Overpass project draws local ire

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Ongoing construction of the Ciputat overpass has drawn complaints citing that work has strayed from initial plans, Tangerang councilors said Thursday.

"After conducting a survey to follow-up residents' complaints, we found that there have been several changes made to the physical work from the initial plan," councilor Al Mansur said.

He said the overpass was shorter than originally planned and did not include two access points underneath that would enable vehicles to pass or make U-turns.

"Since there is no access, no vehicles will be able to make U-turns or pass each other from Jl. Dewi Sartika to Jl. Aria Putra," he said.

He said the overpass was being built to overcome chronic traffic congestion around the area but oversights in the construction process would only create new traffic problems.

"I have received complaints from many residents. I will hold a dialog with the council and the administration so they can report this problem to the central government," he said.

Ciputat overpass is financed by the central government in cooperation with the Japanese Bank International Consortium (JBIC).

Mansur said it was still possible to make changes before August, when construction work is due to be finished.

"If no action is taken, the project will continue in its current state. Traffic jams will never be overcome and the project will be a waste of people's money," he added.

Tangerang regency administration spent Rp 125 billion from the 2004 budget and another Rp 25 billion from the 2005 budget on land clearance for the project, while the Rp 95 billion allocated for construction work is financed by the central government from JBIC's loan.

BMW to demonstrate hydrogen power in Singapore

Singapore (ANTARA News/DPA) - BMW is ready to introduce its hydrogen-fuelled 7 Series limousine in Singapore but it won't be for sale, the carmaker said on Wednesday.

The car, called the Hydrogen 7, will be part of a BMW Clean Energy Exhibition to be held in the city-state next month.

Representing 20 years of research and development, the Munich-based carmaker has developed the first emission-free liquid hydrogen-powered luxury saloon suitable for everyday use, according to BMW.

The cars due to arrive in Singapore are part of a world tour which is currently in Australia.

The Hydrogen 7 has two fuel tanks, one for petrol and another for liqud hydrogen, BMW said. When operated only on hydrogen fuel, the car emits water vapour.

Related Article:

Hydrogen Production

University of Indonesia to have bicycle track in March

Depok, West Java (ANTARA News) - A bicycle track is currently under construction on the grounds of the University of Indonesia (UI) and expected to be officially opened in March 2008 or on the 100th day of Prof. Gumilar R. Soemantri`s tenure as UI Rector.

"The bicycle track will be the first in Indonesia, especially on campus," Prof. Gumilar R. Soemantri said on Tuesday.

He said the bicycle track was being built according to the "green campus and world class campus" concept.

"This program shows our commitment to addressing global warming issues. Cooperation partners such as companies and industries are also supporting this program," Prof. Gumilar said.

He said the bicycle track would also be complemented with shelters, security posts, parking areas, water containers and 1,000 bicycles.

"The bicycles will be free of charge, and can be borrowed using the UI students` `Smart Card." he said.

Prof. Gumilar said a bicycle track was very important in following a healthy life style.

"Air pollution is at a dangerous level, so UI is trying to promote a healthy campus life style which has already been adopted by a few universities abroad," Gumilar said.

Roof top riders get sprayed, fined

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Railway operator PT Kereta Api caught more than 500 illegal passengers across four train stations on Monday as part of its train riding discipline month, the company said.

With the help of police, military and security officers, company officials fined offenders between Rp 7,500 (US$0.8) and Rp 25,000, or five times the fare, and confiscated identification cards.

Nine "roof riders" -- illegal passengers who chose to sit on the top of train cars -- were caught during the operation.

The company had threatened to spray all roof riders with a liquid dye, but officials managed only to do this at Manggarai and Serpong stations.

At other stations, officials asked roof riders to come down so they could be informed of the railway rules before being fined.

PT KA's head of public relations for Greater Jakarta Akhmad Sujadi said the company would reassess their liquid dye spraying initiative.

"We are going to move our operation bases to other stations and also position our personnel in better spots to catch the roof riders," Akhmad said.

"Roof riders were acting as if they own the trains," he said.

Six roof riders were sprayed at Manggarai station, Detik reported.

A worker, two students and three unemployed people had to hand in their identification cards and sign letters to state they would not repeat the violation.

As a train left Djuanda station Monday afternoon, packed with thousands of passengers, some were seen climbing onto the roof.

At the same station, passengers Supriyatna, 59, and his wife Ani, were questioned for riding inside the engineer's cabin.

"I didn't know that it was forbidden," Supriyatna said.

"I usually sit there when there's no more space on the train.

"I only have to pay another Rp 1,000 if there is an officer."

Another regular passenger, Iwan, said the company needed to add more cars to serve the number of passengers.

"It's not that we refuse to pay," Iwan said.

"The price is no problem, but there's just not enough space and we don't want to be late for work."

Iwan said during peak hours commuters had to struggle hard to find a place on board.

Lack of space forced passengers to use the engineer's cabin, hang onto an entrance door or ride on the roof, he said.

Vendors, beggars and buskers also take places on board and are classified as illegal passengers. (dre)

IATA to team up with Eagle Air

JAKARTA (JP): Publicly listed charter airline PT Indonesia Air Transport (IATA) is seeking to team up with newcomer Eagle Air to provide flights to remote areas across the country, a company executive says.

