River-dredging project to supply mud to build up land for BMW Park

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/14/2008 11:09 AM  

In an ambitious new project, the Jakarta administration is turning the erosion process on its head and reclaiming mud from the city's rivers to use as soil for green spaces. 

Mounds of mud line the banks of Jakarta's trash-clogged and turbid rivers. Dredged during the daytime, they are trucked each night to a designated site. 

Budi Widiantoro, deputy head of the Jakarta Public Works Agency, said the dredged mud was taken to BMW Park in North Jakarta to eventually be used to make way for a green area. 

BMW Park was originally designated as a green area during the city's "Clean (Bersih), Humane (Manusiawi), Dignified (Wibawa)" program in the 1960s. But since the early 1990s, as many as 1,400 squatter families took over the land. Last August, the city administration evicted the families in an effort to reclaim the city's green spaces. 

The city says it plans to cart mud from 12 out of 13 rivers in Jakarta to the site before turning it into a dedicated park and international stadium. 

"The mud will be used to build up the land, after which it will be planted with trees," Budi said. 

He added the agency excavated the rivers annually to mitigate flooding, but the start of the project depended on the disbursement of the city budget. 

"To dredge the rivers, the agency needs Rp 23 billion (US$2.1 million)," he said. 

The project will dredge 243,322 cubic meters of mud from waterways, with operations already underway, running from November through to December. 

The city administration will also be helped out by the donation of two used boats from the Dutch government to help in the dredging efforts, Budi added. 

The boats will do the actual dredging, with trucks at the ready to cart the mud to the designated dump site. 

"The boats are used ones, we will replace them with new ones after the trial period," Budi said. 

The public works agency plans to take the mud to designated areas in Ancol and Jembatan Tiga, North Jakarta, if there is no more space at BMW Park. 

Beginning next year, the city administration will dredge major rivers in Jakarta, using a US$150 million loan from the World Bank. 

"The loan disbursement is still being processed," Budi said. 

Jakarta's rivers used to run clean and deep, but as the city developed, the amount of eroded earth and garbage pouring into them caused them to grow shallower and filthier. During the rainy season, areas along riverbanks are prone to flood. 

The city's flood-prone areas are: Sunter Agung, Koja, Penjaringan and Rawa Badak in North Jakarta; Bukit Duri, Pondok Karya and Bintaro in South Jakarta; Petamburan, Bendungan Hilir, Kebon Melati, Karet Tengsin, Tanah Abang, Kemayoran, Gunung Sahari Utara and Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta; Rawa Buaya, Kapuk and Tegal Alur in West Jakarta; and Cawang and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta. (fmb)

Yamaha to invest US$88 mln in Indonesian motorcycle production

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Motorcycle maker PT Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing will invest US$88 million in Indonesia this year to increase its motorcycle production capacity. 

Its subsidiary PT Yamaha Motor Manufacturing West Java will use the funds to double the capacity of its factory in Karawang from 800,000 units to 1.6 million units and to build Yamaha global training center in the country. 

The capacity expansion will bring Yamaha production capacity to 3.2 million units in the country.

RI to buy 6 jet fighters, 18 armored vehicles from Russia

Moscow, (ANTARA News/RIA Novosti) - Rosoboronexport has signed deals to sell six Su-30 Flanker-C jet fighters and 18 BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles to Indonesia, an official at Russia's arms export monopoly said on Wednesday. 

Nikolai Dimidyuk, Rosoboronexport's special programs director, said Indonesia could also buy other Russian warplanes as well as Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters. 

"Indonesia is still very interested in Russian fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft," he said. 

He expressed confidence the Russian Finance Ministry would soon approve a $1 billion loan for Indonesia. 

"We are sure that this loan will be used to buy arms," Dimidyuk said. 

He added that Indonesia had asked Russia to modernize its Soviet-era weapons and equipment."All of their Soviet-made weapons are obsolete," he said.

Prosthesis helps man stay true to profession

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta  | Thu, 11/13/2008 10:31 AM 

 LIFE IS GOOD AGAIN: Motorcycle taxi ojek driver Karma with his wife and three-year-old daughter. For the past four years Karma has been able to work again, thanks to his artificial leg. (JP/Agnes Winarti)

"Sorry, I think my leg is coming loose," said Karma, a motorcycle taxi ojek driver, one evening during a downpour. 

"I am sorry, what did you say?" said his passenger on the back of the motorcycle. 

Apologizing, Karma asked her to switch to another ojek driver. 

"My artificial leg was getting wet and heavy. I could not continue driving. We always laugh when recalling that incident," Karma told The Jakarta Post recently with his wife. They live together near Darul Mustaqiem, opposite Manggarai train station in South Jakarta. 

Forty-something Karma and wife Erni never imagined they could laugh at such an experience, or even dream he would ride his ojek again. 

Six years ago Karma was hit by a motorcycle while heading home from his ojek shift at Manggarai train station. 

Instead of going straight to hospital, he followed relatives' advice and sought treatment from a traditional healer specializing in broken bones in Cimande, West Java. 

The six-month treatment turned out to be a disaster. The healer could not fix his broken right leg, and it developed rot. Karma was rushed to the nearest Red Cross Hospital in Bogor, but his right leg had to be amputated below the knee. 

