How Indonesia Could Lose Its Pride

The immediate rescuing of 20 Indonesian nationals held hostage by Somali pirates is a matter of national pride, a legislator said.
"I urge the National Defense Forces (TNI) special force to immediately take action to set free the MV Sinar Kudus’ crew who are being held hostage by Somali pirates," House of Representatives (DPR)’s Commission I member Fayakhun Andriadi of the Golkar faction said here on Monday.
The ship with a cargo of ferronickel belonging to state mining company PT Aneka Tambang was on its way from Indonesia to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, when it was pirated by Somali gunmen. Freeing the ship’s crew was a matter of national urgency and pride, Fayakhun said.
"We still remember the TNI’s Special Force’s success in freeing the hostges aboard the "Woyla’ in Bangkok, Thailand, and thus its image is respected and revered in the world," Fayakhun said.
Therefore, Fayakhun urged the TNI’s Special Force to move quickly to set free the Indonesian citizens now held captive by Somali pirates. He also wondered why the government had not responded positively to the hostage taking drama involving 20 Indonesian sailors on the MV Sinar Kudus which happened almost a month ago.

Google's Fare Search to Take off

Google's entry into the online travel sector was cleared for takeoff on Friday as the US Justice Department gave the green light to its $US700 million purchase of flight data company ITA Software.
The Justice Department's anti-trust division, however, extracted a number of concessions from Google and imposed conditions on the Internet search giant to allow the controversial acquisition to go ahead.
The proposed legal settlement, which will need the approval of a US District Court, requires Google to notably develop and license ITA's travel software to other companies.
Several online travel sites, including Expedia, Kayak and Travelocity, had sought to block the Google-ITA deal, claiming it would give Google too much control over the lucrative online travel market and lead to higher prices.
The Justice Department agreed that unless modified, the acquisition "would have substantially lessened competition among providers of comparative flight search websites in the United States."
But US deputy assistant attorney general Joseph Wayland said the proposed settlement "promotes robust competition for airfare websites by ensuring those websites will continue to have access to ITA's pricing and shopping software.
"(It) assures that airfare comparison and booking websites will be able to compete effectively, providing benefits to consumers," Wayland said.
ITA, a 500-person firm founded in 1996 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer scientists, specializes in organizing airline data, including flight times, availability and prices.
ITA flight data software is used by many US airlines and a number of leading online travel sites, including Expedia's Hotwire and TripAdvisor, Kayak, Orbitz and Microsoft's Bing search engine.
Under the settlement, Google agreed to let ITA customers extend their contracts into 2016 and to let new customers license ITA's QPX software on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms" into 2016. Google also must offer ITA's next generation InstaSearch product to the sites.
Google is also barred from entering into agreements with airlines that would restrct sharing of seat and booking class information with its competitors. In addition, Google will be required to build a "firewall" that will prevent it from gaining access to competitors' proprietary software which runs on ITA servers.
Google senior vice president Jeff Huber welcomed the approval of the deal and said "by combining ITA's expertise with Google's technology we'll be able to develop exciting new flight search tools for all our users." FairSearch.org, a coalition of opponents of the acquisition which includes Google rival Microsoft, welcomed the conditions imposed on Google.
"By putting in place strong, ongoing oversight and enforcement tools, the department has ensured that consumers will continue to benefit from vibrant competition and innovation in travel search," FairSearch.org said.
Another group, Consumer Watchdog, expressed concern that even with the conditions on the deal, Google will "ultimately win control of the travel search industry, driving ticket prices up for consumers."
Google has said the ITA acquisition will help it create new tools that will make it easier for consumers to search for travel, compare flight options and prices and drive more customers to online travel agencies. Google has said it has no plans to sell airline tickets or set airfare prices.
Google has drawn increasing government scrutiny as it has grown from a scrappy startup into the dominant player in Internet search and the ITA settlement marks the first time it will be subject to anti-trust supervision.
The US Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with Google last week over Google Buzz, the social networking tool rolled out last year which spawned a slew of privacy complaints.
Under the settlement announced by the US regulator, Google is required to implement a comprehensive privacy program and will be subject to independent privacy audits every two years for the next 20 years.
Last month, a US judge dealt a setback to Google's plans for a vast digital library and online bookstore, rejecting a copyright settlement hammered out by the Internet giant with authors and publishers.