IATA newly appointed president director Hartono Tanoesoedibjo said Monday the cooperation was part of IATA's expansion efforts to provide flights in areas not currently served by regular airlines.

"In the future, we will not only serve charter flights. We will expand our business to provide regular flights, as well, by becoming feeders to regular flights that will connect main cities with remote areas," he said.

Eagle Air, which just recently obtained an operation permit from the ministry of transportation, would provide regular flights to big cities while IATA would provide smaller airplanes to transport Eagle Air passengers to remote cities, said Hartono.

The airlines will initially serve areas mostly in eastern Indonesia, including Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

Hartono said the airlines planned to start the operation in the first quarter of this year. (tin)

Merpati flies out of Halim Perdanakusumah airport for a month

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines announced Monday it will fly out of Halim Perdanakusumah airport in February to maintain its level of service to passengers.

"The temporary move was taken because weather conditions in Jakarta and its surroundings are expected to remain unpredictable in the coming weeks," Merpati corporate secretary Purwatmo saidin a media release.

"By moving to Halim Perdanakusumah airport, Merpati is anticipating unwanted events experienced by many airlines last week."

Purwatmo was referring to events on Friday, when the Sedyatmo tollroad connecting Jakarta to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was inundated, disrupting flight schedules.

Airport authorities also closed the airport in Tangerang from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to bad weather and limited visibility.

Many airplanes were forced to postpone their departures or divert to another airport including Halim Perdanakusumah airport.

On Monday there were only two Merpati flights departing from Halim Perdanakusumah at 9:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., both heading for Makassar, South Sulawesi.

There were five arrivals scheduled in Halim Perdanakusumah on Monday afternoon from Denpasar, Medan and Makassar.

"We will move all flights to Halim Perdanakusumah on Tuesday," Purwatmo told The Jakarta Post over the phone. (nvn)

Leaving On A Jet Plane (Don't Know When I'll be Back Again)

The Jakarta Post, Simon Pitchforth

Well Friday of last week proved to be another fun day of over-hydration in the capital. Jakarta's floods seem to be moving from a five-year cycle toward a one-year cycle, the combined result of global warming, environmental degradation and years of poor city governance.

I'm sure you all have your own fun stories to relate. Myself, I attempted a trip into the office whilst the rain was still hammering down and, despite only walking for five minutes with an umbrella, got completely soaked from head to foot, and then found out that my appointment had been canceled due to the deluge. All good fun.

I cheered up no end though when I learnt that the President was in a similar flood-induced predicament, stranded in his motorcade on the toll road, no doubt composing tracks for that difficult second album (It's Raining in My Heart, Your Love Is like a Breached Flood Barrier, Toll Road of Desire, etc. etc.).

Other Indonesian politicians seemed to fare a little better however, mainly due to being the proud owners of the latest top of the range, high ground clearance SUVs. The Jakarta Post revealed all last Saturday:

"The rest of the Cabinet's ministers arrived on time at the palace for the meeting. Among them were Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal in a Land Rover, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Adm.(ret) Widodo AS in a Lexus Cygnus, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie in a Toyota Alphard, State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar in a BMW X5 and Forestry Minister MS Ka'ban in a Toyota Prado."

I stopped reading at that point as the story seemed to be lurching perilously close to something you'd find in Top Gear magazine. I wonder if these legislative auto enthusiasts get any commission for road testing these vehicles in Jakarta's 660 km square paddling pool.

Certainly other motorists were less fortunate and familiar images of half-submerged, abandoned cars once again filled the local media. Recently I've been considering getting a secondhand motor car but the thought of being conned into buying one of these terminally flood damaged clunkers fills me with dread.

Jakarta's airport seemed to be the biggest victim of last week's rain however. My housemate's own personal attempts to return from a Singapore visa run should provide an ample illustration. His plane was first diverted to Palembang where he was trapped inside with the other passengers on the runway with the air-conditioning off for ages whilst the backlog of diverted flights was dealt with.

Upon eventually arriving at Soekarno-Hatta he found that heading into town was impossible and checked into an airport hotel on one of their six-hour room stay deals. He crashed out, exhausted, only to be woken up at 3 a.m. by an insistent knocking on the door.

"Six hours finished Mr, time to check out." My bleary-eyed friend's attempt to prolong his stay with his credit card proved unsuccessful and he was forced to take a motorcycle taxi ride to the nearest ATM in order to secure further funds for more time in the land of nod.

The next day it eventually took the poor lamb three-and-a-half hours to get home via the back streets of Tanggerang.

These kinds of shenanigans don't really bode well for 2008: Visit Indonesia Year.

I mean you're pretty much stuck on the starting blocks if you can't even get out of the airport. If I was some fastidious potential business investor or wealthy tourist arriving at Soekarno-Hatta after a long, luxury business class flight quaffing champagne on Cathay Pacific whilst being manicured and peeled grapes by curvaceous stewardesses, I think I'd find the whole Jakarta airport scenario a bit of a rude awakening.

Although Jakarta's airport seems to be getting cut off from the rest of the world with increasing regularity, in truth this flooding problem has been on the cards for years.

In the dry season, the drive to the airport is actually a very pleasant canter through lush verdant vegetation and green paddy fields but on both sides the toll road is always surrounded by ominous swathes of water, ready to submerge it at a moment's notice. The whole area is basically a swamp.

The city administration seems to have done nothing about it for years though.

