Contract for US-funded Banda Aceh-Calang road to be signed in May

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - The contract for the construction of Banda Aceh-Calang road section which is to be financed by the United States is expected to be signed next month, a regional government official said here on Saturday.

"The contract for the construction of the road is expected to be signed by the government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in May," Assistant II to the Aceh Regional Government Secretary, Usman Budiman, said when opening a workshop on the Aceh Recovery Forum.

He said that the land clearance was now in progress and was expected to be completed late this month or early in May.

The United States government through the USAID will rebuild the 150-km long Banda Aceh-Calang (Aceh Jaya district) road which was damaged by the tsunami which hit the province in December 2004.

Head of the Nias-Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR), Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said 54 percent of the land clearance had been finished.

"We are still facing a problem with the land clearance in Aceh Besar district, while in Aceh Jaya, the land clearance is almost finished," he added.

He said that the United States for International Development had repeatedly asked about the land clearance problem.

Japan allocates $15.7 million for Jakarta MRT

JAKARTA (Antara): The Japanese government reiterated that it would lend Indonesi US$15.7 million to develop Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) in order to reduce traffic congestion and improve Indonesian investment climate through infrastructure development, a Japanese official said.

The Japanese readiness to provide Indonesia with the loan was first conveyed in a meeting between Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hassa Wirajuda and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso on Nov. 28, 2008 when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Japan, deputy Japanese Ambassador Satoru Satoh said Friday.

The MRT project will be built from Lebak Bulus area in South Jakarta to Dukuh Atas area which already has a railway track. The system will have 4 km track under the ground and 10.5 km above the ground. Construction of the MRT system is slated to be finished in 2014.

Indonesia Model for Air Traffic Management

Thursday, 26 April, 2007 | 12:00 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesia has been appointed as a model country for the application of an air traffic contingency plan to manage world flights.

The appointment was based on the size and strategic value of Indonesia’s aerial area.

The contingency plan is air traffic management that anticipates the disturbance of aviation traffic services guiding by the air traffic service unit.

A disturbance may be caused by natural disasters, technical errors, fires or crimes.

Kyotaro Harano, Regional Officer for Air Traffic Management of the International Civil Aviation Organization Asia Pacific region, has stated that Indonesia’s aerial area has an significant role in the air traffic system of the Asia Pacific region.

“It is used by carriers from east to west and vice versa,” he said after an opening of Air Traffic Management Contingency Plan Finalization Meeting at the Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta, yesterday (04/25).

Kyotaro went on to say that Indonesia was also measured as disaster-prone country--including earthquakes, tsunami waves and volcanic eruptions--as the basis of the appointment.

Those sorts of disasters had the potential to seriously disturb air traffic serviced.

Should a natural disaster cause any dysfunctions at two area control centers in Indonesia, this would affect international flights.

HARUN MAHBUB

'Ojek' keep on the left side of the law

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If you can't beat them, befriend them. That was the catch cry as police invited more than 3,500 ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers to the opening of their keep-left safety campaign on Wednesday.

The ubiquitous, zig-zagging public transportation mode, based at an estimated 10,000 ojek posts throughout the city, has often been blamed for worsening the city's traffic chaos.

Head of the traffic unit at the city police, Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo, said the campaign is being held to promote safe riding habits among the ojek drivers.

"We want to improve their riding skills and their understanding of the importance of safe riding as well as their obedience of traffic signs," he said.

The campaign is urging motorists to equip themselves with compulsory gear, including helmets. It is also aimed at improving ojek drivers' knowledge of traffic rules and signs.

Police records show the massive number of motorcycles on Jakarta's streets have made a significant contribution to the city's hefty road toll.

Between January and March this year, police recorded 150 accidents resulting in 51 deaths, 14 serious injuries and 68 light injuries. The data also shows that 15 of those who died were victims of hit and run accidents.

Police also issued around 9,000 tickets for traffic violations during the period, a reflection of Jakarta motorist's notorious tendency to flout road rules.

The police are monitoring at least eight accident-prone areas in Greater Jakarta: Jl. Letjen Soeprapto in Central Jakarta, Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta, Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta, and Jl. D.I Panjaitan in East Jakarta, as well as Jl. Thamrin in Tangerang, Jl.A. Yani in Bekasi, and Jl. Margonda in Depok.

During the safe riding campaign, the ojek drivers rode from the city police courtyard on Jl. Gatot Subroto to Slipi, West Jakarta, then turned around, heading to Cawang, East Jakarta, and back to the Jakarta police headquarters.

Eco-driving campaign to cut emissions

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The clean air campaign group Swisscontact has stepped-up its effort to promote environmentally friendly driving in order to cut car emissions, the main contributor to Jakarta's air pollution.

The group's campaign officer, Tory Damantoro, said the company will perform training in so-called "eco-driving" techniques for drivers working in the private transport company Hiba Utama.

"In the first stage, we will train 100 Hiba Utama drivers, starting in May," Tory told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Hiba Utama currently operates around 2,000 passenger buses.

Eco-driving was first promoted in Indonesia by Swisscontact last year when the group trained 50 truck drivers from the publicly listed cement maker PT Holcim Indonesia.

Tory said truck drivers using eco-driving techniques could save fuel consumption by up to 10 to 15 percent.

"With small improvements in driving style, drivers can save significantly on fuel consumption and cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (CO2)," he said.

"So if 3 million cars traveling across the city applied eco-driving techniques, there would be an energy saving of Rp 400 billion per year. It's an easier way to clean the city's air," he said.

Eco-driving techniques have been developed in several European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Britain and Switzerland since the mid-1990s.

The British government is now planning to make eco-driving training a requirement for obtaining a driver's license.

Swisscontact has long pushed the Jakarta administration to clean the city's air.

The organization's massive campaigns led the administration to issue a bylaw on air pollution control requiring, among other measures, compulsory emissions tests for all private cars.

The bylaw also makes the use of more eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) compulsory for all public transport.

However, the bylaw has not come into full effect due to poor law enforcement.

The administration has also tried to discourage people from driving private cars into the city by increasing parking fees and improving busway services.

The administration also plans to implement electronic road pricing this year to substitute the current three-in-one lane system.

Experts have said emissions from road vehicles contribute to up to 70 percent of the city's air pollution.

Tory said his company would analyze CO2 emission reductions resulting from the eco-driving program.

"If possible, we will develop the eco-driving style to reap money from the clean development mechanism (CDM)," he said.

The CDM is part of Indonesia's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, which allows developing nations to trade carbon credits gained through reduced emissions.

A ton of reduced CO2 emission is currently valued at between US$5 and $10.

Eco-driving Tips:

1. Anticipate the traffic, look as far ahead as possible 2. Drive smoothly and at a constant speed 3. Change gears economically, shift up gears quickly 4. Stay in higher gears with lower engine RPM (revolutions per minute) whenever possible 5. Coast a lot 6. Decelerate smoothly 7. Avoid breaking abruptly 8. Use engine breaking

Source: Swisscontact

Govt seeks air traffic services from the region

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government is planning to use the air traffic control (ATC) services of other countries such as the Philippines and India to compliment its own controllers in Jakarta and Makassar to ensure the safety of all international flights in Indonesian airspace.

"Indonesia is seeking backup air traffic control and management services in case its two ATCs fail to work at the same time," said International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) air traffic management regional officer Kyotaro Harano.

Harano was speaking Wednesday at the "Air Traffic Management Contingency Plan" meeting with the Transportation Ministry, state-owned airport operators PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I and II and officials from various countries.

The meeting is to be held over three days.

"Right now, if the Jakarta ATC was to shut down, then the Makassar ATC could cover its activities and vice versa. But if both failed, no controller could cover them," Harano told reporters.

"A contingency plan is needed for Indonesia, which has a vast amount of space to monitor, so international flights can continue," he added.

Jakarta's area control center, managed by AP II, oversees air traffic for western Indonesia, while the Makassar center in South Sulawesi, managed by AP I, oversees air traffic for Indonesia's eastern regions.

Air traffic control units coordinate aircraft flight paths both on the ground and in the air to prevent collisions and other accidents. An ATC also provides information to pilots, such as on weather, navigation and "notices to airmen".

"Both controllers have sophisticated systems. The tragic events surrounding the Indonesian aviation industry in the recent past have had nothing to do with their ATCs," Harano said.

Critics have highlighted, however, that Indonesia's ATC at Makassar was unable to detect the missing Adam Air jetliner that plunged into the Sulawesi sea earlier this year.

The ICAO, which is currently providing assistance to Indonesia, said that other countries might follow in the footsteps of Indonesia if its project was a success.

Director General of Air Transportation Budhi M. Suyitno said the main components of an ATC, such as facilities and human resources, could still be disrupted by natural disasters.

"These are earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis and fires, among others," said Bambang Tjahyono, secretary at the directorate general for air transportation.

"To face these inevitable events, an air traffic service (ATS) contingency plan must be prepared and implemented," he said.

The Transportation Ministry said it hoped the meeting could discuss in more detail the draft to harmonize the implementation of an ATS contingency plan.

The National Transportation Safety and Security Evaluation Team (EKKT), an ad hoc group formed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has previously said that to improve air traffic management, Indonesia should place its ATCs under the supervision of one body.

The chairman of the EKKT, Chappy Hakim, said that after careful examination, the team recommended that Indonesia pursues a single provider policy like those implemented in Australia, the U.S. and Europe.

Chappy said that air traffic in Indonesia was still being managed by five operators. These are AP I, AP II, the Transportation Ministry Technical Unit, the Batam authority and the Singaporean Civil Aviation Authority.

Having a single provider, he added, could ensure better safety controls and coordination to safeguard air traffic against disasters.

Government allocates Rp9 trln to renew old railway tracks

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has allocated Rp9 trillion to renew worn-out railway tracks, Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said here Thursday.

"The government will repair old railway tracks, rails and railway bridge," he said after attending a meeting of Indonesia's second largest Islamic movement the Muhammadiyah.

Most of wooden rails were no longer in good condition as they were set up in Dutch colonialism, he said.

The minister attributed railway accidents in many factors.

"Heavy downpour and landslide were the cause of derailment of carriages of Serayu train in Garut district in West Java last week," he said.

Yet other railway accidents were mostly triggered by worn-out railway tracks and rails, Hatta said.

Renewing railway tracks, rails and railway bridge will take time as damage has been found in many railway tracks, he said.

"Railway bridges which were made during Dutch colonialism will not be removed but renewed," he said.

Hatta was one of some ministers who observed the Muhammadiyah meeting.

Another train derails on new Garut track

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

An economy-class train was derailed in Garut, West Java, on Tuesday, while traveling on a new track constructed to replace on that was damaged in a landslide and caused another train to derail last Saturday.

One car of the Pasundan economy-class train, which was carrying at least 400 passengers from Bandung to Surabaya in East Java, left the track at Sukamaju village in Kersamah district in Garut at 10:28 a.m. No casualties were reported.

The accident took place three days after two passenger trains, the economy-class Citra Jaya (Serayu) and the executive-class Argo Lawu, suffered accidents on Saturday.

Around 70 passengers were injured when five of the Serayu's cars jumped off the track in Kersamah district and fell into a ravine.

Following the latest accident, train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia has announced it will not use to route until the tracks are fit for use.

The company's spokesman in Bandung, Sukendar Mulya, said two trains scheduled to leave Bandung on Tuesday night would travel by another route.

"We advised the last two trains to take the northern train route, through Cikampek and Cirebon," he said.

He could not provide details on when the tracks in Garut could be used, but said that once the repair works were complete, trains traveling through the area could not exceed five kilometers an hour.

Sukendar said passenger numbers from Bandung had dropped around 15 percent recently from the usual 2,000 passengers a day

He blamed the decline on the moving of train routes through Cikampek.

New park to teach traffic rules

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

One Indonesian dies on average every hour in traffic accidents, with the total number of deaths having reached 15,762 in 2006, data from the Indonesian police office shows.

"It means that last year, traffic accidents killed 1,300 people every month, 45 every day, or two people every two hours," the chairman of the national boy scout movement, Asrul Azwar, said on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the Taman Lalulintas Saka Bhayangkara traffic park in Cibubur, East Jakarta.

Asrul said he was deeply concerned that most accidents were caused by people's ignorance of traffic rules.

Operational deputy of the national police, Insp. Gen. FX Soenarno added that a lack of understanding and obedience of traffic regulations resulted in more than 2.6 million traffic infringements last year.

Soenarno said the traffic park, which was initiated by the Indonesian police headquarters and the national boy scout movement, was intended to educate people about traffic rules.

The park will also be aimed at educating children to become traffic conscious and obey traffic rules when they become drivers.

The park comes complete with traffic signs, transportation simulations and miniature cars for the children.

A miniature of the National Monument (Monas), Gambir railway station, and the parliamentary building were also built in the garden.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono officially opened the park, which was built on a five hectare former camping ground contributed by the boy scout movement.

Mufidah Jusuf Kalla, members of United Cabinet Solidarity, the national Police Chief Gen. Sutanto and Henny Sutanto, the chairwoman of the organization for the wives of police officers, Bhayangkari, also attended the event.

The First Lady urged all motorists to obey traffic rules, including wearing helmets, for their own safety.

"People should use the pedestrian bridge to cross the street whenever possible," she said.

Toyota tops world`s largest carmaker GM in first-quarter sales

Tokyo/Washington (ANTARA News) - Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp has for the first time topped US giant General Motors (GM) Corp as the world`s largest automaker, on Tuesday reporting higher sales figures for the first three months of 2007.

Toyota said first-quarter sales rose to a record 2.35 million vehicles, a rise of 9.2 per cent on the year-earlier period. Detroit-based GM last week said sales climbed 3.3 per cent to 2.26 million units, also a record.

Most analysts expect Toyota to be the world`s top automaker by the end of 2007, ending GM`s 76-year dominance of the global market. The Toyota City-based company has projected sales of 9.34 million vehicles for the year, a 6-per-cent increase on 2006, while GM is cutting back production in an effort to return to profitability.

Asian automakers have continued to make inroads into the global market as the so-called Big Three in the US - GM, Ford Motor Co and Chrysler Group - have announced plant closures and worker lay-offs to stem losses.

Domestic sales for major Japanese carmakers fell in the fiscal year 2006, but Toyota and Honda Motor Co saw their exports and global output rise, the companies announced Tuesday. Nissan Motor Co struggled, however, with declining exports and production.

Including subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co and Hino Motors Ltd, Toyota`s sales in its home market fell to 2.33 million units in fiscal 2006, which ended March 31, a drop of 2.7 per cent from the previous year, but its exports surged 22.8 per cent to 2.8 million units.

Japan`s top automaker also increased its global production by 7.3 per cent to 9.01 million units. However, for March, Toyota`s global output dropped 0.2 per cent from the same month a year ago to 861,951 units.

Honda`s domestic sales for fiscal 2006 dipped 2.6 per cent to 691,529 units, but exports soared 19.7 per cent to 645,203 units. Honda`s global output rose 7.5 per cent to a record 3.7 million units.

In March alone, Honda`s global output expanded 5.7 per cent to 356,031 units from the same month a year before, but its domestic sales fell 9.4 per cent to 89,668 units, Honda said.

Train derails during a railway test in Garut

JAKARTA (JP): A number of train cars derailed from a railway section in Garut regency, West Java during a test after workers repaired the damage railway Saturday, causing two train cars fell into ravine.

MetroTV television reported that the Tuesday incident had panicked hundreds of passengers, who rushed out from the train cars, fearing that the cars would fall again into ravine.

At least 70 train passengers Saturday were injured after train cars derailed from their tracks.

The workers have to work hard to repair the railway in Sukamaju village, Kersamanah district, since Saturday, Antara news agency reported.

Hartono, an officer on duty with state owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, said that before the passenger train was allowed to pass the railway, a 240 ton cargo train could pass itsmoothly.

ASEAN air transportation directors meet in Palembang

PALEMBANG (Antara): Some 80 senior air transportation officials from ASEAN member countries will begin a two-day meeting on Wednesday to discuss various issues of common concern, including the ASEAN Open Sky 2008 concept.

