic expectations among Papuans.
Don Wiseman reports
"Author Dr Rodd McGibbon, who has recently spent six years in Jakarta
working with the United Nations, and is now a visiting fellow at the
Australian National University, says this backing makes three basic errors."
"That is: Giving an exaggerated sense of Australia's foreign policy
influence; the lack of a serious appreciation of the forces driving
contemporary Indonesian politics and the promotion of a one sided account of
the Papuan conflict that takes for granted Papuan ethnic claims."
"He accepts there are serious deep seated issues that need repairing,
such as the resentment of how state policies are applied and human rights
abuses, and he sees special autonomy as the framework for tackling these."
"Dr MacGibbon says Australia has to confront perceptions in Indonesia
that it supports Papua separatism. He also says Australia needs to support
building democratic institutions because any resolution to the conflict
depends on consolidating democratic rule. And Dr MacGibbon says Australia
must give more development aid to Papua."
Copyright © 2006 Radio New Zealand International
---
http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=3823
October 9,2006
Papua Religious Leaders present Churches' report on alleged human rights
violations
JAYAPURA, Indonesia (UCAN) -- A Catholic bishop led a delegation of Christian
religious leaders to submit a report on human rights violations by security
officials in Indonesia's easternmost province after a March demonstration led
by students.
On Sept. 29, Franciscan Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura and other
religious leaders from the Association of Churches in Papua (PGGP) presented
their group's 11-page report to Albert Rumbekwan, head of the Jayapura office
of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM, Indonesian acronym).
Jayapura, capital of Papua province, is 3,690 kilometers east of Jakarta.
Reverends H. Rollom and Herman Saud, respectively general secretary and
former synod president of the Christian Church of Indonesia in the Land of
Papua, also were among the delegation. The other members were Reverends Wim
Rumainum, Eddy P. Kanata and Andreas Ayomi, and Franciscan Brother Budi
Hermawan, chairman of Jayapura diocese's justice and peace secretariat.
Signed by Bishop Ladjar, Reverend Ayomi and Reverend Saud, the report cites
evidence of rights violations by security personnel after students and other
demonstrators clashed March 16 with security officers in front of Cendrawasi
University in Abepura, just south of Jayapura.
One air force and four Mobile Brigade police personnel were killed in the
altercation. The demonstrators were demanding that the government close the
gold and copper mine run by PT Freeport Indonesia in Timika subdistrict,
southern Papua. They claimed the mine does not benefit the local community.
Twenty-four Papuan students were arrested and put on trial, and three Papuan
students sought asylum in neighboring Papua New Guinea.
"We ask Komnas HAM to follow up on this report soon because many human rights
violations have occurred since March 16. We have much proof," the bishop
asserted.
Reverend Saud criticized security personnel's response to the incident,
saying they committed many brutal actions during random raids and searches.
"State officials or public servants may not respond emotionally in handling
problems, even though security officials were victimized during the incident.
In a state, everything must be solved in accordance with the law," he said.
He questioned how the rule of law could be implemented effectively in the
country if public officials themselves do not respect the law.
During the visit, the religious leaders asked Komnas HAM to set up an
investigative commission to look into the initial findings in the report.
Bishop Ladjar read this and the other recommendations before handing them to
Rumbekwan.
Other recommendations demand that the State Ministry for the Environment
assess the overall social impact caused by PT Freeport Indonesia on the
legal, political and social system in Papua, especially in Timika, paying
attention to human rights. U.S.-based Freeport McMoran runs one of the
largest gold and copper mining operations in the world in Timika.
The religious leaders also asked the Supreme Court to probe some judges,
public prosecutors and lawyers in Jayapura.
"The central government must redress the abuses against the rights of the
victims, especially the students and their families, who were tortured and
whose property was destroyed," the bishop said.
The report also contains a demand that the police, as upholders of the law,
locate those who are missing or who have fled, including those who sought
asylum in Papua New Guinea, as soon as possible. The government and the
police, the religious leaders said, "must assure the students of their
safety, that they can return to the campus and live their daily life as
usual."
They also urged donor countries to re-evaluate and restructure their
financial aid to the police, observing that the financial aid received so far
has not encouraged the police to uphold human rights.
Rumbekwan promised the religious leaders that he would forward the report
soon to the central Komnas HAM office.
---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=21386
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is resolved to speed up the
development of Papua, focusing on education, healthcare, basic infrastructure
and food security as well as improving human resources.
"Bottom line, how the Special Autonomy could be carried out most properly to
give the people the biggest benefits, by focusing on the five factors,"
Minister Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS said
after chairing a coordinating meeting on political and legal affairs in
Jakarta on Monday.
He said that the idea of stepping up the development of Papua will be
formulated in greater detail and drawn up in a legal regulation for maximum
implementation.
Not only that, Widodo said, the central government and regional
administrations agreed to capacity buliding, bureaucratic reform. setting up
development mechanism, including the use of special autonomy funds, all for
the sake of improving social welfare.