That famous, and alas now deceased, galactic hitchhiker Douglas Adams once said that, "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so," an epithet tailor-made for Jakarta's governors if you ask me.

Matters would certainly be helped if the city administration would finally get round to finishing the JORR (Jakarta Outer Ring Road) which would at least provide another exit route out of the airport. Work on the ring road was halted during the 1998 financial crisis and doesn't seem to have been started again since.

I learned in the paper this week that plans are afoot to elevate the airport tollway.

As I understand it though, the toll road, as it is now, is designed around an underlying "chicken's claw" system which distributes the road's weight evenly over a larger area of the bog underneath, stopping it from sinking.

Would it really be possible to build an elevated tollway on such an unstable base given that the current road is basically floating as it is? Perhaps any civil engineers out there could enlighten me on this point as I'm getting way out of my depth here.

Until then it's adieu from me for another week and if you find yourself wading through floodwaters over the next month, remember to wash your legs thoroughly afterwards.

http://metromad.blogspot.com/

--Simon Pitchforth

Flooding cuts off Situbondo-Banyuwangi route

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA News) - A flash flood destroyed Parengekan bridge in Panarukan village, Sutibondo and cut off the Situbondo-Banyuwangi land route on late Friday.

Due to the road cut off, around 100 trucks were trapped in a congestion in the disaster`s location.

Indonesia is currently in very wet rainy season which has triggered flooding in many areas such as Jakarta, East Java, Central Java, Gorontalo, and West Sumatra.

Flooded airport access

The Jakarta Post (Editorial)

When traveling out of town, Jakartans are increasingly worried whether the main toll road to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is flooded, especially now at the height of the rainy season.

It seems even a low-intensity rainstorm is enough to flood the city, including the airport toll road, especially when the Java Sea is seeing a high tide.

In one incident, the high tide itself was enough to send seawater across the tollway, cutting off access to the airport, without any accompanying rain.

Flooding on the Prof. Sediatmo turnpike -- the official name of the tollway to the airport -- is becoming a regular event for Jakartans.

However, even if they are stuck for hours on the toll road and miss their flights, they will not file a civil suit or even lodge a formal protest with the authorities.

The authorities -- in this case the local government, the airport authority, the toll road operator and the police -- seem to take the flooding for granted, considering it simply business as usual.

But they seem to forget that Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is not only for Jakartans. It is the main gateway to Indonesia. It is the main entrance point for tourists and businesspeople visiting the country.

Flooding on the Sediatmo toll road is bad, not only for Jakarta's economy, but also for the whole country. It is bad, especially, for Visit Indonesia Year 2008.

Imagine, thousands of tourists lured by the Visit Indonesia campaign and flying to Indonesia via Soekarno-Hatta airport, and being greeted not by flowers but by floods.

That would be a disaster for our tourism industry because word would spread that Indonesia is submerged and not worth visiting.

Word of mouth is more powerful than any advertising campaign.

Before it is too late, the authorities need to take quick and drastic measures to solve the flooding problem.

A few alternatives are available. The most drastic is to relocate the airport to higher ground. This idea has been suggested, but has yet to be seriously considered.

Another alternative is to restore the mangrove forest around the Sediatmo tollway to serve as a water catchment area.

This idea is, however, also remote because it would only open old wounds and hurt relations with the powerful businessmen behind the huge Pantai Indah Kapuk housing complex and accompanying golf course.

A more reasonable step would be to build alternative routes to the airport, including an elevated railway line.

Plans for a railway line to the airport from Manggarai are with the city administration, but, until the first stone is laid, we should not expect the railway to materialize anytime soon.

It took Vice President Jusuf Kalla's recent visit to the flooded toll road to just keep the railway plan alive. But whether this is followed up by funding and implementation remains to be seen.

Kalla also ordered toll road operator PT Jasa Marga to raise the existing Sediatmo tollway by 1.5 meters, and to add four additional lanes to the existing four lanes.

We support both efforts, especially the addition of more lanes because even when there is no flooding, the toll road is often backed up with traffic, the result of the growing number of housing complexes along the toll road.

Equally important is to build and promote alternative routes to the airport. The few alternative routes that do exist are unknown to most people, and they are generally small roads that are easily jammed, especially when it rains.

When there are spacious, paved alternative routes, more people will use them to get to the airport, reducing the burden on the Sediatmo tollway.

But alternative roads are only for those who have cars or can afford to take a taxi to the airport, which can cost more than a hundred or even two hundred thousand rupiah, a significant amount for many who take budget airlines.

Therefore, the government needs to maintain affordable and reliable public transportation to the airport.

Currently, the buses of state-owned bus company Damri provide airport service. In the future, we hope, the railway company will follow suit. Only then will the airport be accessible to everyone at anytime.

Government to limit sales of subsidized fuels in May

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

The government will proceed with its plan to limit the sales of subsidized fuels, with some part of the savings to go to subsidizing food staples, an official said Thursday.

Directorate general of oil and gas Luluk Sumiarso told The Jakarta Post the move would go into effect May 1 after a study gauging the impact of the program could be completed.

"We are still studying the plan to find better ways we can implement the program. That also includes the monitoring system in the field," Luluk said.

Other issues, he said, related to whether the policy would be applied to every vehicle or for public transportation only.

It also remained undecided whether the plan would include vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000 cc, he said.

