Archive for February, 2008
Cipanas, Bogor (ANTARA News) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono has asked representatives of friendly countries to promote Indonesia in their respective countries after completing their diplomatic postings in Indonesia.
“We would like to introduce the beauty of our artistic and cultural diversity to you, hoping you will tell other people in your country about it after returning from Indonesia,” Ani Yudhoyono told the wives of foreign ambassadors at a friendship gathering at Cipanas Palace here on Tuesday.
The friendly gathering, attended by around 59 women — the wives of foreign envoys and United Indonesia Cabinet ministers — was conducted in an effort to introduce Indonesian artistic and cultural diversity and to strengthen the bonds of international friendship.
On the occasion, the first lady and the wives of cabinet ministers shared their ideas and experiences of the country`s cultural diversity with the foreign diplomats` wives.
Traditional dances and wedding dresses from the provinces of Banten, West Java and North Sumatra were introduced at the event which was also attended by the wives of West Java, and North Sumatra governors as well as the wife of Banten`s deputy governor.
Source: ANTARA News
February 28th, 2008
(Balidiscovery) Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay will serve as “race central” for the 2nd annual Bali International Triathlon, on June 29, 2008. The Olympic distance event is the only international-caliber triathlon held in Bali.
Jimbaran lies on the western side of Bali’s narrow southern isthmus, located on a sweeping bay that curves from the southern side of the airport to the bushy headland that borders the Four Seasons Resort. The event is comprised of a 1.5-kilometre swim in the warm waters of the bay, a 40-kilometre bike ride from the edge of Jimbaran Bay through hilly paved roads to Nusa Dua looping back to Jimbaran, and a 10-kilometre mostly-flat run on paved roads through Jimbaran and Kedonganan villages ending with a beach finish at the Four Seasons Resort Jimbaran Bay.
In its inaugural year, the event attracted more than 150 athletes from 16 countries. This year, athlete participation is slated to increase significantly with the event also expected to attract a large number of spectators to watch the race and partake in the music an festivities at “race central.” On Saturday, June 28th, the day before the race, the Four Seasons Resort will be the meeting venue for the athlete briefings. In the evening, this setting on the Indian Ocean will be the venue for the athletes’ high carbohydrate Pre-Race Dinner, designed and prepared exclusively for the occasion by the Four Seasons’ world-acclaimed chefs.
To welcome the athletes, The Four Seasons has dedicated all of their 7 elegant Private Estates to providing housing for the participants and their families. Located along the beach and just steps away from the start and finish lines, the Private Estates have been specially priced for race participants.
Official Hotels
The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bali and Intercontinental Bali Resort are serving as the official hotel partners for the Bali International Triathlon with special accommodation offers available at [Hotel Offer].
A Truly Balinese Event
Spiritualism dominates every aspect of daily life on the Hindu island of Bali with the Bali International Triathlon also includes a bike blessing Prayasita ceremony in addition to a Majaya Jaya ceremony to bless and ensure the spiritual protection of all the participants and to neutralize any demonic forces. A Pemangku priest will conduct the ceremonies, using special offerings including fruit, yellow coconut juice, grains of rice, sandalwood powder and young coconut leaves tied with white thread and Chinese coins. Further adding to the special character of the event, Balinese musicians and sarong-clad race marshals will be stationed along the race course to guard and entertain the racers as they pass through traditional villages.
Source: http://my-indonesia.info/
February 27th, 2008
Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At a time when poverty remains prevalent in almost 200 out of over 450 regencies and municipalities in the country, Tomini Bay has been introduced as a future hub of economic growth in East Indonesia, following in the footsteps of Batam in the West.
Long before regional autonomy shifted into full gear on the heels of the fall of New Order regime in 1998, the government had named Batam in Riau Islands, Tomini Bay and Bone Bay in Sulawesi, and Sabang in Aceh as the engines of economic development for their respective neighboring areas.
Batam’s rapid economic growth of over 8 percent per year has had an impact on nearby areas, including Bangka-Belitung province, and Karimun and Natuna islands.
State Minister for Development of Disadvantaged Regions Lukman Edy says the government is trying to revive the dormant plan to develop the growth hubs. Development of Tomini Bay will take place first because it already has supporting infrastructure and the government has done enough study on the area, says Lukman.