"But everything will of course be carried out in stages," in said.
The meeting was attended by Minister Coordinating the Economy Budiono,
Military (TNI) Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto, Police Chief General Sutanto and
Governor of Papua Barnabas Suebu. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA
October 10, 2006
---
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20061010.T02&irec=1
Protected species traded quite openly
The market price of turtles varies depending on their unique features,
including their rarity in the wild or their status as a protected species.
At the Flora and Fauna 2006 exhibition at Lapangan Banteng, Central Jakarta,
in August, a sulcata tortoise species aged 15 was offered at Rp 20 million
and a 15-centimeter cherry head cost Rp 1.8 million. The cheapest were green
turtles from Brazil, on sale at Rp 20,000 each, cage included.
Sadly, a large number of the reptiles traded are protected by law, such as
Papuan pig-nose turtles (Carettaochelys insculpta) and long-neck turtles,
which range in price from Rp 75,000 to Rp 200,000, as well as green tree
pythons (Morelia viridis), offered at over Rp 1 million, according to length.
Sutarno, a reptile trader in Jakarta, admitted that protected animals --
local and imported -- were sold quite openly. "I just sell what collectors
don't want any more, and buy from suppliers outside Jakarta," he said.
Keepers of protected species are required to hold a certificate issued by the
Natural Resources Conservation Center, Ministry of Forestry.
"Generally, buyers don't ask about the origins and official papers for such
animals," he added.
According to Mahda Putra, most collectors of rare reptiles do not have
official documentation because government monitoring of wild animal keepers
and traders is not that tight.
He acknowledged the pride among those who raise and collect such rare
species. "In fact, the breeding, trading and hunting of protected animals are
prohibited," he pointed out.
A variety of reptiles are available at animal markets and pet shops, like the
decorative fish market on Jl. Kartini and Jl. Sumenep, Central Jakarta, and
dozens of animal dealers along Jl. Barito, South Jakarta.
Reptile sellers can also be found in the Hanggar Teras Pancoran aquarium fish
center and the Jatinegara bird market, East Jakarta.
The illegal reptile trade and the emergence of reptile lovers' clubs have
triggered high demand for these animals taken from their habitat, which
adversely affects their future conservation.
Meanwhile, the captive breeding of species threatened by extinction has not
yet brought significant results. On the other hand, enforcement of
legislation against illegal dealers, keepers and suppliers of rare animals
remains very limited.
No wonder (as revealed by the Directorate General of Forest Protection and
Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry) Indonesia has the longest list of
wildlife species nearing extinction, including 126 birds, 63 mammals and 21
reptiles.
This is mainly due to the loss of their natural habitat following forest
fires, illegal logging and hunting for trade.
(Bambang Parlupi)
---
http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2006/10/10/brk,20061010-
85730,uk.html
39 Harbors Marked for International Lanes for Narcotics
Tuesday, 10 October, 2006 | 12:26 WIB
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesian Police Headquarters has mapped 48
Indonesian sea lanes that the international narcotics and drugs syndicate
use. The lanes extend from Aceh to Maumere and Merauke. “There are four lanes
in international waters,” said Brigadier General Indradi Thanos, the Director
IV of Narcotics of the Department of Criminal Investigation at the Indonesian
Police Headquarters, yesterday (10/9).
The main lane, said Indradi, include the waters of the Malacca Straits,
Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Irian, and Ambon . “These four international lanes
still have small harbors that can be made use of by the syndicate,” he said.
According to Indradi, there are at least 39 large Indonesian ports that are
subject to narcotics and drugs trade, which commonly originates from
overseas.
The 39 harbors, he said, are open and free. Therefore, the control and
security system of the ports must be improved.
“Cooperation must be established with Customs and Excises, Indonesian Police,
Immigration and the Navy, ” he said.
In addition to the 39 ports, according to Indradi, there are still many
hidden harbors utilized by the syndicate to enter the Indonesian territory.
“There are more than 10 shortcuts in Batam,” he said.
ERWIN DARYANTO | EKO ARI
---
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/business/10flier.html
Frequent Flier
There’s Simply No Excuse for Being Bored on a Trip
By JOHN HEATON
Published: October 10, 2006
FROM time to time, I hear business travelers complain about how unexciting
their trips are. This is nonsense, for the most part. Business travel can be
great adventure if you’re curious.
Catherine Docter, via John Heaton
John Heaton is an artist, entrepreneur and the host of Quinta Maconda, a
16th-century residence in Antigua, Guatemala.
Maybe I inherited my inquisitiveness. My ancestors’ tall ships plied the
waters between Connecticut and Shanghai in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Each trip was a perilous and hopeful journey for commerce, and according to
them, there was always something interesting along the way.
I’ve made several trips to Asia to buy antique furniture, and while I’m there
I absorb as much of the local culture as possible. I avoid large Western
hotels. I go to the local outdoor markets. I buy and wear what the locals
wear. I bring my video camera and interview waiters and taxi drivers. I make
a point of exploring an area unknown to me.