After the surgery, he did not work for two years and relied on his wife for support. She worked as a mobile salesperson traveling to housing complexes to sell cooking utensils. 

"I was frustrated," said the father of four. "I had no other skills which I could use to earn some money. Opening a business was not an option, since I required large start-up capital." 

In 2004 Karma met a man who required a polio brace to assist him in walking, despite having both his legs intact. The man worked at a specialist store for prosthetic devices. 

The man suggested Karma try a device from the store to see if it assisted him in day-to-day living. 

After submitting his identity card, profile photograph and evidence of his low socio-economic status, Karma, like hundreds before him, was given a free prosthetic leg from the store. The device was provided to Karma if he agreed to participate in the Peduli Kasih program, a charity organized by TV station Indosiar. 

Through the program, Karma learnt to walk again and even managed to overcome his doubts and attempt to ride a motorcycle. 

"I can ride a motorcycle again and even take a passenger on the back. So, I decided to return to my ojek post." 

Erni, despite her concerns, let him become an ojek driver again. 

"At first I was worried, but then I realized it was the only way he could feed the family. So I could not say no," she said. 

He earns Rp 600,000 a month from his ojek work, while his wife works periodically as a masseuse. 

"This artificial leg has been incredibly useful. Not only can I ride the ojek again, but more importantly I am the breadwinner in my family once more," Karma said. 

The hardest aspect of being an ojek driver with a prosthetic leg, Karma said, was combating the rainy season. 

"It is difficult to ride a motorcycle when it is raining, and it is impossible to prevent my leg from becoming wet. Once it is soaked, it becomes loose and heavy. If it rains, I have to head home." 

Karma said despite this difficultly, he would continue his work as an ojek driver. He said no other work suited him, and he would not be able to obtain a different license because of his physical condition. 

"Nobody notices my defect, except my regular customers, who are fine with it."

Bicycles could disappear from Asia, experts warn

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Bangkok | Thu, 11/13/2008 10:29 AM  

It is likely bicycles will have disappeared from China's and India's streets within the next decade, unless governments of the world's two most populous countries make a U-turn in their transportation policies. 

A joint study by the Netherlands-based Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE) and Indian-based Transport Research and Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP) was conducted in China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to measure each government's attitude to cyclists. 

"Today, China and India still have a lot of bikes but we are not sure if they will exist in the next five or 10 years as the governments' policies are not bicycle-friendly," I-CE resident representative in India, Anvita Arora, said during the Better Air Quality workshop here Tuesday. 

In India alone, the study -- covering 19 of the country's medium and large cities -- showed a sharp decline in bicycle journeys over the past two decades. 

"In New Delhi, only 5 percent of trips were made by bicycle in 2000, compared with about 20 percent in previous years," the study said. 

"The major shortcoming of almost all development proposals in Indian cities is that the bicycle tracks have not been planned as an integral part of the road networks." 

In Taiwan, home to 23 million residents and known as the kingdom of bicycle manufacturing, the government has long neglected cyclists. 

"There has been a growing dependence on private motorized transportation, as evidenced by the presence of 5.7 million cars and 12 million motorcycles," the study shows. 

Taiwan is currently trying to encourage cyclists to take to the road again. 

"In Singapore, you don't find bicycles at all and there is less policy support for them," Arora said, claiming the declining trend was affecting all Asian countries. 

"Everybody is talking about the impacts of climate change and air pollution but the number of bicycles is going down in Asia. It is very worrying." 

But Indonesia has made some progress in promoting the use of bicycles in the past three years, according to Transportation Study Institute (Instran) director Darmaningtyas. 

"There is a rising number of cyclists in Indonesia, mainly since the 2005 fuel price hike. Regional administrations, including Jakarta, Surakarta (Central Java) and Ngawi (East Java), are actively promoting the use of bicycles," he said. 

I-CE executive officer Tom Godefrooij said the main challenge for Asia was reversing the decline in the number of bicycles. 

"There are lots of programs to make it happen, including by stopping plans to provide roads (only) for cars. The road must be a place for all users, including cyclists," he said. 

He said the Dutch and Danish governments had maintained the proportion of bicycle trips at 20 to 25 percent of the total.

City, NGOs to raid office, malls, buses for smokers

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/12/2008 10:50 AM  

The city administration and a number of anti-smoking NGOs plan to conduct raids across the city targeting smokers caught ignoring the bylaw on smoking in restricted areas. 

The sweep will focus on the seven public areas in which smoking was banned under the bylaw: office buildings, medical centers, schools, places of worship, children's playgrounds, public transportation and shopping centers, said Nita Yudi, chairwoman of the Indonesian Network of Women Against Tobacco, on Tuesday. 

"The 10-day action will be held from Nov. 17 to 27. This is part of the effort to protect people from the dangers of cigarettes," said Nita at City Hall after a meeting with Governor Fauzi Bowo. 

"We decided to take action because so far the administration has not implemented the 2005 city regulation on non-smoking areas and on air pollution control. 

People caught smoking in the aforementioned public areas will be warned and required to sign an agreement stating they will not smoke in any restricted areas in the future, she said. 

