[Kabar-Irian] News: Oct 9-12 06

[Admin-Editors Kabar-Irian]

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



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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 at 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

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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 at nytimes.com

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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


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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

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