Following the skyrocketing of global oil prices, this year's fuel subsidy spending would cost the government Rp 87 trillion (US$9.3 billion), much higher than the original forecast of Rp 55 trillion.

Downstream oil and gas regulator BPH Migas has said 250 gas stations in Java and Bali will be subjected to the limitation plan this year.

The plan would include the use of smart cards for motorists to purchase subsidized gasoline or diesel fuel, the agency said.

The government is expected to be able to limit the consumption of gasoline and diesel fuel using the card, which will limit the amount of subsidized fuel a cardholder can buy.

BPH Migas expected a similar system would be used for controlling the consumption of kerosene. Such a system could lead the government to cut the kerosene subsidy by Rp 3 trillion.

The government is still discussing the new fuel consumption quota for the limitation plan, with the regulator proposing 5 liters per day per person.

BPH Migas executive Adi Subagyo said the plan could save as much as Rp 8 trillion.

The plan is also aimed at ensuring subsidized fuel consumption at the level of 35.8 million kiloliters (kl), as stated in the 2008 state budget, amid concerns the quota will rise uncontrollably.

The government proposed in the budget revision a higher consumption quota of 39 million kl on the back of robust economic growth. A higher quota will put a heavier burden on the government's cover as a greater subsidy would be needed.

Energy officials are also optimistic the limitation system will help the government use the fuel subsidy to keep the prices of food staples lower, following a rise in prices of a number of commodities in the global market.

Little hope for current airport road, experts say

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Recent flooding that submerged part of the Sedyatmo turnpike -- the main roadway to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport -- was primarily caused by the surrounding land's inability to absorb excess water, experts concluded Wednesday.

The head of the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency's climatology and air quality information division, Endro Santoso, said the land around the turnpike had lost its ability to absorb water.

"The poor quality of the soil was the main cause of the flooding. Heavy rainfall was only a trigger," he said in a press conference at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).

The agency recorded 317 millimeters of rain in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, during last Friday's downpour, more than twice the level ordinarily categorized as "very high rainfall".

The flooding brought Jakarta to a standstill, submerging kilometers 25 to 28 of the Sedyatmo turnpike. Soekarno-Hatta airport detoured 58 flights and delayed another 177 leaving approximately 1,000 passengers stranded.

BPPT hydrologist Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said diminishing water catchment areas, overly exploited groundwater and population encroachment on lands adjacent to the turnpike also contributed to the flooding.

"Groundwater must tightly hold every layer of soil. In the area around the turnpike, it has been pumped out in massive quantities to meet local residential demands," he said, adding that the area south of the turnpike has experienced considerable development over the past several years.

"As a result, soil in the area has become more frail," he said. "The land around the turnpike subsided by 2 meters between 1982 to 1997 as structures were erected rapidly. The concave topography of the area makes the area more flood prone by preventing water from running off to the sea."

State-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga is planning to build elevated roads on the two sides of the turnpike as additional toll road lanes. Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto previously said the construction of the additional elevated lanes would start in March and was expected to be completed within a year, with Jasa Marga funding the project.

City Transportation Council member Soetanto Soehodho said elevated roads would not be a favorable solution if they were not complemented by the development railway-based transportation.

"Jakarta and the Sedyatmo turnpike will never be flood-free without trains to carry passengers and goods," he said. "Elevated roads will only encourage people's dependence on private vehicles or other road-based transportation modes. Without proper infrastructure, residents and visitors to Jakarta will continue to be trapped by flooding on the turnpike."

The hidden dangers of having a flat tire

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police have warned motorists to be cautious while driving on the city's streets following a string of similar robberies in recent months.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said Wednesday thieves had been scattering nails on streets around the capital to puncture car tires.

When motorists have been looking for tire repair shops, thieves have stolen their belongings from their cars before fleeing on motorcycles.

Yoga said street thieves usually worked in groups and it was likely there was more than one group committing this type of robbery in Jakarta.

"Similar robberies are often reported in Jakarta. We believe there is more than one group of thieves operating. With the help of victims and members of the public we will try to arrest the members of these groups," he said.

On Tuesday Koran Tempo chief editor Malela Mahargasarie fell victim to a roadside robbery.

Malela was robbed near the Lebak Bulus overpass on Jl. TB Simatupang in South Jakarta at around 10 a.m.

He was on the way to his office in Kebayoran Lama, also in South Jakarta, when a motorcyclist told him he had a flat tire.

He then parked his car in front of a row of shop houses and saw that a nail had punctured one of his tires.

The motorcyclist stopped and his passenger told Malela there was a tire repair stall nearby.

Malela locked his car and walked to the stall.

"Another man arrived at the scene and smashed the passenger side window of Malela's car and stole his wallet, which contained approximately Rp 2.5 million (US$280), his cellular phone and office documents," Yoga said.

After stealing Malela's belongings, the man fled the scene on a motorcycle.

Malela then reported the robbery to the Kebayoran Lama police.

Yoga said police had identified two men allegedly involved in the robbery but were yet to arrest them.

He said several suspects had been arrested following similar cases in Jakarta in the past.

"The thieves do not operate in specific areas. They always move around the city. That is why police cannot say or predict which areas in the capital are more prone to this type of crime," Yoga said.

"These robberies can happen anytime, anywhere, so just be careful," he said.

He said victims could send text messages to the police hotline on 1717 for assistance but could not guarantee police would be immediately able to respond due to limited personnel.