"We will not punish people caught smoking during the activity. We just want to embarrass them into reconsidering their actions, instead of punishing or fining them," said Nita. 

Twelve NGOs, including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and Forum of Jakarta Residents (Fakta), will join the action. 

"Officers from the city administration, the Jakarta environmental management board (BPLHD), the public order agency and the tourism agency will also participate," she said. 

To coincide with the action, there will be a series of anti-smoking surveys conducted at office buildings throughout the capital, said Fakta coordinator Azas Tigor Nainggolan. 

"The administration has agreed to the surveys. 70 percent of the surveys will take place in government buildings, like City Hall and subdistrict offices," said Tigor. 

The smoking ban was imposed in January 2006. 

People who violate the regulation face up to six months jail or a Rp 50 million (US$4,555) fine. 

The smoking restriction was one of the key points in the administration's 2005 bylaw on air pollution control. 

Although Jakarta issued the ruling years ago, the bylaw on air control has been deemed unworkable and has not been enforced, so smokers have not been punished for breaching it thus far. 

Fauzi said the administration would tighten their enforcement of the anti-smoking regulation. 

"The monitoring will be divided into regions. A subdistrict head, for example, will monitor the enforcement of the law in his or her subdistrict area. We will begin this way before implementing the law on public transportation," said Fauzi. 

Highlights of the anti-smoking regulation:

• Managers or individuals overseeing restricted areas are responsible for ensuring their staff do not smoke in those areas. They also must impose punishments for staff caught smoking in the areas.
  
• Public areas and office buildings should provide a smoking room.
  
• School principals must forbid teachers and students from smoking around school areas.
  
• Students or teachers can warn people not to smoke at schools.
  
• Drivers or conductors should forbid passengers from smoking on public transport.
  

AirAsia removes fuel surcharge, offers free seats

The Jakarta Post

Vijay Joshi ,  The Associated Press,  Kuala Lumpur  |  Tue, 11/11/2008 12:22 PM   

Malaysia's AirAsia on Tuesday abolished fuel surcharges on all its flights and said it will give away half a million free tickets next year in an attempt to lure travelers amid the global slowdown. 

AirAsia Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said the region's biggest budget carrier will offer 500,000 free seats for travel between June 22 and Oct. 24, 2009, on all its domestic and international destinations. 

"It will be completely free. Passengers will only have to pay airport tax," Fernandes told a news conference. 

He said the recent steep drop in fuel prices has allowed AirAsia to adopt the bold strategy, adding that the loss of revenue should be offset by higher ticket sales, which will also be bolstered by new marketing strategies. 

Fernandes said AirAsia is the first carrier in the world to abolish fuel surcharges, which became a standard industry practice a few years ago as oil prices rose on their way to peaking at nearly $150 a barrel in mid-July. But since then, crude prices have tumbled because expectations that slower global growth will mean less demand. 

"We want to do is get rid of these surcharges," Fernandes said. "The best way to do it is aggressive marketing and low fares." 

Eliminating the surcharges is expected to cost AirAsia about 940 million ringgit ($63 million) a year. 

Fernandes said the move will boost Malaysia's economy as well as domestic and regional tourism by encouraging travel. 

When AirAsia started in December 2001, it focused on flying within Malaysia. It has since expanded to Southeast Asia and China, and is scheduled to launch flights to India next month. 

Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad praised the decision. 

"Anything that reduces costs to consumers and keeps money in their pocket gets my support," he told reporters after the announcement. "What we need now is optimism instead of grumbling and quarreling." 

Fernandes added that he could not guarantee that the removal of fuel surcharges would not hit AirAsia's profits, but said the company does not anticipate that would happen. He refused to say what the possible losses might be. 

He noted AirAsia does not hedge its fuel purchases like other airlines do. To protect against the possibility of prices going up, some carriers make advance orders at current prices. 

Fernandes said AirAsia will not implement a corresponding increase in base ticket prices with the removal of fuel surcharges, but said he could not guarantee that the surcharge would not be re-imposed if oil prices surge again. 

"It would be foolish of me to say that fuel surcharges will not be imposed again but we will resist it for as long as possible," Fernandes said.

Gasoline tank explodes in Bandung, kills one

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/11/2008 6:16 PM  

A metal seal on an underground gasoline storage tank exploded as the tank was being repaired in a Bandung gas station Tuesday, killing Asep, a welder, the police said. 

Bandung Police chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Ahmad Dofiri said the seal had exploded when Asep started welding a pipe connected to the storage tank, which had been drained of gasoline and out of operation for about a week. 

However, Dofiri said, the tank could have contained flammable gasses. 

Ahmad said the explosion had severed Asep's body into several pieces which were hurled up to 60 meters from the explosion's center. 

A witness, Tendri Gunawan, saw the body atop the gas station canopy after it was jettisoned by the blast. 

"I heard an explosion and a headless body fell from the canopy. I realized the victim was Asep, the welder" he said. 

Asep's body was later taken by the police to Hasan Sadikin Hospital for autopsy and identification. (anb)

Motorcycles and aging vehicles negate efforts to cut emissions

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Bangkok | Tue, 11/11/2008 10:49 AM  

The rapid rise in motorcycle numbers and continued operation of old three-wheelers remain Asia's main challenges in effecting emissions cuts to deal with climate change, transportation experts say. 

