Thickly hairy caterpillars which were found in many places in Probolinggo regency, East Java, have also attacked trees of Buleleng regency, Bali.
Head of the Buleleng agricultural and cattle breeding farms Putu Mertha Jiwa said here Sunday most of the caterpillars attacked manggo trees in Sawan and Gerokgak sub-districts. The black caterpillars were also found on the walls of houses.
"Their hair will cause intense itching of the skin," he said.
He said he planned to localize the areas where the caterpillars were found, and sprayed with strong pesticides in the last four days. Besides spraying, some people also conducted some special rituals to stop the nuisance.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Quake Unlikely to Destabilize Japan Financial System
Bank of Japan Gov. Masaaki Shirakawa vowed Monday to closely monitor the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on Japan's economic and financial conditions, but said that the disaster is unlikely to destabilize the country's financial system.
“Given that financial firms have tried to improve net worth by increasing capital and internal reserves, and that the settlement system has been stable, the earthquake is not something that will threaten the stability of the nation's overall financial system,“ Shirakawa said at the opening of the central bank's quarterly branch managers' meeting.
“Still, it is necessary to carefully examine domestic financial and economic conditions, including in the affected areas, and their possible impact on the overall financial system,“ he added.
At the meeting, managers from 32 domestic branches and general managers based in the U.S. and Europe gather to discuss economic and financial conditions.
The comments come days after the central bank introduced a special lending facility that makes Y1 trillion worth of cheap funds available for banks in the affected areas, and also said it is considering accepting a broader range of collateral to make it easier for financial institutions to secure funds.
The bank's policy board also decided last month to ease monetary policy even further by doubling its asset-purchase program to Y10 trillion, while supplying ample liquidity to the money market amid growing concerns about the ability of banks to meet a surge in demand for funds from companies and households.
As for the overall economy, the BOJ chief reiterated “Japan's economy is under strong downward pressure, mainly on the production side, due to the effects of the earthquake disaster.“
But he expects the economy to eventually return to “a moderate recovery path“ as exports and domestic demand are expected to pick up on the back of improvements in overseas economies and post-quake reconstruction.
Market participants will now focus on the release of the bank's regional economic report, due 0530 GMT, for information on the quake impact in local areas.
“As economic conditions have rapidly changed since the earthquake, there will likely be significant downgrades in assessments in regional economies, especially in Tohoku (the northern region of Japan hit by the quake) and Kanto-Koshinetsu (eastern region of Japan including the Tokyo metropolitan area),“ said Yasunari Ueno, chief market economist at Mizuho Securities.
“Given that financial firms have tried to improve net worth by increasing capital and internal reserves, and that the settlement system has been stable, the earthquake is not something that will threaten the stability of the nation's overall financial system,“ Shirakawa said at the opening of the central bank's quarterly branch managers' meeting.
“Still, it is necessary to carefully examine domestic financial and economic conditions, including in the affected areas, and their possible impact on the overall financial system,“ he added.
At the meeting, managers from 32 domestic branches and general managers based in the U.S. and Europe gather to discuss economic and financial conditions.
The comments come days after the central bank introduced a special lending facility that makes Y1 trillion worth of cheap funds available for banks in the affected areas, and also said it is considering accepting a broader range of collateral to make it easier for financial institutions to secure funds.
The bank's policy board also decided last month to ease monetary policy even further by doubling its asset-purchase program to Y10 trillion, while supplying ample liquidity to the money market amid growing concerns about the ability of banks to meet a surge in demand for funds from companies and households.
As for the overall economy, the BOJ chief reiterated “Japan's economy is under strong downward pressure, mainly on the production side, due to the effects of the earthquake disaster.“
But he expects the economy to eventually return to “a moderate recovery path“ as exports and domestic demand are expected to pick up on the back of improvements in overseas economies and post-quake reconstruction.
Market participants will now focus on the release of the bank's regional economic report, due 0530 GMT, for information on the quake impact in local areas.
“As economic conditions have rapidly changed since the earthquake, there will likely be significant downgrades in assessments in regional economies, especially in Tohoku (the northern region of Japan hit by the quake) and Kanto-Koshinetsu (eastern region of Japan including the Tokyo metropolitan area),“ said Yasunari Ueno, chief market economist at Mizuho Securities.
Indonesia to Award Its Regions Ready to Anticipate Disasters
Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono said the government is considering to give awards to regions for their preparations to anticipate natural disasters.
"So the preparations can be the extent to which the (local) governments have trained the people (to face natural disasters) and the extent to which the people have been prepared for disasters," he said on the sidelines of a working visit in Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi province, on Sunday.
The awards are called adipura. Regions that had prepared anticipatory steps to deal with disasters would deserve to receive the awards. The preparations also included guidance to evacuate natural disaster victims, he said.
He asked each region to optimize the function of their regional natural disaster mitigation boards (BPBD). The regions must have maps of disaster-prone areas, such as tsunami-prone areas in the western coast of Sumatra, the southern coast of Java, and the northern part of Papua.
In addition, each region must have training programs to anticipate disasters. Each disaster-prone region must also build paths to evacuate victims.
Jambi Governor Hasan Basri Agus said the local authorities had proposed construction of paths to evacuate victims. "We have proposed it to the National Disaster Mitigation Board," he said.
He said the local authorities would build two paths to evacuate disaster victims. The first one was path leading to Tuo hamlet. The path would be linked to Jangkat, Merangin district and the other was a path leading to Bengkulu from Masqo village, Gunung Raya subdistrict.
"So the preparations can be the extent to which the (local) governments have trained the people (to face natural disasters) and the extent to which the people have been prepared for disasters," he said on the sidelines of a working visit in Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi province, on Sunday.
The awards are called adipura. Regions that had prepared anticipatory steps to deal with disasters would deserve to receive the awards. The preparations also included guidance to evacuate natural disaster victims, he said.
He asked each region to optimize the function of their regional natural disaster mitigation boards (BPBD). The regions must have maps of disaster-prone areas, such as tsunami-prone areas in the western coast of Sumatra, the southern coast of Java, and the northern part of Papua.
In addition, each region must have training programs to anticipate disasters. Each disaster-prone region must also build paths to evacuate victims.
Jambi Governor Hasan Basri Agus said the local authorities had proposed construction of paths to evacuate victims. "We have proposed it to the National Disaster Mitigation Board," he said.
He said the local authorities would build two paths to evacuate disaster victims. The first one was path leading to Tuo hamlet. The path would be linked to Jangkat, Merangin district and the other was a path leading to Bengkulu from Masqo village, Gunung Raya subdistrict.
N Sumatra's Iron Imports Up 30 Pct
This photo taken on December 25, 2010 shows Indonesian miners filling baskets with sulphur before carrying them from the bottom of the crater of Indonesias active Kajah Iwen volcano, in the extreme east of Java island. Some 350 sulphur miners eke out a dangerous and exhausting living on the active volcano, carrying hauls of up to 80 kilos of yellow gold which will be bought by local factories and used to refine sugar or make matches and medicines. The miners extract the liquid sulphur as it flows out of hot iron pipes. Once in the open air, it cools, crystallises and turns bright yellow. The sulphur is then loaded into wicker baskets at either end of bamboo yokes and carried back over the lip of the crater and down the side of the volcano, a treacherous journey of four kilometres (2.5 miles).
North Sumatra’s iron and steel imports in the year to February 2011 rose 30.32 percent to US$32.41 million from the same period a year earlier.
"Since the past few years, North Sumatra’s iron and steel imports have continued to increase on the back of rising needs due to construction of infrastructure facilities as well as robust property business in the region concerned," Head of the Production Statistics Section of the North Sumatra Provincial Statistics Office Erwin Said said here on Sunday.
In the year to February 2011, the province’s iron and steel imports were recorded at US$32.41 million compared with US$24.871 million the year before, he said.
According to him, the higher import value was fueled not only by raising volume but also by a surge in prices. An upward trend in the import of iron and steel could be seen from last year when the figure was recorded at US$15.094 million in January and US$17.318 million in February.
"Based on data, the iron and steel imports were mostly from China. We imported the goods because domestic production fell short of rising demand in North Sumatra," he said.
Head of the Domestic Trade Section at the North Sumatra Provincial Industry and Trade Office Margaretha Elly Silalahi said the imported iron and steel entering North Sumatra must meet the Indonesian National Standard (SNI).
Indonesian Housemaid Burnt Alive by Malaysian Employer
Fire had been set on an Indonesian housemaid from Cianjur, West Java, by her employer in Malaysia simply for picking the wrong plate. The poor girl managed to save herself by jumping into a swimming pool in the back of the house.
Yani (25), the house maid, who came from Cibinong, Sukaratu village, Bojong Picung sub-district, Cianjur, sustained serious burns after some of her fellow housemaids took Yani out from her employer’s home. For her mistake of picking the wrong plate, her employer got so angry and poured kerosene on the housemaid.
"I did not suspect that my employer will burn me alive only because I picked the wrong plate. And this was not the first time that she beat me," she said Sunday.
"I then locked myself in my bathroom for two days and tried to heal my burns with toothpaste," she said.
After the two days some of her friends came to the house, and freed her. Several days later she returned home to Cianjur via Kalimantan.
Yani (25), the house maid, who came from Cibinong, Sukaratu village, Bojong Picung sub-district, Cianjur, sustained serious burns after some of her fellow housemaids took Yani out from her employer’s home. For her mistake of picking the wrong plate, her employer got so angry and poured kerosene on the housemaid.
"I did not suspect that my employer will burn me alive only because I picked the wrong plate. And this was not the first time that she beat me," she said Sunday.
"I then locked myself in my bathroom for two days and tried to heal my burns with toothpaste," she said.
After the two days some of her friends came to the house, and freed her. Several days later she returned home to Cianjur via Kalimantan.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Secretive World of Google
The companys motto Dont be evil was described as a lie
A new book released next week lifts the lid on the secretive world of Google, revealing how the founders fell out with Apple's Steve Jobs and what happened in the search engine's exit from China.
'In the Plex' was written by Steven Levy, a technology reporter who says his latest work is 'informed by a two-year deep dive into the company'.
He reveals that when founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were on the hunt for a chief executive they wanted Steve Jobs to take up the job. The only problem was that Mr Jobs had a much better job at Apple - a much more superior company at the time.
He turned their offer down but because he saw the potential of Google he agreed to mentor Mr Page and Mr Brin, even sharing advisers. Eric Schmidt, the man who eventually took the job as chief executive until last week, was also installed as a board member at Apple.
Problems came when Google bought and started work on the Android mobile phone system. Apple saw it as a direct threat to iPhone and relationships broke down with Mr Jobs feeling betrayed by the pair.
When he saw features like the 'pinch-and-zoom' control to look at websites and images during a visit to Mountain View, California, the home of 'Googleplex', he was apparently furious.
He believed the best ideas from the iPhone had been stolen. Mr Schmidt stayed on the board at Apple but Mr Jobs somehow managed to keep the development of the iPad hidden from him.
'Apple didn't enter the search business, so why did Google get into the phone business?' he said according to the Times.
He also described Google's motto of 'don't be evil' as 'bulls**t'. The book looks at the company's decision to pull out of China in 2009, nine years after the decision to make in-roads into the country.
Hackers, believed to be state-sponsored, broke into Google email accounts so Mr Brin decided it was time to pull out of China. It was in the country that 'the worst moment in Google's history' came about.
An executive was sacked after they gave iPods to Chinese government officials - a customary business practice. The firing led to low morale at the Beijing office.
Mr Schmidt had wanted to stay in the country but he was outvoted and it is believed that the decision had 'long-lasting implications for Schmidt's relationship with the founders'.
He left the company last week and Mr Page took over as chief executive, promoting seven executives, hinting that he wants to take the company on a more innovative footing rather than being driven by profits.
Brutal Justice in Indonesia
Brutal: An Indonesian official prepares to whip Irdavanti Mukhtar as another announces to the crowd what her punishment she will receive
A woman flinches as she is about to be repeatedly caned for having an extramarital affair. Irdayanti Mukhtar, 34, received nine lashes by Sharia Police for having a relationship with another man, even though she is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband.