He did not suggest people call the police hotline on 122.

"You might not be able to get through on that number because many people call it. Sending an SMS message is more effective." (trw)

I-box

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said motorists should take the following precautions to avoid falling victim to street robberies:

1. If you have a flat tire, do not panic. Stay calm and alert, especially in front of the person who informs you about your flat tire.
2. Do not stop immediately. Try to stop at the nearest police station or security guard post.
3. Crowded or public places are not 100 percent secure. Find a place where you can seek assistance.
4. Send a text message to 1717 for police assistance.
5. Avoid driving alone. It is safer to drive with one or more friend.
   

Woman robbed in "blue" taxi

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post) : Sinta, 28, was not sure what type of taxi she hailed Tuesday, but she could remember the details of her short trip in it clearly.

In a report filed to police, Sinta said she caught a blue taxi at approximately 5 p.m. from outside the Mid Plaza building on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, Antara reported Wednesday.

When the taxi was traveling through the Senayan area, two people got in and robbed her. They hit her and threatened her with a knife before the taxi dropped her off in East Jakarta.

The thieves stole two gold rings, a cellphone, a personal computer and Rp 10.4 million in cash.

The head of the armed crimes unit at the Jakarta Police headquarters, Adj. Sr. Comr. Fadil Imran, said the case was being investigated.

"Passengers should look for the registration number and the company's name when they take a taxi. Jot down the driver's identity if necessary. If the driver's identity card is nowhere to be seen, get out of the taxi immediately," he said.

Garuda Indonesia pilot arrested over crash - lawyer

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The pilot of a Garuda Indonesia aircraft that crashed at Yogyakarta airport killing 21 people last year has been arrested by police on charges that include manslaughter, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Captain Marwoto Komar, who was arrested on Monday after eight hours of interrogation, was also charged with other offences including violating aviation law and could face more than five years in jail, the pilot's lawyer Muhammad Assegaf said.

The Boeing 737, with 140 people on board, bounced and skidded off the runway in the central Javanese town of Yogyakarta before bursting into flames in a rice field in March, 2007.

Both pilots survived the crash, which happened less than three months after an Adam Air aircraft disappeared with 102 passengers and crew on board off Sulawesi island.

"We think there is no basis for his arrest," Assegaf told Reuters by telephone, "I believe his arrest has raised a lot of eyebrows among the global aviation community."

Last year a report by the National Transport Safety Commission said the pilot ignored 15 warnings as he descended too rapidly, but declined to attribute the crash to "human error" or "pilot error".

The committee's report said the aircraft "was flown at an excessive air speed and steep flight path angle during the approach and landing, resulting in an unstabilised approach".

Five Australians -- two policemen, a diplomat, a journalist and an aid official -- were among the casualties. They were part of a group that had been accompanying then Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who was not on board the plane, on a visit to Indonesia.

Stephanus Gerardus, who heads Garuda's pilots association, said the arrest was unlawful as it was based on some of the findings published by the National Transport Safety Committee.

"We are not against holding our pilots accountable for their actions," Gerardus said by telephone. "But we want everything to go according to international standards, which means the police cannot base their case on the report."

Gerardus said the Indonesian Pilots Association was due to meet a parliamentary transport commission on Tuesday to urge the release of Komar and propose a separate tribunal for aviation offences.

Indonesian officials have previously said that under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules the results of an investigation by a country's transport safety commission could not be used as evidence in court.

Police could not immediately be contacted to comment on the arrest.

Yamaha to lift Indonesian capacity 40 pct via new motorbike plant

Tokyo (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Japan's Yamaha Motor Co. (TSE:7272) plans to bring online a new motorcycle factory in Indonesia this year, seeking to raise capacity in that country by 40 per cent to 3 million to 3.2 million units a year in 2010, The Nikkei learned Monday.

The investment is expected to total about 10 billion yen (US$93 million). The move comes on the heels of the firm expanding capacity by 400,000 units last year.

The new plant, to be built on the site of joint venture PT Yamaha Motor Manufacturing West Java, will produce 100-150cc bikes with automatic transmissions.

Transportation to airport clear

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With the exception of travelers and residents heading to the airport, many people in Jakarta will have difficulty reaching their destinations Monday with no improvements made so far (as of Sunday) for the city's inundated roads.

The government ensured, however, alternative routes and transportation to and from Sukarno-Hatta International Airport as well as the use of Halim Perdanakusuma airbase as a contingency measure.

The measures were made after Vice President Jusuf Kalla's helicopter tour Sunday, conducting an aerial examination of the airport as well as part of the inundated city.

Kalla was accompanied by State Minister for State Enterprise Sofyan Djalil, Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Jamal, State Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.

Fauzi said that a plan to build elevated expressways to the airport would soon be realized to deal with possible floods.

Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II's corporate secretary, Sudaryanto, said all airport buses had been informed to take alternative routes through Tangerang to reach the airport's back gate (also known as west gate), should the Sedyatmo tollway -- the main access route to the airport -- remain flooded.

In cooperation with tollroad operator PT Jasa Marga and public bus operator PT Damri, the airport management has also prepared trucks and dinghies that could pass through the floods to evacuate passengers trapped on the tollroad.

Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia was forced to place its crew in hotels near the airport to ensure that the airline's services would not be disrupted by the floods, Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said.