The development of Tomini Bay and later Bone Bay as growth hubs is expected to cut the number of disadvantaged regions in East Indonesia.
“This year we’ll finalize our plan and next year, I hope physical development can commence,” Lukman said after witnessing the signing of a joint agreement to develop the bay on Togean Islands in Tojo Una-Una regency, Central Sulawesi, last week.
The six regents signing the agreement were from Tojo Una-Una, Banggai, Banggai Islands, Poso, Parigi Moutong regencies in Central Sulawesi and Pohuwato regency in Gorontalo.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry and the Office of State Minister for the Environment will provide assistance to the regents, who had met to discuss development of fisheries and tourism as the prime sectors in Tomini Bay.
The bay is rich in fish and other marine resources, and stands a great opportunity of emerging as a popular tourist destination thanks to its biodiversity and beautiful nature. Dozens of enchanting small islands dot the bay.
However, nine of 10 regencies across Tomini Bay alone are among the country’s disadvantaged regions, with most residents working as fishermen and living under the poverty line.
Central Sulawesi deputy governor Achmad Yahya said Tomini Bay has 587,670 tons of fish reserves. It is also home to a large number of coral reefs that form the bay’s rich biodiversity.
The development of fishery and tourism, however, has been impeded by the region’s lack of qualified human resources, supporting infrastructure, especially transportation, and investment, said Yahya.
The latest data issued by the Office of State Minister for Development of Disadvantaged Regions revealed that 68 percent of the disadvantaged regions are located in East Indonesia.
The government aims to remove 40 disadvantaged regencies and municipalities from poverty by 2009.
“We’re using the hub-growth approach to develop these regions,” Lukman said.
Lukman said the government was considering a special authority which would involve several ministerial offices and the private sector to facilitate Tomini Bay’s development.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 26th, 2008
The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali
The organizers of Indonesian Surfing Championships (ISC) announced Saturday that they would include a women’s division in its tour season this year.
Spokesman for the organizers, Tim Hain, said that three sponsors had already committed to including the women’s division in their events this year.
“Incredibly, without any formal announcement being sent out, six women have already come to the ISC office and signed up to get their ISC membership cards this week,” he said in a statement.
The first event will be the Roxy Open at Keramas Beach in April during the Quiksilver Open, the second will be at Legian Beach in mid-October at the Villa Mana Charity Surf event, and the season closer will be during the Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival at Kuta Beach in late October.
“The point’s leader at the end of the year will receive the women’s championship trophy at the ISC awards presentation scheduled for early November,” he added.
With the rapidly growing popularity of the sport of surfing in Indonesia, more and women are getting into it and finding that the thrill of riding waves is not only for the guys. The stigma of surfing being a purely man’s sport in Indonesia is being blunted by the alluring images of women at the beach and in the water, from the young daughters of famous Australian, American, and Hawaiian surfers in magazine ads to movies like Blue Crush and the MTV series Boarding House-North Shore.
“Not to mention movie stars like Cameron Diaz seen taking surfing lessons from Rizal Tanjung at Dreamland Beach in Bali,” Tim added.
According to him, some major international surfwear companies have created brands exclusively for the women’s market, such as Quiksilver/Roxy, Rip Curl Girl, Billabong Girls and Rusty Chix.
Bali’s own Surfer Girl is a company dedicated exclusively to providing surfing and beachwear products to women of all ages, recently adding a surfing school as well.
Rip Curl holds “Girls Go Surfing” days several times per year at their Rip Curl Surf School, inviting women and girl celebrities from Jakarta to give surfing a try alongside tourists and locals.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 25th, 2008
As Jakarta prepares for the upcoming Java Jazz festival, it appears jazz fever has spread beyond the capital, reaching as far as Riau province.
A jazz festival called The Malacca Strait Jazz Green Festival is scheduled be held, with support from the provincial administration, on June 5-7.
Popular local artists will fly to Riau for the festival, including guitarist Dewa Budjana and friends, Donny Suhendra Trio, Canzo, Sherly’O, Andien, Rieka Roslan & Troubadours, Zefanya H & the Uncles, Koko Harsoe, Djogdja Mood Jazz and Jon Gazali.