The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia. The jeering crowd recorded the brutal beating on their mobile phones and camcorders and shouted for more beatings in the strict Muslim city.
Mukhtar had been sentenced to the punishment the previous day by a Sharia court where prosecutors said that she was guilty of being in 'close proximity' to another man. Under Sharia law the offence carries a maximum beating of nine strokes with a cane or a minimum of three.
Neighbours had seen Mukhtar with the man and had barged in on her while the couple were in her bedroom, although it is unclear what they were actually doing. The mob then dragged them to the local police station to be charged.
It is believed Sharia Police are also investigating a claim that Mukhtar was molested by the crowd before they took her to be charged.
Shortly after the caning on Friday Mukhtar passed out and had to be taken to hospital for treatment. She was one of four people, including the man she was caught with, to be caned for extramarital affairs.
US Forgives USD50 Million Indonesia Debt to Conserve Forest
A forest is cleared for land by a burning nearbye in Pangkalan Kuras on October 2, 2010 in Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Norway entered a partnership with Indonesia to support Indonesias efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests and peat lands.
he United States has written off Indonesian debts totaling 50 million US in exchange for the conservation of forests in Sumatera and Kalimantan, a US official said here Friday.
"We have forgiven Indonesian debts amounting to 50 million US dollars in favor of a forest conservation program in Indonesia," US Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Ted Osius said.
He said the funds Indonesia would otherwise have to set aside to pay the debts would be used to conserve forests in Sumatra (30 million US dollars) and in Kalimantan (20 million US dollars).
Therefore, Osius said, he hoped the Indonesian government could make use of the funds to rehabilitate forests that had become critical in recent years. Beforehand, the US government had provided a 500 million US dollar grant for an environmental conservation program in Indonesia to be implemented over the next five years.
"Our government is very concerned about environmental conservation in Indonesia," Osius said at a meeting with environmental and human right activists.
There were six countries, including Indonesia, which were receiving the US government’s serious attention in relation with environmental conservation.
"The US consulate general in Surabaya is responsible for assiating environemmenal conservation in eastern Indonesia," he said.
Despite the environmental conservation program, the US government also paid attention on protection of marine and energy which was based on environment in facing climate change.
"We even support the Indonesian government to be able to explore alternative energy potentials that have yet to be developed," he said.
Indonesia Govt Urged to Stay Serious in Combating Corruption
Indonesian laborers burn an effigy of a rat symbolizing corruption during a May Day rally outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday May 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of workers thronged the streets of Asian cities Saturday in annual May Day marches, demanding job creation and minimum wage hikes. Writings on the effigy say "Corruptors Regime".
Constitutional Court Chief Mahfud MD urged the government here Saturday to remain serious in handling state officials’ corruption cases.
"Many corruption cases in Indonesia have yet to be handled properly partly due to lack of strict law enforcement," he said.
Mahfud said high ranking government officers were involved in corruption but their cases has remained unresolved. Referring to this reality, the government’s firm stance on combating corruption questioned, he said.
"During President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s first term, the government was so serious in handling state officials’ alleged corruption cases," he said.
According to him, the president’s seriousness could be seen from the speed at which the president issued questioning permits. At the time, the questioning permits were issued within a maximum of two weeks, he added.
Corruption in Indonesia has remained a serious problem as shown by the outcome of annual corruption perception index (CPI) surveys. Referring to the outcome of the 2010 CPI survey conducted by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) released in October 2010, Indonesia’s CPI score remained at 2.8, unchanged from that of the previous year.
With the CPI score, Indonesia remained in 110th position out of 178 countries that 10 independent institutions had surveyed from January 2009 to September 2010, the TII activist, Todung Mulya, said. Indonesia’s position was only better than Myanmar’s but far left behind by Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Thailand.
Muhammadiyah leader, Din Syamsuddin, said combating corruption needs concrete and serious action, not just a rhetoric. For Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) advisory council leader KH Masdar Farid Mas’udi, corruption was an unforgivable extraordinary crime.
"The impacts of corruption on a country are so extraordinary. Corruption is a big crime that can threaten a country’s life," Mas’udi said recently.
E Java Police Yet to Summon Blast Fishing Victim
This photograph taken on February 24, 2011 shows fisherman unloading freshly caught fish at Bitung town fishport in North Sulawesi province. Bitung is one of the major fish port in Sulawesi island. Fishing is a thriving industry in Indonesia an archipelago of 17,000 islands.
Sumenep district police investigators have yet to summon the victim of blast fishing in Kandibas hamlet, Guluk-Guluk village on April 6, a policeman said.
The victim, Muhlis, was still under the intensive care of Moh.Anwar general hospital’s doctors due to his serious injuries, Sumenep police spokesman, Commissioner Edy Purwanto said.
Speaking to newsmen here Saturday, he said Muhlis’ serious wounds had forced him to remain at the hospital so that the police investigators could not yet summon him for questioning. Muhlis was suspected of possessing the home-made bomb frequently used for poaching.
The police did not only find the home-made bomb materials but also a home-made gun and bullets in his house. "We want to know where he gets all stuffs," he said.
Edy Purwanto said a number of policemen were deployed to the hospital to secure him and monitor his health condition. The home-made bomb exploded inside Muhlis’ house on Wednesday at 05.30 am local time, damaging the house and injuring him.
Blast fishing activity in various parts of Indonesia, including East Java Province, can still be found. This condition has attracted world attention. Endowed by nature with more than 50,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, Indonesia has been listed by the United Nations as a nation with the largest coral reef resources in the world, along with Australia and the Philippines.
According to the United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC)’s World Atlas of Coral Reefs (2001), Indonesia had 51,020 square kilometers of coral reefs or 17.95 percent of the world’s coral reefs.
This archipelagic nation topped the list , followed by Australia with 48,460 square kilometers, the Philippines (25,060), France (14,280), Papua New Guinea (13,840), Fiji (10,020), Maldives (8,920), Saudi Arabia (6,660), Marshall Islands (6,110) and India (5,790).
The benefits that Indonesia can get from its coral reefs are obvious because coral reefs are evidently the sources of food and income for a lot of people from fisheries and tourism and also sources of raw materials for medicines.
But the UNEC-WCMC has warned that activities, such as fishing using explosives, are seriously degrading coral reefs in various parts of the world, including in Indonesia.
The UN body’s warning is based on factual information collected over the years. Blast fishing itself has been practiced in Indonesia since World War II.
Marty Natalegawa: ASEAN to Consolidate AID Provision to Japan
Overwhelmed: The tsunami engulfs a residential area in Natori, MiyagiASEAN member countries plan to consolidate themselves more intensively in the provision of humanitarian assistance to Japan which was recently hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. The minister made the statement here on Saturday after attending the Special ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting at the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta.
"Almost a month after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, every ASEAN member country has sent aid to the impacted areas in Japan. Today’s meeting was about our efforts to create better coordination among ASEAN members to provide further assistance to Japan," he said.
The minister also said at Saturday’s meeting it was agreed that the assistance to Japan which was so far provided on a bilateral basis would henceforth be given by ASEAN as a region.
Marty said, apart from providing humanitarian aid and funds, some ASEAN members also proposed to provide assistance in other forms such as promoting tourism sites in the region among Japanese who want to have a vacation from the tensions after the big quake or sending cultural missions to the impacted areas in Japan.
Meanwhile, Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya who was also attending the Saturday meeting stated Japan had been very helpful to ASEAN countries during the past years. "It is now our chance to reciprocate and provide assistance to japan," he said.
Earlier, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his opening speech at the Saturday meeting expressed hope that the solidarity between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Japan could become a capital for wider cooperation in various fields.
He said cooperation in disaster handling between ASEAN and Japan had developed for a long tome with Japan being one of the ASEAN partners that has actively given help when one of the ASEAN member countries was hit by a disaster and in view of the fact that Southeast Asia and Japan were prone to natural disasters strong cooperation and partnership would be needed from all parties.
"In connection with that we have already had instruments among others the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response which we should always refer to," he said.
ASEAN, he said, also has Coordinator Center for Humanitarian Assistance, an institution that helps coordinate extension of humanitarian aid in the region.
"This must be made more effective and I believe with the coordination and coherence among us all, members of ASEAN, ASEAN +3, East Asia Forum and ASEAN Regional Forum we could carry out the cooperation well to help a country or a region facing a natural disaster," he said.
The ASEAN-Japan special meeting was attended by Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa, special envoy from Brunei Darussalam Princess Masna, Cambodian`s vice prime minister/foreign minister Hor Namhong, Laos` home minister Phongsavath Boupha, Malaysian foreign minister Sri Anifah, Myanmar`s deputy foreign minister Myo Myint, Philippine foreign minister Albert del Rosario, special envoy from Singapore Chew Tai Soo, Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya, Vietnam`s deputy foreign minister Dao Viet Trung, the Japanese foreign minister Takeaki Matsumoto and ASEAN secretary general Surin Pitsuwan.
Diplomacy Back in Action for Indonesia
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that diplomacy was now back in action to overcome international disputes.
"Diplomacy is back in action. Now is no longer the time for the use of violence (to settle problems)," he said on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN and Japan at the ASEAN secretariat here on Saturday.
He made the statement in response to the process of negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia in the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) on April 7-8 in Bogor, West Java, which has so far reached no agreement yet.
"I did not say that this is an easy matter. I do not know how long it will finish. But the important thing is that now is time for peaceful means (for settling problems)," he said.
He said the two countries had agreed on an observer from Indonesia but no deadline was set for the Indonesian observer to be placed on the Thailand-Cambodia border.
"The observer is a means in nature while our main goal is assuring stability on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. It is indeed more ideal if our observers are there in the field but for Indonesia the most important thing is the border is safeguarded and political process continues," he said.
Indonesia on February 14 received a mandate from the United Nations Security Council to become a facilitator in the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia after early in February the two countries’ soldiers exchanged fires at the border near Preah Vihear shrine the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 to belong to Cambodia but the area around it is still disputed by the two countries.
Cambodian foreign minister Hor Nambong earlier was reported to be disappointed by the Thai government’s stance he considered complicating the negotiation because it had insisted on an approval from the parliament over the results of the JBC earlier meeting.
"The two delegations in the meeting in Bogor could exchange argument. That is better than exchanging fire so that the situation now is better than in February," Marti said.
He said all foreign ministers of ASEAN would be in Bangkok for an informal ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting that would probably discuss the East Asia Summit.
ASEAN was established in 1967 now consisting of ten countries namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with population reaching 580 million.
"Diplomacy is back in action. Now is no longer the time for the use of violence (to settle problems)," he said on the sidelines of the meeting of foreign ministers of ASEAN and Japan at the ASEAN secretariat here on Saturday.
He made the statement in response to the process of negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia in the Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) on April 7-8 in Bogor, West Java, which has so far reached no agreement yet.
"I did not say that this is an easy matter. I do not know how long it will finish. But the important thing is that now is time for peaceful means (for settling problems)," he said.
He said the two countries had agreed on an observer from Indonesia but no deadline was set for the Indonesian observer to be placed on the Thailand-Cambodia border.
"The observer is a means in nature while our main goal is assuring stability on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. It is indeed more ideal if our observers are there in the field but for Indonesia the most important thing is the border is safeguarded and political process continues," he said.
Indonesia on February 14 received a mandate from the United Nations Security Council to become a facilitator in the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia after early in February the two countries’ soldiers exchanged fires at the border near Preah Vihear shrine the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 to belong to Cambodia but the area around it is still disputed by the two countries.
Cambodian foreign minister Hor Nambong earlier was reported to be disappointed by the Thai government’s stance he considered complicating the negotiation because it had insisted on an approval from the parliament over the results of the JBC earlier meeting.
"The two delegations in the meeting in Bogor could exchange argument. That is better than exchanging fire so that the situation now is better than in February," Marti said.
He said all foreign ministers of ASEAN would be in Bangkok for an informal ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting that would probably discuss the East Asia Summit.