The airline also needed to prepare back-up fuel, in case planes were diverted to other airports, Pujobroto added.

Merpati Nusantara has decided to begin moving its operational activities to Halim on Monday night.

"The activities would be returned to Soekarno-Hatta as soon as the conditions improve," Merpati general manager Purwatmo said.

Airport administration head Herry Bakti said the flight schedule had returned to normal on Sunday.

"There are some delays, but nothing unusual," he was quoted as saying by Antara.

He said the delays were mostly caused by air crew and passengers arriving late to the airport due to the chaotic traffic, even though the runway was still flooded.

The inundated tollway to the airport has been closed since Friday. The government has created detours for traffic through several alternative routes, including Tangerang city.

"The number of vehicles (traversing in the city to reach the airport's back gate) increased to some 15,000 per day since Friday, three times the amount on a regular day," airport traffic police chief Comr. Sutimin said.

The Traffic Management Center reported several areas were still flooded Sunday, including West Jakarta's Joglo, Daan Mogot, and Cengkareng as well as North Jakarta's Ancol, Tanjung Priok, Cilincing and Kelapa Gading.

Government Revokes 20 Flight Certificates

Friday, 01 February, 2008 | 14:18 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Air Transportation Directorate General has revoked 20 air operator certificates (AOCs) of regular flight and chartered flight operators. In detail, 13 regular flight certificates (AOC 121) and seven charter certificates (AOC 135). “The airlines aren’t operating any more,” said Air Transportation Director General, Budhi Mulyawan Suyitno, during a hearing with the House Transportation Commission in Jakarta yesterday (31/1).

In line with the measure, the government has issued AOC for 21 regular flight operators and 29 for charter flight operators.

Director of Certification for Airworthiness at the Transportation Department, Yurlis Hasibuan, said that the revocation took up to seven months. The process was begun with warning and termination. “If there is danger (the certificate) is revoked instantly,” he said.

So far, said Yurlis, two airlines had proposed a new flight certificate, Eagle Air and Kal Star. As regards the three airlines which had previously proposed it, the process was stopped temporarily. They were Top Air, Jatayu and Lorena. “They haven’t met the requirements, perhaps financially,” he said.

Yurlis explained that the certification process demands several requirements that airlines must meet, among which are financial availability, human resources, personnel, operation assurance and aircraft maintenance.

In addition, the minimal number of aircraft control. For AOC 121, an airline must at least control two aircraft. “It will be revised to be five aircraft,” said Yurlis.

The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) asked the government to be consistent in evaluating aircraft flight certificate ownership. “If they’re flying, they may be continues. But for those that are inactive , it must not be allowed,” said INACA Secretary General, Tengku Burhanudin, Jakarta yesterday (31/1).

Harun Mahbub

Flood waters down, but city still on alert

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite clear weather and receding waters on Saturday, the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency says Jakarta resident should brace for more floods before the end of the month.

The agency has predicted cloudy skies and heavy, prolonged rainfall in the coming weeks.

"The rains we had recently were caused by a weather pattern called the Madden-Julian oscillation, which increases the possibility of massive rains that may last from three up to four days," the agency's head of research and development, Mezak Arnold Ratag, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The pattern, he said, usually affects weather in a region from 30 to 40 days.

Mezak said that flooding could also occur due to rainfall in upstream areas such as Bogor and Depok.

"In such cases, Jakarta would be heavily flooded again because the excess water would flow into the city," he said.

Mezak said the city would have been in a better situation this month if it had prepared its drainage system earlier.

The Jakarta Police's Traffic Management Center said that the number of flooded areas had dropped from 140 to 27 by Saturday.

Many people have returned to the houses they left to the waters on Friday.

Residents of Kampung Pulo in East Jakarta, which was inundated up to 1.5 meters deep in parts on Friday, have begun cleaning up their homes.

Mohammad Harris, a Kampung Pulo community unit chief, said that they were still ready for more floods.

"We are still on alert as it is the time of the year where the big floods come," he said.

Some areas of the city are still underwater.

Rawa Buaya of West Jakarta, suffered heavy flooding after the rain had stopped because the water level in the Angke River had risen and burst its banks.

A resident, Sriyono, said he had not been prepared for the floods.

"The water starts to rise quickly on Saturday morning," he said, adding that it was high as an adult's stomach on Friday.

The Sedyatmo toll road, the main link between the city and the international airport, was still flooded 50 cm deep on Saturday.

A lack of public transportation to the city meant many arrivals were left stranded at the airport, while passengers on their way there struggled to find alternative roads.

"We won't allow sedans or any low-level vehicles to cross the toll road," said Adj.Sr. Comr. Mujiana was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

Thousands of people were left stranded by floods that affected 14 percent of the city's 267 subdistricts on Friday.

Water inundated main thoroughfares, railways and the runway of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. More than 3,000 residents were forced to leave their homes.