Converting Ferrari 360 into A Limousine

Luxury limo: The owner of this Ferrari F360 couple spent 200,000 converting it into a limousine




If you thought hiring a limousine to celebrate that special occasion was a little 1990s, here's one motorist who has stretched the concept that little bit further.

This exclusive Ferrari 360 Coupe has been converted into a luxury limousine after six months of reconstruction.
Costing from around £120,000 new, the owner of the vehicle spent £200,000 converting his pride and joy using genuine Ferrari parts. Extra reinforcing had to be used to sustain the weight of the vehicle and the power of the car's 400 BHP engine.
But the Ferrari, based in London, can't quite match up to its original speed due to the extra weight it is now carrying.

Collective Egoism of Indonesian House

The House of Representatives (DPR) needs to reconsider its plan to build a Rp1.1 trillion office tower in response to a storm of protests against the plan, a political observer said.
"This is necessary because of many objections to the plan to build a new House of Representatives (DPR) building. What is more, the building will be very costly," Arie Sujito of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) said here on Sunday.
If the House pushed through the plan it would mean that the House ignored public aspirations and lacked sensitivity to the condition of the people. Consequently, the people’s confidence in the parliament would decline, he said.
"The DPR is now under the spotlight. The decision to push through the plan to build a new tower implies that the vast majority of DPR members care only about themselves at the expense of the people’s interests," he said.
He stated the construction of a new tower would have no significant impact on the performance of DPR members. The small office of DPR members should not be made an excuse for their lackluster performance.
"What is more, the construction of office rooms for the DPR members will cost Rp800 million each. Some quarters have questioned the higher amount of funds," he said.
The decision to go ahead with the project implied that most of DPR members had been infected by collective egoism. "DPR is considered egoistic because they have paid no attention to the aspirations of the people opposing the plan to build a new tower," he said.

Fear of Shootings at Freeport

The body of a security guard who worked for Indonesias Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Incs gold mine who was killed by gunmen on Thursday arrives in Timika in Papua province April 9, 2011. Hundreds of workers went on strike after a series of deadly attacks, refusing to return to work unless Freeport management and local authorities guaranteed the safety of all employees.

The regency administration authorities of Mimika, Papua, said they were shocked by the shootings at PT Freeport Indonesia employees in which two security officers, Daniel Mansawan and Hari Siregar, were killed.

Mimika deputy regent H Abdul Muis said here Sunday the government authorities and people of Mimika expressed their deep condolences for the families and relatives of the victims.
"We are deeply concerned about what had happened. And we are ready to facilitate a meeting of all the relevant sides in solving the problem, because the employees who were killed are also our brothers," Muis said.
Muis said that the terror shootings in the area of PT Freeport Indonesia although the firing took place far from the mining complex the incidents indicated that security in Mimika especially near the gold, copper and silver mines were still insecure.
To uncover the shooting terror of Freeport employees, on Saturday afternoon a ten-member forensic laboratory team arrived at Timika from Makassar.
Mimika deputy police chief Police Commissioner Mada Indra Laksanta said the team included ballistic and fire experts. With assistance of Papua police and Mimika police resort, the forensic lab team will conduct an investigation of the car used by Daniel Mansawan and Hari Siregar.
The car that was burnt on its way from Tanggul Timur to Nayaro village is now kept at the Mimika police station. Several bullet holes were found on the body of the car. In the meantime, the remains of Daniel and Hari had been laid in state Sunday as well as at the Freeport Indonesia office before their burial.

Caterpillars Roam over Wide Areas in Indonesia

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, Miyagi

ASEAN 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.

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.

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.

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.