ASEAN was established in 1967 now consisting of ten countries namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam with population reaching 580 million.
Bodies of Freeport Employees Flown to Funeral Home
The bodies of two employees of PT Freeport Indonesia, Daniel Mansawan and Hari Siregar, who were shot to death on Thursday were flown from Tembagapura to the Kuala Kencana funeral home here on Saturday. Daniel and Hari would later be flown respectively to their home towns in Jayapura and Jakarta for burial on Monday.
Daniel and Hari, respectively manager and chief guard of PT Freeport Indonesia’s Security Risk Management (SRM), died after they were shot and their car was torched by unidentified assailants at Tanggul Timur Mile 37 MA 220 on Thursday night.
Hundreds of PT Freeport employees staged a demonstration to show their solidarity with the victims in front of the PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana on Saturday after they carried out a religious service led by Rev. Sam Koibur.
They put up a white cloth full of signatures of PT Freeport employees on the wall of PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana urging the management and security authorities to investigate the shooting to death and burning of their two colleagues.
Daniel and Hari, respectively manager and chief guard of PT Freeport Indonesia’s Security Risk Management (SRM), died after they were shot and their car was torched by unidentified assailants at Tanggul Timur Mile 37 MA 220 on Thursday night.
Hundreds of PT Freeport employees staged a demonstration to show their solidarity with the victims in front of the PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana on Saturday after they carried out a religious service led by Rev. Sam Koibur.
They put up a white cloth full of signatures of PT Freeport employees on the wall of PT Freeport office in Kuala Kencana urging the management and security authorities to investigate the shooting to death and burning of their two colleagues.
Cambodia Trusts Indonesia as Facilitator of Talks with Thailand
Cambodia trusts Indonesia as a facilitator of negotiations with Thailand to solve their border dispute, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. Marty was responding to Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s statement recently that his country’s military did not want the planned presence of Indonesian observers in the disputed border area.
"Indonesia is the best facilitator for this issue not only because of its position as ASEAN Chair but also its track record back in the 1990s when it helped solve the domestic conflict in Cambodia," the minister said here on Saturday.
He also said Cambodia fully supported Indonesia’s role as a negotiator since the latter had received a mandate from the UN Security Council stating that Cambodia and Thailand had to negotiate bilaterally but with the appropriate engagement of Indonesia as the ASEAN chair.
The minister expressed disappointment about the Thai military’s stance on the issue of Indonesian observers for the disputed border area.
"We don't understand. If Thailand wishes to have a ceasefire in the border why should they hesitate to receive Indonesian observers," he said.
Asked if Cambodia would follow Thailand’s wish to solve the border problem without the presence of Indonesian observers, the minister said Cambodia still wanted Indonesia to play a role in the negotiation process.
"We (Cambodia and Thailand) have negotiated for years but we haven’t reached any agreement yet. Therefore, we need an outside party or mediator and the best outsider is Indonesia as ASEAN’s chair," he said.
Earlier, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and the commander of all Thai armed forces had resolved not to allow Indonesian observers to enter the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Gen Prayuth said the top brass wanted the Thai-Cambodian conflict to be solved by bilateral negotiations between the two countries, without outside involvement.
He said the army had made a proposal to Cambodia through the Foreign Ministry that if there were to be joint checkpoints in the disputed area, then a special centre should be set up to coordinate their operation.
The coordination centre must be manned by Thai and Cambodian soldiers only. It was not necessary to have Indonesian observers.
If Cambodia insisted on having Indonesian observers, they should be allowed to perform their duty only outside the disputed area, Gen Prayuth said.
"Why do they want to enter the disputed area? It’s not safe there. The question is, if Indonesian observers come, will they be able to order Cambodian soldiers not to violate the Memorandum of Understanding?" he said.
The army chief was firm in his stand that the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the ancient Preah Vihear temple area was a matter to be solved by Thailand and Cambodia, and that Indonesia or any other third country should not be involved.
"Indonesia is the best facilitator for this issue not only because of its position as ASEAN Chair but also its track record back in the 1990s when it helped solve the domestic conflict in Cambodia," the minister said here on Saturday.
He also said Cambodia fully supported Indonesia’s role as a negotiator since the latter had received a mandate from the UN Security Council stating that Cambodia and Thailand had to negotiate bilaterally but with the appropriate engagement of Indonesia as the ASEAN chair.
The minister expressed disappointment about the Thai military’s stance on the issue of Indonesian observers for the disputed border area.
"We don't understand. If Thailand wishes to have a ceasefire in the border why should they hesitate to receive Indonesian observers," he said.
Asked if Cambodia would follow Thailand’s wish to solve the border problem without the presence of Indonesian observers, the minister said Cambodia still wanted Indonesia to play a role in the negotiation process.
"We (Cambodia and Thailand) have negotiated for years but we haven’t reached any agreement yet. Therefore, we need an outside party or mediator and the best outsider is Indonesia as ASEAN’s chair," he said.
Earlier, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and the commander of all Thai armed forces had resolved not to allow Indonesian observers to enter the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area on the Thai-Cambodian border.
Gen Prayuth said the top brass wanted the Thai-Cambodian conflict to be solved by bilateral negotiations between the two countries, without outside involvement.
He said the army had made a proposal to Cambodia through the Foreign Ministry that if there were to be joint checkpoints in the disputed area, then a special centre should be set up to coordinate their operation.
The coordination centre must be manned by Thai and Cambodian soldiers only. It was not necessary to have Indonesian observers.
If Cambodia insisted on having Indonesian observers, they should be allowed to perform their duty only outside the disputed area, Gen Prayuth said.
"Why do they want to enter the disputed area? It’s not safe there. The question is, if Indonesian observers come, will they be able to order Cambodian soldiers not to violate the Memorandum of Understanding?" he said.
The army chief was firm in his stand that the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the ancient Preah Vihear temple area was a matter to be solved by Thailand and Cambodia, and that Indonesia or any other third country should not be involved.
TNI-AU to Acquire T50 Golden Eagle Planes
T50 Golden Eagle
The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) will acquire South Korean-made T50 Golden Eagle training planes next year, a top military officer said here Saturday.
Speaking to newsmen after attending the 65th commemoration of the TNI-AU Anniversary here, Air Chief Marshal Imam Sufaat said there would be a squadron or 16 units of T50 Golden Eagle aircraft.
The procurement of the new training airplanes was part of the Indonesian Air Force’s efforts to meet its minimum essential force by 2024, he said.
"The president’s policy is accelerating the needs of military equipments, especially changing the airplanes whose ages are above 30 years old," he said.
These T50 Golden Eagle planes would replace the British Hawk 53 MKs. Besides those new training airplanes, the TNI-AU would also buy Super Tucano planes to replace those of OV-10 Broncos.
The Defense Ministry had even allocated budgets for purchasing these Super Tucano planes, he said. Asked about the total amount of budget allocated for buying a squadron of T50 Golden Eagle, he said the government had to allocate 400 million US dollars.
"These training planes are expected to have been received by 2012," he said. According to him, the T50 Golden Eagles were so fit for training the pilots of Sukhoi warplanes.
Freeport Indonesia Workers Demand Safety Guarantee
Hundreds of employees of U.S. mining giant Freeport have demanded guarantees of safety at the world's largest gold mine in eastern Indonesia after the death of two colleagues.
The workers waved banners Saturday outside the office of PT Freeport Indonesia and refused to be transported to the mining site. It was the second day of protests after the death Thursday of two employees traveling in a company car that caught fire, possibly after being shot at by unidentified gunmen.
Ramdani Sirait, a company spokesman, says production at the mine continued as normal. The mine in Indonesia's restive Papua province is run by Arizona-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. It has been a target of violence since production began in the 1970s.
The workers waved banners Saturday outside the office of PT Freeport Indonesia and refused to be transported to the mining site. It was the second day of protests after the death Thursday of two employees traveling in a company car that caught fire, possibly after being shot at by unidentified gunmen.
Ramdani Sirait, a company spokesman, says production at the mine continued as normal. The mine in Indonesia's restive Papua province is run by Arizona-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. It has been a target of violence since production began in the 1970s.
Postponement of Indonesia-Australia FTA Proposed
Industry Minister MS Hidayat has asked that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand should be postponed until after a study of its advantage or disadvantage is finished.
"If an FTA is to be concluded, a list of its advantage and disadvantage must be made first and an intensive discourse with the business world must be held," the minister said here on Saturday.
He said that studies, discourse and clear sectors that were to be affected by the FTA, were very important to avoid the emergence of problems after the agreement was signed.
"It should not happen that the FTA would only benefit Australia while the expected investment does not take place in the country," the industry minister said.
He said that the important thing was the substance of the FTA which should bring benefit to and serve the interest of Indonesia.
The industry minister cited the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as an example, saying it had caused losses and potential losses to a number of industries, such as textile and textile product (TPT) industries, footwear industry, electronics, wood and rattan-based furniture, toys, machinery, steel, food, drink and cosmetics.
Indicators of losses suffered after the implementation of ACFTA could be seen in reduced production of industry by about 25-60 percent, drop of sales at domestic market by 10-25 percent, reduction in profit by 10-25 percent and cut in manpower by 10-25 percent.
Several industries were also closed down while several others turned their activities from producers to assemblers and packers such as what had happened with machinery industries.
"In order to overcome this problem, the ministry of industry is carrying out coordination to take precautionary measures and increased competitiveness," he said.
"If an FTA is to be concluded, a list of its advantage and disadvantage must be made first and an intensive discourse with the business world must be held," the minister said here on Saturday.
He said that studies, discourse and clear sectors that were to be affected by the FTA, were very important to avoid the emergence of problems after the agreement was signed.
"It should not happen that the FTA would only benefit Australia while the expected investment does not take place in the country," the industry minister said.
He said that the important thing was the substance of the FTA which should bring benefit to and serve the interest of Indonesia.
The industry minister cited the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as an example, saying it had caused losses and potential losses to a number of industries, such as textile and textile product (TPT) industries, footwear industry, electronics, wood and rattan-based furniture, toys, machinery, steel, food, drink and cosmetics.
Indicators of losses suffered after the implementation of ACFTA could be seen in reduced production of industry by about 25-60 percent, drop of sales at domestic market by 10-25 percent, reduction in profit by 10-25 percent and cut in manpower by 10-25 percent.
Several industries were also closed down while several others turned their activities from producers to assemblers and packers such as what had happened with machinery industries.
"In order to overcome this problem, the ministry of industry is carrying out coordination to take precautionary measures and increased competitiveness," he said.
WB Supports Indonesia's Economic Expansion Master Plan
World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) support the master plan of Indonesia’s economic acceleration and expansion. The master plan is being made by the government in the form of economic development cluster and corridor.
Coordinating Minister of Economy Hatta Rajasa said here on Saturday that the support had been delivered by ADB President Harihuko Kuroda and World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"They will support the master plan to speed up infrastructure development and connectivity as the main pillar in the economic acceleration and integration of regional sector in six corridors," Hatta Rajasa said.
He said that ADB intended to give its direct assistance to both state and private enterprises to develop added value for Indonesian economic acceleration and expansion.
"Thus the connectivity, capacity building, and human resources are the three main pillars the Asian Development Bank is interested in," Hatta said, adding that he has been asked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to talk with the World Bank and ADB about the follow-up of the support.
The economic minister explained that based on ADB and World Bank evaluation, Indonesian economic situation at present was good, although it has to face with three problems namely food price rises, oil price hikes, and inflation.
Coordinating Minister of Economy Hatta Rajasa said here on Saturday that the support had been delivered by ADB President Harihuko Kuroda and World Bank Managing Director Sri Mulyani at a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"They will support the master plan to speed up infrastructure development and connectivity as the main pillar in the economic acceleration and integration of regional sector in six corridors," Hatta Rajasa said.
He said that ADB intended to give its direct assistance to both state and private enterprises to develop added value for Indonesian economic acceleration and expansion.
"Thus the connectivity, capacity building, and human resources are the three main pillars the Asian Development Bank is interested in," Hatta said, adding that he has been asked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to talk with the World Bank and ADB about the follow-up of the support.