Some years ago, on my way to Bali, I made a stopover in Biak, in the
Indonesia province of Irian Jaya. At the hotel, I spotted a fellow in khakis
sitting at the bar, sipping a warm beer.
“Do you speak English?” I asked.
He did. In fact, he had just finished guiding a National Geographic
expedition through Irian Jaya and the Moluccas, and was on his way back to
Vancouver.
Sensing a golden opportunity, I asked if he would tell me about his journey.
“Keep the beers flowing, and I’ll fill you in,” he replied.
For the next two hours, as we pored over maps, he told me tales of the
archipelago and uncontacted tribes. His stories were so compelling that I
decided to change my travel plans. For the next two months, I crisscrossed
the islands, hardly seeing another white face. The highlight of my trip was
being the only outsider to attend the funeral of an important Dani chief.
What started as a business trip ended in a real adventure.
Just a month before the Soviet Union disintegrated, I flew to Siberia. Cold
and boring, right? Wrong. In Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Buryat Republic, I
met up with Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Habsburg archduchess of
Austria. She was documenting the Dalai Lama’s historic visit and the Buddhist
revival in that region.
Near the Mongolian border some of us rented horses and galloped across the
steppes. We had a close encounter with authorities and nearly ended up being
thrown into jail. But most important, we were witness to a defining moment in
the history of the Soviet Union, if not also for Buddhism.
I find that some business travelers are numb to the portals through which
they pass, focusing only on the destination. I think they’re missing a lot.
Something as mundane as an airport stopover can be fascinating. On a flight
from Bali to Madras, India, I had a seven-hour wait at Changi International
Airport in Singapore. Instead of sitting around like many of the other
passengers, I made a room in the airport hotel my temporary headquarters and
went exploring. Changi has a fabulous bookstore, a health spa, great
restaurants and a permanent orchid show. It became a destination unto itself
for me.
That’s when it occurred to me that there is no such thing as a boring place.
Only boring travelers.
By John Heaton, as told to Christopher Elliott.
Email: elliottc@nytimes.com
---
Court of Appeal Judgement: Ayamiseba Free At Last.
Date: Sat, 7 Oct 2006 06:46:02 +1100
Dear All,
The Court of Appeal of Vanuatu has delivered the judgement on Ayamiseba's
case on Friday, 06 October 2006 that:
Having reached that conclusion, it is unnecessary for us to consider wether
the evidence adduced was sufficient for the Minister to have formed the
opinion that the activities of Mr. Ayamiseba were detrimental to national
security or public order under section 17A (1) (a)
It is enquiry which is unnecessary and therefore it is inappropriate for
this Court to enter into any consideration of the point.
The Court being satisfied that the deportation order was made without
proper compliance with the statute it is therefore declared to be nulity.
There is no reason that the costs should not follow the event.
The formal orders of the Court are that:
(a) the removal order dated 9 February 2006 made by the Minister of
Immigration against Andy Ayamiseba be hereby quashed;
(b) there be costs of VT 20.000 in respect of this appeal in favour of Mr.
Ayamiseba
Dated at PORT VILA on 06 October 2006
BY THE COURT
(signed and sealed)
Hon. Chief Justice V. Lunabek
Hon. J. Bruce Robertson J.
Hon. John. W. Von Doussa J
Hon. Daniel Fatiaki J.
Hon.Oliver A. Saksak J.
Hon. Chistopher N. Tuohy
---
http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=21517
Two Chinese nationals to be deported from Papua
Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Two Chinese nationals who were arrested at Sentani
airport here last Saturday will be deported from Papua on Thursday, local
Immigration spokesman Giri Hariyanto said on Wednesday.
He said the two Chinese nationals, identified as Shao Xiong and Xu Chunfeng,
would be flown on Garuda Indonesia aircraft at 7 a.m. local time to Soekarno
-Hatta airport in Jakarta where they took China Airlines to Beijing in the
evening.
"Guarded by an official from Jayapura Immigration office, Shao Xiong and Xu
Chunfeng would be handed to Chinese Embassy in Jakarta by the Justice and
Human Rights` Directorate General of Immigration Department," Giri Haryanto
said.
He added that the police in Jayapura arrested the two Chinese nationals last
Saturday for conducting illegal activity of dental therapy.
They were arrested after being found that they had tourist visa to enter
Indonesia but engaged in activities of dental therapy without a permit from
Indonesian Health Ministry.
Giri Hariyanto pointed out that Jayapura Immigration office this year had so
far deported 13 Chinese nationals, a Japanese national, five Australians, 20
Vietnamese nationals, four Russians, seven Malaysians, two Americans and two
Filipinos.
Of the 13 Chinese nationals deported from Papua, five were women. (*)
Copyright © 2006 ANTARA
October 11, 2006
---
============================================================================
KABAR IRIAN ("Irian News since 1994") www.kabar-irian.com
NOTE: "All items are posted for their news/information content. They are
not necessarily the views of IRJA.org or subscribers. "