Bert Fabian, transport program manager of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), said most small towns in Asia still used two- and three-wheel vehicles as their main mode of public transportation. 

"More people prefer to use motorcycles and three-wheelers in urban areas, since they're cheaper and consume less fuel. But their emissions are the major challenges," he told participants at the Better Air Quality 2008 (BAQ 2008) conference here Monday. 

A joint study this year by CAI-Asia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) lists Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as the five Asian countries with the highest motorcycle ownership. 

The study shows Malaysia has 300 million motorcycles as of 2008, compared to 275 million in 2005. It is estimated the number will rise to 390 million in 2015. 

Indonesia, home to more than 230 million people, currently has 125 million motorcycles -- an increase from 80 million in 2005 -- with CAI-Asia predicting motorcycle ownership will grow to 150 million by 2012 and 200 million by 2025. 

"The number of motorcycles is also rapidly growing in the Philippines. This is directly related to the deterioration of public transportation," Fabian said. 

"The rising number of vehicles will boost fuel consumption." 

CAI-Asia also highlighted the use of aging vehicles, still widely used across the region. 

A 2005 study revealed the aging three wheelers in Indonesia, more popular as bajaj, had an average age of 25 years, compared to nine years in Thailand. 

The average age of cars in both countries remained at between six and 10 years. 

About 900 transportation experts, policymakers and stakeholders from around the world have gathered in Bangkok until Friday to discuss efforts on reducing air pollution and cutting harmful emissions from the transportation sector. 

The World Health Organization estimates 800,000 people die prematurely due to exposure to urban air pollution. Of this figure, some 50,000 are in Asia. 

CAI-Asia said emissions of air pollutants, including particulate matters (PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO) from the transportation sector, showed a declining trend due to the use of cleaner technologies and fuels under the implementation of the Euro standard. 

"But CO2 emissions are a different story. There is no up-and-down trend. It keeps rising because of rampant fuel consumption," Fabian said. 

He proposed three efforts to deal with such emissions: reducing emissions per kilometer of trip, cutting emissions per unit of transport, and slashing the number of trips. 

"We can get the most emission cuts by reducing the amount of traveling. However, it takes behavioral changes for the people (to do so)," he said.

Airport gets ready for flood chaos

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 11/11/2008 10:49 AM   

TANGERANG: The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport gets ready for possible flooding at the Sedyatmo toll road leading to the airport ahead of the rainy season. 

"In coordination with airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II and Airport administration, we have prepared four tow cars to drag any cars that break down from the flood point, a mobile information vehicle, two buses and some rubber dinghies for evacuation," airport police chief Comr. Sutimin said Monday. 

The traffic signs for alternative roads heading to the airport have also been prepared.
Sutimin said motorists from Tanjung Priok can take the route from Penjaringan interchange heading to Kalideres intersections before passing Jl. Raya Rawa Bokor and Jl. Husen Sastranegara to reach the airport gate. 

11 Jakarta districts may be flooded in January: BMG warns

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/10/2008 1:28 PM  

The government's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) has warned that torrential rains will hit Jakarta in January and February next year, potentially flooding 11 districts in three municipalities around the capital. 

Endro Santoso, head of BMG's climatology and air quality information division, on Monday said heavy rains of up to 100 millimeters per day could occur during those months. 

"Some 11 districts are prone to heavy flooding during these months," he said as quoted by Antara news agency. 

These districts are Cengkareng, Grogol, Petamburan and Kalideres in West Jakarta; Kebayoran Baru, Mampang Prapatan and Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta; and Cipayung, Ciracas, Kramatjati and Makasar in East Jakarta. 

Endro said the heavy rains would begin in Jakarta in December. He also said there were possibilities of the city facing strong winds prior to the storms. 

The rainy season is expected to end in February next year in northern Jakarta and in May in the southern parts of the city. (dre)

Fuel Prices Reduce

  

Finance minister Sri Mulyani (middle), Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro (left), and Presidential Spokeman Andi Malarangeng talks to press related to fuel prices reducing policy in Jakarta, Thursday (Nov. 6).

The government was reduces fuel prices from 6.000 rupiahs per liter to 5.500 rupiahs per liter. (ANTARA photo/Hariyanto)

Volunteers clean trains and stations

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/08/2008 2:09 PM  

American Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume (third from front) washes a window of a train with volunteers Saturday to celebrate Global Community Day 2008 at Kota Railway Station, West Jakarta. Some 2,000 people participated in the event which took place at every railway station in the city. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

Hundreds of volunteers equipped with gloves and surgical masks have set off to clean train coaches and stations here on Saturday. 

The Citi Indonesia and PT. KAI-sponsored event, aimed aimed at increasing civic involvement in public transportation, were presided by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo and American Ambassador to Indonesia, Cameron R. Hume.

"We hope that citizens will put more concern on the cleanliness of public transportation, especially trains." Citi Indonesia Country Manager Shariq Muchtar said, as quoted by kompas.com. 

Fauzi Bowo also said the city would increasingly depend on trains as a mode of transportation, hence necessitating maintenance.  