The economic minister explained that based on ADB and World Bank evaluation, Indonesian economic situation at present was good, although it has to face with three problems namely food price rises, oil price hikes, and inflation.
Indonesia Rated Positively in Washington's Human Rights Report
The government of the United States on Friday released its annual Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2010 in 194 countries, including Indonesia.
In the report, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was a disturbing trend in 2010 of repression of vulnerable minorities, including racial, ethnic and religious minorities along with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Without mincing words, Clinton lambasted Pakistan as a country where "blasphemy remains a crime punishable by death," adding, "the blasphemy law has been enforced against Muslims who do not share the beliefs of other Muslims, and also against non-Muslims who worship differently."
"In the first two months of 2011, two government officials in Pakistan who sought to reform the law, Governor Taseer and Minister Bhatti, were targeted by a fatwa and assassinated," she said.
On the positive side, Clinton had words of encouragement for the Colombian government which she said, had "began consulting with human rights defenders." She said other nations showing positive directions are Guinea and Indonesia.
Clinton said Guinea got eulogies for holding free and fair elections with the inauguration of its first democratically elected president, while she appreciated Indonesia for a vibrant free media and a flourishing civil society at the same time as it faces up to challenges in preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance.
In the report, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was a disturbing trend in 2010 of repression of vulnerable minorities, including racial, ethnic and religious minorities along with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Without mincing words, Clinton lambasted Pakistan as a country where "blasphemy remains a crime punishable by death," adding, "the blasphemy law has been enforced against Muslims who do not share the beliefs of other Muslims, and also against non-Muslims who worship differently."
"In the first two months of 2011, two government officials in Pakistan who sought to reform the law, Governor Taseer and Minister Bhatti, were targeted by a fatwa and assassinated," she said.
On the positive side, Clinton had words of encouragement for the Colombian government which she said, had "began consulting with human rights defenders." She said other nations showing positive directions are Guinea and Indonesia.
Clinton said Guinea got eulogies for holding free and fair elections with the inauguration of its first democratically elected president, while she appreciated Indonesia for a vibrant free media and a flourishing civil society at the same time as it faces up to challenges in preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
What Should Indonesians Do to This Nobel Parliament Member?
The picture of the Prosperous Justice Party faction member Arifinto that is taken from his Facebook account
The House of Representatives member caught on Media Indonesia photographer's camera browsing porn scenes when attending a preliminary session in Jakarta on April 8, 2011, is Arifinto. Contacted by Kompas.com, the House of Rep Commission V member admitted it.
However, the Prosperous Justice Party faction member denied that he did it on purpose. He revealed that he got an unidentified link in his e-mail address and downloaded it during the session.
"I got a new mail in my inbox when using my Galaxy (Samsung Galaxy tablet PC). When opening it, I found out the obscene scenes, said him, on Friday.
He defended his action by saying he only saw those scenes in few seconds before deleting them right away. According to him, the mail was sent by those irresponsible. "They send sort of mails including on BB (BlackBerry)," said Arifinto who claimed of having not communicated it with the party.
"Let's just wait and see. I did not watch those scenes on purpose or even enjoy them."
Indonesian House of Rep Member Caught Browsing Porn Scenes
A House of Representatives member was caught on camera browsing porn scenes on his tablet PC when he was attending a preliminary session at House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Friday. The indecent act of parliament member was caught on the camera of Media Indonesia photographer, Mohamad Irfan.The member was busy accessing the porn scenes when the House of Rep speaker Marzuki Alie was announcing the temporary results of the session. No details yet on identity of the parliament member.
Indonesian FA Files Lawsuit Against Govt
Indonesian soccer fans shouts slogans and show a poster of Football Association (PSSI) chief Nurdin Halid as a wanted person, during a rally in front of PSSI headquarter in Jakarta on February 23, 2011. Hundreds of soccer fans protested against corruption in the national league and demanded the resignation of the disgraced PSSI chief.Indonesian Football executives have filed a lawsuit against the government for refusing to acknowledge them and locking them out of their office, their lawyer said Friday.
“We’ve filed the lawsuit on Thursday at the Administrative Court in Jakarta. We want the court to void the government’s decisions,” Sitor Situmorang, a lawyer for executives from the football association (PSSI) told AFP.
The Sports Ministry and the State Secretariat previously said they no longer acknowledge PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid and secretary general Nugraha Besoes and have banned them from their rented offices at the Bung Karno Sports Complex. Situmorang has previously said that the sports minister does not have the power to instantly freeze the leadership of the chairman and secretary general.
“The chairman and secretary general were elected by congress members, so they could only be sacked by the congress. They are not servants of the minister,” Situmorang said.
The PSSI executives have been considered as failing to gain control of the rebel Indonesian Premier League (LPI) — established without PSSI involvement — and to set up a congress to elect an electoral commission.
The FIFA Emergency Committee concluded on April 1 that the PSSI leadership had lost all credibility within Indonesia and it decided that a “Normalisation Committee” was needed to take over from the current executives.
Indonesia’s national team has enjoyed a surge of interest in the country of nearly 240 million people, winning second place in the AFF Suzuki Cup championship in January.
Porsche's New 911
Porsche 911Porsche is giving its standard-setting 911 a major overhaul. And this is the best look yet at the new model as it undergoes high-performance testing at Germany's famed Nurburgring track.
The latest iteration of the benchmark sports car will deliver more performance but improved fuel economy. Ignore the large air-intakes in front of the rear wheels, they are fakes.
Design boss Michael Mauer says aerodynamics hold the key to better efficiency. As these spy shots show, the new car features more upright headlights and re-positioned mirrors; proving every little tweak counts.
But Porsche knows it can't fiddle with the car's iconic shape too much. That is where active aerodynamics - wings and spoilers that adjust depending on speed - play an important role. That could explain what appears to be a movable wing at the rear.
Porsche is promising a radical overhaul under the skin but the flat-six engines will remain; albeit with updates. The car is likely to be unveiled at September's Frankfurt motor show.
Indonesia Must Stay Vigilant Against Inflation
Indonesia must remain vigilant against inflation, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo said Friday.
“Now the challenge in Indonesia is volatile food prices, so we need to ensure better logistics,“ Martowardojo said on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations finance ministers in Bali.
The official Statistics Agency reported last week that annual inflation eased to 6.65% in March from 6.84% in February. Meanwhile, on an on-month basis, the consumer price index fell 0.32% after rising 0.13% in February as the prices of basic food commodities fell during the harvest season. But, analysts expect inflation to pick up again later this year on rising global commodity prices.
The minister characterised the rupiah's recent appreciation against the dollar as normal given other regional currencies are also appreciating. The rupiah has risen nearly 3.9% so far this year after climbing around 4.4% last year.
“Now the challenge in Indonesia is volatile food prices, so we need to ensure better logistics,“ Martowardojo said on the sidelines of an annual meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations finance ministers in Bali.
The official Statistics Agency reported last week that annual inflation eased to 6.65% in March from 6.84% in February. Meanwhile, on an on-month basis, the consumer price index fell 0.32% after rising 0.13% in February as the prices of basic food commodities fell during the harvest season. But, analysts expect inflation to pick up again later this year on rising global commodity prices.
The minister characterised the rupiah's recent appreciation against the dollar as normal given other regional currencies are also appreciating. The rupiah has risen nearly 3.9% so far this year after climbing around 4.4% last year.
SBY: Inflation May Threaten Global Recovery
Rising food and oil prices could threaten the global economic recovery, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday at a meeting of Asian finance ministers in Bali.
Indonesia’s rupiah hit four-year highs against the greenback earlier this week and inflation is running at more than 6.5 percent, underlining concerns that the region’s more successful economies may be close to boiling point.
“In contrast (to developed countries), emerging and developing economies have led the global economic recovery... In fact emerging and developing countries in Asia have become an engine of global growth,” Yudhoyono said.
“This is of course no time to be complacent,” he added, warning of upward pressure on commodity prices, the rising price of oil and the “increasing severity and impact of natural disasters and climate change”.
Trade and liquidity imbalances combined with inflation “may threaten the global economic recovery, food and energy security and the achievement of millennium development goals” such as poverty reduction, he said.
“The increasing linkage of ASEAN to the global economy has enhanced the potential spillover from external shocks into our region,” the ex-general added.
Yudhoyono was speaking at the opening of a meeting of finance ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the resort island of Bali. World Bank managing director Sri Mulyani Indrawati — a former Indonesian finance minister — and officials from the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank also attended.
With Europe’s sovereign debt crisis spreading to Portugal and much of the developing world’s economies still in the doldrums after the global financial downturn, Asia has become a magnet for capital seeking better returns.
But much of it has been in the form of volatile portfolio capital that can be withdrawn just as fast as it is injected, raising fears of instability in economies that are leading the global recovery.
Yudhoyono said ASEAN needed to speed up regional economic integration and progress toward the creation of a common market of more than 500 million people by 2015. The ASEAN region grew at around five percent last year, up from 1.5 percent in 2009 in the aftermath of the global credit crunch, yet Yudhoyono said it still counted almost 120 million people who live on less than $1.25 a day.
The block includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Analysts say Asia’s emerging economies are poised for another year of solid growth in 2011 even if the impact of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan remains unclear.
But inflation is a key concern for the region, where policymakers have been forced to tighten interest rates to temper price rises despite the risk that this will only fuel volatile foreign capital inflows.
The ADB warned this week that some developing economies were showing signs of “potential overheating” and said more flexible exchange rates and capital controls could help curb soaring prices. IMF Asia and Pacific director Anoop Singh told AFP capital inflows remained“robust” and the challenge for the region was to direct the money into longer-term assets.
“I think Asia has responded well with its monetary policies. The challenge is to push (capital inflows) into areas that are not short-term, or property or speculative, but into infrastructure and long-term benefits,” he said.
Governments have tried a range of responses to hot money but capital controls, such as transaction taxes and currency restrictions, have until recently been scorned by economists as unnecessary interference. In February the IMF recognised that such controls were justified in the face of destabilising imbalances in the global economy.
Indonesia’s rupiah hit four-year highs against the greenback earlier this week and inflation is running at more than 6.5 percent, underlining concerns that the region’s more successful economies may be close to boiling point.
“In contrast (to developed countries), emerging and developing economies have led the global economic recovery... In fact emerging and developing countries in Asia have become an engine of global growth,” Yudhoyono said.
“This is of course no time to be complacent,” he added, warning of upward pressure on commodity prices, the rising price of oil and the “increasing severity and impact of natural disasters and climate change”.
Trade and liquidity imbalances combined with inflation “may threaten the global economic recovery, food and energy security and the achievement of millennium development goals” such as poverty reduction, he said.
“The increasing linkage of ASEAN to the global economy has enhanced the potential spillover from external shocks into our region,” the ex-general added.
Yudhoyono was speaking at the opening of a meeting of finance ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the resort island of Bali. World Bank managing director Sri Mulyani Indrawati — a former Indonesian finance minister — and officials from the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank also attended.
With Europe’s sovereign debt crisis spreading to Portugal and much of the developing world’s economies still in the doldrums after the global financial downturn, Asia has become a magnet for capital seeking better returns.
But much of it has been in the form of volatile portfolio capital that can be withdrawn just as fast as it is injected, raising fears of instability in economies that are leading the global recovery.
Yudhoyono said ASEAN needed to speed up regional economic integration and progress toward the creation of a common market of more than 500 million people by 2015. The ASEAN region grew at around five percent last year, up from 1.5 percent in 2009 in the aftermath of the global credit crunch, yet Yudhoyono said it still counted almost 120 million people who live on less than $1.25 a day.
The block includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Analysts say Asia’s emerging economies are poised for another year of solid growth in 2011 even if the impact of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan remains unclear.
But inflation is a key concern for the region, where policymakers have been forced to tighten interest rates to temper price rises despite the risk that this will only fuel volatile foreign capital inflows.