The Health Ministry's Crisis Management Center recorded at least three people dead on Friday due to drowning, while the Greater Jakarta division of state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api recorded Rp 550 million (US$57,894) of losses due to travel delays and railway deterioration.(anw/ewd)

Alternative routes to Soekarno-Hatta international airport

Route 1:

Jakarta-Merak toll road, exit at Karawaci toll gate--Jl Imam Bonjol--T-intersection at Jl Merdeka--Jl Otto Iskandardinata--Jl Aipda.K.S.Tubun--Jl Marsekal Suryadarma--airport main gate

Route 2:

Jl Ki Sama'un--Jl.K.S.Tubun--turn right to Jl Sungai Cisadane Pintu 10--airport main gate

Route 3:

Jl Daan Mogot--Jl. Halim Perdanakusuma--Jl Husein Sastranegara--airport main gate

Source: The Jakarta Post

TSA (USA) Launches Blog, Gets An Earful From Weary Travelers

Officials set up the site to open a dialog with travelers and to reconcile the perceived need for security with the desire for unhindered transit.

By Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek

January 31, 2008 03:00 PM

The Transportation Security Administration wants to know why we can't all just get along.

So, on Thursday, the agency launched a blog to open a dialog with travelers and to reconcile the perceived need for security with the desire for unhindered transit.

"There is no time to talk, to listen, to engage with each other," lamented TSA Administrator Kip Hawley in the blog's first post. "There isn't much opportunity for our Security Officers to explain the 'why' of what we ask you to do at the checkpoint, just the 'what' needs to be done to clear security. The result is that the feedback and venting ends up circulating among passengers with no real opportunity for us to learn from you or vice versa. "

Hawley's avowed goal for 2008 is "to get TSA and passengers back on the same side, working together." And to do so, he is promising "a lively, open discussion of TSA issues." Although he acknowledged that "destructive" posts will be removed, he said site moderators will "not touch the critical or cranky."

The blog's Comment Policy is rather more specific about permissible feedback. All comments are reviewed before posting. Posts must treat the agency and its employees with respect. That means no vulgar or abusive language, no personal attacks, no ethnic or racial epithets, no spam or marketing pitches, and no unsupported accusations.

However, the presence of a post that begins "Dear fear mongering air Gestapo" suggests that those screening the TSA blog's comments are letting some rather barbed statements slip through. Perhaps surprisingly, TSA appears to be quite earnest in its desire to hear what people really think: One of the moderators assured blog visitors that "commenting on this blog will NOT get you on any list TSA keeps."

A day after its launch, the site's premiere entry has more than 330 comments. Those posting range from enthusiastic TSA employees who think the blog is "a great idea" to aggrieved travelers who want their civil liberties restored to an inventor who believes he has the answer to fungal infections arising from checkpoint shoe removal.

Some comments are quite supportive of TSA. "I understand that some of the passengers do not like taking off their shoes or surrendering their toothpaste, however, there are many passengers that thank us for what we do," said an anonymous commenter who claims to be a TSA employee. "We must all remember that 9/11 happened and we are just trying to make the air safe for everyone. Flying is not a right granted under the Bill of Rights and due to the state of the world today, we must all make smart decisions. I am proud of what we do and what we represent."

Other comments are quite critical. "As a police officer working at a Midwest airport, the thing that irks [me] and the other officers is the attitude of some of the screeners," said someone posting under the name "airport-leo." "There are some that are on a real power trip. They seem to delight in bullying any passengers that might question their reason for doing certain things. They like to come across as having the sole power and authority to let that person on that flight. I have personally complained to Screening Supervisors and Screening Managers about the attitude of certain Screeners but to no avail."

How TSA responds to the criticism it has invited remains to be seen. But the agency certainly has some work to do if it's to win the hearts and minds of the traveling public. In a December IP/Ipsos Poll of 1,004 adults that asked respondents how they felt about government agencies, TSA came in third to last, ahead of Congress and the IRS, but behind FEMA. Only 15% of those surveyed said they had a very favorable view of TSA, compared with 11% for Congress, 14% for the IRS, and 16% for FEMA.

Driving licenses available online

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A convenient new system allowing motorists to renew their driving licenses online was recently introduced in the capital.

The new system, established by the National Police, is also available to motorists in Greater Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Banten, Bali, Lampung and South Sulawesi.

The head of the driving license section at the Jakarta Police headquarters, Comr. Gatot Subroto, said the regional headquarters was using an online database system that recognized every license issued in each region using the system.

"With the new system, driving licenses will be valid at the national level. This means motorists who obtained their driving licenses in Banten, for example, could renew their licenses at the Jakarta Police headquarters," Gatot told The Jakarta Post.

Jakarta introduced the new service on Dec. 26 last year, he said.

The system contains data on up to 20 million driving licenses.

"This new facility will also prevent people from having more than one driving license as their request in one regional office would be recognized by other offices," he said.

"The system also serves as a national identification database that could be used by police when investigating crimes and accidents," he said.

A similar database has been used to record details about hundreds of millions of people since 1992.

The integrated data system will enable criminal investigations to be completed faster, he said.

"We informed everyone who applied for driving licenses recently about the new system," Gatot said.

He said the cost of renewing a license had not changed since the introduction of the new system, with applications still costing Rp 75,000 (US$8.2) and insurance costing Rp 15,000.

Health checks are Rp 10,000 and driving tests cost Rp 5,000 (for obtaining license type C) and Rp 10,000 (for license type A), he added. (dia)

A380 makes test flight on alternative fuel

Dan Lalor

BRISTOL (Reuters) - An Airbus A380, the world's largest airliner, became the first commercial jet aircraft to use alternative fuel on Friday, marking a milestone on the road to biofuels.

The double-decker A380 needed no modification to use the gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel, which was designed to be mixed with regular jet fuel so "the airplane does not know the difference," Airbus said.