The 15th ASEAN Air Transport Working Group Meeting (ATWG) will start Wednesday and last until Friday, M Taufik of the meeting's organizing committee said on Tuesday.

Indonesia was to hold two ATWG meetings this year. After the upcoming Palembang meeting, the second meeting will take place on Bali Island in August 2007.

The Palembang meeting would be attended by delegations from ASEAN's 10 member countries, namely Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.

The meeting would also be attended by representatives of the United States and the European Union, sub-division head of the Domestic Air Transport Directorate Lilien Ambarwiyati said recently.

The representatives of 57 airline companies have confirmed their participation in the meeting, she said.

The meeting would among other things discuss issues relating to the liberalization of air transportation in the ASEAN region.

17 Asia-Pacific Airlines Holding Conference in Bali

Tuesday, 24 April, 2007 | 15:56 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The representatives of 17 airlines in the Asia-Pacific are gathering in Bali Tuesday –Wednesday (24-25/4) to discuss the management of carrier materials. The conference is expected to be able to improve the distribution link of carrier components in order to reduce the costs of material and maintenance.

“Therefore, we will also involve airlines and manufacturers that produce spare parts,” said Andrew Herdman, Director of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) in Nusa Dua, Bali. The conference is also being attended by vendors, suppliers, service providers and experts in the aviation industry.

For the aviation industry group in Indonesia, the meeting will be a chance to promote their ability. One of the promoters is PT GMF Aero Asia (Garuda Indonesia Group) that showed their capability in providing various services, especially in supplying carrier material in addition to carrier maintenance.

Managing Director of PT GMF Aeroasia Agus Sudarya stated that as the largest maintenance company in Indonesia, their activity has always been aimed at meeting the aspects of quality, competitive prices and complete services.

According to Agus Sudarya, carrier materials supply and management that PT GMF Aeroasia controls is also capable of restricting various risks such as lack of materials, overstock and obsolete risk. The efficient material management, according to him, is assured of improving the company's profit because 60 percent of revenues are generally allocated for components and maintenance.

GMF Aeroasia, established in 2002, said Agus Sudarya, has been approved by civil aviation authorities in Indonesia, that is the Directorate of Air Qualification Certification (DSKU). In addition, the company has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Rofiqi Hasan

Guv vows progress on city projects

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Governor Sutiyoso has said he will focus on achieving progress on key infrastructure projects in the final months before his term expires in October.

"I will do my best to make way for the construction of big projects such as the East Flood Canal, the monorail, the Mass Rapid Transportation system (MRT) and low-cost apartment buildings," Sutiyoso told reporters in City Hall Monday.

He said that most of the projects had started so he hoped that his successor would be able to complete them.

For the monorail, he said he hoped there would not be any future problems with the its construction, since the government had issued a letter to guarantee any operation shortfalls for the project.

He said he hoped construction of the MRT would run smoothly after the government received a letter of guarantee from Japan.

Last year, Japan signed an engineering assistance agreement with the central government to develop the MRT and gave a one billion yen loan for the project.

When asked about infrastructure projects that have not yet been finished, Sutiyoso said he talked to several potential investors during his trip to the Middle East last week.

"I met with the president director of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and he showed his interest in the deep tunnel project," he said.

The city administration is planning to build a deep tunnel reservoir system that will run 17 km along the West Flood Canal. --JP

Govt mulls incentives for biofuel sales

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is considering offering financial incentives so as to encourage gas stations to stock biofuel blends, says an official.

Evita H. Legowo, an assistant to the energy and mineral resources minister, told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the incentives, which could take the form of tax relief or subventions, were necessary to ensure that biofuel retailers could continue to operate profitably.

"It is important to provide incentives because if oil prices fall below US$70 per barrel, the market prices of biofuels will be higher than the prices of pure hydrocarbon-based fuels," Evita explained.

She added that the government was in the process of formulating a mechanism for providing the proposed incentives so as to ensure that retailers would be interested in stocking biofuels.

Evita, who is also the first secretary of the National Biofuel Development Committee, said that the committee had proposed to the President that a subvention mechanism might be the best way forward to encourage retailers to stock biofuels.

"Sales of biofuels could be subsidized, like the premium gasoline sold by Pertamina," she said.

Evita also said that the government should consider adopting the methods employed by developed countries in promoting the sale of biofuels, such as imposing additional taxes on conventional fuels.

"Germany, one of the world's biggest biodiesel producers, has imposed a tax on fossil fuels. It might be worth our while to see how they do things over there," she said.

She added that the government could also consider the Philippine and Thai approaches, where it was mandatory for fuel retailers to also stock biofuel.

"However, before we would be able to introduce such a system, where retailers are required to sell biofuel blends, the government would firstly have to create enabling circumstances by providing financial incentives," Evita stressed.

She pointed out that state oil and gas firm Pertamina, which is currently the only biofuel distributor in the country, was finding it difficult to boost biofuel sales because of their higher prices.

Under the government's biofuel promotion plan, Indonesia will increase its usage of biofuels to 5.29 million kiloliters by 2010 and 9.84 million kiloliters by 2015.

Pertamina currently sells Biodiesel-5, a blend of 95 percent hydrocarbon-based fuel and 5 percent biodiesel, in Jakarta and Surabaya, and Bioethanol-5, a mix of 95 percent hydrocarbon-based gasoline and 5 percent ethanol in Malang and Jakarta.

In addition to the proposed incentives for biofuel retailers, the government has issued a regulation providing tax relief for investments in biofuel production.

In January, the government signed 58 agreements worth US$12.4 billion with 59 local and overseas energy firms for the development of oil-palm plantations and processing facilities.

Local lenders Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Mandiri, Bank Bukopin, the West Sumatra regional development bank and the North Sumatra regional development bank have pledged to provide loans of up to Rp 25 trillion for the development of plantations and Rp 25 trillion for the building of processing plants.

Hypermarkets Allowed in City Centers

Monday, 23 April, 2007 | 14:29 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Zoning Decree that Parliament passed on March 26 regulates the zoning of modern market.

As for more-detailed arrangements, they will be included in the regional zoning made by regional governments.

Based on the zoning policy, for example wholesalers are allocated in suburban areas, hypermarkets in the major cities, supermarkets in satellite cities and mini-market in districts and sub districts.

“Modern markets cannot be built anywhere, although the allocation is not strict,” said Hermanto Dardak, Director General of Zone Planning at the Public Works Department, when contacted on Thursday (19/4) in Jakarta.

The arrangement is related to the environment, such as traffic jam potential and facilities, as well as infrastructure needs.

“What hasn’t talked about yet is competition with traditional market,” said Hermanto

The Trade Department complained about the zoning in the Government Regulation Draft on Modern Markets.

RR Ariyani

Mandala passengers complain over delay

TANGERANG (The Jakarta Post): Hundreds of would-be Mandala airlines passengers were stranded for hours at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Saturday.

Passengers due to fly on the 9 a.m. Yogyakarta flight finally lost their patience after about 1 p.m. With no explanation for the delay forthcoming from the airlines, the passengers turned in their tickets and switched to another carrier.

"After one hour of the delay, we asked for an explanation from airline management at the airport, but there was no clear reason for the delay and we were even told that the flight would leave at 1 p.m.," said Azis, one of the stranded passengers.

Disappointed with the poor service, all passengers finally flocked to the airline office to cancel their tickets.

"I was supposed to be in Yogyakarta at 12 a.m. to attend job training," said Azis, a resident of Ciputat, Tangerang, after waiting for about three hours.

Azis said however that he had no plan to demand compensation from the airline.

"They fine us if we cancel our tickets, but they don't offer compensation to passengers suffering from such long delays."

Dedi, an employee at the airline's operations department at the airport, insisted the delay was not caused by any damage to the plane. -- JP

Indosat launches 3.5 G broadband service with speed of 3.6 Mpbs

Batam (ANTARA News) - State telecommunications operator PT Indosat has launched a 3.5 Generation (G) mobile telecommunication broadband focused on Internet data service with a speed of 3.6 Mpbs here on Sunday.

"The 3.5 G broadband Indosat focuses on Internet data service," Indosat marketing director Wahyu Wijayadi said.

He said the 3.5 G broadband service was offered in light and medium packages respectively with a capacity of 1 GB and 2.5 GB.

"These packages could be adapted to the subscribers` need," he said.

Until July 2007 Indosat will give a 50 percent discount to 3.5 G Broadband subscribers which is equal to the discount on 3.5G service that has just been launched only in Batam.

Wahyu said Indosat 3.5 G provided better sound, video call service and Internet data access than other telecommunications companies.

He said during the promotion period, Indosat would provide a 10-minute free of charge video and TV mobile calls and a discount of 50 percent of the normal rate for continuing minutes of local and long distance calls to ordinary Indosat subscribers.

Indosat on Sunday also launched a Community Festival which is a customer appreciation program.

Wahyu said "we also plan to hold the event in 12 other cities in Indonesia."

The program includes Meet and Greet, Gaming Competition, Music community Gathering, Live Music Corner and Press Conference.

Indonesia to give import tax exemption on cars above 3,000 CC

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - With a view to protecting the automotive industry in Indonesia, the government will only grant an import tax exemption on cars above 3,000 cc.

"Only cars above 3,000 cc will be exempted," the director general for transportation equipment industries, Budi Darmadi, told ANTARA News here on Sunday.

Some automotive producers in the country were worried that the government might open its market to cars of all categories in the framework of the Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement (JIEPA) currently still in the making.

Budi said the government would not liberalize its market for cars of all categories because the automotive industry at home had already developed not only to meet domestic needs, but also for exports.

Under the current circumstances, he said the tax exemption would only apply to cars above 3,000 cc while cars below that would continue to enjoy protection.

"We have not produced cars with engines above 3,000 cc and likely will not do it in the near future or will not completely include it in our development plan," he said.

He said the local market share of cars above 3,000 cc was still relatively small as the cars were still considered a luxury and therefore their tax reached more than 75 percent.

He said the government would not offer to liberalize the market for cars below 3,000 cc to Japan because the domestic industry was just developing the type of cars such as Toyota Innova and Fortuner that have engines above 2,000 cc.

"So far the focus of development is on multi-purpose vehicles, sport utility vehicles and small sedans to meet both the domestic and export market," he said.

Budi admitted that the offer to liberalize the market of cars above 3,000 cc was not yet settled because Japan still sought for the liberalization of cars below 3,000 cc.

"Japan wishes for the liberalization of the market for all categories. We will not open the market of cars that we have already made and will make in the future," he said.

In the 3,000 cc segment Japanese cars will compete with cars from Europe and the US such as Mercedes, BMW and Ford.

Astra Honda ready to increase production capacity

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT Astra Honda Motor is ready to increase its production capacity of its plant in Cikarang, Bekasi, to anticipate increasing demand for motorcycles.

"It will not be done now but we are ready to increase the capacity because expansion is still possible to be done at the plant compound in Cikarang," the company`s president director Miki Yamamoto said to ANTARA last weekend.

Its third plant in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java, which was inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in September 2005 sits on a 30-hectare land and has drawn an investment of around US$140 million.

Yamamoto said the use of the plant compound could still be optimized to increase the plant`s production capacity if the motor cycle market in the country continued to rise.

He predicted the motorcyle market in Indonesia would grow by 10 to 20 percent this year compared to around 4.4 million units last year.

"The 10 percent growth is a conventional figure but a 20 percent growth may occur if economic and political stability in Indonesia continues to improve. Strong demand for motorcyles in Indonesia may still continue as there is still room for it," he said.

The motorcyle demand in the country could still grow higher than 10 percent in view of the country`s increasing population, he said.

He said Astra Honda Motor would continue to increase its investment in the country especially for providing components of new models currently being developed.

Yamamoto said the capacity of Astra Honda Motor at present was around three million units a year which could still meet the market demand in short term.

In 2007 the company, according to marketing director Johannes Loman, expects to control 50 percent of the national motorcycle market which is projected to reach 4.6 million to 5.0 million units.

In view of that the company`s production this year is expected to reach between 2.4 milion and 2.5 million units which are still below the company`s installed capacity of three million units a year.

Dozens injured in train accident

The Jakarta Post

Dozens of passengers were injured in two separate train accidents in Central and West Java on Saturday.

At least 70 passengers were injured when three cars from a Citra Java (Serayu) economy-class train jumped their tracks in Kertasamah district, Garut regency, West Java, at 3:20 a.m. (see photo).

The eight-car Serayu train departed from Pasar Senen station in Central Jakarta carrying around 600 passengers and was bound for Kroya station in Central Java.

The train's three derailed cars fell into a ravine some 20 meters deep, while two others hung from the ravine's edge.

The accident, which took place between Warung Bandrek and Bumi Waluya stations in Garut, forced the cancellation of several trains departing from Bandung.

The injured passengers, including 16 who are heavily injured, were taken to Malangbong community health center and Garut and Tasikmalaya hospitals. Uninjured passengers were allowed to continued their trips by bus.

Train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia's Bandung spokesman, Sukendar Mulya, said the accident was likely caused by a heavy downpour in the area.

"The accident site was not the one being closely monitored because it is not located in a slide-prone area. This (accident) was caused by nature, not something we did," he said.

The train company, he said, would pay out Rp 2.5 million (US$271) to Rp 5 million per person in compensation to injured passengers.

Meanwhile, an executive Argo Lawu train, which left Surakarta in Central Java bound for Jakarta, derailed in Cilongok in the regency of Banyumas, Central Java, at 12:30 p.m.

No casualties were reported in the accident, which took place 20 kilometers from Purwokerto station.

Dida, a staff member at Purwokerto station, told tempointeraktif.com that only one of the train's cars jumped from its tracks. Details were not given on the number of passengers on board at the time.

The accidents are the most recent after a Tawang Jaya train derailed in Tegal, Central Java, on April 7, killing two passengers and injuring 19 others. (JP/Yuli Tri Suwarni)

Indonesia minister calls for new-car ban

The Peninsula, Web posted at: 4/20/2007 8:49

Source ::: AFP

JAKARTA • Indonesia's environment minister defended yesterday his proposal to ban sales of new cars in a bid to slash pollution levels, amid concern from local automakers.

Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said the plan could be introduced if new anti-pollution measures did not improve air quality in smog-filled cities.

"The ban is a warning from me as environment minister because the air quality is already at a really bad level in some rapidly growing urban areas," Witoelar said.

"We need to stop the sale of new cars, at least we need to have a pause of new car production, unless they (carmakers) produce friendly new cars that use gas, biofuels or electricity," he said.

The minister said he would seek support from government colleagues for the proposal if the new measures proved unsuccessful.

The moves include publicly grading cities from the dirtiest to the cleanest. Indonesia had already introduced new emission standards based on international guidelines, he added.

The capital Jakarta and some other cities suffer chronic smog levels and traffic congestion is a major problem.

The auto industry warned the move would impact heavily on production and jobs, and said the minister seemed unaware the industry was already complying with international environmental standards.

The Indonesian Vehicle Producers Industry Association, whose members include the nation's biggest car dealer PT Astra International, called on the minister to get serious on pollution and crackdown on other industries and power plants.

"Pollution from vehicles is still nothing compared to other pollution sources," association general secretary Freddy Sutrisno said.

"The government should also come up with policies which help reduce urbanisation, spread out industries to other islands and take decisive action in battling forest fires," he said.

"And most important, they should set down long term policies to enable thorough preparation for their implementation."

Witoelar acknowledged the social impact of the ban would be horrendous for many Indonesians. But he said pollution from vehicles was also damaging, contributing to global warming.

"It's true that the ban would have an impact on Indonesian economic growth but we need to understand the impact of pollution on our planet would be bigger in the future if we don't try to stop from now causes of climate change."

He said he was concerned about rising levels of private car ownership which some data shows increasing at 11 per cent a year.

But association figures say sales of new cars plunged 40 per cent in 2006.

Govt plans air quality ranking system

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has announced a new scheme to rank cities based on air quality, in an effort to push local administrations to cut pollution.

State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said Tuesday the new initiative would at first include only 11 cities and municipalities that already have installed air monitoring devices.

"The rankings will help show whether or not the administrations have developed sustainable transportation systems in order to cut air pollution in urban areas," the ministry's deputy assistant for mobile sources emission pollution control, Ridwan Tamin, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the new program would measure traffic conditions, pollutant levels, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, as well as the number of air monitoring stations and the health impact of air pollution.