The ADB warned this week that some developing economies were showing signs of “potential overheating” and said more flexible exchange rates and capital controls could help curb soaring prices. IMF Asia and Pacific director Anoop Singh told AFP capital inflows remained“robust” and the challenge for the region was to direct the money into longer-term assets.
“I think Asia has responded well with its monetary policies. The challenge is to push (capital inflows) into areas that are not short-term, or property or speculative, but into infrastructure and long-term benefits,” he said.
Governments have tried a range of responses to hot money but capital controls, such as transaction taxes and currency restrictions, have until recently been scorned by economists as unnecessary interference. In February the IMF recognised that such controls were justified in the face of destabilising imbalances in the global economy.
Indonesia Inconsistent to be Against Human Trafficking
Australian Minister for Home Affairs Brendan OConnor (R) and Indonesian National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo (L) answer questions from journalists following a meeting at the national police headquarters in Jakarta on March 16, 2011. OConnor and Pradopo met to strengthen security ties in combatting crime and human trafficking affecting the two countriesA U.S. senator on Thursday urged reform of an annual report on human trafficking, saying Washington has alienated key allies in Asia through its spirited criticism of their efforts.
The U.S. State Department last year put a number of Asian nations including Singapore and Thailand on a watch list, saying they failed to protect foreign women from forced prostitution. Singapore responded indignantly.
Sen. Jim Webb (D., Va.), who heads the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia, said the report lacked clear metrics and caused “confusion and resentment“ by lumping together countries with different records.
“I think we all support the intentions of the State Department to prevent trafficking and to assist victims. However, our engagement with Asia is in danger of being hindered by the approach of this report,“ Webb said.
Webb, a member of U.S. President Barack Obama's Democratic Party from Virginia, said a friend in Singapore was “amazed at this categorization when you look at the quality of the government and the order in the society.“
“If you compare the stability in Singapore to the United States, with its estimated 20 million illegals, many of whom came here through human trafficking, what's going on?“ Webb said at a Senate hearing.
Webb also questioned the downgrade last year for Thailand, which was in the midst of major political upheaval, and asked why Nigeria was ranked higher than highly developed Japan. Luis CdeBaca, the U.S. State Department's ambassador-at-large for human trafficking, defended the annual report and said it had led nations to improve their records, whatever their public expressions of dismay.
The fight against human trafficking “can mean telling friends truths they may not want to hear,“ CdeBaca said at the hearing. Quoting an unnamed former skeptic, CdeBaca said the report “has made an indisputable contribution to the evolution of a global consensus around the problem of trafficking and, specifically in Southeast Asia, has served as the impetus for major reform initiatives.“
He said Indonesia and Malaysia have both drafted laws against human trafficking in response to the criticism, although enforcement has been inconsistent. Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.), who authored the 2000 law that established the annual report, also rejected Webb's criticism. He said that past low rankings for South Korea and Israel had pushed the U.S. allies to crack down on sex trafficking.
“Friend or foe, if their record is complicit with slavery, enabling of slavery, or not taking significant action to combat slavery, they need to be on Tier III,“ the lowest level, Smith said.
“To the victim, they don't care if you're left-wing, right-wing, communist or a free democracy, if you're being trafficked, you're being exploited,“ said Smith, a Republican from New Jersey.
The next report is due out in June. Last year, the State Department said South Korea and Taiwan were the sole jurisdictions in Asia that took full-fledged action against human trafficking. CdeBaca strongly praised Taiwan, saying it increasingly offered support to victims of human trafficking while taking aim at their victimizers.
The State Department put a number of Asian countries on the watch list last year--Afghanistan, Brunei, Laos, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Worldwide, 12.3 million people were victims of trafficking. Bangladesh, China, India, Micronesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka stayed on the list, unchanged from a year earlier.
North Korea, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea remained at the Tier III level of countries that didn't meet the minimum standards on human trafficking. The State Department on Friday releases a separate annual report on human rights, often a cause of friction with nations such as China whose records come under criticism.
Webb and Smith questioned why China wasn't at Tier III on human trafficking in light of accounts of rampant sex trafficking of North Korean women fleeing the neighboring country.
Indonesia to Sell Sharia Bonds Worth IDR 1 Tln
The government plans to sell state sharia bonds worth Rp1 trillion in an auction on April 12 to meet part of financing target in the 2011 state budget.
The sharia bonds up for the auction would be series IFR0005, IFR0007, IFR0006, and IFR0010, all of them the reopening of existing issues, Head of the Public Relations Bureau at the Finance Ministry Yudi Pramadi said in a statement on Thursday.
The state sharia bonds series IFR005 due on January 15, 2017 will be issued at a yield/coupon of 9.00 percent, IFR0007 due on January 15, 2025 at a yield/coupon of 10.25 percent, IFR0006 due on March 15, 2030 at a yield/coupon of 10.25 percent and IFR0010 due on February 15, 2036 at a yield/coupon of 10.00 percent.
Bidders for the state sharia bonds will consist of 13 banks and four securities companies, with Bank Indonesia (the central bank/BI) as an auction agent. The auction will be open using multi-price method. In principle, all parties, individual and institutional investors, can bid for the bonds. However, the bids must be filed through bidders that have been registered at and have secured authority from the Finance Ministry.
The state sharia bonds series IFR0005, IFR0007, IFR0006, and IFR0010 will be issued using an "Ijarah sale & Lease Back" agreement that has secured a sharia compliant statement from the National Sharia Council - the Indonesian Ulema Council (DSN-MUI) No. B373/DSN-MUI/X/2009 dated October 20, 2009.
The sharia bonds up for the auction would be series IFR0005, IFR0007, IFR0006, and IFR0010, all of them the reopening of existing issues, Head of the Public Relations Bureau at the Finance Ministry Yudi Pramadi said in a statement on Thursday.
The state sharia bonds series IFR005 due on January 15, 2017 will be issued at a yield/coupon of 9.00 percent, IFR0007 due on January 15, 2025 at a yield/coupon of 10.25 percent, IFR0006 due on March 15, 2030 at a yield/coupon of 10.25 percent and IFR0010 due on February 15, 2036 at a yield/coupon of 10.00 percent.
Bidders for the state sharia bonds will consist of 13 banks and four securities companies, with Bank Indonesia (the central bank/BI) as an auction agent. The auction will be open using multi-price method. In principle, all parties, individual and institutional investors, can bid for the bonds. However, the bids must be filed through bidders that have been registered at and have secured authority from the Finance Ministry.
The state sharia bonds series IFR0005, IFR0007, IFR0006, and IFR0010 will be issued using an "Ijarah sale & Lease Back" agreement that has secured a sharia compliant statement from the National Sharia Council - the Indonesian Ulema Council (DSN-MUI) No. B373/DSN-MUI/X/2009 dated October 20, 2009.
ASEAN Finance Ministers to Discuss Hot Money in Indonesia
Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN countries, from left to right, Bruneis Deputy Finance Minister Awang Bahrin Abdullah, Singapores Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Cambodias Minister of Economy and Finance Kong Vibol, Philippines Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Malaysias Prime Minister Najib Razak, Malaysias Finance Minister II Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah, Thailands Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, Laos Finance Minister Somdy Douangdy, Indonesias Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo, and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan pose for a group photo during the ASEAN Finance Ministers Investor Seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Nov. 30, 2010.Southeast Asian finance ministers meet Friday for talks expected to focus on capital controls to shield the region’s booming economies from destabilising “hot money” inflows. With Europe’s sovereign debt crisis spreading to Portugal and much of the developing world’s economies still in the doldrums after the global financial crisis, Asia has become a magnet for capital seeking better returns.
But much of the foreign capital has been in the form of volatile portfolio investments which can be withdrawn just as quickly as they were injected, raising fears for stability in economies that are leading the global recovery.
“We can intervene but we don’t know exactly how to do so. In the past few days the inflows have been huge,” Indonesian central bank Deputy Governor Hartadi Sarwono told reporters on Thursday.
“The capital inflows are so massive, and they don’t just flow to Indonesia but in the region.” Indonesia’s rupiah hit four-year highs against the greenback earlier this week and inflation is running at more than 6.5 percent, underlining concerns that the region’s more successful economies may be close to boiling point.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to open the meeting of finance ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the resort island of Bali. ASEAN chief Surin Pitsuwan will attend, as will World Bank managing director Sri Mulyani Indrawati — a former Indonesian finance minister — and officials from the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank.
Indonesia, which holds the current chair of ASEAN, has said the ministers will also discuss food security and progress toward a planned common market in the region of more than 500 million people by 2015. The ASEAN region grew at around five percent last year, up from 1.5 percent in 2009 in the aftermath of the global credit crunch.
The block includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Analysts say Asia’s emerging economies are poised for another year of solid growth in 2011 even if the impact of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan remains unclear.
But inflation is a key concern for the region, which faces tighter monetary policies as authorities seek to temper price rises including in food staples such as rice. The ADB warned this week that some developing economies were showing signs of “potential overheating” and said more flexible exchange rates and capital controls could help curb soaring prices.
Governments have tried a range of responses to hot money but capital controls, such as transaction taxes and currency restrictions, have until recently been scorned by economists as unnecessary interference. In February the IMF recognised that such controls were justified in the face of destabilising imbalances in the global economy.
In a recent report on Asian economies, Standard and Poor’s ratings agency said regional central banks might consider further capital controls and other actions to prevent risky asset bubbles.
Within Southeast Asia, it said Singapore’s growth would moderate sharply to 4.5-5.0 percent from 14.5 percent last year, Malaysia would expand 4.8-5.3 percent and Indonesia would grow 5.9-6.4 percent from 6.1 percent.
The Philippines was forecast to grow 5.1-5.6 percent from 7.3 percent and Thailand’s growth would ease to 4.0-4.5 percent from 7.8 percent.
World's First Facebook Bullying Alert System
Concerned: Father-of-four Paddy Clarke came up with the idea after reading a string of cyber-bullying horror storiesA concerned father has developed the world's first bullying alert system for Facebook which scans text and flags up abusive behaviour.
NHS consultant Paddy Clarke's software scans walls and inboxes for trigger words and phrases such as 'gay' and 'fat' and alerts parents when they appear. The father-of-four came up with the idea after reading a string of cyber-bullying horror stories.
Mr Clarke, 48, said he hoped his system - called 'Know Diss' - will keep children safe from online bullies. He said: 'Bullying has now gone from the playground into children's homes.
'Kids feel safe sending an abusive message in their rooms. It is pretty awful.
'Cyber-bullying is very topical at the moment, particularly following some tragic cases where young people have taken their lives because of it.
'It is hard to believe but this software is the only one in the world to search through text on social networking sites to protect children.
'Know Diss is a very simple concept. It is also a partnership between parent and child because one cannot sign up without the other.'
Mr Clarke, a consultant in pain relief at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, joined forces with friend Alan Saul to design and implement Know Diss, which costs £12 for a yearly subscription.
Together they trawled through sites such as Urban Dictionary and watched the television series Skins to build their comprehensive database of insults. Mr Clarke's program continuously searches through all text on Facebook accounts signed up to the service, including messages, picture comments and posts.
It uses a database of several thousands of words to identify bullying trigger words in a number of spelling variations. Parents and their children must both sign up by email for the software to work. The child is then sent a link for them to click in order to download Know Diss.
When a bullying phrase is detected, it is copied and immediately emailed to the child's parent or 'Facebook guardian' who can decide whether further action is needed. An example of a 'bullying' phrase which would be picked up by the system is: 'Go slash your wrists, fat boy' or words such as 'gay boy'.
When triggered, Know Diss automatically sends an email to the parent which reads: 'The following text has been picked up on your child's Facebook account.
'Go and have a look at it.'
Mr Clarke of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire - who used his own savings to fund the project - added: 'We have an absolutely huge database which includes spelling variations to make Know Diss as accurate as possible.
'Children may initially feel it is being invasive but it does not give the parent the power to read everything on their profile, just the words which are picked up by the software.
'It is very simple. The parent can read through the text which the software finds 'bullying' and decide whether it really is, or just a joke.
