City plans station in Pluit for trains to airport

Mon, 01/19/2009 6:00 PM, The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: The city administration plans to develop a North Jakarta transportation hub called Pluit City Terminal, with train tracks running from the terminal to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. 

"Pluit residents no longer have to use private cars to go to Soekarno-Hatta airport. They can take a train," Governor Fauzi Bowo said Saturday, as quoted by beritajakarta.com. 

"This transportation would help residents as well as ease traffic congestion."

The train terminal will be built this year, he said. 

Gasoline goes up in flames at fuel depot

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Mon, 01/19/2009 8:48 AM 

Great balls of fire: A raging fire engulfs one of the fuel tanks at state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina’s main fuel storage facility in Plumpang, North Jakarta, on Sunday night. Explosions caused by the fire were heard some 10 kilometers away, residents said. JP/RICKY YUDHISTIRA

A storage tank of Premium fuel was destroyed in a raging fire Sunday night at the Pertamina fuel depot in Plumpang, North Jakarta. 

Pertamina spokesman Anang Rizkani Noor said the fire broke out at Pertamina’s storage tank number 24, which contained 2,500 kiloliters of Premium gasoline — equal to 500 tankers. 

“Now we’re focusing on putting out the fire so it cannot spread to other tanks,” he said, adding that the cause of the fire was still unclear. 

Plumpang depot is responsible for supplying fuel to Greater Jakarta, which uses 9,420 kiloliters of Premium gasoline and 4,677 kiloliters of diesel fuel per day. 

Anang said Jakarta’s fuel supply would be provided from other storage tanks in the depot and that there was sufficient stock to meet the city’s needs. 

Neither the police nor the fire department has released official information on the suspected cause of the fire, and no casualties have been reported. 

Eyewitnesses said they heard a large explosion before the fire, although some reported the fire started at around 7:30 p.m., while others said it started at 9:30 p.m. 

Despite dispatching dozens of fire engines to the scene, the city fire department had difficulty bringing the fire under control with flames reaching heights of more than 100 meters. 

The fire was reported to be getting bigger as it burned through the gasoline, threatening nearby residential areas and causing the residents to evacuate. 

Bobby, an eyewitness who lives in a residential area 500 meters from the depot, said he could see the fire from his house. 

The freeway and artery roads near the depot were congested because of motorists stopping to look at the fire.

FIA refuses to certify track, A1 race delayed

Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/18/2009

In what can only be described as an embarrassing slap in the face to Indonesian racing fans, organizers of the A1 race in Jakarta have been forced to postpone the scheduled Feb. 6-8 event after failing to attain a circuit license from the FIA. 

FIA circuit inspector Roland Bruyn Serende, who visited the venue on Jan. 8 and again on Friday, refused to issue the license as he deemed the construction of the Karawaci track in Tangerang incomplete.

The setback will postpone the race by at least nine months. 

“Since the first visit two weeks ago, the FIA inspector had concluded that the circuit would not be ready on time,” said George Benton, head of the local organizing committee. 

“We asked him to give us another week to finish it [the track], but we failed to meet FIA standards,” Benton said Sunday. 

FIA reportedly required the developers of the US$15 million Karawaci Circuit to have completed construction two weeks prior to the race day. 

Benton blamed the heavy downpour of rain which struck Jakarta recently as the reason for the construction delays which led to the FIA refusing to issue the Grade 2 circuit license. 

“We’re very disappointed and we apologize for the postponement, but we have to think positively for the November race,” Benton said, adding that the race date was now Nov. 6-8. 

According to Irawan Sucahyono from the Indonesian Motorsports Association (IMI), FIA standards require both the track and circuit facilities to be ready at least 60 days prior to race day. 

Despite the embarrassing failure to meet the deadline, the head of corporate communication for Lippo Karawaci Danang Kemayan Jati insisted they would still host a race on Feb. 8. 

“We are going to launch the track as planned,” he said, claiming the delay did not change the terms of the five-year contract to host the series. 

IMI will hold the 2009 GT Car National Championships as part of the trial races for the new Karawaci Circuit street track on Feb. 7-8 which will be open to the public.