"We will also examine policies issued relating to air pollution to determine awareness levels of administrations and the total budget allocated to monitor air quality," Ridwan said.

The ministry's team, which will involve transportation experts and non-governmental organizations, is scheduled to inspect targeted areas from May to August.

"We expect to announce the results to the public in September," Ridwan said.

The government has repeatedly pushed local administrations to revitalize transportation systems to cut down vehicle emissions, which are major contributors to air pollution.

It wants administrations to introduce eco-friendly public transportation that can be enjoyed by all levels of society.

The ministry earlier pointed to Jakarta's busway system as an example of a sustainable transportation system, if managed properly.

The busway features a number of buses using eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG), and is part of an envisioned mass rapid transit (MRT) system officials hope will resolve long-standing transportation problems in the capital. The future MRT may also include a subway, monorail and water taxis.

Jakarta is the first city in Indonesia to have a busway system. The capital also issued a bylaw on air pollution control in 2005. The bylaw requires all private cars to obtain emissions tests twice a year, and mandates the use of CNG for public transportation vehicles.

However, there is still not full implementation of the bylaw because of poor law enforcement and a lack of support infrastructure.

The Jakarta administration recorded only 48 good air quality days last year, up from 28 good days in 2005.

Data from the environment ministry shows that in 2005, Surabaya recorded 21 good air quality days, Bandung 40 days, Medan 24 days and Semarang 229 days.

The ministry earlier said the air quality ranking system was part of its plan to include air quality in the annual Adipura environmental awards.

Currently, the awards only recognize the cleanest and greenest cities based on waste management.

Targeted Areas

No. City 1. Central Jakarta 2. South Jakarta 3. East Jakarta 4. West Jakarta 5. North Jakarta 6. Surabaya 7. Medan 8. Semarang 9. Bandung 10. Yogyakarta 11. Makassar

Two trains derail in separated locations in West Java

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP) : Two trains derailed Saturday in separated locations in West Java: Purwakarta and Garut regencies, reports say.

MetroTV television reported that a number of train cars of Serayu economic class-train derailed in Garut, causing some 50 of its passengers suffering serious and minor wounds.

Chairman of the National Committee for Transportation Safety, or KNKT Tatang Kurniadi said the incident was caused by the poor condition of railway in the area.

MetroTV television reported that workers were still trying to evacuate train cars, who were derailed from their tracks.

Meanwhile Argo Lawu executive train derailed in Purwakarta regency later in the day. There is no report of injury among the passengers, but the incident had disrupted other trains for continuing their trips.

A string of train accidents have occurred since the recent months, mostly caused by poor condition of railway, which are mostly constructed during colonial era.

Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said recently that his ministry has allocated more than Rp 200 billion (US$ 21.98 million) to repair train tracks across the country.

Minister might take rail project

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said Friday his office might take over a railway project linking the capital with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in nearby Tangerang.

"I will take over the project if the current operator fails to work on the project," Hatta was quoted as saying by detik.com news portal.

"The project will be completed if the company works on it. Otherwise they will never finish it."

The rights to the 30-kilometer project are currently held by PT Rail Link, a joint subsidiary of state railway operator PT Kereta Api and state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II.

Hatta said his ministry gave PT Rail Link until the end of this year to finish the project's engineering design, to organize financing and to acquire land.

"We want the railway to be operational by the end of 2008 or early 2009," he said.

The project will use an existing railway linking Manggarai station in South Jakarta with Kalideres station in West Jakarta, from which a new 9.3-km railway track will be constructed to connect Kalideres to the airport. The land required for the project is densely populated. -- JP

Monorail construction to resume

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Construction of Jakarta's monorail will resume at the end of this month after a two year delay, despite the fact that a $500 million loan for the project from the Dubai Islamic Bank has not yet been received.

"PT Jakarta Monorail (JM), the project's developer, has some $70 million of equity as a guarantee to ask for a $180 million loan from a local bank consortium to restart the Green Line (monorail) project," Governor Sutiyoso said Thursday.

It was earlier estimated the two-line monorail project would cost US$650 million.

But Sutiyoso said JM would need only US$ 480 million because it did not have to make any asset guarantee to the Dubai Islamic Bank.

The monorail's Green Line, which will run through Central and South Jakarta, is projected to cost the company US$250 million while for the Blue Line, which will run through East Jakarta and West Jakarta, will cost US$230 million.

The Dubai Islamic Bank had agreed to invest in the project on assurances the central government and the city administration would cover half of the losses incurred in the operation of the monorail.

After the government issued its guarantee letter earlier this month, several local banks including BRI bank, BNI bank, Mandiri bank and the city-owned DKI bank, showed their interest in funding the project.

"We will have problems getting loans from the Dubai Islamic Bank because the bank is offering Islamic bonds (sukuk), which are not yet regulated for in our country," Sutiyoso said.

The House of the Representatives is currently deliberating one bill on Islamic banking and the other on the issuance of Islamic bonds.

The law on Islamic bonds was scheduled to have been passed last month.

Operational director of JM, Sukmawati Syukur, said the Dubai Islamic Bank was ready to disburse the loan anytime, but that JM was constrained by legal uncertainty from getting the funds.

"In the meantime we've decided to ask for loans from the local banks because the procedure is easier," she said.(05)

New Tangerang roads to ease traffic

The Jakarta Post

TANGERANG: The construction of the Cileduk underpass and Sudirman-Veteran overpass in Tangerang will start in July, an official said Thursday.

"We hope the two projects will be completed within 14 months," Satrio Utomo, an official at the Public Works Ministry told reporters during a visit to Tangerang.

He said the ministry was examining the land at the project sites, as the two roads have been designed to resist an earthquake of up to 6.0 on the Richter scale and survive for at least for 100 years.

The municipal public works agency's head, Engkan Lengkana, said the 950 meter Cileduk underpass would cost Rp 42.7 billion while the 318 meter Sudirman-Veteran overpass would cost Rp 44 billion.

"Both projects will be financed through loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation," he said.

Engkan said the administration had spent Rp 18 billion for land acquisition to pave the way for the two projects.

The administration released 700 square meters land for the underpass and 700 square meters for the overpass.

The overpass is expected to ease traffic on Jakarta-Merak turnpike and at Serpong heading to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.--JP

Airport installs CCTV security

The Jakarta Post

TANGERANG: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II has installed 193 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras inside terminals to increase security.

The company's spokesman Wasfan Wahyu said Angkasa Pura also planned to install 83 CCTV cameras to monitor security outside the terminals.

"We're doing this all to maximize security at the airport," he told journalists Thursday.

Wasfan said the new CCTV cameras used infrared to detect suspicious objects from long distances, even in the dark.

He said each camera would send data to security posts after setting off an alert.

"The cameras, which will be completely installed by the end of the year, will replace (some of) the roles of security officers," he added. --JP

Cramped commuters still waiting for better city trains

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The people standing on the platform at a Central Jakarta railway station wore anticipation on their faces. Looking sideways to the chugging sound of a train, the-would-be passengers got up to wait at the platform's edge.

Some gasped a little at the sight of the overcrowded train approaching, dreading the next hour. Others, seemingly used to the sight, showed no reaction.

The train to Bogor finally arrived at Tanah Abang Station on Wednesday morning. One by one, the passengers miraculously got inside the packed train cars, as if sucked in by an unseen force.

For many people living in Greater Jakarta, economy class trains are the main transportation choice. Cheap and fast, the train is an effective means of urban transportation.

"I prefer using the train to buses, because it's cheaper and faster. I don't have to go through traffic jams," said Tuti, a 40-year-old Depok resident who commutes to Jakarta.

The fare for a economy class train ride from Depok to Jakarta is Rp 2,000. Taking a bus can cost Tuti as much as Rp 5,000.

Anton, a 24-year-old clothes trader who travels to Tanah Abang three times a week, also feels the same.

"I depend on the train for my transportation because it's much faster," he said.

Tuti and Anton are among the many devout users of Jakarta's trains.

However, according to Anton, train passengers are less than happy. Many feel driven close to breaking point by the poor services they are forced to endure.

Anton said services for economy class passengers were close to inhumane. He said it was time the government upgraded services.

"The government should really work fast to improve train services. Because conditions now are close to unbearable."

State-owned train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KA) is planning to launch an electronic ticketing system.

"People would get into the station just like when they enter a Transjakarta (Busway) stop," KA's Jakarta spokesman, Achmad Sujadi, said.

The electronic tickets are planned to be used at the Sudirman, Tanah Abang, Karet, Palmerah, Kebayoran, Pondok Ranji, Sudimara and Serpong stations by the end of this year.

"We will implement this for passengers who are subscribers first. Later we will try to implement it for all passengers," he said.

Anton said that electronic tickets would create order in train stations, "however, improvements should go further than that."

He said he had seen passengers fall off moving trains more than once.

"The doors are never shut and there are too many people," he said. He had frequently seen people fainting, he added.

"I guess it's because of the lack of trains servicing Greater Jakarta. It's such a shame because they're a very effective means of transportation."

Despite the obvious overcrowding of Greater Jakarta's trains, they in fact only serve around two percent of transportation in the region.

According to Achmad, 420 train rides serve 500,000 passengers in Greater Jakarta daily.

"By the end of 2009, we will operate air-conditioned economy trains and we will expect an increase in passengers to 1.5 million (per day)," he said.

Achmad said the Transportation Ministry had procured 140 air-conditioned trains from Japan, while KA had bought around 50.

He said that the company plans to charge a flat fare of Rp 5,000. "It is still being discussed," he said.

But Anton won't wait for two years.

"I think the government shouldn't wait so long if they want to improve the train services. The conditions are really hideous," he said.

Transport ministry to work with U.S.

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Director General for Air Transportation, Budhi M. Suyitno, said Thursday that the Transportation Ministry would seek technical assistance from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on flight safety measures.

"If agreed, the FAA will send its four experts on evaluation and regulation methodology, infrastructure, safety equipment and airworthiness," Budhi said as quoted by detik.com news portal.

The program, which will be covered by the Transportation Ministry's budget, should last from one to two months, he said. -JP

LIPI ready to meet radar demand

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) says it has met specifications set by the Indonesian Navy after successfully develop maritime radars.

The institute announced Monday that it had successfully developed maritime radar technology in collaboration with the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. The radar is able to detect any object entering Indonesian territorial waters.

"The Defense Ministry has ordered three maritime radars with a coverage of about 35 nautical miles each," said LIPI's radar project head researcher Mashury Wahab on Thursday.

Mashury, who attended a two-day radar seminar at LIPI headquarters, said the Navy required a radar with a minimum coverage of 20 nautical miles.

The institute said, however, that further research is still required to meet specifications set by the Air Force.

"Usually, it takes about six months to build a radar after the order is placed. The manufacturing time for each unit for an institution may also vary as a radar is usually ordered for customization," he said.

"Military and civil radars, such as for the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), have different characteristics and specifications."

As for the Air Force, Mashury said LIPI was already planning to develop a more sophisticated radar system.

"Our partner from the Technical University of Delft is optimistic that we could develop the radar, as they have enough expertise."

Local engineers, he said, were already able to repair foreign radars used by the Air Force.

The Air Force, which currently uses radars imported from the U.K. and France, said it would use domestically-produced radars developed by LIPI provided they have a coverage of 250 nautical miles.

It is estimated that the cost of using domestically-produced radars is one-tenth the cost of using imported radars.

Umar Anggara Jenie, LIPI's chairman, told The Jakarta Post that the further development and implementation of domestically-produced radars would have to occur in phases.

"We should first apply the currently available technology before reaching the next level," he said.

"A leap in such technology, such as in the enlargement of the radar's radius, cannot be achieved without using the currently available technology first."

Mashury insisted the advancement of local radar technology should be balanced with the establishment of a supporting organization.

"Indonesia needs a national radar organization as a means of communication between related institutions. It'll become a forum for exchanging ideas and to collaborate in research," he said.

He proposed that the organization should consist of highly-ranked officials, such as government ministers dealing with defense, research and technology affairs, chairpersons of LIPI, BMG and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, as well as representatives from state airport operators PT Angkasa Pura I and II.

Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Adang Suwandi Ahmad, said that prior to reaching the manufacturing stage, radars should be subject to testing and certification phases.

"Then we also need supporting industries such as the state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia," he said.

Public confidence in Indonesian airlines still high: govt

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is convinced that public confidence in airline companies in the country is still high although the United State government has advised its citizens not to use Indonesian air carriers, a spokesman said.

The statement was made by Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kristiarto Legowo here on Friday in response to a United States government call on its citizens not to travel by Indonesian airplanes.

"We are convinced that public confidence in Garuda (Indoesia`s national flag-carrier) is still high. When visiting Indonesia recently, the Norwegian prime minister flew in a Garuda plane to a domestic destination. This is a form of confidence despite the recent accident involving a Garuda plane in Yogyakarta," he said.

Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa said on Wednesday the issuance of a travel warning by the United States government was not affecting the national aviation industry too much.

Previously, the United States Embassy in Indonesia, after a meeting with the United States Federation Aviation Companies, issued a travel warning advising its citizens not to go on Indonesian airline flights.

The minister said it was not the first time for the United States to issue such a travel warning. It did the same thing when Garuda Indonesia was to reopen a route to the United State some time ago.

Trigana Air skids off runway in Papua

JAYAPURA (Antara): A Fokker 27 plane belonging to Trigana Air made an emergency landing at the end of the runway of Wamena airport in Jayawijaya district, Papua province, at 8 am local time after one of its tires broke out.

"A tire of the cargo aircraft manned by pilot Capt. Vincent and two crew members carryng 4.5 tons of different kinds of cargos from Jayapura broke out when landing at the airport. The accident claimed no life," a manager of Trigana Air in Jayapura, Bustomi,told Antara Thursday.

He said the ill-fated aircraft is still at the end of the airport's runway.

It was reported that Trigana Air's Twin Otter plane has flown from Jayapura to Wamena carrying a new tire to replace the broken one.

"The plane is expected to resume operation after the broken tire is replaced with the new one," he said.

Govt to make 15 new ferries until 2009

Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The government is planning to build 15 new ferries until 2009 to replace old ones, a transportation official said here Wednesday.

"The program will hopefully improve people`s confidence in sea transportation," spokesman of the Transportation Ministry`s transportation system division NM Teweng told a meeting on West Nusatenggara (NTB) development planning taking place here April 16-19.

Many participants of the meeting had lodged complaints about old ferries which were still being used in inter-island transportation in NTB province.

They also expressed dissatisfaction about the condition of special ferry ports in NTB which only had worn-out ferries.

Teweng said the government had conducted an audit on all transportation sector modes to improve safety and comfort in transportation services.

He said the government was committed to improving national transportation service, safety and human resources development, science/technology improvement, energy saving and transportation business betterment in order to restore people`s confidence in the transportation sector.

Deadly accidents in air,sea and land transportation have befallen the country during the past few months.

A passenger ship carrying more than 500 people sank on its way from Kalimantan to Java late December while a plane carrying more than 100 passengers went missing on its way from Surabaya city to Manado city early this year.

Air Asia to open direct Banda Aceh-Kuala Lumpur services

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Malaysian airline company Air Asia is planning to open a regular direct Kuala Lumpur-Banda Aceh air service in June or August, a spokesperson said.

"We are ready to put one Airbus on the service between Kuala Lumpur and (Banda Aceh`s) Sultan Iskandar Muda airport vice versa. The plan is one of our commitments to supporting the flow of investment to Aceh province," Air Asia`s planning manager, Yap Mun Ching, said here Wednesday.

The tentative time to start the new service had been set at next June or August, Yap said after a meeting with Aceh Vice Governor Muhammad Nazar.

"We and the Indonesian government as well as other concerned bodies in Aceh are now working out the technical aspects of the plan. I hope preparations for the opening of the direct air service will not run into any significant problem," he said.

"We hope to operate an Airbus thrice a week between Kuala Lumpur and Banda Aceh," he added.

A one-way ticket on the planned Banda Aceh-Kuala Lumpur route may cost between US$20 and US$60 per person.