Carrying environmental messages, the festival will also present young artists, including talented 11-year-old pianist Zefanya and his band The Uncle.
The festival, marking its second year, was inspired by local band Geliga, which has performed jazz with an ethnic Malay touch in many festivals, including last year’s Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival.
“We combine Jazz with Malay musical elements. We want to introduce Malay culture to Indonesian people and the world,” Gusrianto, Geliga’s bassist, said in a press conference in Jakarta.
Riau scholar and the festival supervisor, Yusmar Yusuf, said jazz as global music could be used as a media to attract international attention to the Malay culture.
“In this globalization era, we want to use jazz to promote our culture,” he said.
Yusmar hoped the festival would attract a local and foreign audience, especially from neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
He said the festival was expected to complement the existing Singapore Jazz Festival, in Singapore, and the Penang Jazz Festival, in Malaysia.
As well as performances from bands and musicians, the festival’s committee will also hold discussions and coaching clinics to introduce jazz to young musicians.
Last year, the first Malacca Strait Jazz Festival, which was held to commemorate the province’s 50th anniversary, was praised by music critics as one of the best jazz festivals organized and staged outside of Jakarta.
The provincial administration has pledged to support the jazz festival by including it in its annual tourism program, as well as the government-sanctioned Visit Indonesia Year 2008 program.–A. Junaidi
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 25th, 2008
JAKARTA (JP): In an attempt to boost the number of museum visitors, Surabaya-based non-profit organization, House of Sampoerna, has published a brochure advertising seven museums in Indonesia.
The publication is part of the “Wisata Museum” program, which promotes museum tourism.
“Tourism is not merely related to recreation or having fun but also to education and cultural appreciation. By getting to know about our culture, people will learn to appreciate it,” Ina Silas of the House of Sampoerna said during the program’s launch at the National Museum in Jakarta on Thursday.
The seven museums are the National Museum, Museum of History and Bank Mandiri Museum, all in Jakarta; Batik Danar Hadi Museum in Surakarta, Central Java; Geology Museum in Bandung; and Sepuluh Nopember Museum in Surabaya.
The seven museums were chosen based on their capacity to accommodate visitors. The House of Sampoerna conducted a survey of museum attendance before deciding to publish the brochure.
Dedah Sri Handari of the National Museum said interest to museum had increased within the last few years, but it should be supported by enough information on museum’s collection and programs.
Data from the National Museum shows that the number of visitors to the museum fluctuated over the last three year. It reached 170,437 in 2005, shrink to 120,331 in 2006 and slightly increased to 162,227 in 2007.
These number were dominated by students and members of organization that held visiting program to the museum. In 2005 more than 55 percent (93,812) of visitors were students, in 2006 61 percent (73,481), while in 2007 48.43 percent (78,602) were students.
According to Education Ministry data, there are 275 private and state museums in the country.(mvm/**)
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 22nd, 2008
Ambon, Maluku (ANTARA News) - At least 300 British tourists aboard `Sagarose` cruise ship were expected to visit Maluku province`s capital of Ambon next March 3, 2008, a local official has said.
“Some 300 British tourists are scheduled to stay in Ambon for about eight hours to visit a number of tourist objects and enjoy Maluku`s special arts attractions,” Spokesman for the Ambon city administration, Henry Sopacua, said here Thursday.
Preparations have been made jointly with Maluku province`s Tourism Office, local security authorities, immigration office, state shipping company PT Pelni and local port administrator to welcome the foreign visitors.
Various preparations have also been made in support of the Visit Indonesia 2008 program, he said.
The British tourists were slated to visit the cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers who were killed during the World War II in Kapahaha area, Natsepa beach, Liang beach and Eel tourist site in Waai village.
The British tourists were also expected to enjoy the view of Ambon City where they can see the statue of national heroin Martha Christina Tiahahu in Karang Panjang area and Mt. Nona.
“Under the directives from Ambon Mayor Jopi Papilaja who has the idea of inviting the 300 British tourists, we are also preparing an arts collaboration performance dubbed `Tatobuang` and `Sawat`,” Henry said.
Head of Maluku province`s tourism office, Ape Watratan, hinted that Maluku Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu has included the visit of the 300 British tourists in the provincial tourism program in support of the Visit Indonesia 2008.