The program also covered seven other stations in Jakarta, Jayakarta, Mangga Besar, Sawah Besar, Juanda, Gondangdia, Cikini, and Manggarai stations.

Related Article:

Volunteers find it hard to clean trains

President: good public services may boost economic growth

City plans to reorganize Transjakarta

Tifa Asrianti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta  |  Sat, 11/08/2008 11:53 AM  

City administration announced Friday its plan to reorganize busway operator Transjakarta into a more accountable and independent organization in the hope of better service. 

Governor Fauzi Bowo said his administration had set a target to complete the reorganization of Transjakarta within the next four months. 

"The new organization will have to submit regular financial reports, and profit and loss balance reports," he said. 

City Secretary Muhayat said under the new organization, Transjakarta would be able to recruit professionals and propose credit loans to banks. 

The new organization will allow Transjakarta flexibility in revenue and expenditure management, cash management, loan, investment, procurement, system development as well as employment of professionals. 

To improve the busway service, Fauzi said he ordered the agency to boost bus procurement for corridors 8, 9 and 10. He said he would also improve the feeder system to the busway network in an effort to raise its passenger numbers. 

In 2004, Transjakarta recorded 15.9 million passengers and in 2005 the number jumped to 20.7 million people traveling on only Corridor 1 (Kota-Blok M). The number reached 33.8 million in 2006, when it added two more corridors. It recorded 44.2 million passengers for seven corridors as of September 2007. 

In August 2008, busway recorded 232,000 passengers per day. 

Steps have been taken to improve the busway service. On Thursday, the governor inaugurated a new official to head the busway operator, along with eight other officials. 

The new Transjakarta head Daryati Asrining Rini said she agreed with the plan to reorganize Transjakarta because it would make busway financially independent. 

"It is better that way because the busway subsidy will go to the needy," she said. 

Daryati said she would improve the busway service by providing hotline numbers to get feedback and suggestions. 

"I used to receive harsh treatment from the ticket officers. It should be changed. I want to involve the public in improving our service," she said. 

Transjakarta also has an unsolved tariff problem with the consortium operating the corridors. 

The problem began when the city administration held tender on tariff for corridors 4-7. 

Two companies, Primajasa and Lorena, won the tender by proposing tariffs lower than the one proposed by current operators PT Jakarta Trans Metropolitan and PT Jakarta Mega Trans. 

The city administration asked operators to obey the tender result and follow the new tariffs. However, the discussion went into a deadlock. 

Fauzi said his administration brought it to the National Arbitration Body after the Development Finance Comptroller could not solve the problem.

 

Batavia Air jet fails takeoff

The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 11/07/2008 8:15 PM  

A Batavia Air Airbus jet heading for Manado failed to lift off at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Friday, for reasons yet to be clarified. 

One passenger, Yusran Pane, told kompas.com he had heard a strange sound coming from one of the plane's engines when as it headed down the runway. 

"We suspected it was a metal scraping sound coming from the engine. It made us panic," Yusran said. 

On hearing the noise, Pilot Anjar Setiaji aborted the takeoff and parked the plane for 20 minutes before making a second attempt to take off. 

The plane remained for a further 10 minutes on the runway before finally taking off safely. The plane transited at an airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. (anb)

City to replace 500,000 trees

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 11/07/2008 10:53 AM  

JAKARTA: To avoid trees falling due to hollow branches and feeble roots, the Park Agency will replace around 500,000 trees throughout South and West Jakarta. 

The agency's head Ery Basworo said Jakarta had around five million trees, with 10 percent of them being Burmese rosewood, locally known as angsana, which have hollow roots and can easily topple. 

"Most of them are aged between five and 10 years. We will replace them with mahogany, tamarind and rain trees that have stronger roots," he said. 

He explained the administration planted angsana because they grew quickly. At the time, he said, the city wanted to boost the number of trees in the city. 

Up to October, the city administration received 40 insurance claims this year over fallen trees. Ery said the insurance payments ranged between Rp 1 million (US$91.53) and Rp 2 million for each case depending on the severity.

Investors scramble for garbage in Tangerang

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang |  Fri, 11/07/2008 4:21 PM  

A number of business owners in Tangerang regency have begun to see garbage as a promising business opportunity for the future. 

A group of local entrepreneurs calling themselves Pejuang Kecil (Small fighters) and a civil society group Green Foundation are just two of the groups of opportunity seekers scrambling for stakes in the regency's garbage-processing business. 

The groups have been engaging in partnerships to process trash in an environmentally friendly way. 

"We're using an incinerating machine that has an efficient size. It can be placed on any 300-square-meter plot of land where it can process all the garbage from that district," Munandar, a member of the Green Foundation said Thursday. 

He said with the incinerators costing Rp 150 million each, the administration could save on regency expenditures for garbage handling at final dumping sites that costs billions of rupiah. 

He said if the incinerators were distributed to every district, there would also be no need to spend money transferring garbage piled up at temporary dump sites in the respective districts to the central landfill. 

"A laboratory test has proven that the incinerator doesn't pollute the environment," he said, adding that the foundation would organize a meeting with the relevant agencies under the regency administration to advance the plan.