Related Article:

 Indonesia unveils Lippo Village track

Merpati plane's tire flares in Makassar airport

Sat, 01/17/2009 5:21 PM, The Jakarta Post 

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Two tires on a Merpati Nusantara airplane blew out just before takeoff at Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar on Friday, but all 136 passengers and five crew escaped unhurt, officials say. 

Flight MZ 762 was scheduled to fly to Timika, Papua. It was eventually canceled. "The plane suddenly stopped when it was about to take off, and after checking, we found two of the Boeing 737-400's tires had blown out," said Didik Suryanto, spokesman for state-owned airport management company PT Angkasa Pura I. 

The incident, which took place at about 11:40 a.m. local time, forced the closure of the airport for an hour and a half. After the plane had been towed to the hangar, the airport was reopened. 

Because of the closure, three flights to Makassar were detoured to other cities, while two flights from Makassar were delayed. 

This was the second tire blowout to take place at the airport in the last three months.

Toyota, parks agency build green area in N. Jakarta

Sat, 01/17/2009 5:22 PM, The Jakarta Post 

JAKARTA: The city parks agency has completed a green park along Jl. Yos Sudarso and Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta, in cooperation with auto manufacturers PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia and PT Toyota Astra. 

Governor Fauzi Bowo officiated the park Thursday, according to a press release made available Friday. 

Construction of the one-hectare park, called Taman Hijau Toyota, or Toyota Green Park, started in July last year. 

"We hope the park will help reduce air pollution in the city," said Toyota Astra president director Johnny Darmawan. 

Fauzi said he expected other companies to pay attention to the city's environment.

The park is part of the Toyota Forest and Green Hero program in the Toyota Earth Charter initiative, adopted by Toyota affiliates across the world. 

This way

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 01/17/2009 1:50 PM 
 

 A passenger arrives at the Abdurahman Saleh airport in Malang, East Java, on Friday. National carrier Garuda Indonesia opened new routes linking Jakarta-Malang and Jakarta-Kendari, in Southeast Sulawesi. The airline serves the routes with its Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 737-500 aircraft. (JP/WAHYOE BOEDIWARDHANA)

Heavy rains send more trash to Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/17/2009 3:02 PM  

Heavy rains have sent more trash piling at Jakarta sluice gates, forcing the administration to deploy more personnel to clean it up. 

Eko Bahruna, head of the city's sanitary agency, said Saturday that more more than 20,000 cubic meter of trash has piled up following heavy rain falls in the last few days. 

Eko said his office has sent hundreds of load trucks and personnel to clear the piles. The trash were taken to dump sites in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi and Pegangsaan Dua, North Jakarta. 

“The governor has told us to clean the trash immediately,” he sais as reported by kompas.com. 

The biggest pile of trash, which took 43 truck trips to move, was seen at  Kalibata Bridge in South Jakarta. South Jakarta Mayor Syahruk Effendi said around 1,800 cubic meter trash had been cleaned from Wednesday to Friday. (dre)

Turtle out of water

The Jakarta Post | Sat, 01/17/2009 2:10 PM 

Float vendor Sapinyi, 57, waits for customers on Jl. Pemuda in Rawamangun, East Jakarta. Floats range from Rp 25,000 (US$2) to 65,000, while rubber boats cost Rp 500,000 to Rp 700,000. Sapinyi said customers mostly came from Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, which was prone to floods. JP/RICKY YUDHISTIRA

EU airspace still off-limits to RI, despite better safety

Erwida Maulia and Mustaqim Adamrah, THE JAKARTA POST, Jakarta | Sat, 01/17/2009 9:41 AM  

The European Union has recognized significant progress in Indonesia’s air safety, but the flight ban remains in place for now. 

After meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday, Ambassador and Head of delegation for the EU and EC to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Julian Wilson said the EU was particularly impressed with the passing of the new aviation law that would boost air safety. 

“This is a significant development for the improvement of air safety in Indonesia and for addressing the concerns of the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] whose negative findings caused the EU air restriction on Indonesia to be put in place,” Wilson said in a statement. 

However, he would not guarantee an immediate lifting of the EU ban on Indonesian airliners from European airspace, implemented in 2007. 