“The number of foreign tourists coming to Maluku continues to rise thanks to the increasingly conducive security situation following the communal conflict which began in 1999 but has now ended in peace,” Ape said.
Tourists from Australia have even frequently visited Maluku despite a travel warning issued by their government, he said. (*)
Source: ANTARA News
February 22nd, 2008
New York (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar called on all countries in the world to work harder to implement the Bali Action Plan agreed on at the Climate Change Conference in Bali last year.
“We should remember that we only have little time, namely in 2008 and 2009 to formulate the four challenges of mitigation, adaptation, transfer of technology and funding, including adaptation funding and illegal logging,” Witoelar said at a United Nations General Assembly session on climate change here on Tuesday.
He said both developing and developed countries should work hard to implement the action plan because of the little time left.
The Bali Action Plan is a global plan adopted at the Bali conference to tackle global climate change.
Witoelar said the developed nations should take the lead in implementing the action plan, stressing also, however, that the efforts would only be successful if all parties, including the developing nations, private sector and the peoples of the world, took an active part.
“Developing nations will act more in conjunction with the ambitious commitment of the developed nations,” he said.
Indonesia, he added, would keep on playing a role to ensure that all related parties would hand-in-hand realize the commitment to holding a meeting on climate change in 2009.
Representatives from more than 190 countries at the Bali conference managed to pave the way for the formulation of a new framework to repalce the Kyoto Protocol which would expire in 2012.
The Bali Road Map which the Bali conference also produced ackowledged the need to reduce greenhouse emission dramatically, draft a new protocol by 2009 so it could take effect in 2012.
The map obliged the developed nations to reduce their green house emission while the developing nations were asked to do likewise voluntarily.
The developed nations were also requested to transfer environment-friendly technology to the developing or poor nations to help the latter face climate change.
Witoelar also said Indonesia had launched a national action plan (RAN) on climate change in support of the global action plan.
RAN contained guidelines for all parties in Indonesia involved in efforts to cope with climate change.
Indonesia, he said, was now in the process of setting up a climate change center as a starting point to implement the national action plan, facilitate and supervise the utilization of technical assistance from, and the conduct of cooperation, with the international community in efforts to handle climate change. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2008
Source: http://my-indonesia.info/
February 21st, 2008
By Sara Webb
LHOONG, Indonesia (Reuters) - As a rebel fighter, Marjuni Ibrahim hid out in Aceh’s jungle. These days he leads “guerrilla tours” taking visitors with a taste for extreme hiking and an interest in Aceh’s turbulent past over the same terrain.
The treks in the northwestern tip of Indonesia are an attempt to lift Aceh out of poverty by developing local tourism projects and reviving the crippled economy after a 30-year conflict and a devastating tsunami in 2004.
So just as tourists in Vietnam can scramble through the Cu Chi tunnels used by the Vietcong in the Vietnam war, visitors to Aceh can see where the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) hid from or fought against the Indonesian army (TNI) until as recently as 2005 when the two sides signed a peace agreement.
Marjuni takes tourists on a scramble over sharp rocky trails, past teak trees cloaked in creepers, and alongside pristine waterfalls and sparkling rock pools.
This part of Aceh is home to the endangered Sumatran tiger, deer, and hornbills, as well as rather less appealing leeches.
“The area is very beautiful. I like trekking and I was interested to see what life was like during the conflict,” said Hugo Lamers, a Dutch aid worker who went on one of the guerrilla tours last year.
“It’s difficult to imagine but three or more years ago they were running around here with guns and fighting the TNI. When I went, they took us to a place where they had lost some of their friends. And then you realize that we are there for fun, but for them this was really serious.”
Some of the hikes cover terrain where fighting took place or where visitors can see reminders of the conflict such as leftover army foodpacks and army graffiti. But a few of GAM’s former hiding places still remain secret, perhaps for fear that they might one day be needed again.
ABUNDANT RESOURCES
Marjuni, now 28, joined GAM when he was 20, driven by “injustices, such as the murders of civilians by the TNI just because they were suspected GAM.”
An estimated 15,000 people died during nearly three decades of fighting for Aceh’s independence. Many others were tortured by the Indonesian military, or traumatized by the conflict.