'They can also keep track of whether messages come in a series. Bullying tends to operate in a pack mentality online, one person posts and is followed by 50 others.'
Research shows up to half of children have experienced cyber-bullying in the past 12 months - half of those do not report it to an adult. Mr Clarke, whose has three sons and a daughter aged between ten and 20, has already showcased Know Diss at local schools.
And exclusive Cheltenham College is already considering using it to tackle cyber-bullying among pupils. When a child is registered with Know Diss, a small logo will appear on their Facebook wall warning posters they are signed up to the service.
Mr Clarke added: 'With me being a doctor I am always interested in prevention rather than cure.
'Having the logo on the site may prevent young people from cyber bullying someone if they know the message will be picked up by a parent or teacher.'
Currently Know Diss only works on Facebook, but Mr Clarke hopes to hold talks with Twitter and other social networking sites in the future.
A spokesman for Facebook said there were a 'number' of different ways users could protect themselves from cyber bullies.
He said: 'One person determined to harass another will unfortunately find ways to do so, both online and offline.
'On Facebook there are a number of measures people can use to stay safe.
'We encourage people to use our reporting tools, accessible across the entire site, use our blocking tools to prevent unwanted contact, and visit our Safety Centre, which contains tips for young people and parents about how to use Facebook as safely as possible.'
Parents and children can register their email addresses at www.knowdiss.co.uk. The programme also works via smartphones.
Last year, Facebook bowed to pressure and provided a new application which allows young users to report suspicious behaviour. It was announced in July that all users of the social networking site were to be able to access an advice centre from their home page to report suspected grooming or inappropriate sexual behaviour.
It was the result of Facebook and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre joining forces. In the past, Facebook had been accused of arrogant complacency in the face of soaring complaints about online paedophiles.
Indonesia Provides Agricultural Training for 6 Countries
Indonesia continues to reinforce the South-South cooperation by providing agricultural apprenticeships and training for Bangladesh, Fiji, Laos, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste and Comoros (East Africa), a senior official said.
Director General for European and American Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said when opening the activities here on Thursday that the training and apprentice programs were carried out as part of Indonesia’s commitment to helping other developing countries in the agricultural sector.
She said that the agricultural sector was Indonesia’s important soft power policy asset. In this case Indonesia has played an important role in facilitating experience-sharing process on agriculture through training, apprentice and the sending of experts to various Asian and African countries as well to the pacific and Africa over the last three decades.
Through the cooperation in the agricultural sector, Retno Marsudi was convinced that developing countries could contribute to efforts of increasing world food resilience which now gained a world attention.
In the meantime, the secretary general of the Agriculture Ministry, Hari Priyono said that Indonesia’s various agricultural policies aimed at fostering national food resilience has brought in a result such as reflected in the success of national rice self-efficiency in 2008.
He said that the agricultural sector occupied the strategic position in the country’s economy, and the government would continue to make efforts to meet national consumption need and ensure people’s access to food which was one of the very basic rights of the people.
Director General for European and American Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said when opening the activities here on Thursday that the training and apprentice programs were carried out as part of Indonesia’s commitment to helping other developing countries in the agricultural sector.
She said that the agricultural sector was Indonesia’s important soft power policy asset. In this case Indonesia has played an important role in facilitating experience-sharing process on agriculture through training, apprentice and the sending of experts to various Asian and African countries as well to the pacific and Africa over the last three decades.
Through the cooperation in the agricultural sector, Retno Marsudi was convinced that developing countries could contribute to efforts of increasing world food resilience which now gained a world attention.
In the meantime, the secretary general of the Agriculture Ministry, Hari Priyono said that Indonesia’s various agricultural policies aimed at fostering national food resilience has brought in a result such as reflected in the success of national rice self-efficiency in 2008.
He said that the agricultural sector occupied the strategic position in the country’s economy, and the government would continue to make efforts to meet national consumption need and ensure people’s access to food which was one of the very basic rights of the people.
Indonesia Optimistic over Cambodia-Thailand Truce
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, center, speaks to the media as his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, left, and Thailands Kasit Piromya, right, listen during a press conference following Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. Southeast Asian foreign ministers held emergency talks about a deadly border dispute that broke out between Cambodia and Thailand near an 11th century temple.Indonesia is optimistic that diplomacy is back on track for Cambodia and Thailand to resolve a border dispute that has sparked deadly military clashes, its foreign minister said Thursday.
Progress was made on the issue of having observers enforce the truce at the disputed border, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said after a Joint Border Committee meeting. He said he has informed his Thai counterpart in Bangkok about the progress.
"The main message out of today's meeting is diplomacy is back on track," he said, and the parties are trying to solve the problems through dialogue. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong led his country's delegation to the meeting in the West Java town. Thailand's delegation was led by a foreign ministry adviser.
Acting for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Indonesia brokered an agreement in February under which military observers will be sent to enforce a cease-fire after clashes over disputed land surrounding an 11th century temple killed at least eight. Phnom Penh has already urged Indonesia to send observers to the border even if Bangkok doesn't consent.
TNI Preparing Team for UN Mission in Haiti
The Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) is preparing a team to join the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Haiti after the country was crippled by an earthquake sometime ago.
The TNI team which will constitute a task force of Konga XXXII-A/MINUSTAH become the first Garuda Contingent sent to Haiti which was hit by an earthquake that killed 316 people, injured 300 others and left one million residents homeless, said operation assistant to the TNI Commander, Maj Gen Hambali Hanafiah in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday.
"This reflects international trust to the Indonesian soldiers in UN missions," he said.
The UN mission in Haiti is sent to Haiti based on UN SC resolution No. 1908 of January 10, 2010, shortly after the earthquake crippled the infrastructure and government in Haiti. The TNI task force will consist of 167 personnel and to be led by Lt Col. Czi Winarno.
The TNI team which will constitute a task force of Konga XXXII-A/MINUSTAH become the first Garuda Contingent sent to Haiti which was hit by an earthquake that killed 316 people, injured 300 others and left one million residents homeless, said operation assistant to the TNI Commander, Maj Gen Hambali Hanafiah in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday.
"This reflects international trust to the Indonesian soldiers in UN missions," he said.
The UN mission in Haiti is sent to Haiti based on UN SC resolution No. 1908 of January 10, 2010, shortly after the earthquake crippled the infrastructure and government in Haiti. The TNI task force will consist of 167 personnel and to be led by Lt Col. Czi Winarno.
Indonesians Repatriated from Libya
Indonesia Muslims march during a rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, March, 27, 2011. More than 10,000 Indonesians held a peaceful rally in the capital of the worlds most populous Muslim nation to support pro-democracy movement in Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain.
The Indonesian embassy in Tunis has repatriated 14 Indonesians from Libya including migrant workers, students, and ordinary residents as well as embassy staff members in Tripoli since March 2011.
Indonesian ambassador to Tunisia Muhammad Ibnu Said handed over the papers and documents of the 14 Indonesians to the head of the group Untung, embassy staff member in Tripoli, before their departure at Wisma Duta, Les Berges du Lac in Tunis, according to press release in London on Thursday.
Sugianto, a student who joined the group expressed appreciation to the Indonesian government especially the foreign ministry, the Indonesian embassies Tripoli and Tunis for their attention and protection during the evacuation from Libya and for the living quarters in Tunis.
Speaking on behalf of the Indonesians being evacuated, Sugianto as students and the last to leave Libya, asked for an apology for troubling the Indonesian embassies in Tripoli and Tunis for refusing to be evacuated several times.
After the situation in Tripoli had worsened, Sugianto and his friend Eling Fanny Ardhiyanto eventually agreed to join the evacuation group from the Indonesian embassy in Tripoli.
Ambassador Ibnu Said said protection of Indonesians abroad was the responsibility of the Indonesian representative office. For that the Indonesian embassy in Tunis continued to evacuate the Indonesians in Libya especially after the situation in Libya worsened.
The 123 Indonesian students had already been evacuated to Tunisia. Ambassador Ibnu also make it clear that the Indonesian government’s commitment in this case the embassy in Tunis to help each Indonesian facing difficulties abroad, although non-formal workers often failed to report their arrival there to the Indonesian representative office.
On behalf the Indonesian government, he said goodbye to the Indonesians hoping they would arrive home and reunite with their families and relatives. The number of Indonesians from Libya who had been evacuated to Tunisia reached 570, including 562 to have been repatriated to Indonesia, and the rest later.
Rp30 Trillion Infrastructure Credits Set by BNI
A worker arranges bundles of rupiah banknotes in the Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) in Jakarta August 6, 2010. Indonesias central bank said on Thursday it does not want the rupiah currency to be too strong because this could hurt economic competitiveness.State-owned Bank BNI has since 2008 prepared itself to support the government’s efforts to advance the national economy by allocating Rp30 trillion for the infrastructure sector.
"In the short-term, BNI focuses its support priority on infrastructure (transportation, electricity and telecommunications). But the funds amounting to Rp10 trillion for each sector have not yet been all absorbed until this month, though they have been prepared since 2008," BNI President Director Gatot M Sowondo, said here on Thursday.
He said that there were many factors causing the funds not to be disbursed, among others, the investors were not yet ready due to the fact that the government regulation on the sector was not yet enough. In the meantime, BNI should also continue maintaining its prudent principles in channeling credits.
"But thanks God, we hope, in near future state-owned railway firm PT Kreta Api Indonesia (PT KAI) will absorb about Rp2 trillion of the funds," he said.
PT KAI will use the funds to procure locomotives, cargo coaches and passengers carriers. He stated that for the transportation sector, credits will cover air transportation (airports), land (roads and tollroads) and sea transportation (seaports).
The infrastructures are expected to smooth goods and services distribution and passenger traffic as well as increase efficiency and cut production costs. He said that BNI credits continued to increase despite the management had kept on carrying out banking prudence.
Last year for example, its credit provision was raised by 13 percent to Rp136 trillion. This year funding is expected to increase 17 percent so that loan to deposit ratio could reach 75 percent from 70.2 percent a year ago.
Gunmen at Indonesia Gold Mine Kill 2 Freeport Workers
Gunmen killed two workers on Thursday at Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc’s giant gold mine in Indonesia’s Papua, a province with a simmering separatist movement.
A Freeport company spokesman said the shooting by unidentified gunmen, which left the car the two workers were in a blazing wreck, did not affect production at the world’s largest gold mine.
Local police said two men died in the burning car and they would beef up security in the area, with the deaths coming only a day after another shooting nearby that injured two people.
“We will scour the area tomorrow ... We can’t underestimate this,” the area’s deputy police chief Mada Laksanta told Reuters.
The mine has been a frequent source of friction in Papua because of its environmental impact, the share of revenue going to local Papuans and the legality of payments to Indonesian security forces who help guard the site.
Previous deadly attacks blamed on separatists have often been fairly unsophisticated with attackers poorly armed, and the military and police generally keep a tight rein on the province.
A Freeport company spokesman said the shooting by unidentified gunmen, which left the car the two workers were in a blazing wreck, did not affect production at the world’s largest gold mine.
Local police said two men died in the burning car and they would beef up security in the area, with the deaths coming only a day after another shooting nearby that injured two people.
“We will scour the area tomorrow ... We can’t underestimate this,” the area’s deputy police chief Mada Laksanta told Reuters.
The mine has been a frequent source of friction in Papua because of its environmental impact, the share of revenue going to local Papuans and the legality of payments to Indonesian security forces who help guard the site.
Previous deadly attacks blamed on separatists have often been fairly unsophisticated with attackers poorly armed, and the military and police generally keep a tight rein on the province.
Millions Online Customers Addresses Stolen by Hackers
Millions of email addresses belonging to British shoppers have been stolen by criminal hackers. Marks & Spencer yesterday sent warning messages to many online customers who have supplied the store with email addresses.
Britons who use Play.com and TripAdvisor have also been sent similar warnings. Victims of the theft risk being targeted in spam and phishing scams. This could result in them logging on to bogus websites set up by criminal gangs.
Once on these websites, it is feared that personal information, including passwords and bank details, could be stolen. There is also a danger that bugs and malicious spy software could be downloaded to victims’ home computers.