Meanwhile, Aceh Vice Governor Muhammad Nazar said Aceh`s provincial administration fully supported Air Asia`s plan and intended to increase Sultan Iskandar Muda airport`s passenger handling capacity by expanding its terminals.

Indonesia threatens ban on airlines

Mark Forbes, Jakarta

theage.com.au, April 18, 2007

SEVEN large airlines will be banned within three months if they continue to fail safety requirements under a shake-up the Indonesian Transport Minister says will enhance aviation standards.

Hatta Radjasa said airports would also be upgraded, including lengthening Yogyakarta's runway.

Mr Radjasa said he was considering banning passenger jets that are more than 10 years old. Most planes now flying were older than 20 years, he said.

Mr Radjasa promised to release the full voice recording from the cockpit of the Garuda flight that crashed in Yogyakarta last month, killing 21 people including five Australians.

An investigation by Indonesia's Transport Safety Commission has pointed to pilot error resulting in the plane landing at excessive speed on a runway that did not meet international specifications. Mr Radjasa refused to speculate on why the pilot landed at 410 km/h, nearly double the maximum safe speed.

But the commission's chairman, Tatang Kurniadi, told The Age that Captain Marwoto Komar was claiming a wind "pushed" his plane faster during the landing. "He felt he was pushed, there were winds," he said.

Investigators were seeking further information from Meteorology Office officials to confirm the pilot's claim.

"He did not try to reduce (his speed). But then we have to find out why," Mr Kurniadi said.

Mr Radjasa said the cockpit voice recording would be released when the investigation ended in about three months. "We will open to the public, we have done it before," he said.

Mr Kurniadi expressed concern about the promise and said the voice recording could not be used in any criminal case against the Garuda pilot. Police are conducting a parallel criminal investigation into the crash.

By 2009, all major Indonesian airports would be upgraded to meet international standards and would be equipped with instrument landing systems and modern radar, Mr Radjasa said.

If the seven airlines with the lowest ranking in a recent safety check did not make changes within three months, "we will close them", Mr Radjasa said.

US warns citizens off

THE United States has advised its citizens not to fly on Indonesian airlines, saying recent accidents raise questions about aviation safety. In the message to its citizens in Indonesia yesterday, the US embassy cited an audit by the Indonesian civil aviation agency.

The audit of 54 firms last month revealed none made it to the first of three rating classes, while six were told to comply with safety regulations in three months or face closure.

Indonesian govt to build double track railway in Banten

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - The Indonesian government says it plans to invest around Rp400 billion (US$44.4 million) in the construction of a double track railway between Serpong and Maja.

Scheduled for completion in 2009, the 20 kilometer track will be an extension of the newly completed Tanah Abang-Serpong track, which will be put into operation later this week, Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa said.

A feasibility study is being made on the project, with funding to come from the state budget, Rajasa said.

Delta Air focused to expand operations in Asia

Tokyo (ANTARA News) - Delta Air Lines Inc. is committed to expanding its international services by making its key Atlanta airport serve as a gateway to Latin America for Asian passengers, as the U.S. carrier is set to soon exist from bankruptcy, a senior Delta official said Tuesday.

"As we look to expand to more worldwide, we`re very focused on Asia," Pam Elledge, Delta`s vice president in charge of global sales, told reporters in Tokyo.

"There is a significant amount of Asian travel to Latin America and we want to be able to continue to grow on that," Elledge said. "Atlanta is the key connecting point and the most convenient point linking Asia and Latin America."

Delta said international services accounted for about 35 percent of its total revenues in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Delta said it wants to raise the ratio to 50 percent in the years ahead by taking advantage of the world`s largest airline hub in Atlanta, where the company is headquartered.

The No. 3 U.S. airline, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2005, marked the 20th anniversary of connecting Japan and the United States in March.

After 2004, Delta`s only connection between Japan and the United States is between Tokyo and Atlanta, flying daily.

At present, this is the only Delta route to Asia, but the airline will begin services between Atlanta and Seoul in June and is hoping to fly to Shanghai in 2008.

Delta used to have nonstop flights from Tokyo to Los Angeles, Nagoya to Los Angeles, Tokyo to New York and Fukuoka to Portland, Oregon, but those were discontinued partly due to a drop in passengers following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

Delta aims to emerge from bankruptcy at the end of this month with a court approval and plans to list its new common stock again on the New York Stock Exchange in May.

Delta said the current route between Japan and the United States is running at more than 90 percent capacity. But the company said it finds it difficult to expand the service due to a lack of slots at Narita airport, near Tokyo.

Delta declined to elaborate on whether the company has a plan to resume services in other parts of Japan, Kyodo News reported.

Russia and Indonesia agree to implement “Air Start” project

16.04.2007, 17.21

BERLIN, April 16 (Itar-Tass) - An agreement to form an international company to implement the “Air Start” project was signed on Monday at the world’s biggest Hanover Industrial Fair. This unique project, implemented jointly with Indonesia, was included in the Federal Space Program of Russia.

In conformity with the signed agreement, it is planned to build, jointly with Indonesia, a little cosmodrome on Biak Island, located seventy kilometres away from the Equator. It will be used to launch light-weight sputniks, Director-General of the “Air Start” aerospace corporation Anatoly Karpov told Itar-Tass. The Memorandum on Intentions, which was also signed on Monday, stipulates an order to launch light-class telecommunication geostationary sputniks, he added.

Equatorial launches will substantially improve the performance of the “Air Start” complex and will make it competitive on the world market of launching services, Robert Ivanov, the corporation’s chief constructor, stated in turn. The launching of sputniks from Biak Island will make the orbiting of cargoes much cheaper.

Taking part in the meeting also was Head of the Federal Agency for Industry Boris Alyoshin.

Kalimantan railroad 'in the works'

Ika Krismantari and Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Po - 2007-04-17 10:27

Jakarta, April 17, 2007 (The Jakarta Post) - Following the enactment of the new Rail Transportation Law, which allows the private sector to play a role in the development and operation of railroads, Japan's Itochu has announced preliminary plans to build a 700-kilometer rail line in Central Kalimantan.

The railroad, which will be the first in Kalimantan and is expected to cost about US$1 billion to build, will initially be used to transport coal in the natural resource-rich province. To show its commitment to the plan, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the central government Monday for the conducting of a four-month-long feasibility study to determine the design of the railroad and the actual cost of the scheme — the first rail project outside of Java and Sumatra islands.

Itochu's chief officer for Indonesia; Yasuo Ichimura, said that the feasibility study would be conducted on the first 300-kilometer stretch of line from Muara Teweh in North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan, where the company has a coal concession trading under the name Marunda Grahamineral, to Buntok, which is located on the banks of the Barito river.

The first phase of the project, which is estimated to cost about $300 million, would be open to traffic by 2012.

"The next 400 kilometers will be built two years after the opening of the first segment," Ichimura said.

He said that the company was fully aware of the project's great future potential given the province's abundant coal resources — estimated at more than 50 percent of the country's total coal reserves of 5.8 billion tons.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry expects that a railroad coal transportation system will be in place to link coal mines and terminals in the northern part of East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and the southern part of South Kalimantan by 2020. It also expects there to be some 38 coal mining firms availing of the railroad network by that time.

Ichimura said that Itochu had proposed a public-private financing scheme, under which the Indonesian government and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation would cover 70 percent of the cost required for track-laying and the construction of other infrastructure, while the remaining 30 percent of the cost would be covered by the company and its partners.

Responding to this suggestion, Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa, who represented the central government during the MoU signing ceremony, said the government could only afford to cover 30 percent of the total project cost.

Separately, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said that his ministry had rejected a request from the East Kalimantan provincial administration for some Rp 11 trillion (about $1.2 billion) to be allocated from the national budget to cover the cost of part of the 1,860-kilometer Trans East Kalimantan Highway.

The central government, which this year paid out some Rp 540 billion for public works in East Kalimantan, had no more money to meet the request, Djoko said Monday during a visit to Balikpapan.

The highway, which is 87 percent completed, will connect big cities in East Kalimantan, including Balikpapan and Samarinda.

The project is part of a government project to open up road access in remote areas of the country, which it is hoped will be completed by 2009.

Businessmen invited to develop properties above railway stations

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said Tuesday that the government had invited private companies to develop properties owned by state-owned railway operators PT Kereta Api Indonesia in urban areas.

"PT KAI has great numbers of assets in its stations to be developed into valuable properties," Hatta told reporters when inspecting the progress of double track constructions from Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta to Serpong in Banten.

He said investors could develop various commercial facilities like offices, hotels, and shopping centers above railway stations in trying to boost the value of assets owned by the state owned companies.

The recent approval of railway law by the House of Representatives made possible for the participations of private companies in the development of railway sector.

According to Hatta, the share of non-ticket sales to PT KAI income only reached some Rp 300 billion (US$32.97 million) annually or just 6 percent of the Rp some 29 trillion total annual income of PT KAI.

"With the development of the assets into valuable properties like shopping malls, hotels, and other commercial facilities, the share of non-ticket revenue could reach 50 percent from the total income of PT KAI," he added.

Speaking about the plan to develop commuter trains in the Greater Jakarta, Hatta said renovations and developments of railway facilities would continue.

He gave an example that after the development of double tracks from Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta to Serpong in Banten province complete, PT KAI would also develop double tracks from Serpong to Banten provincial town of Maja.

"The project, which needs some Rp 200 billion of fund is expected to finish in 2009," he added. (BBN)

U.S. warns against flying on Indonesian airlines

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP) : The United States warned its citizens Tuesday against flying on Indonesian airlines following a string of accidents, saying the country's civil aviation authority did not meet minimum international safety standards.

An Indonesian jetliner plunged into the sea from 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) on New Year's Day, killing all 102 people on board. Weeks later, another plane's fuselage split in half after a hard landing. And last month, a Boeing 737 careened off a runway andburst into flames, leaving 21 dead.

The Indonesian government has since carried out a review of its 20 carriers, concluding that none met all safety requirements.

"Whenever possible, Americans traveling to and from Indonesia should fly directly to their destinations on international carriers," the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement on its Web site.

It noted that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lowered its aviation safety rating for Indonesia from Category 1 to 2 - the lowest - on Monday "due to serious concerns" about safety oversight and operational control systems.

Dozens of airlines emerged after Indonesia deregulated its aviation industry in the 1990s, raising concerns that growth has outpaced the supply of trained aviation professionals, regulatory oversight and ground infrastructure.

RI helps launch Chinese satellite

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: The National Aeronautics and Space Agency and its Chinese counterpart successfully put Chinese navigation satellite Compass into orbit this weekend, an agency official said.

The satellite, which was launched in Xinchian, China, on Saturday at 11:07 a.m. local time, relayed an operational signal 570 seconds after the launch, agency spokesperson Syafidal told Antara in Garut, West Java, on Monday.

Meanwhile, he said the agency would launch several practice rockets from the area of Cilauteureun Pameungpeuk, 92 kilometers south of Garut, in the near future before sending a rocket into orbit.

On Jan. 10, 2007, the agency launched its first surveillance satellite, named Tubsat, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. Tubsat was launched by an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket, which concurrently carried Argentine and Indian satellites as well as an Indian scientific capsule.

Tubsat can monitor forest fires, volcanoes and floods, as well as transmit communications to and from remote areas across Indonesia.-- JP

Blind pilot makes fantastic trip around the world

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A blind aviator traveling from London to Sydney landed his mircolight aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta, on Sunday.

As the Pegasus Mainair GT 450 came to a stop at the airport, 58-year-old British pilot Miles Hilton-Barber roared "Tiger!"

Sweating from the heat, the silver-haired Hilton-Barber and his co-pilot, Richard Meredith Hardy, climbed out of the plane they had flown in from Palembang, South Sumatra.

"Fantastic, fantastic," the pilot said as he walked toward the airport building, holding Hardy's elbow.

Indonesia is the 18th country the two have set foot in during their 20,000 kilometers journey.

They have been flying since March 7. The journey has taken them from England to France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, the Middle Eastern, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia and now Indonesia.

Extreme heat, turbulence above the desert in Saudi Arabia, snowstorms and ice crystals on their wings above the mountains between Lebanon and Jordan are summed up in one simple quote by Hilton-Barber: "The flight has been very exciting."

After Jakarta, the two will fly to Surabaya in East Java, Bima in West Nusa Tenggara, and Kupang in West Timor.

They will then continue to Darwin before their final stop in Sydney, Australia.

Their journey, called "Microlight Adventure", aims to raise US$1 million to combat avoidable blindness. This fund-raising trip is part of Standard-Chartered Bank's "Seeing is Believing" program.

Hilton-Barber said every dollar he raised would be matched by the bank.

Currently, there are 37 million blind people around the world, 90 percent of them living in developing countries. Some 75 percent of cases of blindness are avoidable.

"The reason I'm doing this is not to become the first blind man to fly from London to Sydney, but to give sight to thousands of people that are loosing sight from avoidable blindness.

"Even though I have permanently lost my eyesight, with this journey I feel like Father Christmas flying across developing countries. It's like throwing parcels of sight to thousands of people," Hilton-Barber said.

He also said he wanted to send a message to people with this journey. "Don't let anyone say to you that you cannot reach your dreams. The only limit in our lives is within ourselves."

Becoming a pilot had been Hilton-Barber's childhood dream but doctors crashed the dream when at the age of 21, he was told he was losing his eyesight.

At the age of 30, as a result of a degenerative genetic illness, Hilton-Barber lost his eyesight.

Surviving depression, he was inspired by his older brother, Jeffrey, who also lost his sight. His brother was the first blind man to sail solo from Africa to Australia.

"Now, I'm living my dreams."

Hilton-Barber said he learned to fly four years ago. He said he uses a revolutionary speech instrument attached to his thigh that relays to him all the information he needs to fly.

He said his co-pilot, Hardy, acts as the seeing pilot onboard. Hardy is a famous microlight pilot who has flown a small aircraft above Mount Everest.

Prior to taking up flying, Hilton-Barber embarked on various adventures, such as climbing Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, and Europe's highest mountain, Mt. Blanc.

He has run marathons in China and Siberia, crossed the entire Qatar Desert non-stop in 78 hours without sleep and has completed more than 40 skydiving jumps to date.

Hilton-Barber said his next adventure would be to set the record for the fastest flight by a blind person.

"The previous record was 167 miles per hour. I want to set a record of 200 miles per hour."

Digital cartographer Tele Atlas plans to bring its mobile mapping vans to Asia

The Jakarta Post

SEOUL (AP): Tele Atlas NV said Thursday its trademark orange mobile mapping vans will be hitting the streets of Asia this year to collect data for the fast-growing digital cartography industry.

"Our plan is to rapidly start to deploy these into the major - say the top 10 to 20 - cities in the Asia-Pacific region where we have coverage," said Mark Steele, Tele Atlas' chief operating officer for the Asia-Pacific.

Tele Atlas operates in nine countries and territories in Asia including China, Indonesia, Australia and Thailand. That number will expand to 13 by the end of this year and will include India,Steele said.

Steele, speaking to reporters on the occasion of Tele Atlas' launching of its South Korea office, said he expected the vehicles to begin collecting data in Asia in June.

The 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands-based company plans to target Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan with the vehicles this year, Steele said.

The bright orange sport utility vehicles carrying the company's distinct logo - a boy on the back of a flying goose - are stuffed with high-tech digital mapping equipment and are a key tool in its quest to digitally map the world.

The logo is based on the Swedish children's book The Wonderful Adventures of Nils about a boy who gains a unique visual understanding of the world from his vantage point atop a flying goose.

The vans are equipped with six high resolution cameras, Global Positioning System, or GPS, receivers, laser scanners and onboard computers. They collect road network and lane information, imagesof street signs, store fronts and building heights "all without blinking," Steele said.

The information is processed at production facilities in India and Poland. The vans gather data for standard two-dimensional maps for car navigation systems and handheld devices, augmenting traditional methods such as networks of people in cars and on motorcycles.

The vehicles, already operational in Europe and North America, also collect information for three-dimensional maps, in which topographical features such as buildings are included to aid navigation.