This part of Sumatra island, once a separate kingdom, was an important centre for trade thanks in part to its strategic position at the northern end of the Malacca Strait, the sea lanes linking Asia to the Middle East and Europe.
But post-colonial Indonesia had no interest in allowing a separate Aceh. The region’s abundant natural resources, including oil, gas, and timber, provided revenues for the government. The army moved in to crush opposition among the 4 million Acehnese, with as many as 50,000 troops operating in the area by 2003.
Marjuni said his group of about 20 GAM fighters used to hide in the jungle for several days at a time because they knew that if they returned home, they were likely to be picked up by the army and either tortured or, like Marjuni’s brother, jailed.
But every week or so, his unit had to come out of the jungle to pick up rice and other provisions at an agreed location.
“I was most scared coming down from the jungle in case the TNI was there,” he said.
They drank water from the waterfalls, and if they missed their food drop, they were forced to live off a fern-like plant or whatever else they could find to eat in the jungle.
DECOMMISSIONED
It was from high up on the jungle-clad hill that Marjuni and his unit saw the tsunami hit Aceh on December 26, 2004. The noise was so loud they thought it was an aerial bombing.
First the hill shuddered, dislodging rocks. Then in the distance they saw the sea turn black and rush inland.
“We saw it come in and we were very scared” said Marjuni, whose sister and parents were among the 170,000 who died or disappeared in the tsunami in Aceh.
While much of Aceh’s coastline was destroyed, the disaster provided an impetus for both sides to pursue peace. Indonesia withdrew troops and police, while GAM fighters came out of the jungle and gave up their weapons in exchange for an amnesty.
Marjuni found work rebuilding homes and infrastructure for a couple of dollars a day. Then one day, he was approached by Mendel Pols, a Dutch citizen who had founded a small adventure tours firm called Aceh Explorer and who was looking for former GAM fighters to take groups of tourists trekking in the jungle.
“When I told GAM my idea they looked at me like I was from Mars,” said Pols, who is married to an Acehnese and lives in the capital Banda Aceh.
So far, most of his customers have been foreign aid workers who are based in Aceh for the post-tsunami reconstruction. As business takes off, he plans to invest in better hiking boots for the guides, and provide first aid training.
“I want to make the Acehnese aware of the potential for community-based tourism, and put Aceh on the map as a friendly tourism destination,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Mita Valina Liem in Jakarta; editing by Megan Goldin)
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/
February 20th, 2008
Novia D. Rulistia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After a month’s delay due to the recent turmoil in domestic and global stock markets, travel-agent PT Destinasi Tirta Nusantara is slated to list its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) on March 12.
“We decided to postpone the original listing schedule of Feb. 18, as we were waiting for the market to recover,” Destinasi chief executive officer Satrianto Tirtawisata said.
The company’s new schedule for the share offering is March 3-5.
The firm is expected to raise Rp 117 billion (US$12.5 million) in proceeds from selling 335 million shares at a price of between Rp 270 and Rp 350 per share.
Destinasi is among eight firms that will list their shares on the IDX during this year’s first quarter.
According to the firm’s president director, Dharma Tirtawisata, 50 percent of the proceeds would be used to open several new branches in locales in eastern Indonesia, as well as an office in Thailand.
Dharma said the remaining 25 percent of the proceeds would be used to strengthen the firm’s working capital, with another 25 percent to be injected into subsidiaries.
The planned expansion, he added, was expected to help raise the firm’s net profit to Rp 26 billion in 2008, up from an estimated Rp 10 billion in 2007.
Destinasi, with operations in Bali, Lombok, Yogyakarta and Jakarta, is an inbound tourism firm that brings foreign tourists to Indonesia, as well as provides them with accommodations during their stay.
Last year, the firm attracted more than 73,000 foreign tourists to Indonesia, with most of them coming from Europe.
In line with the government’s ambitious Visit Indonesia Year 2008 tourist campaign Satrianto said the firm had targeted to bring in around 100,000 foreign visitors this year.
The government targets seven million foreign tourists and as much as $6.4 billion in foreign exchange income in 2008.
Last year, 5.51 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia, up by merely 13 percent from 4.87 million in 2006.
Last year’s visits generated $5.3 billion in foreign exchange income, up from $4.4 billion in 2006.
Source: The Jakarta Post
February 19th, 2008
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