The ban came into effect after a string of aviation accidents in Indonesia, the deadliest being the crash of an Adam Air jet in early 2007 that killed all 102 people on board. 

Wilson said more work was needed for the law to be effective. 

“The [Indonesian] Directorate General of Air Transportation recognizes there is significant work still to do. For example, there are the implementing regulations to draft and pass so the new law can be implemented on the ground,” he said. 

“It is up to the directorate general to decide when it is ready to submit its case to the European Air Safety Committee that can review the air restriction on Indonesia.” 

He added the EU wanted to see a lifting of the ban as soon as possible, by working closely with the directorate general to help address the ICAO findings and help it prepare to present its case to the air safety committee. 

The directorate general of air transportation is under the auspices of the Transportation Ministry. 

Wilson’s statement revises an earlier claim by presidential spokesman Dino Patti Jalal who said the EU was mulling a lifting of the ban between March and June this year. 

“Mr. Julian Wilson said the EC is optimistic it can lift the flight ban by the end of the first half of the year. 

“This could happen in March or June, depending on talks on technicalities between the two parties,” said Dino, adding Wilson had insisted the flight ban was considered merely a technical affair rather than a political one. 

Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said the EU no longer had any reason to extend the flight ban. 

“Indonesia will attend a [European Commission] meeting in March in Brussels,” he said. 

“The meeting, which is held every three months, will discuss the possibility of the flight ban being lifted.” 

But if the meeting failed to do so, Jusman went on, the ban would be extended for another three months. 

The EC is the EU’s executive branch, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU’s treaties and the general day-to-day running of the EU. 

Recommendations from two EU countries are sufficient to impose a flight ban, but approval from all 27 member states is needed to lift a ban. 

Jusman previously said the EU no longer had reasons for the ban except on a discriminatory basis.

Reporters almost drown in line of duty

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 01/16/2009 4:41 PM  

JAKARTA: Nine reporters from Anteve and vivanews.com almost drowned after being swept away by the river while reporting on flooding in the Ciliwung River in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta. 

"Our boat capsized and became stuck under the Bukit Duri bridge after bumping into a house on the riverbank," Barkah, one of the survivors, said Wednesday. 

The water level on the Ciliwung River was almost to the base of the bridge, knocking the boat around and causing minor injuries to the nine. After their narrow escape, all were brought to the Bukit Duri Police station.JP

City officials say they love riding bikes for work

Fri, 01/16/2009 5:37 PM, The Jakarta Post 

On Tuesday, South Jakarta Mayor Syahrul Effendi enacted an environmentally and traffic friendly policy of requiring administrative officials across the municipality to use bicycles for transportation. Several subdistrict officials that have implemented the policy have said they like it. 

"Using a bicycle makes it easy to avoid pot holes and puddles when patrolling the neighborhood," Pulo subdistrict head Iwan K.S. told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. 

Iwan said he used to use a car or a motorcycle to patrol his area. 

"Cars are totally ineffective during rush hours, while with a motorcycle I tended to ride a bit too fast to observe the situation. The bicycle allows me to move swiftly and at the right pace to patrol; plus I can get to the mayors office faster by using a bicycle because I can ride it on the sidewalk," he said. 

Iwan said that only three of the subdistrict's nine staffers used bicycles - himself, his deputy and the secretary. 

"It is only the three of us who constantly need to patrol and go to meetings with other officials from other subdistricts," he said. 

In the nearby Melawai subdistrict, six of the nine staffers already rode bicycles for operational purposes, Samsi, the Melawai subdistrict head, said. 

"Not only does it help us save money on fuel, the policy also makes us healthier in the long run," he said. 

Both Iwan and Samsi said the bicycles were not provided by the municipality but were their own. 

"I hope that in the future the municipality will provide us with standard bicycles," Samsi said. (hdt)

Transjakarta satisfied with work, NGO says hold on

Desy Nurhayati, THE JAKARTA POST | Fri, 01/16/2009 12:42 PM  

Transjakarta pledged to work toward improving their service in response to passengers’ criticisms on the deteriorating quality of the busway system. 

Coordinating with NGO Indonesian Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the busway operator held a press conference Thursday to coincide with its fifth year of service. 