Ecotourism to save Ciliwung river

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration has stepped up its efforts to improve the water quality of the Ciliwung River, which passes along the capital, as much-anticipated cooperation with neighboring cities to mend the river has been ineffective.

The administration is currently attempting to develop eco-tourism in the Ciliwung's upstream riverbank areas from Kelapa Dua in East Jakarta to Pejaten in South Jakarta.

"The eco-tourism project is still limited in the capital. We hope our neighboring authorities can follow (the project) so as to upgrade the water quality of the river," said Ridwan Panjaitan, head of the City Environmental Management Body's pollution control unit, on Saturday.

He said the program would empower residents living close to the Ciliwung's riverbanks to clean their portions of land.

"By doing so, there will no longer be people dumping waste into the river," he said.

He said the eco-tourism concept could also be developed in upstream areas because populations there were not as dense as downstream.

The program will be implemented in 13 neighborhoods in Srengseng Sawah and Lenteng Agung, both in South Jakarta, and in Tanjung Barat in East Jakarta. It will push for better sanitation, more efficient spatial planning and reforestation.

Ridwan said the program was developed in partnership with the University of Indonesia and Trisakti University.

"We will also involve figures who have succeeded in promoting clean and green concepts, such as Pak Chaeruddin, who will then turn Pesanggarahan River into a clean eco-tourism area," he said.

A waterway project is also on the way for the Ciliwung's downstream areas from Karet in Central Jakarta to the Manggarai watergate in South Jakarta.

The 4.2-kilometer waterway project aims to resolve long-standing transportation snags in the capital.

The City Transportation Agency earlier said that the pilot waterway project would begin in June. The administration has already setup three small ports along the route.

The Ciliwung river is one of the largest rivers passing through the capital. However, the river's water is now severely polluted.

Many claim the presence of people living illegally along the river's 117-kilometer bank is the main source of pollution for the Ciliwung.

The government has designated four levels of river water quality for the Ciliwung. Level one indicates that the water is potable and good to be used raw.

In Bogor, the river's water quality has been graded as level two, which means it can be used only for recreational activities. After passing the Condet area in East Jakarta, the Ciliwung's water quality falls to level four.

The government said it would need five years to upgrade the water quality by only one level.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to sign the decree on the management of the Ciliwung River by the end of the year.

The Jakarta, Banten and West Java administrations had earlier agreed to jointly rehabilitate the three big rivers that are the provinces' main sources of water -- the Ciliwung, Cisadane and Citarum rivers.

Garuda Indonesia 2006 net loss cut to Rp197 bln from Rp688 bln

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - State airline PT Garuda Indonesia said its net loss last year narrowed to 197.08 bln rupiah from a loss of 688.47 bln in 2005, aided by non-operating income and a reduced operating loss.

The company said its sales declined slightly to 12.34 trln rupiah from 12.65 trln the year before but the operating loss fell sharply to 378.73 bln from a loss of 668.07 bln in 2005.

It said the bottom line was boosted by net other income of 251.8 bln rupiah against net other charges of 16.74 bln in 2005.

Garuda also said that in the first quarter to March this year, it booked net profit of 114.85 bln rupiah on sales of 3.14 trln rupiah and operating profit of 114.02 bln.

It said its seat load factor (SLF) rose 77.3 pct in the first quarter from 69.9 pct in the first quarter of last year.

RI Air Force mulls receiving U.S. Hercules airplane grant

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): The Indonesian Air Force Chief Marshal Herman Prayitno said Sunday his force would consider receiving several C-130E Hercules airplanes grant from the United States.

"We consider the grant, but it is not our priority at the moment," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

The Indonesian Air Force, he said, was still focusing on renewing four C-130B and C-130H Hercules airplanes.

Indonesia to extend visa on arrival for more countries

www.chinaview.cn 2007-04-14 14:42

JAKARTA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is ready to extend the visa on arrival facility to 11 more countries in a bid to boost revenues from tourism industry, local press said Saturday.

English daily The Jakarta Post said a senior official with the Foreign Affairs Ministry had named the 11 countries likely to receive visa on arrival facilities, including Algeria, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Panama, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Tunisia.

Several foreign envoys welcomed reports of Indonesia s decision to extend the visa on arrival facility, which is currently available to the citizens of 52 countries and regions.

The main purpose of the extension is to boost tourist arrival numbers, which dropped by 2.61 percent to 4.87 million in 2006 from 5 million in 2005, according to local media reports.

The visa on arrival was first introduced on Feb. 21, 2004.

Under the system, tourists from selected countries do not have to apply out of the country for visas but can instead purchase them on arrival at Indonesia's international airports and seaports.

Repair of roads in Indonesia main island to be completed 2009

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said his ministry had plans to finish repairing roads in four main islands of the country, namely Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, in 2009.

He said that not all roads in the four islands were repaired, however. Priority would be given to roads that served as vital traffic lanes.

The minister said the government would give priority to the east and north Trans-Sumatra Highways in Sumatra, the northern lane in Java, the southern lane in Kalimantan and the western lane in Sulawesi.

For Kalimantan, the minister called on four governors to realize a proposed Trans-Kalimantan Highway project which were expected to speed up development in their regions.

The four governors who are grouped in the Kalimantan Regional Cooperation Forum conveyed their wish at a meeting with the minister recently.

The four governors were Teras Narang of Central Kalimantan, Rudi Arifin of South Kalimantan, Djafar Umar of West Kalimantan and Timur Yurnalis (acting governor) of East Kalimantan.

In Papua, according to the minister, the government was building roads which open access to remote areas.

"The Papua-Marauke highway is actually vital but we would first construct roads which connect the highway with remote areas and ports," the minister said during a coordination meeting here on Friday.

He said that there were about 34 national roads that needed to be maintained in order to support the development of national economy.

According to the minister, the constraints the government was facing in constructing roads so far included land clearance which often needed some two to ten years to finish.

On toll road, the minister said that there were still many toll roads awaiting investors. Besides, there were also banks which were prepared to provide funds for toll road projects.

Weapons seized at Makassar airport

The Jakarta Post

INDONESIA: Police confiscated a package containing weapons at Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi, after it arrived on board Garuda cargo flight GA 620 from Bali to Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Maros Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Muhammad Nur Didik Andiono said Saturday x-ray checks on the package Friday showed an image of a gun, but when the package was opened there were various sharp weapons inside. On its manifest, the package was said to contain agriculture tools.

"When we opened the package, there was a gun-shaped object inside which was loaded with eight taji (small sharp knives) and another box filled with another eight taji. The package also contained four bullet shells, 31 sickles, five knives and two machetes," Andiono said.

Andiono said the package was sent by someone identified only as SD with an address in Asah Duren village in Pekutatan district, Jembrana regency, Bali. The package was addressed to WS in Palu.

When asked whether the package may have been intended for use in a terrorist act, Andiono declined to comment, saying the case was still being investigated. -- JP

Only 40% commuter train's passengers buy tickets: Minister

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said Friday only some 40 percent out of 500,000 daily passengers of commuter trains in the Greater Jakarta bought tickets.

It caused state-owned railway operator PT KAI loses a lot of money.

Therefore, he added PT KAI had carried out various efforts to force train passengers to buy tickets including to minimize accesses to railway stations.

"Market in the Greater Jakarta is some 500,000 (per day)...while, those who pay for tickets only reach some 200,000," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying when elaborating the detail plan of commuter train revitalization program.

Many commuter train passengers prefer to illegally pay ticket checkers on train cars rather than to buy tickets at stations because they spent less money.

Ticket checkers are happy to receive Rp 1,000 (some 10 cent U.S. dollar) of illegal payment from a passenger although the ticket price from Jakarta to Banten's town of Rangkasbitung, for example, is Rp 2,500 per trip.

Hatta said his ministry allocated Rp 450 billion of fund to carry out renovation programs of railway facilities across in 2007 and 2008.The total train passengers across the country reach some 24 million.

Garuda flight lands safely with burst tire

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

A Garuda Indonesia airliner landed safely despite a burst tire at Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday.

A spokesman for the airline, Pujobroto, said the Boeing 737-400, carrying 134 passengers and seven crew members, left Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 7:45 a.m., for Makassar en route to Manado, North Sulawesi.

He said the pilot had noticed the plane shake unusually a moment after take-off but was unable to detect the problem as the plane's indicators were normal. He then asked the ground staff at Makassar to observe the plane's tire before landing.

"The plane was holding for 25 to 30 minutes before landing and the staff at Hasanuddin airport informed (the pilot) that the inner tire of the plane's left main wheel had burst," Pujobroto said in a statement mailed to The Jakarta Post.

The plane is now undergoing checks at Makassar airport.

State-run airport management company PT Angkasa Pura I spokesman Yan Daulima said the pilot, Adi Nasai, had reduced his speed by circling over the airport and using up fuel to cut the risk of landing with a damaged tire.

"The pilot told us that one of the plane's rear wheels was punctured. The pilot also informed us that he was trying to reduce his speed as must as possible, so he circled over (the airport). Fortunately, he landed the plane safely," said Yan.

"We did not feel a jolt when the plane was about to land. It landed normally," said Sumiati, a passenger.

She said that passengers were not initially aware that there was a problem, but after two hours of circling above the airport they began to grow worried.

"After two hours, we started to feel anxious. Several passengers were looking at their watches and some looking out the window, but the plane seemed to keep circling and was not about to land. Everyone seemed quiet. My friends and I tried to remain calm and prayed for a safe landing," said Sumiati, who was traveling to Makassar with two friends to attend a convention.

Another passenger, Budi Siahaan, said he heard a blast coming from the left side of the plane soon after it took off, but did not think that it was from a rear tire of the plane.

Passengers only began to panic when they were evacuated from the plane on landing and saw ambulances, fire trucks and officers on standby, as well as the damaged tire.

Yan Daulima said his office immediately prepared the necessary safety measures according to fixed procedures the moment the pilot told his office about the tire

He added airport authorities had closed air traffic for 30 minutes but that it did not interrupt incoming and outgoing flights since the flight schedule happened to be empty.

Workers have towed the plane to the apron while it waits to be repaired.

Merpati Boeing fails to take off

The Jakarta Post

TIMIKA, Papua: A Merpati Boeing 737-300 did not take off Friday from Mozes Kilangin International Airport in Timika, Papua, because of a system failure, said an airline spokesman.

The airplane was supposed to fly to Sentani Airport in Jayapura but will instead remain in Timika until Saturday for repairs.

Passengers were put up overnight in hotels in the town.

The aircraft, which serves Jakarta-Surabaya-Makassar-Timika-Jayapura route, arrived in Timika at 1 p.m. and was scheduled to leave at 2 p.m.

Head of Merpati's office in Timika, Sugiarto, said the plane's 102 passengers were on board the plane for about 10 minutes before the pilot informed them of the system failure.

"We've tried to repair the plane but it couldn't fly due to the failure ... we're sorry for the inconvenience but this is a system failure and not something our officials have made up," Sugiarto said. -- JP

Indonesia seeks India's clarification on forced Garuda flight rerouting

Posted April 13th, 2007 by Tarique

Indianmoslims.info

Jakarta, April 13 (NNN-ANTARA) The Indonesian government will soon summon the Indian ambassador to Indonesia to ask for clarification of a recent incident in which two Garuda Indonesia planes were forced to reroute their flights due to an Indian ballistic missile test.

"We will try to get clarification from the Indian side on the incident," Foreign Ministry spokesman Y. Kristiarto S. Legowo told the press here on Friday.

He said two Garuda planes which were respectively heading for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, were forced to change their routes and eventually had to return to Jakarta on Thursday due to the test-firing of an Indian nuclear capable intermediate-range ballistic missile.

"The Garuda planes were forced to reroute their flights because of the test and in the end returned to Jakarta," he said.

He said the Indonesian government needed to get an explanation from India on the case soon.

"We hope that countries in the region will each contribute to the maintenance of good neighbourliness, including in this case," Y. Kristiarto S. Legowo said.

An official of Indonesia-flag carrier Garuda Indonesia earlier said that the Garuda planes were flying over Colombo and India when they were forced to reroute.

Garuda had not received any prior warning about the missile test, he said.

India announced Thursday it had successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai.

The Agni-III missile was launched from Wheeler Island, 180 km northeast of Bhubaneswar, capital of the eastern state of Orissa.

Kristiarto Legowo said the Indian ambassador must explain as soon as possible why the incident happened since the airspace should have been closed.

"Usually closed airspace is alerted to international authorities but the fact is, our plane flew and had to return," he said.

The ministry could lodge a formal protest over the incident, Indonesia's Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa told the Kompas newspaper.

"There was no prior information about the test," the national carrier's operations director Ari Sapari was quoted as saying in the report.

"This clearly disrupted our schedule and caused us big losses," Sapari was quoted as saying. The plane resumed its journey four hours later.

Police offer safety course for motorcyclists

The Jakarta Post

BANDUNG, West Java: The Traffic Directorate of the National Police is offering a safety course for motorcycle riders in 100 cities across the country.

Patar Gunawan, head of development at the directorate, said the course was necessary to help motorcyclists drive safely on the country's roads. He said a high percentage of traffic accidents involved motorcycles.

"Of the 17,000 traffic fatalities in Indonesia last year, 12,000 were motorcycle riders. Our major concern is how to reduce that number," Patar said.

The officer said the safety course would be offered this month in a number of cities, including Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surabaya and Denpasar.

He said there were at least 35 million motorcycles in use across Indonesia, and that many of these motorcyclists had little idea about safe driving. -- JP

Emissions testing put on hold, again

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration's plan to punish motorists who failed emissions tests was delayed again Thursday, pending the completion of an ordinance that would be used as guidelines for the plan.

The Partnership for Clean Emissions (MEB), which was tasked by the administration to draft and oversee the implementation of mandatory emissions tests, said the enforcement of the plan had to be delayed until September.

The partnership had previously planned to complete the draft of the gubernatorial decree for the plan by March, giving time for public campaigns before enforcing it in July.

The drafting of the decree began in February, one year after the administration passed an ordinance on air pollution control.

"Drafting the gubernatorial decree has not been as smooth as we expected. We missed all our previous targets. So the enforcement of the law (now) can be carried out in September," John Livingstone Wuisan, the MEB's secretary-general, said.

He said the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) aimed to put the law into force on Sept. 6, World Ozone Day.

The administration had earlier said it would fully enforce emissions testing in July, when the term of Governor Sutiyoso expires.

Jakarta is scheduled to hold its gubernatorial election in August.

John said the decree delay had also effected the process of certifying the auto garages that would perform the emissions testing.

"The administration is still assessing 55 auto garages. Another 80 garages interested in hosting emissions tests have been registered with the city," he said.

In addition, John said, the Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo) had offered the use of 297 of its auto garages for the program.

The city currently has 115 certified auto garages with 239 technicians authorized to perform emissions tests.

In order to expedite the program, small enterprises may also be allowed to open shops to conduct emissions tests.

The draft plan would see all cars traveling in the capital, including Bekasi, Depok, Tangerang and Bogor, forced to comply with the emissions standard.

The administration first announced vehicles were required to have emissions tests in February.

However, private vehicle owners have so far not been sanctioned for failing to obtain an inspection certificate.

The emissions test program follows from a 2005 bylaw on air pollution control, aimed at cleaning the air in the capital.

Under the bylaw, which also requires public transport vehicles to run on compressed natural gas, the maximum punishment allowable is six months' jail or a Rp 50 million fine.

Woman killed by train in C. Jakarta

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: A woman died after being hit by a train in Pondok Jati, Central Jakarta, on Thursday morning.

Sumaryani, 43, a civil servant, had just dropped her child off at kindergarten, when she ducked under a railroad crossing gate and attempted to cross the tracks, according to a witness.

As the woman attempted to climb onto the railroad platform, she lost her balance and was hit by the passing locomotive. She died almost instantly of massive head trauma.

"She crossed the tracks even though she could see the approaching train," said Kasuwat, who was the crossing guard on duty at the time of the accident.

"The locomotive was only moving about five kilometers an hour."

On Wednesday, two men died after being hit by trains in separate locations in the city.

Railroad accidents occur frequently in Jakarta, despite safety measures and public warnings at railway crossings.