Airbus hopes the plane, hit by production delays, will become the centerpiece of efforts to develop the next generation of cleaner fuel at a time when the aviation industry is under pressure over the impact of emissions on the climate.

Sebastien Remy, head of Airbus SAS's alternative fuel program, said the GTL used on Friday was no cleaner in CO2 (carbon dioxide) terms than regular fuel but it had local air quality benefits because it produces no sulphur.

He said the take-off showed Airbus was "preparing for (the) emergence of a wider slate of synthetic fuels."

By 2025, he said, a quarter of jet fuel could be some form of alternative fuel.

The fuel used, a mix of 60 percent standard jet kerosene and 40 percent GTL, was used in one of the A380's four engines.

The GTL was made in Malaysia from natural gas and, as such, is a fossil fuel not a biofuel, which are made from renewable resources.

But Remy said GTL was the first step to developing BTL (biomass-to-liquid) fuel, which can use anything from wood chips to crops.

He wants to avoid competing with food crops, and said the research emphasis was on growing biomass where food crops are not grown, such as arid regions.

Eventually, algae could be one source.

The A380's take-off from the planemaker's Filton base was watched by reporters and hundreds of Airbus workers. It landed at Toulouse, southwest France, after a three-hour test flight.

The first A380 to carry passengers entered service with Singapore Airlines late last year after an 18-month delay caused by difficulties in installing the mammoth aircraft's wiring.

Anxious to focus on what it describes as the aircraft's environmental benefits, in terms of the amount of fuel consumed per passenger, Airbus has already rebranded the A380 the "gentle green giant," and softened its marketing presentations.

Airbus staged Friday's display weeks before British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group planned to conduct a test jet flight on renewable fuels on a Boeing 747.

The company has said it plans a flight in early 2008 and the debut had been expected in February. The A380 was designed to break the 747's 30-year monopoly on very large passengers jets.

He said the first commercial use of GTL could be in 2009 by Qatar Airways after it has taken delivery of its first A380.

Qatar has the world's third-largest reserves of natural gas and Shell and Qatar Petroleum are building a GTL plant, called Pearl, which is due to be fully operational by 2011.

Qatar Airways's Stephen Vella said the airline wanted to use a 50 percent GTL blend from 2009 but only on a limited scale until Pearl is complete.

"The new fuels will not be limited to the airline industry, but could easily be adapted to power cars," Remy said.

(Reporting by Dan Lalor; Editing by David Cowell)

Govt to require airlines to buy, rather than lease, planes

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): With only a few domestic airlines possessing ownership of aircraft, the Transportation Ministry is drafting a revision to a ministerial decree on airline services, requiring domestic airlines to own at least two planes, an official saidFriday.

Most airlines in the country lease aircraft.

"Initially the new regulation will apply only to new companies applying for permits, but after a year, it will also apply to all domestic airline companies," said Hemi Pamuraharjo, the domestic flights section-head at the Ministry.

The draft is currently under review by a ministry legal team and is expected to be in force by March.

"A few companies including Garuda and Merpati own several planes, but others mostly lease aircraft due to budget considerations," he said.

According to ministry data, as of last year, 15 companies served domestic flights.

Several new companies, including Lorena Air, have obtained operation permits, but are not yet operational as they have yet to secure a lease or ownership of a plane. (tin)

Jakarta must improve drainage system: Expert

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): Jakarta would be able to sustain many hours of local rain if it had a proper drainage network, a planning expert said Friday.

Basah Hernowo, the director of forestry and water resource conservation at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), said floods that inundated the capital Friday were a direct result of the city's clogged drainage system.

"On Friday, Jakarta only experienced local rain and the rainwater could have receded quickly if it was channeled properly. The floods indicate that parts of the city's micro drainage system is blocked and some canals are not functioning properly," Basah told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"We were flooded even though it was only local rain. What if it was combined with floods from Bogor and Puncak? I'm afraid the city's drainage system won't be able to channel rainwater quickly enough," Basah said.

On Friday, parts of Jakarta became flooded when heavy rain that started Thursday night continued Friday morning.

Basah said Jakarta had become more vulnerable to flooding as it could not handle downpours that lasted more than 12 hours. (tif)

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport closed due to heavy rain

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia was forced to temporarily close its main international airport Friday because of poor visibility during torrential downpours, an official said. More than 60 planes were delayed or diverted.

Hariyanto, a spokesman for the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, said he hoped the facility would reopen by early afternoon. Runways were not flooded, but visibility was less than 300 meters -- compared to the minimum standard of 500 meters, hesaid.

Forty-three flights were delayed and 21 diverted to other airports, Hariyanto said.

Indonesia was pounded by rain late Thursday and early Friday, bringing traffic to a standstill in much of the capital, Jakarta.

The rain was expected to continue until nightfall, Ahmad Zakir, a spokesman for the meteorological and geophysics agency, told El Shinta radio.

Citywide floods last occurred in February 2007 in Jakarta, much of which is below sea level. Environmentalists have blamed the flooding on garbage-clogged rivers, rampant overdevelopment and the deforestation of hills south of the city.

Floods inundate main streets surrounding the Air Mancur traffic circle which is located in Medan Merdeka Selatan street, Jakarta (2/1). Heavy rain which falls since early this morning has caused floods in almost all parts of capital. (ANTARA/Iwan Sahlami/kim)