The alerts raise serious questions about security systems operated by major internet brands and their technology partners. They will also shake consumers’ trust in online shopping – and could encourage shoppers to move back to the High Street.
The M&S security failure relates to a U.S. email company, Epsilon, which has been targeted in what has been called the ‘biggest data breach ever’. Epsilon, one of the largest email marketing companies in the world, sends more than 40billion emails annually on behalf of more than 2,500 clients.
The unrelated thefts involving M&S, Play.com and TripAdvisor reflect a growing and lucrative black market in personal email addresses.
M&S sent an email to customers yesterday, warning: ‘We have been informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that some M&S customer email addresses have been accessed without authorisation.
‘We wanted to bring this to your attention as it is possible that you may receive spam email messages as a result.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We take your privacy very seriously, and we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information.’
M&S stressed that the theft was limited to names and email addresses, rather than other personal information and account details.
However, this is all that criminals need to launch targeted and personalised spam attacks, known as spear phishing.
Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, also uses Epsilon. However it categorically denied that its customer details have been hacked.
In December, the computers of U.S. company Silverpop were broken into. It provides email services to Play.com, which sells CDs, DVDs, books and gadgets online.
But Play.com alerted customers to the risk only last week, after it emerged that spear phishing emails have been sent out.
Internet security expert Dr Stefan Fafinski, of the University of Leeds, was caught up in the Play.com theft.
He said: ‘Spammers will have a list of good, known and verifiable email addresses that comes straight out of M&S. Once they have names as well as email addresses, the spammers can personalise the emails they send out to look much more like a genuine company communication.
‘People who open these emails may then follow a link to what looks like an official website.
‘They may be asked to update their billing information, credit card details, the three-digit security code, maybe their mother’s maiden name or the answer to a personal security question.
‘That gives them all the information they would need to steal the identity of the customer and access their accounts.’
He said spam email often comes with attachments which, if opened, can download malicious software. This is something these big data-holding organisations will be very worried about and they will be spending a lot of time trying to close any gaps in security.
He added: ‘Trust is key to shopping online. Clearly that is very badly shaken when you have an event like this.’
M&S refused to say how many email addresses have been stolen. A spokesman said: ‘For commercial reasons we would not disclose the number of customers we hold on our marketing database – but as a precaution we have contacted customers to alert them.’
Following the hacking at TripAdvisor, the travel advice website, its co-founder Steve Kaufer said: ‘Unfortunately, this sort of data theft is becoming more common and we take it extremely seriously.’
Britons who use Play.com and TripAdvisor have also been sent similar warnings. Victims of the theft risk being targeted in spam and phishing scams. This could result in them logging on to bogus websites set up by criminal gangs.
Once on these websites, it is feared that personal information, including passwords and bank details, could be stolen. There is also a danger that bugs and malicious spy software could be downloaded to victims’ home computers.
The alerts raise serious questions about security systems operated by major internet brands and their technology partners. They will also shake consumers’ trust in online shopping – and could encourage shoppers to move back to the High Street.
The M&S security failure relates to a U.S. email company, Epsilon, which has been targeted in what has been called the ‘biggest data breach ever’. Epsilon, one of the largest email marketing companies in the world, sends more than 40billion emails annually on behalf of more than 2,500 clients.
The unrelated thefts involving M&S, Play.com and TripAdvisor reflect a growing and lucrative black market in personal email addresses.
M&S sent an email to customers yesterday, warning: ‘We have been informed by Epsilon, a company we use to send emails to our customers, that some M&S customer email addresses have been accessed without authorisation.
‘We wanted to bring this to your attention as it is possible that you may receive spam email messages as a result.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you. We take your privacy very seriously, and we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information.’
M&S stressed that the theft was limited to names and email addresses, rather than other personal information and account details.
However, this is all that criminals need to launch targeted and personalised spam attacks, known as spear phishing.
Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, also uses Epsilon. However it categorically denied that its customer details have been hacked.
In December, the computers of U.S. company Silverpop were broken into. It provides email services to Play.com, which sells CDs, DVDs, books and gadgets online.
But Play.com alerted customers to the risk only last week, after it emerged that spear phishing emails have been sent out.
Internet security expert Dr Stefan Fafinski, of the University of Leeds, was caught up in the Play.com theft.
He said: ‘Spammers will have a list of good, known and verifiable email addresses that comes straight out of M&S. Once they have names as well as email addresses, the spammers can personalise the emails they send out to look much more like a genuine company communication.
‘People who open these emails may then follow a link to what looks like an official website.
‘They may be asked to update their billing information, credit card details, the three-digit security code, maybe their mother’s maiden name or the answer to a personal security question.
‘That gives them all the information they would need to steal the identity of the customer and access their accounts.’
He said spam email often comes with attachments which, if opened, can download malicious software. This is something these big data-holding organisations will be very worried about and they will be spending a lot of time trying to close any gaps in security.
He added: ‘Trust is key to shopping online. Clearly that is very badly shaken when you have an event like this.’
M&S refused to say how many email addresses have been stolen. A spokesman said: ‘For commercial reasons we would not disclose the number of customers we hold on our marketing database – but as a precaution we have contacted customers to alert them.’
Following the hacking at TripAdvisor, the travel advice website, its co-founder Steve Kaufer said: ‘Unfortunately, this sort of data theft is becoming more common and we take it extremely seriously.’
Bali Vows to Tackle Waste Problem
In recovery ... tourists are returning to Bali and its famed Kuta beach.
Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali vowed on Thursday to tackle its worsening garbage and pollution problems, following a damning magazine article.
Under the headline “Holidays in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”, Time magazine said the resort island was struggling with waste and some of its famous beaches were strewn with rubbish.
“We are not closing our eyes. It’s true that we have a waste problem,” Bali tourism agency head Ida Bagus Subhiksu said. Subhiksu said up to 300 garbage trucks a day were needed to collect rubbish in the Kuta area, a prime tourist spot.
“In Kuta, there will be more garbage trucks designated for the area as extra funding for waste management there has been approved,” he said.
Subhiksu added that many of the litter on the beaches came from islands outside Bali. Visitor numbers to Bali are growing — 2.3 million foreign tourists came last year and 2.5 million are expected this year.
Panin Bank Owner Maintains No Plan to Sell Stake
Customers of Bank Pan Indonesia (PANIN) conduct transactions at the banks branch in Jakarta April 4, 2011. Bank Pan Indonesia, the nations seventh largest lender, is drawing interest from European and Asia-Pacific banks including Australian and New Zealand Banking Group for its founders 46 percent stake, deputy chief executive officer Roosniati Salihin said. To match Interview PANIN.Indonesia's Gunawan family maintained Thursday it has no plan to sell its stake in PT Bank Pan Indonesia, or Panin Bank, despite receiving bids from several offshore investors, a senior official said.
“We have no need to sell Panin Bank,“ Fadjar Gunawan, president director of PT Panin Financial, the largest shareholder of the bank.
“You knew already that since 2008 there are many (investors) asking (about the stake),“ he told Dow Jones Newswires.
Talks have been abound that several international banks have approached the Gunawan family, seeking to buy its stake in Panin Bank in recent years. An official with Korea Development Bank told Dow Jones Newswires in February that the bank sought to establish a holding company with Panin Financial to jointly operate Bank Panin. But the talks collapsed due to differences over financial terms.
Panin Financial, which is controlled by the Gunawan family, owns 44.68% stake in the middle-sized lender based on assets while Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ.AU) owns 38.82% and the public the remaining 16.5%.
World's Toughest Anti-smoking Laws
In this computer-generated image provided by the Minister for Health and Ageing of Australia, proposed cigarette packaging stripped of all logos and replaced with graphic images that tobacco companies in Australia will be forced to use is shown. "This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone, cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking," Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a statement, Thursday, April 7, 2011.Australia’s government has unveiled plans for some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws, saying it would force big tobacco companies to use plain green packaging for cigarettes despite the threat of industry legal action.
Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said on Thursday the draft laws, which will shortly go to parliament, would, if passed, help reduce thousands of smoking-related deaths each year that cost the economy A$31.5 billion ($32.9 billion).
“This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone. Cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking,” Roxon told reporters.
The Australian tobacco market generated total revenue of A$9.98 billion in 2009, up from A$8.3 billion the previous year, although smoking generally has been declining. Around 22 billion sticks are sold in the country each year.
The country’s health authorities say smoking-related illnesses kill more than 15,000 Australians each year and that smoking is the largest preventable cause of disease and death.
The conservative opposition has yet to decide whether to back the legislation, meaning the minority Labor government may have to convince independent and Green lawmakers to support it.
British American Tobacco Australia , whose brands include Winfield, Dunhill and Benson & Hedges, said the government’s plans would infringe international trademark and intellectual property laws.
“The government could end up wasting millions of taxpayers’ dollars in legal fees trying to defend their decision, let alone the potential to pay billions to the tobacco industry for taking away our intellectual property ,” BATA spokesman Scott McIntyre said in a statement.
New Zealand, Canada, the European Union and Britain are considering similar laws and governments in those countries are closely watching to see if Australia succeeds. Analysts say the new rules being explored in Australia and other countries could spread to emerging markets like Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, and threaten growth there.
Roxon said the legislation would restrict tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colours and promotional text appearing on packs, with the only distinguishing marks being the brand and product name in a standard text and colour. Olive green packaging had been decided on, because research showed smokers found it the least attractive colour.
The government planned the legislation to take effect at the start of 2012, with all products on sale required to comply with the new laws within six months. “In addition, health warnings will be updated and increased from 30 percent to 75 percent of the front of the pack, as well as 90 per cent of the back,” Roxon said.
The World Health Organization, in its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, advises authorities to “consider adopting measures to restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colors, brand images or promotional information.”
Australia already has tough curbs on tobacco advertising, which have helped reduce smoking from 30.5 percent of the population aged 14 and over in 1988 to 16.6 percent in 2007. Roxon aims to cut smoking rates below 10 percent by 2018.
Violating Immigration Regulation, 3 Chinese Nationals Deported
The Palu immigration office had deported three Chinese nationals for violating Indonesia’s immigration regulation , according to a local immigration official.
Head of the Palu Immigration Office’s Supervision and Sanction Section Marsongko said here Thursday the three Chinese nationals had been sent to Jakarta by Lion Air on Tuesday. They left Indonesia for China from Soekarno-Hatta international airport on Thursday.
"Just now I received a call from Purnomo, an official of the Palu immigration office who accompanied by the three foreigners from Palu to Jakarta, that they have left via the Soekarno-Hatta International on Thursday morning," he said.
The three Chinese were arrested on March 28, 2011. They had claimed of having been working for a mining company at Morowali and managed to show immigration documents such as passports, visa and temporary stay permits.
"However, after checking the documents of the three who had claimed to work in PT Fu Hui, a Chinese mining company, which had sponsored their entry into Central Sulawesi, we found out that it was fictive," he said.
The address and telephone number of PT Fu Hui In Jakarta was fictive. The Palu immigration office decided to deport them because their stay in Central Sulawesi was without a sponsor. The three Chinese nationals were identified as Li Jianshun, Sihua Qin, and Zhang Guang Wu.
Head of the Palu Immigration Office’s Supervision and Sanction Section Marsongko said here Thursday the three Chinese nationals had been sent to Jakarta by Lion Air on Tuesday. They left Indonesia for China from Soekarno-Hatta international airport on Thursday.
"Just now I received a call from Purnomo, an official of the Palu immigration office who accompanied by the three foreigners from Palu to Jakarta, that they have left via the Soekarno-Hatta International on Thursday morning," he said.
The three Chinese were arrested on March 28, 2011. They had claimed of having been working for a mining company at Morowali and managed to show immigration documents such as passports, visa and temporary stay permits.
"However, after checking the documents of the three who had claimed to work in PT Fu Hui, a Chinese mining company, which had sponsored their entry into Central Sulawesi, we found out that it was fictive," he said.