Adj. First Insp. I Wayan Pharma, a police officer from Duren Sawit subprecinct, said he usually received two to three fatal train accident reports every week. --JP

Indonesia`s March car sales up 26 pct yoy

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Domestic car sales were 26 pct higher last month than a year before at 33,905 vehicles, according to the secretary of the Indonesian Automotive Industries Association, Prijono Sugiharto.

Car sales were 42 pct higher last month than in February, he said.

"The sharp month-on-month rise shows that the car industry has recovered from the impact of flooding in February," Sugiharto told XFN-Asia.

He said the flooding here and in neighboring areas had hurt both the production and sales of cars.

Sugiharto is also a director of PT Astra International. He said Astra should have seen a pick-up in car sales last month, supported by new models.

Two men killed in railway accidents

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Two men were crushed to death by trains in separate accidents Wednesday morning, after they ignored safety barriers and crossed onto the rails.

Andi Anom, 43, was riding his bicycle across the safety barrier at a railway junction near Klender Baru Station in East Jakarta when the Jakarta-Bekasi Express train appeared at high speed.

"He died instantly, with his head crushed and both arms broken," said Adj. First Insp. I Wayan Pharma from Duren Sawit police subprecinct in East Jakarta.

The other victim, Roy Awan, 35, was hit by a train as he crossed the railway track near Senen Station, Central Jakarta, at 9 a.m.

Both of the men's bodies were brought to the morgue at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Central Jakarta.

"We usually receive two to three accident reports in a week," said Pharma.

Another body was also brought into the morgue early Wednesday morning. Edi Darmanto, 49, died in Sumber Waras Hospital, West Jakarta, at 11:30 p.m. from an alleged drug overdose.

Police arrest 102 for auto theft

The Jakarta Post

Jakarta Police said Wednesday they arrested 102 suspects in the last month for car and motorcycle theft.

The deputy head of the police's general crime unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Rudy Sufahriadi, said police had also confiscated 61 cars and 45 motorcycles from the suspects, along with false documents and equipment allegedly used in the thefts.

"(The suspects) belong to six different syndicates, most of them from other regions, who committed their operations in the city," he said.

Most of the suspects allegedly stole cars from upscale residential areas, but one syndicate allegedly led by a woman chartered cars from rental services and then pawned them.

"Renting cars is not expensive ... after they got the money from the pawn shops they ran away," Rudy said.

Most of the stolen cars were so-called multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) of various makes, including Toyota and Daihatsu. MPVs are easy to sell, especially in regions where they are used for public transport, Rudy added.

Japanese firms to vie for Indonesian railway project

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three Japanese consortia have qualified to bid for a railway project in Indonesia expected to cost about 660 million dollars, an official said Thursday.

The Indonesian government has cleared the three groups to tender for the six-trillion-rupiah project to build a 35-kilometer, double-track railway line in West Java, railway spokesman Suprapto told AFP.

The consortia are Marubeni-Tokyu, Itochu-Taise and Mitsubishi-Sumitomo, he said.

The project is partly financed by a 41-billion-yen (343-million-dollar) loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Consortia Tekken-Kajima and Takenaka-Mitsui failed to qualify, Suprapto said, adding the project would go out to tender in May with construction starting before the end of the year.

The railway line will link Manggarai in the south of the capital, Jakarta, to Cikarang in West Java.

The loan is repayable over 40 years, with a 10-year grace period, at an 0.95 percent annual interest rate.

Fuel saver theory on Garuda crash

Theage.com.au

A NEW Garuda Airlines policy of limiting fuel use may have influenced a pilot not to abort a Boeing 737 landing in Yogyakarta last month that resulted in 21 deaths, the head of the airline's pilots' association says.

Captain Stephanus Geraldus said the jet's pilot, Captain Marwoto Komar, made an "impossible" decision to continue landing at excessive speed.

His comments came after The Age revealed details of the preliminary crash investigation report, which found the plane was travelling at more than 400 km/h when Captain Komar hit the runway.

"This is a surprise, this is too fast. How could the pilot decide like that?" Captain Stephanus said. "The company is making extra payments to pilots if they can conserve fuel. Maybe this is bothering the pilot."

Captain Stephanus, who interviewed Captain Komar soon after the accident, said the pilot should have "gone around" and "there must be some human factor problem".

Indonesian officials released the accident report yesterday,after Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa tried to suppress its details.

The report finds the plane approached at "faster than normal speed with the flaps not configured for landing" and reveals the runway safety area at Yogyakarta does not meet international standards.

It also says fire and rescue vehicles were inadequately equipped and could not reach the scene quickly enough.

Several passengers are believed to have been burnt alive while airport fire trucks were unable to reach the jet, which caught fire from a ruptured fuel line soon after overshooting the runway.

The report rules out mechanical failure and weather conditions as causes of the crash, which left 21 people dead, including five Australians.

The report, by Indonesia's National Transport Safety Commission, calls for runways at major regional airports, including Yogyakarta, to be upgraded.

Chief investigator Mardjono Sisowosuwarno said a longer runway would not have prevented the crash as the plane was travelling too fast, "but it could have been less severe".

Commission chairman Tatang Kurniadi denied the pilots had argued in the cockpit about the need to abort the landing. He ruled out calling for prosecutions.

A separate Indonesian police investigation into the crash is continuing.

The report does not include a transcript of the flight's cockpit voice recorder, which is central to the ongoing investigation.

However, The Age believes the recording does not support claims that the pilot and co-pilot were arguing about aborting the landing during the plane's descent.

Only in the seconds before touchdown did the co-pilot suggest that the jet "go around" and re-attempt the landing.

Captain Komar continued to land, despite the jet's computer systems broadcasting warnings during the approach.

It is believed the voice recording includes an alarm and aural computerised warnings that sounded "whoop, whoop, pull up".

As the plane was travelling more than 160 km/h faster than safe landing speed, its wing flaps could also not be configured for landing.

Captain Stephanus said that "there must be some problem, it is not a good decision — there should be a go-around".

He said a new Garuda policy to pay pilots a3 per cent bonus if they conserved fuel could hamper flight safety.

Garuda did not return calls.

Toyota striving to lead mini-sedan market

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - PT Toyoto Astra Motor (TAM) is striving to become the leader in Indonesia`s mini-sedan industry by controlling more than 50 percent of the market which in 2007 is estimated to total 9,000 units, the company`s chief said.

"We wish to become the leader again in this market segment," TAM President Director Johny Darmawan said at the launching of the company`s global-standard All New Vios sedan here on Wednesday.

He said demand for mini sedans with a cylinder capacity below 1500 cc would rise following improvements in the country`s economy.

Last year, mini-sedan sales in the country reached 8,800 units and in 2007 it was expected to increase to 9,000 units.

He said he hoped with the launching of the global standard Vios sedan the company could secure 30 to 40 percent of the market in the country.

"As we start selling the sedan in April we hope sales until the end of this year will reach 4,800 to 5,000 units," he said.

He said he was optimistic the target would be met considering that the market of mini sedans would continue to grow in line with the improving economy.

He said the company would target young executives aged between 30 and 40 years.

"We believe the Vios this time will be able to beat its rivals as it has been able to lead the market in its class in other countries," he said.

In 2006 sales of Vios sedans in a number of Asean countries such as Thailand reached 36,000 units to secure around 38.6 percent of the market in its class. In Malaysia sales reached 21,000 units to secure 37.7 percent of the market.

In the Philippines and Vietnam it secured respectively 45.6 and 76.4 percent of the market.

In Indonesia it competed with Honda City which last year controlled 58.6 percent of the market. Vios sales in Indonesia last year accounted for 29.1 percent of the market.

Railway project to be revived

The Jakarta Post

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The government will revive a plan for the construction of a 98-kilometer railway track between Simpang station in Ogan Ilir regency and Tanjung Api-api port on the eastern coast of South Sumatra, an official said Tuesday.

South Sumatra Governor Syahrial Oesman said the plan was briefly canceled following an order from Minister of Transportation Hatta Rajasa early last month.

However, Syahrial said Minister Hatta had since told him that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wanted the project to go ahead as scheduled.

"So there is no longer any delay in the construction of the project," Syahrial said, adding that the project would cost Rp 1.54 trillion (approximately US$167 million).

The construction of the project is scheduled to start this year, he said.

Syahrial said that the South Sumatra provincial administration would be in charge of land clearing for both the railway track and stations.

"The South Sumatra provincial administration has earmarked funds amounting to Rp 48 billion for land clearing," he said.

Air Force campaigns for better safety

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In an attempt to minimize flight accidents within the Indonesian Air Force, the Force has imposed zero tolerance for reckless accidents, said a leading Air Force officer.

"We have established a kind of road map to zero accidents, although we all know that accidents are a difficult thing to avoid," Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Herman Prayitno said Monday.

Speaking to the media after chairing the 61st Anniversary of the Force at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in East Jakarta, Herman said pilots and supporting flight divisions must exercise caution and obey procedures.

"Proper training is imperative. If we follow all the procedures, we can be confident that we are safe," Herman, himself a fighter pilot, said.

"Accidents can be avoided if we are not careless ... They usually occur when procedures are violated."

Addressing the anniversary ceremony, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto said that enacting safety procedures must be a priority among the Air Force's pilots and supporting officers.

"I hope that all Air Force personnel will always prioritize safety in all military operations -- both war and non-war," Djoko said in a written statement, which was read out by Herman.

Djoko said that in concurrence with the Force's 61st anniversary, the Air Force should be ready to defend the country with "zero tolerance" of accidents.

"Flight safety is a key to the success of the Air Force in performing its task," the TNI chief said.

"As an integral part of the TNI, the Air Force is associated with sophisticated technology and managing expensive equipment. If some of this is damaged or broken, it will not be easy to mend the parts quickly because of a long repair process and high costs."

Djoko said that this sophisticated technology should mean that Air Force personnel are diligent, conscientious and have high levels of discipline.

He said the country is still facing the difficult test of global competition and is dealing with poverty, natural disasters and the external threat of terrorism. Therefore, the Indonesian Air Force needs to perform well to work to overcome these problems.

Present at the ceremony were Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso, Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Slamet Subijanto and National Police chief Gen. Sutanto.

The ceremony was marked with an aerial acrobatic show from F-5 Tigers and Hawk 109 and 209 jet fighters flying above the crowds in an arrow formation and marching band performances. It was attended by hundreds of Air Force personnel.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, 497 Air Force personnel were awarded the Swa Bhuana Paksa Nararya award from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for their services. The Air Force chief, representing the President, symbolically presented the awards to the recipients.

Govt to build disaster relief depots

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government plans to set up a nationwide network of depots for emergency relief supplies and form a new national agency tasked with managing natural disasters in the country.

The "disaster logistics depots" will be established in each provincial capital, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said. They will be stockpiled with enough food and medicine supplies to handle the occurrence of a natural disaster in each region.

The depots will also be supplied with equipment and transportation vehicles to ensure the quick and effective distribution of supplies to disaster victims during emergency relief efforts.

"This is part of our effort to improve disaster management in the country, by `regionalizing' it," Aburizal told reporters after a meeting Monday with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and National Coordination Agency chief Syamsul Maarif.

"The plan for the logistics depots is to overcome logistics and transportation problems in relief situations. These are areas which have hampered the quick mitigation of disasters in the past," Aburizal said.

The government expects the establishment of logistics depots to make future relief efforts more efficient and avoid the high costs associated with "sending out Hercules planes from Jakarta just to ship supplies of instant noodles," Aburizal said. Managed as a network, the depots could support each other, with those in the vicinity of a disaster-affected region serving as the nearest back-up facility.

However, he declined to mention how much the establishment of the network of logistics depots would cost, or when operations would commence.

The government has allocated Rp 2 trillion (US$219 million) for disaster mitigation purposes in this year's state budget, with several disaster-affected regions already proposing an additional Rp 2.7 trillion in funds. The government also plans to set up a nationwide early warning system throughout the country by 2008.

A string of disasters have hit the country in recent years. The Coordinating Ministry Office has cited floods as the most frequently occurring disaster, while earthquakes cause the most human casualties and fires cause the greatest material losses.

Aburizal said the depots will be managed locally in each region, but will remain under the auspices of the central government -- in this case, the new National Disaster Management Agency that will be formed.

"We are still working out who will manage the facilities. It may either be the local administration, or the local military," he said.

Aburizal also said the depots would be separate from the rice stockpile depots managed by the National Logistics Agency, although they may work in cooperation.

Aburizal said the government expects the new National Disaster Management Agency to be formed within 6 months, as required by a new law on disaster management that the House of Representatives passed in March. However, the government is still discussing how it will replace the existing National Coordination Board (Bakornas) and National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

Bad manners Busway is a test for all Jakartans

The Jakarta Post

Meet what might be Jakarta's new agent of behavioral change: the busway.

Since the introduction of the TransJakarta rapid bus in 2004, the capital has had no need for street signs calling for more urban discipline. People are now supposedly learning from experience.

Wait, first let's highlight the word supposedly. Today -- a little over two years after the busway's launch -- good behavior is still far from the norm.

Supposedly, people are required to learn several social manners when taking what is meant to be Jakarta's fastest means of transport.

You queue to buy the tickets. You queue in the shelters, letting others exit before you enter the bus. You don't bring food into the cabin and you give your seat away to elders, pregnant women and children.

Yes, those are all new manners for us Jakartans.

The guards in black and orange uniform are ready to make sure that you do just what you're supposed to.

But, on more than a handful of occasions, we still see people who suddenly appear to be deaf, who look at you with a poker face when you scold them for cutting into the long ticket queues.

"What?!" a woman said as she stared at us after pushing her way with her handbag into the small space between the ticket booth and my friend.

These occurrences, rare enough as they are, are what happens when times are good on the Busway.

But in the busway's newer corridors, peak hours tend to fill up the entirety of the buses' 15-hour daily operation, making everyone on board too cranky to show any manners at all.

Prior to taking a TransJakarta bus from Pulogadung to Harmoni Central Station, a dozen passengers waited for more than half an hour to get a tiny standing space inside the cabin.

After that irritating half hour spent watching packed buses pass by, it would be too much to expect passengers to let others exit before entering the bus.

Or would it?

Isn't it logical that we'd have more space to enter if we just waited a minute to let the others exit?

"But if you step back instead of pushing forward, you'll lose your space to the people next to you," a fellow passenger said.

"And if you enter a full bus, don't shift too far inside even if there's an empty space there. You'll have trouble getting off," was another trick they shared.

Once you're inside a packed bus, you feel no different from being inside a Metro Mini or a Kopaja, which is definitely why people still use the "survival of the fittest" tricks they learnt in the regular buses.

The guards no longer serve as etiquette police, but as kenek (driver's assistants) busy making sure that everyone can exit at their destination point.

"Pasar Baru! Pasar Baru!," shouted one guard as he tapped his wristwatch to the aluminum handle to grab more attention, a gesture similar to a kenek tapping on a Metro Mini window.

Those alerted that they were approaching their stop quickly shouted back at him "yes! Pasar Baru, wait, wait!"

Some had to really struggle their way out through tiny gaps in the crowd.

After some exited, they left free space deep at the back of the bus. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no one wanted to fill it, worried they would have to go through the same energy-consuming effort to reach the door.

Honestly, sometimes I find it hard to resist acting the same.

And there's practically no social pressure to behave better, as everyone would do much the same when the situation gets bad enough.

So do Jakartans really have a chance of having more discipline?

Looking into the technical details of why the discipline course being taught aboard the TransJakarta buses has failed can give us a more optimistic view.

No corridors have been yet been served with enough buses to adequately accommodate the number of passengers who use the busway.

There are only 96 out of 125 buses serving the Blok M-Kota route, 94 out of 126 for the Harmoni-Pulogadung and Harmoni-Kalideres routes and a mere 32 out of 112 for the other four corridors.

The TransJakarta operators complain the rest of the buses are still stuck at the customs office.

Just like those buses, passengers can also say that their social manners are still stuck -- perhaps somewhere inside the packed buses or back at the shelter they were waiting at for an excruciating half an hour.

But suppose there were enough buses available, could Jakartans can pass the Busway social manners test?

Well, could we?