Lion Air plane skids off at Jalaluddin Airport

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 11/07/2008 6:37 PM  

A Lion Air passenger aircraft carrying 167 passengers skidded off the runway before taking off at the Jalaluddin Airport, Gorontalo Province on Friday. 

Nunung Triatmoko, Chief of the airport, confirmed of the accident while added that the aircraft, which was scheduled to depart for Makasar, South Sulawesi Province, was still being repaired following the accident. 

"There is a team of mechanics provided to repair the aircraft. The aircraft is in a reasonably good condition." he said. 

He also explained that all passengers had been evacuated safely from the plane and told to wait for the next departure for Makasar. 

Nunung refuted accusations, which said that most accidents on the runway were because the runway was not long enough to accomodate more modern planes. 

In the 2007, a Lion Air aircraft also experienced a similar accident at the airport. (anb)

Tsunami early warning system to be tested

Denpasar, (ANTARA News) - The government will test a Tsunami early warning system on November 11, 2008 covering all of Indonesia at 4 pm West Indonesia Standard Time. Bali has six tsunami early sirens to be tested. 

"We urge everybody on November 11 not to panic when the siren goes of, its only a drill," spokesman for the Denpasar Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Sutrisno said here Wednesday. 

He also said that the sirens will be set off for one minute.The Bali six early warning systems cover Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Kuta, Kedonganan, Tanjung Benoa and Sanur.

Pilot and student survive helicopter crash

The Jakarta Post, Brebes, Central Java | Wed, 11/05/2008 8:50 PM   

A pilot and his student miraculously escaped death when their helicopter crashed into a pond near Brebes, Central Java, on Wednesday. 

The pilot, Lt. Col. Cahyudi, and his student, Ikmal, departed from Semarang, Central Java, heading for Cirebon, West Java, as part of an Air Force training program. 

Following the accident, Cahyudi and Ikmal were rescued by other Air Force officers on the same route, also in helicopters. The officials, however, refused to make any statement. 

"Just write it as it is. We can't give any clarifications," one of the officials said. 

A witness, M Nurdin, told Tempointeraktif.com he saw five other helicopters besides the one that crashed. Nurdin suspected the helicopter had a malfunction, after seeing it fail to make a turn before it plunged into the pond. 

"The helicopter could not turn, and then fell down," an anonymous official said.

Goodbye plastic bags, hello boxes, reusables

Anisa Basuki and Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/05/2008 10:29 AM  

Replacing plastic bags with reusable bags is an ascendant trend nowadays, but some enterprising companies are turning to used cardboard boxes in their quest to be "greener". 

"We offer the cardboard boxes to customers who buy in bulk. It's easier for them to carry and saves on plastic bags. The customers also don't have to pay to be green," Lany Budianto, executive director of supermarket chain PT Lion Super Indo, said Tuesday. 

If customers find the boxes too unfashionable though, there is an alternative. More presentable reusable plastic bags, made of woven polyethylene, are offered for Rp 10,000 at every branch. 

"We hope the customers come back with their own bags so they no longer need to use normal plastic bags," Lany said. 

This practice is being taken up by other stores, including the Body Shop, Carrefour and Aksara. 

Aksara's own canvas bags have become fashion statements in their own right, sought after mostly by students. 

Asking customers if they would like to use a bag helps reduce the amount of plastic used by alerting customers to the choice they have to make. 

The volume of plastic waste has risen in recent years. There are around 700 tons of plastic waste in Jakarta alone, half of which are left untreated. Plastic bags are a ubiquitous sight in the city's trash heaps and rivers. 

However, Lany said, educating customers was not easy. 

"We realize it will take some time to accustom them to the reusable bags. But we believe the small steps we're taking will lead to bigger ones," she said. 

Super Indo also plans to stop using styrofoam in its outlets in future. Processing of organic waste is on their agenda too. 

"I think to make the programs work, we need to cooperate with the government to stop the production of plastic bags," she said. 

Ujang Salihin Siddiq, an official at the State Ministry for the Environment, said that in 2000, organic waste in big cities accounted for 70 percent of total waste. But today, he said, that figure was declining. 

"In Bandung and Surabaya, the proportion of organic waste is only 50 percent. This proves that almost all garbage in Indonesia is plastic and other non-decomposing materials," he said. 

He said he hoped the law on garbage management would be put into practice by early 2009. 

"The law applies to all retailers. They have to perform the 3Rs -- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle -- and there will be a limit on plastic production," he said.

Owners overlook vehicle roadworthiness test

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 11/06/2008 10:29 AM  

A middle-aged man holding a green A4 envelope in his hand was about to enter one of the city's vehicle testing centers when four men ran up to him and started talking at him. 

"Sir, want to have a KIR (vehicle roadworthiness test), sir?" they kept asking, until the man finally handed his envelope to one of them. 

This scene is quite a common one at any of Jakarta's five vehicle testing centers, located in Ujung Menteng and Cakung, East Jakarta, as many people prefer to pay a middleman for their vehicle roadworthiness test. 

The test, aimed to measure the roadworthiness of public vehicles, is based on eight indicators, including the condition of the tires, lamps, brakes, engine and windows and level of exhaust emissions. 