The address and telephone number of PT Fu Hui In Jakarta was fictive. The Palu immigration office decided to deport them because their stay in Central Sulawesi was without a sponsor. The three Chinese nationals were identified as Li Jianshun, Sihua Qin, and Zhang Guang Wu.
Indonesia Prepares to Extradite Romanian
Indonesia on Thursday said it was preparing to deport a Romanian fugitive convicted of fraud, after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree permitting his extradition.
Interpol Indonesia chief Brig. Gen. Halba Rubis Nugroho confirmed Yudhoyono had signed the approval for the extradition of Nicolae Popa, who was arrested in Jakarta in 2009 on a warrant issued by Interpol.
“We are now in discussion with the related ministries to determine the date to send him back to his country,“ Nugroho said.
The ruling was warranted because Indonesia and Romania haven't agreed to an extradition treaty, a local newspaper reported. A Bucharest court in 2006 sentenced Popa to 15 years in prison for fraud in connection with the collapse of an investment fund, in one of the most sensational scandals of the post-communist Romania.
More than 100,000 people lost money they had invested in the National Investment Fund, and the Romanian state, which had guaranteed their investments, was forced to pay out compensation of more than EUR100 million ($143 million), the newspaper said. It said Popa has denied the charges.
Interpol Indonesia chief Brig. Gen. Halba Rubis Nugroho confirmed Yudhoyono had signed the approval for the extradition of Nicolae Popa, who was arrested in Jakarta in 2009 on a warrant issued by Interpol.
“We are now in discussion with the related ministries to determine the date to send him back to his country,“ Nugroho said.
The ruling was warranted because Indonesia and Romania haven't agreed to an extradition treaty, a local newspaper reported. A Bucharest court in 2006 sentenced Popa to 15 years in prison for fraud in connection with the collapse of an investment fund, in one of the most sensational scandals of the post-communist Romania.
More than 100,000 people lost money they had invested in the National Investment Fund, and the Romanian state, which had guaranteed their investments, was forced to pay out compensation of more than EUR100 million ($143 million), the newspaper said. It said Popa has denied the charges.
Indonesia Government Indebtedness is Falling
Developments in Indonesia suggest that the country is on track to strengthen its sovereign balance sheet and to improve its macroeconomic performance, progress which is associated with other nations that have recently obtained investment grade status, Fitch Ratings said Thursday.
In a report, the credit rating agency--which rates Indonesia BB+ with a positive outlook--noted that government indebtedness was falling as a ratio of gross domestic product, while the sovereign external balance sheet had strengthened.
“The prospects for an upgrade could be compromised if a reversal of short-term capital flows posed risks to broader economic or financial stability,“ Fitch said. “However, some capital outflow would not necessarily preclude an upgrade if no such broader instability resulted.“
The rating agency said the Southeast Asian nation had shown “impressive resilience“ during the global financial crisis and world recession. In the short term, inflationary pressures pose a risk, it said, noting it saw some evidence that strong price growth was starting to hurt consumer sentiment. But it added that price pressures should subside in 2011 as the central bank tightens monetary policy.
Fitch also pointed out that Indonesia's investment rate has risen, and said that the falling dependency of domestic demand on commodity prices was another factor in its favor.
In a report, the credit rating agency--which rates Indonesia BB+ with a positive outlook--noted that government indebtedness was falling as a ratio of gross domestic product, while the sovereign external balance sheet had strengthened.
“The prospects for an upgrade could be compromised if a reversal of short-term capital flows posed risks to broader economic or financial stability,“ Fitch said. “However, some capital outflow would not necessarily preclude an upgrade if no such broader instability resulted.“
The rating agency said the Southeast Asian nation had shown “impressive resilience“ during the global financial crisis and world recession. In the short term, inflationary pressures pose a risk, it said, noting it saw some evidence that strong price growth was starting to hurt consumer sentiment. But it added that price pressures should subside in 2011 as the central bank tightens monetary policy.
Fitch also pointed out that Indonesia's investment rate has risen, and said that the falling dependency of domestic demand on commodity prices was another factor in its favor.
Taiwan Mulls Overseas Petrochem Complex in Indonesia
Black smoke billows from a petrochemical factory on fire following clashes between pro and anti-Kadhafi militants close to the eastern Libyan oil town of Ras Lanuf on March 12, 2011. Pro government forces retook Ras Lanuf and near by Bin Jawad from rebel forces fighting to topple the regime since February 15.A senior official says Taiwan may scrap a contentious plan to build a $20 billion petrochemical complex on reclaimed land on its western coast.
The plan to build the complex to refine crude oil and produce ethylene has been stalled for five years amid protests by residents at the planned site in the central Taiwanese county of Changhua. Economics Minister Shih Yen-hsiang said Thursday the project's private investors are considering moving the facilities overseas.
His deputy Huang Chung-chiou said Malaysia and Indonesia are among the favored choices. Taiwan's government-run petroleum company is one of the main investors in the project.
SBY Receives Prince Andrew
Britains Prince Andrew, Duke of York and the UKs Special Representative for International Trade and Investment (C) talks with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa (C-R) after a meeting in Jakarta on April 6, 2011. Andrew will meet Indonesias President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his three day visit to support the development of bilateral trade relationships.President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to receive the Duke of York Prince Andrew at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, presidential spokesperson for International relations Teuku Faizasyah said. Faizasyah said Prince Andrew’s visit to the State Palace is part of the British Royal’s family courtesy visit to Indonesia.
According to Presidential Palace’s Press, Media and Information bureau, the Duke of York is scheduled to arrive at 11 am local time. Faizasyah said that President Yudhoyono and Prince Andrew will discuss many things especially bilateral trade cooperation.
"Prince Andrew’s capacity is to manage trade and investment," Faizasyah said.
The Duke of York and his special envoy for international investment and trade had earlier met Economic Coordinating Minister Hatta Rajasa on Wednesday. According to Minister Hatta Rajasa, Britain is willing to increase trade and investment in Indonesia.
Three things had been discussed in the meeting with the minister namely increase in investment and manufacture related to infrastructure, energy and transportation. In the meantime, trade with Indonesia has reached 2.6 billion US dollars, Hatta said.
"There are also many other sectors which have attracted Britain besides oil and gas namely infrastructure on transportation and manufacture." Hatta added Britain would also like to improve the capacity of the Indonesian businessmen and small scale entrepreneurs by applying the British Standard Institute .
Indonesia to Tighten Control over Umroh Travel Agencies
Muslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat to pray, southeast of the Saudi holy city of Mecca, on November 15, 2010. Pilgrims flooded into the Arafat plain from Mecca and Mina before dawn for a key ritual around the site where the prophet Mohammed gave his farewell sermon on this day according to the Islamic calendar 1,378 years ago. Pilgrims spend the day at Arafat in reflection and reading of the KoranThe government will tighten its control on travel agencies organizing minor hajj pilgrimage (Umroh) because some 30 percent of over-stayers sent back from Saudi Arabia recently come from umroh travel agencies, a minister said.
"Records made on Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) who overstayed in Saudi Arabia and have been returned to Indonesia show that about 30 percent of them came from umroh pilgrimage groups," Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said. Based on the finding, the manpower ministry asked the ministry of religious affairs to tighten its control over umroh travel agencies.
"In order not to repeat this problem the manpower ministry and other relevant agencies will seriously tighten the mechanism in the sending of migrant workers, especially to the Middle East," the minister said.
Hundreds of Indonesian migrant workers are staying under several bridges in Saudi Arabia because they have no money to return home. Up to March 2011, the government has repatriated 2,073 problematic Indonesian migrant workers (TKIs) or over-stayers through six repatriation batches from Saudi Arabia.
The government this year is planning to repatriate 25,000 Indonesian migrant workers/Indonesian nationals(TKIs/WNIs). It has an estimate that the repatriation would cost some Rp128 billion,
"The government will be selective in returning them from Saudi Arabia. We will priorize old and sick people and children," Muhaimin said.
Challenges Indonesia Faces to Host JBC
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, center, speaks to the media as his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, left, and Thailands Kasit Piromya, right, listen during a press conference following Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. Southeast Asian foreign ministers held emergency talks about a deadly border dispute that broke out between Cambodia and Thailand near an 11th century temple.A delegation of Cambodian senior officials on Wednesday left Phnom Penh for Indonesia to attend the meetings with Thailand over the border conflict next to the Preah Vihear temple.
The meetings of Cambodia-Thai General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Border Committee on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) will be held on April 7-8 in Bogor, aimed to negotiate on the border conflict.
The meetings, arranged by Indonesia as the status of ASEAN chair, follow the deadly clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops over the disputed border areas near Preah Vihear temple on Feb. 4- 7.
Cambodian delegation was headed by Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong. Speaking at Phnom Penh International Airport before leaving for the meetings, Hor Namhong said that the main target of the meetings is to determine the term of reference in order to enable Indonesian observers to monitor the ceasefire at the disputed border areas.
However, Thai media reported that Thailand will attend only the JBC meeting. Thailand’s Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara said Tuesday that Thai army officers will not attend the GBC meeting taking place in Indonesia and that Indonesian observers will not be allowed to be present at the disputed Thai- Cambodian border, the Thai state’s media MCOT online reported.
Cambodia and Thailand had border conflict just a week after Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008, since then both sides have built up military forces along the border, and periodic clashes happened, resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.
The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated. Although the International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple itself belonged to Cambodia, the row over the 4.6-square-km territory around the temple has never been resolved.
New Website Showcases Beachfront Hotels
It is every beach-lover's vacation fantasy: waking up to stretches of silky white sand and an azure ocean just outside your hotel room. Nothing between sun bathing and lazy-day lounging but a few paces in flip-flops.
That sumptuous vision can turn into a nightmare if the vaunted beachfront lodging, so idyllic-looking on the hotel website, turns out to be a room facing a concrete swath of furiously-trafficked roadway, with the ocean on the other side of the obstacle course.
So, how do unsuspecting travelers, who often pick vacation spots based on nothing more than enticing images on hotel websites and brochures, weed out the imposters from the real thing?
One answer might be The Beachfront Club, a newly-launched website that promises to help beach junkies avoid such marketing traps. The site, found at http://www.thebeachfrontclub.com, provides lists, maps, photos and descriptions of "hotels right on the beach. no exception."
To qualify for inclusion, hotels must pass the "no-traffic" test: no roads or vehicle traffic between guest rooms and the beach or the water. A hotel perched on a hillside bluff still aces the test; one with beach access blocked by buildings or busy roads would not.
Still in its beta stage, The Beachfront Club has listings for about 6,500 "true beachfront" hotels in every corner of the world, with another 1,000 mapped. The site's creators, former travel photographer John Everingham and veteran hotelier Chris Ryan, plan eventually to increase that number to 10,000.
The hotels, rated according to a four-star ranking and four-dollar-sign pricing system, range from exclusive luxury resorts to modest bungalows on the sand.
Visitors to the site can browse hotels by continent, country, and region using drop-down "destinations lists" menus, locator maps or simply by typing a location into the search engine. Clicking on the menu or a regional map zooms in further on the satellite map, allowing future travelers to compare each hotel's proximity to the water.
Planning a jaunt to Asia? The Beachfront Club inventory includes 1,342 beachside hotels from which to choose. A tap on the map or on the destination menu winnows the selection to country-specific lists: 900 hotels in Thailand, 144 in Indonesia, 122 in Malaysia, 66 in Vietnam.
Narrow the search to Thailand, and up pops Mom Tri's Boathouse, located on the soft, white sand of Kata Beach in Phuket. The detailed hotel overview offers a guide to wining (the Mom Tri's has one of the top wine cellars in Thailand), dining (The Boathouse Wine & Grill features a beachfront terrace), and a break-down of "on the beach" ambience and activities (sunsets, snorkeling, and scuba-diving).
Prefer a stateside retreat? There are 811 hotels listed in the mainland United States and Hawaii, including the Pier House Resort and Caribbean Spa in Key West. The resort, which earned a four-star, three-dollar-sign rating, is positioned on a white sand beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.
There also is a "top-optional sunning area" — for those beach-hungry travelers who really want nothing but flip-flops between themselves and the sand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)