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.