-- Anissa S. Febrina

Tawang Jaya train surpasses maximum speed in Suradadi section

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): The National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) said Sunday the Tawang Jaya train, which jumped its track in Suradadi, Tegal, Central Java on Saturday, has surpassed the maximum speed at the section.

Metro TV station quoted an official at KNKT that the speed at the Suradadi cross section was limited to 10 kilometers per hour, but the Tawang Jaya train speed was 60 kms/h at that time.

Two passengers including a baby were killed in the accident, while tens were injured.

Bhakti Investama to raise $340 million

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Publicly-listed investment firm PT Bhakti Investama plans to raise US$340 million through new bond and share issuances, using the proceeds to strengthen its holdings in media and toll road businesses.

The move follows previous intentions the firm had to spread its wings into the airline industry.

Bhakti Investama, which has a majority share in media giant PT Global Mediacom (formerly known as PT Bimantara Citra), will sell $170 million in bonds, which will be convertible into stock, and another $170 million in shares, the company said in a statement.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., the fourth-largest U.S. securities firm, will participate in the plan, having agreed on April 5 to lend $100 million to the company at 6 percent interest, Bhakti Investama's president Hary Djaja said.

Two other undisclosed investors have also agreed to provide similar loans totaling another $100 million.

The loans will be converted into bonds and later switched to shares when the stock price reaches Rp 1,650 (18 U.S. cents).

Bhakti's shares, which are traded as BHIT on the Jakarta Stock Exchange, were unchanged at Rp 1,140 during last week's market closing.

Hary Djaja said the company will use the proceeds from the planned issuances to boost its stakes in Global Mediacom -- which owns a network of newspaper, television and radio stations as well as telco firm Mobile-8 -- and toll-road operator PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada.

Bhakti Investama currently owns a 41 percent stake in Global Mediacom, whose BMTR shares rose slightly by 0.5 percent to Rp 4,975 last week, and a 9 percent stake in Citra Marga, whose CMNP shares slipped 2.5 percent to Rp 1,950.

Other plans for the proceeds may include Bhakti Investama venturing into the airline industry, with the company currently in talks to buy a stake in PT Adam Skyconnection Airlines, planning to improve the privately-owned carrier which has been plagued by two accidents this year alone.

Bhakti Investama already owns publicly-listed chartered-carrier PT Indonesia Air Transport, whose IATA shares slipped 0.6 percent to Rp 146 last week.

Adam Air may sell a stake of less than 50 percent to Bhakti Investama, the airline's president director Adam Suherman had said.

Bhakti Investama's planned bond and share sale is still pending approval through an extraordinary shareholders meeting, Hary Djaja said. The company is also slated to hold its annual shareholders meeting in June.

Yamaha eyes sporty motorcyle market

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Japan-based motorcycle producer PT Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia (YMKI) expects to capture at least 20 percent of the country's growing sporty motorcycle market, the company's senior executive says.

"The sporty motorcycle market is growing but competition is also quite fierce," the company's president director Yoshiteru Takahashi said Saturday during a test drive of the company's new sport motorcycle the Yamaha V-Ixion.

He said sporty motorcycles accounted for between 8 and 9 percent of the country's total motorcycle sales, which was projected to reach 5.2 million units this year.

He acknowledged that sporty motorcycles were less popular here than the more dominant bebek motorbike, as users were mostly commuters who ride their motorbikes to work.

However, he added, there is a portion of consumers who like sporty motorcycles, which are equipped with a larger engine and more sophisticated technology.

Yamaha Indonesia plans to market its 150cc Yamaha V-Ixion, which is equipped with a fuel injection system, in May this year. The new motorcycle will also be exported to Vietnam, India, Malaysia and Thailand.

"We set a target of selling 5,000 units per month in Indonesia," Yoshiteru said, adding that with the new release he was upbeat the company could grab a bigger share of the nation's motorcycle market this year.

V-Ixion, which is produced at YMKI's plant, is the latest in Yamaha's series of sporty motorcycles. Its previous sporty brands include the 135cc RX King and the 225cc Scorpio. Yamaha is competing with Honda's Tiger and MegaPro in this particular market.

Total motorcycle sales in the country reached 5.1 million in 2005, 90 percent of which were bebeks. In 2006, sales plunged to 4.6 million.

In the first three months of this year, national motorcycle sales reached 1.05 million, with Astra Honda Motor controlling 43 percent of the market, Yamaha 41 percent and Suzuki and other producers holding the remaining 16 percent.

However, in March alone, Yamaha sales amounted to 43 percent of the 375,000 motorcycles sold, for the first time ever exceeding sales of Hondas, which amounted to 41 percent.

Adam Air jetliner returns to departure airport

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): An Adam Air Boeing 737-200 jetliner had to return to its departure airport in Lampung on Sunday 10 minutes after taking off due to front wheel problem.

The troubled airplane with 125 passengers and eight crew members onboard took off from the Raden Inten II Airport, Branti, South Lampung at 10:15 a.m. but 10 minutes later it returned to the airport.

Training plane crashes, injuring two

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): A small airplane crashed in Ciputat district, Tangerang regency, Banten province, on the outskirts of Jakarta during a training flight Saturday, injuring two of the three aboard, report says.

Elshinta news radio reported that two of the injured people, now received medical treatments at state-owned Fatmawati hospital, South Jakarta.

Another person inside the ill-fated plane was now interrogated by the Pamulang police.

Death toll of train crash becomes two

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): Passengers, who were killed in a passenger train incident in Central Java, become two after another passenger died later in the day.

MetroTV television reported Kasbari, who was trapped in a train car for four hours, was finally dead after a hospital failed to save his life. He was a resident of Pemalang regency in Central Java.

Another casualty is a baby, who was killed earlier. The accident also wounded tens of other passengers.

The accident occurred when the train jumped its tracks and skidded into a rice field Saturday in an area some 250 kilometers east of Jakarta. Workers were now still evacuating train cars.

Indonesia has been hit by a string of deadly transportation disasters in recent months, including plane crashes, ferry sinking's and train accidents that together have killed more than 500 people.

Report: Doomed Garuda jet flying at double normal landing speed

The Jakarta Post

CANBERRA (AP): A Garuda Airlines passenger jet was flying at 410 kilometers (255 miles) per hour, almost double the normal landing speed, when it crash-landed at an Indonesian airport last month, killing 21 people, a newspaper reported Saturday.

A preliminary accident report prepared by Indonesian authorities pointed to pilot error as the cause of the Boeing 737-400 overshooting the runway and skidding into a rice field on March 7 at Yogyakarta airport, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. A reporter for the newspaper was seriously injured in the crash.

Aviation experts confirmed that speed and flap warnings would have sounded in the cockpit and the pilot should have aborted the landing, according to the newspaper, which said it had a copy of the confidential report, prepared by Indonesia's Transport Safety Committee.

Chief investigator Tatang Kurniadi confirmed that the airliner was flying too fast when it landed, Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio reported Saturday.

Australia's Nine Network reported this past week that Tatang said the pilot and co-pilot had been arguing moments before the crash.

The newspaper said the report found no evidence of the pilots arguing.

Cockpit data recordings showed no mechanical problems before the landing. The report said the weather was calm, contradicting the pilot's reported claim of a powerful down draft.

The report also found the airport runaway did not meet international safety standards. Its safety run-off was only a quarter the recommended length, the newspaper reported.

The crash killed 21 people, while 119 others were able to escape through the exits of the burning jet.

It was the fourth accident involving a commercial jetliner in Indonesia since 2005. Experts say poor maintenance, rule-bending and a shortage of properly trained pilots may contribute to the sprawling country's poor aviation safety record.

Crash investigator works 'within means'

The Jakarta Post

The key mission of the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) is to investigate the cause of air, sea and railway accidents across the country. The Jakarta Post's Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo spoke with KNKT chairman Tatang Kurniadi about the commission's role and the challenges it faces.

Question: How did the KNKT start out?

Answer: The commission began as an aviation accident investigator, which was placed under the Directorate General of Air Transportation. Some experts from the Air Force were recruited into the body, such as myself, and also several legal experts.

The commission was adopted by the Transportation Ministry, based on a 1999 presidential decree. It changed its name to the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) because it was the investigator for all modes of transportation accidents.

We also investigate both railway and automobile accidents. However, for most land accidents, the police usually take over the cases.

With sea accidents, we have the Nautical Court, which has the same function as the commission. To avoid the overlapping of functions, distinctive roles and laws for both bodies are needed.

Have operators complied with the findings and recommendations of the KNKT?

I am relatively new in this position. I was installed as KNKT chairman on March 5, so allow me to get back to that. Currently, we are handling the investigation of the recent Garuda Indonesia accident in Yogyakarta.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says the KNKT must report to them about any air accidents. We have to do this within a specified time, but they can give us more time if a case is really complex. We want to show that we can work fast.

Can other countries meddle with an investigation being carried out by the commission?

There are several ICAO-set conditions that countries abide by regarding air accidents. These cover the design of aircraft, the country in which aircraft manufacturers are based, the country of registration, operators of aircraft, the location of occurrences and details pertaining to victims.

In the context of the Garuda accident, the jetliner was designed by Boeing and the country of manufacture was the U.S. It is a little more complex though, as several parts of the aircraft came from other countries, so they also have the right to receive our report.

The registry, which is the country where the operator is based, is Indonesia, while the operator is Garuda Indonesia.

The origin of victims is covered so we can also allow victims' countries to receive our report. In the Garuda accident, several passengers were foreigners.

If those countries wish to help, such as by helping us investigate a crash, then they must get our permission first for access. They cannot investigate an accident on their own. They may only do this if accompanied by the KNKT.

Australia has offered its services in extracting information from the Garuda airliner's black box. The black box, which has become Indonesia's asset, is being read in Canberra with the participation of Indonesian staff.

Because there was a portion of the black box that Australia could not access, they then sent it to its manufacturer, Honeywell, in Seattle, in the U.S.

The black box is not the only device that can tell us the cause of the accident. It's only a tool to help us accurately describe what happened.

Some people noticed that the aircraft was diving rapidly from the air to the ground while landing. This scene could be viewed differently by different people. By decoding the black box, we know, among other things, the speed of the aircraft when it hit the runway.

The black box actually consists of two devices. Can you tell me more about their functions?

A black box is made up of two devices that are placed side by side in an aircraft. One is the flight data recorder (FDR) and the other is a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). They are not painted black anymore as they used to be in the 1950s. Now they are orange because the color orange is more visible than black after an accident.

An FDR records all parameters of an aircraft. It used to record only five or six parameters, such as velocity and speed. Now, up to 400 parameters can be recorded inside the modern box. It can record changes in wind speed and the movement of a plane's wings and flaps. The ICAO has ruled that the minimum number of recorded parameters be 88.

The CVR is used to record all sounds inside a cockpit, such as conversation between pilots or cabin crew, or perhaps the sound of a gunshot inside an aircraft.

Information from both the FDR and CVR consists of multiple diagrams and models after experts decode them. This data can only be deciphered by experts.

What happened to the black boxes of previous accidents?

Many people have asked from time to time for the KNKT to reveal its findings to the public. But it's pointless to publish our findings as each accident report can have more than 50 pages.

The data from the black box is then tabulated with other external investigative data to make findings more accurate.

The location of the black box from the Adam Air jetliner, which plummeted into the Majene Sea (South Sulawesi), has been detected. However, salvaging the devices could cost some US$3 million. The ICAO says it is the country -- it could be the Indonesian government or the company itself -- that should pay for the project, but this cost is just too high.

Moreover, after salvaging it, the box might not even be readable because of physical damage.

How about the condition of the KNKT?

The KNKT consists of people who are willing to help. For air accidents, we have only 29 investigators, for sea accidents about eight, for railway 14 and for land about four. People may think that we've been working slowly, but this is because we only have a few investigators.

And they are paid more like volunteers than professionals.

We currently have an aircraft expert from an airline company and a metallurgy expert from the Bandung Institute of Technology.

One of our members, who tried to crack the black box's data in the U.S., Prof. Mardjono, is actually an instructor at a university.

Speaking about our independence from the Transportation Ministry, the most important aspect to keep in mind is that our investigators are capable and willing to do the work. Our independent status means we receive enough funds to do the job independently.

New busway lanes to open in 2008

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Three more busway corridors will operate in 2008, says the head of the transportation agency.

"The construction of corridors eight, nine and 10 will continue as planned and I hope they start operating in January 2008," the head of the city's transportation agency, Nurachman, said Wednesday at City Hall.

"We have prepared Rp 180 billion (US$19.7 million) for the project," he said, adding that there would be 60 stations along the three corridors.

Corridor eight will connect Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Harmoni, Central Jakarta, corridor nine will connect Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta and Pluit, North Jakarta, and corridor ten will link Cililitan, East Jakarta, and Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

The City Council had previously rejected the construction of corridor eight due to the vehicle density in that area.

Head of the City Council Ade Surapriyatna said Governor Sutiyoso had asked the council to continue with the project this year because a delay would hamper the busway network.

"But with one condition, the transportation agency should find an alternative route during the construction period so the traffic will not be disrupted," he said.

Dam's state worries water operator

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Bogor, the main supplier of raw water to Jakarta, Depok and Bekasi, may experience water shortages if the administration does not repair and rehabilitate Cisadane Dam.

The warning was issued by Bogor-owned water operator PD Tirta Pakuan following the evaluation of sedimentation problems in Cisadane River.

"Seventy-five percent of the raw water distributed by Tirta Pakuan is taken from the river. We fear water shortages if no action is taken to control the sedimentation and rehabilitate the dam," company director Syaban Maulana said Wednesday.

The other sources of raw water are springs in Kota Batu, Tangkil and Bantar Kambing subdistricts.

As of June 2006, PD Tirta Pakuan supplied piped water to 71,391 customers.

Syaban said that during the rainy season the river had silted up at different places.

"Although the water quality in Cisadane River is far better than Ciliwung River, the build up of sedimentation in the river will reduce water supply to Tirta Pakuan," he said.

He said the company had intensified efforts to re-green the Cisadane area.

"But we can't do it alone. We need to work with other related parties to protect upstream areas of the Cisadane," he said.

West Java Governor Danny Setiawan has ordered the Bogor administration to take action to protect upstream areas of the Cisadane and Ciliwung rivers.

Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto has also unveiled plans to build percolation pits in the area to prevent flooding.

The Cisadane and Ciliwung rivers are among the largest of the 13 rivers that run through Jakarta.

However, the two rivers are so polluted that the water from them is unfit even for agricultural purposes.

Jakarta, has long experienced water shortages in the dry season and floods in the rainy period.

Road-widening probe 'cut short'

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Environmentalists have spoken out against the police's decision to call off their investigation into the city's road-widening project along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

"It sets a bad precedent in upholding the Environmental Law in the capital," Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said Wednesday.

The Jakarta Police on Tuesday sent Tigor a letter in his capacity as the plaintiff representing groups of environmentalists who have accused Governor Sutiyoso of failing to protect green areas in the city.

The letter, signed by Comr. Tomsi Tohir of the Special Crimes Directory's environment and resources division, said the road-widening project did not violate the Environmental Law since it had not been necessary to carry out an environmental impact analysis (Amdal) for it.

It said median strips were not part of designated green areas, while the level of pollution along the two streets had improved by 16.31 percent after the projects.

"The arguments show up inaccuracies in the police's investigation. The Environmental Law stipulates that an Amdal is a must for any project that affects an area that is more than four kilometers long," Tigor said.

The project affected 6.4 km of median strip, he said.

Members of Fakta, the Jakarta Caucus for the Environment and the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) reported Sutiyoso to police in October. Former minister for the environment Sonny Keraf is among the prominent figures in the group.

Under the Environmental Law, any party found guilty of damaging the environment, including polluting the air, could face a maximum punishment of 10 years' jail or a Rp 500 million fine.

The Jakarta administration said the project was aimed at easing traffic congestion since parts of the streets were being taken up by the busway lane.

The administration allocated Rp 30 billion for the project and removed hundreds of trees from the area.

Tubagus Haryo Karbiyanto of the caucus, who deals with transportation issues, said more private vehicle owners had been taking the streets since they were widened.

"It only benefits car owners. The projects have not reduced traffic congestion on the streets. This is why the administration needs to introduce electronic road pricing."