"Many drivers or vehicle owners are not able to do all tests. That's why they need us," a middleman at the Cakung testing center told The Jakarta Post last week. 

The man, eating lunch with two friends, said there were dozens of scalpers or middlemen, known locally as calo, operating around the building everyday. He said they could be recognized as they stood out among the blue-uniformed officers. 

Rosmayani, owner of three public minivans, agreed help from a middleman was useful for her and other vehicle owners. 

"I paid a middleman Rp 240,000 (US$24) to help me because my documents were incomplete," said Rosmayani, who brought one of her minivans to the center. 

According to the 1999 city bylaw on fees and taxes, an owner of a small vehicle such as a taxi or public minivan has to pay about Rp 100,000 for the test and administrative fees. Owners of larger vehicles, such as the air-conditioned buses Mayasari Bakti or Steady Safe, are charged about Rp 200,000 each. 

All public vehicles must undergo the test every six months, but thousands of old and dilapidated public vehicles are still in operation and are seen frequently across the city. 

At the Pulo Gadung testing center, a Kopaja minibus driver who was waiting for his roadworthiness certificate said he had spent more than Rp 1 million to pay a middleman to have his old bus pass the test. 

"Well, I just need to wait here because the middleman is taking care of everything," he said. He explained that the middleman would share the money with the officers responsible for all the test procedures. 

About 10 minutes later he drove his old bus out of the center, black smoke spewing from its exhaust pipe. 

Another bus driver was in one corner of the center's parking lot busily swapping the tires on his bus with new ones. 

"It has become common practice. Everyone is busy fixing up their vehicle temporarily before taking the test," said Ilyas, a bus driver who has been visiting the testing center regularly since 1979. He said the officers and middlemen were friends. 

"Just pay first, then you can nap while they get your roadworthiness certificate ready," he said, watching an officer in a blue uniform having lunch with a middleman nearby. 

Data from the city's traffic police for 2003-2007 show that Kopaja vehicles were involved in 379 accidents in that period, while Metromini minibuses were involved in 730 accidents. Another 624 accidents involved public minivans. 

Recently, the Pulo Gadung testing center released data stating that 6,609 public buses are in operation despite having not renewed their roadworthiness certificates. 

But according to the head of the Jakarta chapter of the Land Transportation Owners organization (Organda), Herry Rotty, many buses are not in operation because of the fuel price rise. 

"The number of buses (on the road) has fallen to 70 percent," he said Thursday. 

Early this year, the organization claimed there were about 60,000 public transportation vehicles in Jakarta, including 4,200 large buses, 4,800 minibuses, 13,000 minivans, 23,300 taxis and 15,000 bajaj (three-wheeled vehicles). 

One of the middlemen at the Pulo Gadung testing center agreed that fewer vehicles had been coming in for the roadworthiness test since the fuel price rise in the middle of the year. 

Nevertheless, the "unseen" practice continues. 

On another corner, a Metromini minibus driver received stamped documents and payment receipts from an officer who then put a pair of small metal plates on the bus's body, as proof it had been checked by the authority. 

After handing Rp 5,000 to the officer, the driver told his three assistants to start pushing the bus. It turned out that this bus, which had just passed its test, had a flat battery and could not be started. (hwa)

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Police establish phone numbers for emergency help

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 11/04/2008 4:38 PM  

The national police have launched a new service so the public can report any kind of street crimes directly through fixed telephones, mobile phones or text messages. 

Head of Criminal Detectives Unit Insp. Gen. Susno Duadji promised Tuesday that prompt responses would be given to all reports. He encouraged the public to report any kind of street crime, including coercive begging, muggings or gang violence. 

"Nevertheless, I hope the public won't abuse the service by sending prank reports. All our officers are ready to catch thugs," Susno said in a press conference. 

Below are police mobile phone numbers that can be reached per region. 

Jakarta and Greater Jakarta:

• Central Jakarta, 0811902355
  
• South Jakarta, 08121118686
  
• East Jakarta, 08122212212
  
• West Jakarta, 081311197777
  
• North Jakarta, 0811844321
  
• Bekasi, 08170868686 or 08121238989
  
• Soekarno Hatta Airport, 0811857170
  
• Depok, 08123039065
  
• Tangerang 02193778989 or 081511118778
  
• Tanjung Priok, 0811891213
  
• Thousand Island, 0818617171
  

Other regions:

• East Java Police, 08121030086
  
• Medan, 081264920007
  
• Semarang, 08127107771
  
• Surabaya, 0811611980
  
• Yogyakarta, 08123876159 or 08157741415.
  

 

Chinese jumbo jets cleared for takeoff

Beijing (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - China has set a timetable for its large aircraft plan, and the first homemade jumbo jet will take to the skies by no later than the start of the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (2015-20), a senior official said yesterday. 

This is the first time a timetable for the trunk liner project has been made public since the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd was set up in May. The company is in charge of the large plane's assembly, marketing and after-sales service with an initial investment of 19 billion yuan (US$2.8 billion). 

Miao Wei, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Forum 2008 yesterday that China-made jumbo jets will be on the market between 2015 and 2020.

Ciputat overpass prone to accidents

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Ciputat,Tangerang 

Police say the newly built Ciputat overpass in Tangerang will be prone to traffic accidents during the wet season due to its shap which curves over a raised, steep and slippery surface. 

Such conditions are worsened with an almost invisible placement of traffic signs heading toward the overpass, that motorists can hardly read. 

"Since the overpass was opened in August, we have recorded 18 traffic accidents on it. Two victims died instantly on the spot, while 16 others suffered serious injuries," Ciputat sub-precinct police chief Insp. Ngisa Asngari told journalists on Tuesday. 

To prevent the rate of accidents from climbing, police installed warning signs telling motorists to reduce speed to a maximum of 30 kilometers per hour. 

Ngisa said many motorists heading toward the overpass accelerated as fast as they could, but then lost control of their motorcycles on reaching the steep turn. "Look at the flower pots on the median strip at the corner. Most of them were damaged because they were hit by motorists," Ngisa said. 

Tangerang Transportation Agency head Deden Sugandhi said all accidents that had occurred on the overpass were independent incidents. 

"Motorcycles or cars frequently hit the road separator at the turn," Deden said. 

"In cooperation with the police, we will soon install 'shock lines' (garis kejut) on the overpass so that motorist will be more careful," he said.(ewd)

Govt may reduce fuel prices by up to Rp 800 a liter

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 11/04/2008 1:45 PM  

Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has proposed the price of subsidized fuels to be reduced by around Rp 500 to Rp 800 per liter following a decline in crude oil prices, an official said. 

Subsidized Premium fuel currently retails at Rp 6,000 per liter while diesel retails at Rp 5,500 per liter. 

Director General for Oil and Gas Evita Legowo said the new pricing likely to be finalized soon and that it could be implemented as soon as Novembers. However, she said, reducing fuels prices would mean an increase in the total budget allocation of fuel subsidies for this year by another Rp 3 trillion to Rp 129 trillion. 

Evita said as of October this year, the government had spent Rp 130 trillion. 

“Should we implement the price cut, we need another Rp 3 trillion until the end of December,” she said. (and)

Bio-fuel Producers Must Channel Products to Local Demands

Monday, 03 November, 2008 | 20:32 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Bekasi: The government will require bio-fuel producers to supply products for local demands through the domestic market obligation regulation. “For the time being, we will require them to supply around 50 percent of the total national demands,” explained Energy and Mineral Resources minister, Purnomo Yusgiantoro, during his visit to PT Darmex Biofuel in Bekasi last Friday. 

Purnomo hopes that with the new regulation, the bio-fuel industry will become more attractive for investment, because his department had also issued mandatory regulations on using bio-fuel. Income tax incentives are also regulated in the Law no.62/2008 on Income Tax Facilities for Certain Investments. “This can be regarded as a pioneering industry,” Purnomo said. 

AGOENG WIJAYA

New fighter jet hope for long-legged Dutch

The Hague (ANTARA News) - Changes to the cockpit of a new fighter jet could offer hope to would-be pilots who are turned down for the Dutch air force because their legs are too long, an official said Tuesday. 

"We had a list of operational requirements, and one of these was that Dutch pilots should fit in the cockpits," air force spokeswoman Sascha Louwhoff told AFP referring to the new aircraft currently under development. 

"It may be funny, but it's true... Our pilots are obviously taller than Italian or Turkish pilots. Over the years, the Dutch people have grown taller, and we've had to keep up with that." 

To this end, producer Lockheed Martin has agreed to make changes to the cockpit of the Joint Strike Fighter which is being jointly developed by nine nations including the Netherlands, said Louwhoff. 

The fighter is one of three shortlisted to replace the Netherlands' ageing fleet of 85 F-16s. 

Currently, the Dutch air force is compelled to turn down aspirant pilots who are too tall in spite of their other qualifications, added Louwhoff. 

"There is a limit if you simply don't fit into the cockpit. Obviously this is not something we want to do, and we want to be able to choose from a bigger group," she said.

Bioethanol RI's golden ticket: Panigoro

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung 

Prominent businessman and founder of gas and oil company Medco Group, Arifin Panigoro (photo, right), said biofuel was a future alternative energy that could help Indonesia survive the energy crisis. 

"Indonesia cannot be wasteful anymore in using fuel as currently we only have a limited amount of fuel," Arifin said in a public lecture at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on Friday. 

Arifin said there were 47 million hectares of semi-uncultivated land and 77 million hectares of uncultivated land in Indonesia that could be used for developing bioethanol, an alternative to fossil fuels. The raw materials for bioethanol can also be used for food. 

He said the Medco Foundation had initiated planting sugar cane, corn, soybean and sorghum on 20 hectares of neglected land in Papua during the past two years. 

Arifin called on the government to immediately make a clear regulation on alternative energy, especially bioethanol, in preparation for the boom in land use for this purpose during the next three years. 

"The government has to manage the allocation of food crops that will be converted to energy so it will not disturb food resilience," Arifin said. 

He also called on the government to seriously think about farming zone management, including preparing the infrastructure to support the future business, such as establishing distribution pipes and constructing airports and harbors. 

Arifin, an ITB graduate, said he expected the business would create many jobs.

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