He said research by road construction company PT Pembangunan Jaya predicted that for every km of additional road, there would be 1,923 more cars and 3,000 motorcycles.

Caucus member Firdaus Cahyadi added that dropping the case could give the administration the license to cut down more trees along the streets to make way for its transportation projects.

"It would then be even more difficult for the administration to meet the target of 30 percent of open and green areas as required by the law on spatial planning," he said.

The administration is aiming to convert 13.94 percent or 9,544 hectares of city land into green spaces by 2010, up from 7,319 hectares or 10.7 percent in 2005.

Green spaces currently make up 5,911 hectares or 9 percent of city land.

Busway supplier gets five year on corruption

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): Anti-Corruption Court Wednesday punished busway supplier Budi Santoso into five years for committing collusion when supplying buses for a busway project, MetroTV television reported.

Budi, together with former head of City Transportation Agency Rustam Effendi, were accused of marking-up price of 54 buses for the busway first corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in Central Jakarta.

Prosecutors previously said the prices of buses were decided before the tender bid was opened. The price was based on a figure calculated by Budi, who is the president director of PT Armada Usaha Bersama.

Anti-corruption had previously punished Rustam to three year jail term.

The corruption case caused state loss worth Rp 10.6 billion (US$1.16 million).

RAAF donates Hercules parts to Indonesia

The Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Air Force received an early birthday present Wednesday from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the form of Rp 2.8 billion (US$304,000) in spare parts for its C-130 Hercules transport aircraft fleet.

Celebrating its 61st anniversary next Monday, the Indonesian Air Force is in dire need of spare parts for its Hercules fleet, which in addition to military operations is often used in humanitarian missions.

The spare parts were handed over by the RAAF air commander for Australia, Vice Marshall John Quaife, to the director general of defense facilities at the Defense Ministry, Vice Marshall Slamet Prihatino.

Witnessing the presentation was Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer.

Quaife said Australia recognized Indonesia as an archipelagic country that was highly dependent on aircraft to reach and assist remote communities.

"I would find it hard to think of any humanitarian or community support operation that does not in some way rely on this aircraft and their crews for success," said Quaife.

He said the gift was a "small" indication of the further strengthening of relations between the respective nations' air forces.

"It is the small things, plus the larger things, such as the Rajawali Ausindo exercise last year, that highlight and strengthen the relationship that our air forces enjoy," he added.

The Rajawali Ausindo exercise was held in December 2006 and involved joint-activities on C-130 inter-operability at the RAAF's Richmond base.

A total of 170 items covering 27 different parts where donated for use in the maintenance of 12 Indonesian Hercules. Last year, eight Indonesian Hercules aircraft received similar spare parts from Australia.

Slamet said the spare parts would be extremely helpful in the Indonesian Air Force's efforts to upgrade and maintain its Hercules fleet.

"Australia offered more than what we get now, but we asked only for what we really need. There is no need to get any parts that cannot be used," he said.

"They offered more than what we received now, but we received only what we really need. There is no need to receive any parts if we can't use them," said Slamet.

Quaife said Australian and Indonesian C-130 aircraft had worked together during several humanitarian operations, such as in assisting the victims of the devastating 2004 tsunami.

"Such operations highlight the importance of airlift collaboration between neighbors," he said.

C-130s from both countries played a significant role in recovery operations following the tsunami, while Indonesian Air Force C-130s featured in relief operations following the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006.

"Having retired our C-130E aircraft, it makes sense for Australia to transfer the surplus spare parts to Indonesia to enhance regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. We have a mutual interest in regional humanitarian and disaster relief," said Farmer.

He said the transfer of the spare parts demonstrates the strengthening defense relationship between the two countries.

The RAAF currently operates the C-130J Super Hercules and the C-130H models while Indonesia operates the older C-130B and C-130H models.

Spending on infrastructure set to rise by 34 percent next year

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government will allocate more money for infrastructure development in next year's budget in an effort to ease the distribution bottlenecks that have seriously hampered the country's economic growth.

"The bottleneck problem will become worse in 2008 if nothing is done to deal with the infrastructure issue," Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono said Wednesday in Jakarta.

Boediono said that the government planned to increase spending on infrastructure by 34 percent to Rp 56 trillion (about US$6.2 billion) next year from Rp 41 trillion this year. The Public Works Ministry and Transportation Ministry would receive Rp 34.3 trillion and Rp 24.2 trillion, respectively.

The Rp 56 trillion would include Rp 7.03 trillion for the regions paid out of the Special Transfer Fund (DAK).

The coordinating minister stressed that while infrastructure spending would account for the biggest increase in budget spending, human development would also remain a top priority.

Human development, which includes education and health, would receive some Rp 83 trillion next year, an increase of about Rp 7.9 trillion over this year's figure. The human development allocation would therefore account for about 15 percent of total 2008 budget spending, which Boediono estimated would amount to Rp 554 trillion.

He said that the 6.8 percent growth penciled in for 2008 would be difficult to achieve if nothing was done to speed up the construction of infrastructure, such as new expressways and power plants.

"We have acute experience of these problems. We lack electricity, expressways, ports," he stressed.

He said that to achieve the 2008 growth target, the government would further relax its fiscal policy.

"We have decided to change our fiscal policy to support economic growth," he said, explaining that up until 2005, post-crisis fiscal policy had been primarily intended to achieve fiscal consolidation. "We have now entered a period where spending should serve as a stimulus for growth," he explained.

The country's tax to GDP ratio has slowly climbed from less than 10 percent in 1999 to 12 percent in 2006. The ratio is expected to rise to 13 percent this year. Meanwhile, with the latest debt repayment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the debt to GDP ratio has fallen to 42 percent from 60 percent in 2004 and 100 percent in 2000.

The government is predicting that year-on-year inflation will remain moderate at 6 to 6.5 percent next year, while Bank Indonesia (the central bank) is expected to further trim its key rate to 7.5 percent.

The oil price reference employed for the 2008 budget is

US$57 per barrel, while the country is expected to produce 1.034 billion barrels per day.

Foreign exchange reserves are forecast to grow to between $59.3 billion and $61.1 billion next year, from $51.6 billion at present, with the average rupiah-U.S. dollar exchange rate remaining at Rp 9,300 per dollar.

"It is actually possible to achieve 7 percent growth, as we did before the 1998 crisis, which in itself was a remarkable achievement. The difference now is that we have to do it in a different social and political environment -- a more democratic society," he said.

Radar an issue at Medan airport

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

A government transportation safety team announced Wednesday that it had found a large number of flaws in the management of flight safety at Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra.

The National Team for the Evaluation of Transportation Safety and Security said it had discovered that the radar at the airport were old and that the person who operated them did not speak English, a key requirement.

Team member Tengku Burhanuddin said the airport's management had been told to immediately upgrade the radar.

"Out technology has advanced and we've asked that the radar be modernized. The request should immediately be followed up by the airport management in order to ensure flight safety," he told journalists.

The team, led by former Air Force chief of staff Chappy Hakim, last month urged the government to revamp the aviation industry and shut down airlines that ignored safety regulations following a series of deadly accidents.

The team also recommended the consolidation of air traffic control at the country's airports, which is currently under the shared management of state-owned airport operators PT Angkasa Pura I and II and the Transportation Ministry.

Tengku, who was accompanied by another team member, Jusman, said they were conducting inspections at Polonia to ensure transportation safety. The inspection covered the airport's radar, security and air traffic control services.

When asked whether Polonia airport met safety requirements, he said that the airport was in a difficult position.

It would cost a large amount of money to fix the safety flaws but the airport would close when the new airport at Kuala Namu in Deli Serdang regency, which is currently under construction, opens in 2009.

All the team's findings, he said, would be reported to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono within two weeks.

"But we're no longer issuing recommendations since the intention of our field trip (to Polonia) was actually to check whether (airport managements) have followed our previous recommendations to the President or not," said Tengku, who is the brother of the late North Sumatra governor T. Rizal Nurdin, who died in the Mandala plane crash near Polonia airport in September 2005.

Polonia International Airport head Frido Frinaldo said the airport's two radars were made in 1979 and 2002.

He said the management would pay attention to all suggestions made by the team.

But air traffic control staff at Polonia said only the 1979 radar was operational. The 2002 radar is not in use because it has not been tested.

"The system of the 1979 radar was made in France while the system for the 2002 radar was locally made by the Bandung Technology Institute. The French radar is practical but its condition is critical," a member of the air traffic control staff told The Jakarta Post.

The staff, who declined to be named, said the old radar had recently broken down for three days.

False dates found on sea safety equipment

BANTEN: Safety inspectors have seized hundreds of items of marine safety equipment aboard ferries crossing the Sunda Strait in Merak Port, Banten, due to their allegedly falsified expiry dates.

Port authority head Dalle Effendi said Tuesday the confiscated equipment had expired in 1998 but the expiry date on its packaging was 2010.

The safety equipment, including smoke flares, rockets and emergency food supplies, was stored in 25 lifeboats aboard a number of ferries.

Dalle, however, did not identify the ferries, saying only that the investigation was ongoing.

He said ferry crew members had tried to convince the safety inspectors the equipment had been checked and would not expire until 2010.

Besides keeping the ferries from leaving the port, the port authority also sent out a letter notifying sea safety equipment companies of the finding.

The port authority had previously acknowledged that more than half of the ferries sailing from Merak Port to Bakauheni on Sumatra island did not meet international safety standards.

According to Dalle, the central government was largely to blame for not putting a limit on the age of vessels. Therefore, he urged the Transportation Ministry to ban vessels over the age of 20 years from operating, for passengers' safety.

"Setting an age limit will help minimize accidents at sea," he said, adding that the age of ferries crossing the Sunda Strait ranged from 15 to 37 years.

Airport confiscates liquids, aerosols

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport security has confiscated a total of 30 bags of liquids, aerosols and gels from passengers since the implementation of stricter cabin baggage limits Saturday.

Airport security coordinator Agus Kuswoyo said Tuesday that the confiscations had been necessary because passengers were carrying more than the permitted 100 milliliters per item of liquids, aerosols and gels.

As of March 31, the airport implemented enhanced rules on cabin baggage. Creams, lotions, oils, perfumes, sprays, gels and the contents of pressurized containers must be carried in containers of 100 milliliter capacity or less. Liquids carried in containers larger than the maximum limit are not accepted, even if the container is only partly filled.

The containers also must be packed in one transparent re-sealable plastic bag of no more than one liter capacity per passenger.

Agus said security had been amassing eight sacks of confiscated items a day on average since Saturday.

Lorena Air defies turbulence, set for take off by end of May

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

By the end of May, a new full-service Indonesian airline, Lorena Air, is set to have taken to the skies, serving six routes between six major cities using three leased Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

President director Eka Sari Lorena Soerbakti said Tuesday that the airline would at first fly from Jakarta to Manado (North Sulawesi), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), Padang (West Sumatra), Palembang (South Sumatra) and Denpasar (Bali).

"Then later this year, we intend to purchase three more aircraft of a similar type as we also plan to introduce a Medan-Surabaya service," Eka said during a visit to The Jakarta Post.

The carrier is 100 percent owned by the Lorena group -- best known as a luxury bus operator on the islands of Java, Madura, Bali and Sumatra.

With Lorena boasting years of experience in the transportation business, Eka says she believes the airline has what it takes to be successful, even at a time when the country's airline industry is reeling from a series of tragic accidents.

From the disappearance of a Boeing 737-400 operated by Adam Air off Sulawesi early in the year to a Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-400 aircraft bursting into flames after overshooting the runway at Adisucipto airport in Yogyakarta in March, a huge question mark has been left hanging over airline safety in Indonesia.

However, despite the current lack of confidence in the local aviation industry, Eka said she believed Lorena could carve out a niche and establish a place for itself in the market as a full-service carrier.

"There were 39 million domestic air passengers last year, about 3 million more than the target. And the number will continue to rise.

"The demand is there. So, I think the arrival of Lorena is timely. With all these safety concerns, the market is actually waiting for a full-service, dependable airline," Eka said.

The new airline, Eka said, had signed an agreement with Futura International Airways, a leading global charter company based in Spain, for consultancy and advisory services, including for aircraft maintenance, and pilot and flight-crew training.

Lorena was currently seeking safety certification from both the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), the European equivalent of the FAA.

National flag-carrier Garuda Nusantara is currently the only domestic carrier that has certification from the FAA.

"We expect to have flown around 1.5 million passengers by the end of the year," Eka said, adding that the company also planned to establish overseas routes, starting with Singapore, next year.

Etihad opens new RI office

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officially opened its new office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Located on Jalan Sudirman, South Jakarta, the new office will handle sales and all of the airline's other business in Indonesia, manager Geoff Rhodes told reporters following the official opening ceremony.

Since it first commenced operations here last year, Etihad has been flying from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi, UAE, six times a week, and has been carrying about 2,268 passengers per week, representing a 70 percent load factor. The airline plans to increase the number of its flights to Jakarta to eight per week starting Aug. 1, and to 12 per week by the end of the year.

"We actually have the right to fly eight times a week, but at the moment the market is still sluggish. We will increase the number of flights as the market improves," Rhodes said.

Last week, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad established a new route to Sydney, Australia. In July, it will start flying to two more new destinations -- Dublin in Ireland and Milan in Italy.

Wheel problem forces jetliner back to departure airport

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): A Batavia Air jetliner has to return to Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, on Monday due to problem on its wheel just 20 minutes after taking off from the airport.

RCTI TV station reported that the Boeing 737-400 airplane was scheduled to leave for Jakarta but it had to cancel the schedule due to the incident.

Batavia Air refuses to clarify the incident according RCTI.

TGV breaks train speed record

CNN

PARIS, France (AP) -- France broke the world speed record on rails Tuesday with a souped-up fast train, a feat to showcase the technology it is trying to sell to overseas markets including China.

The new record is expected to gild France's image in the expanding market for high-speed technology as countries like China turn to bullet trains.

The black-and-chrome train with three double-decker cars sped along a new line linking Paris to eastern France, starting in the town of Preny. It broke the 1990 rail record, also held by a French train, of 515.3 kph (320.2 mph).

The specially designed train was outfitted to reach up to 540 kph (335.5 mph) -- about the speed of a short-distance freight propeller plane.

The TGV, short for "train a grande vitesse," as France's bullet trains are called, is made up of three double-decker cars between two engines. It has been equipped with larger wheels than the usual TGV to cover more ground with each rotation and a stronger, 25,000-horsepower engine, said Alain Cuccaroni, in charge of the technical aspects of testing.

Adjustments have also been made to the new track, which opens June 10, notably the banking on turns. Rails were also treated for perfect contact, Cuccaroni said.

The electrical tension in the overhead cable was beefed up, from 25,000 volts to 31,000. Tuesday was the first time that double-decker cars were being used at such a high speed, according to officials of Alstom, which makes TGVs and which crawled back a year ago from the edge of bankruptcy.

The double-decker cars were transformed into a laboratory for the event so that technicians from the state-run rail company SNCF and Alstom can gather data during the run.

Japan holds the absolute speed record for a train, with its magnetically levitated Maglev train that skims over a guideway on powerful magnetic fields without ever touching the track.

The Maglev set a record of 581 kph (361 mph) in 2003. The goal of the operation, called V150, is more than "simply breaking a record," Cuccaroni said.

Test data should help improve the security and comfort of passengers in the future, he said. France competes with neighboring Germany and with Japan for contracts.

Transport Minister Dominique Perben received a California delegation hours before Tuesday's record attempt. California is studying prospects for a high-speed line running from Sacramento in the north to San Diego, in the south, via San Francisco and Los Angeles. China, the biggest potential market, was to start building a high-speed line this year between Beijing and Shanghai to cut travel time from nine hours to five.

Indonesia Jan-Feb tourist arrivals up 13.59 pct yoy

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Foreign tourist arrivals in the first two months to February rose 13.59 pct year-on-year to 639,937 with arrivals at the resort island of Bali leading the increase, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed.

It showed that tourist arrivals via Bali's Ngurah Rai airport during the first two months, rose 47 pct year-on-year to 238,777.

The country's tourist industry has been hurt by a number of terror attacks in recent years.