Transjakarta’s head of Administration Department, Anton Parura, said there were many improvement plans for the future. 

“Hopefully, we can finally open three new corridors — Corridor 8 to 10 — by early February at the latest,” Anton said. 

At least 50 buses will be deployed for Corridor 8, which will serve the Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta-Harmoni in Central Jakarta route, he said. 

Transjakarta has considered using a camera on each bus to monitor service on board, he said. 

“At the shelters, we can use fiber-optic lines to connect the cameras to our central monitoring server, but it is a bit harder to set up a real-time camera system on board mobile buses.” 

Head of Transjakarta Public Service Body D.A. Rini said that over the past five years, the company had managed to continuously improve on their targets and achievements. 

“We have managed to cover over 50 percent of our operating expenses and sell more tickets each year. 

“Despite the fact that 2008 has been satisfactory performance-wise, we still have a lot to do. We need to continue working on our performance and service,” Rini said. 

Some members of the public believe it is too early for Transjakarta to call their performance “satisfactory”. 

Transportation NGO INSTRAN criticized the busway operator for failing to provide the passengers with better services after five years of operation, particularly concerning interconnectivity and comfort. 

During a press conference Thursday, INSTRAN highlighted the long and inconsistent waiting period, leaving passengers stranded at shelters which quickly become overcrowded. 

“According to our survey, most passengers complain about discomfort. Some of them have to wait for an hour for the bus and feel uncomfortable in the overcrowded buses and shelters,” INSTRAN director Darmaningtyas said.   

Therefore, he said the busway operator should add more buses, as well as develop an integrated feeder service to serve more passengers. 

“The operator can also build bicycle and pedestrian lanes connecting each shelter.” 

The group also pointed out the operator’s failure to achieve the targeted number of passengers. The initial target was set at 5 million passengers per day via 14 planned corridors by 2010, but it has only managed to attract 230,000 passengers per day on seven corridors. 

INSTRAN said the group had calculated that for the busway system to continue operating, Transjakarta needs more than a Rp 500 billion subsidy. Darmaningtyas said the city receives Rp 5 trillion each year in revenue from vehicle taxes. 

He said this tax revenue should be used as a subsidy for the busway system. (hdt) 

Waiting Time    Targets    Reality

Less than 5 minutes    27.26%    9.72%
5-15 minutes    44.97%    36.21%
15-20 minutes    14.15%    22.55%
 

Year    Number of Passengers

2004    14,924,423
2005    20,798,196
2006    38,828,039
2007    61,439,961
2008    74,619,995
 

2004-2009 Infrastructure Report

Total corridors :     7

Total length :     97.35 kms

Total bus :      426

(23 articulated, 403 single)  

Source: Transjakarta

Broken CCTVs hamper monitoring of Jakarta's floods

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/14/2009 10:11 PM 

The Jakarta administration's Disaster Management and Refugee Coordinating Unit said they were having difficulties monitoring floods in the city as many of their CCTV cameras are broken, kompas.com reported Wednesday. 

Dimas, a CCTV operator at the unit, said that 69 of a total 160 cameras across the city have been broken. 

He said that some of the cameras were damaged by natural causes such as lightning and falling trees, but most were unable to send pictures because of device failure. 

Dimas said monitoring problems have increased as repairs are costly and time consuming. 

Separately, Jakarta Deputy Governo Prijanto said the administration is making its best effort to repair the cameras. 

The city saw widespread traffic jams on Tuesday following heavy rain that inundated 16 locations in up to 50 centimeters of water. (dre)

Transport industry told to lower fares

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Thu, 01/15/2009 3:30 PM 

Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X ordered all transport companies to lower their fares as the government has lowered fuel prices. 

"Transport companies should consider the people's psychological condition," he said Wednesday. 

"When the fuel prices were increased, transportation fares immediately increased. 

"But now fuel prices have been lowered, several times, the public expects that transport fares will also be lowered." 

The sultan said it was up to the transport companies to decide how much the fares should be lowered. 

"I do not understand the calculations, they (transport companies) know them better," he said. 

The sultan also admitted that the current reduction of fuel prices was not automatically followed by a reduction in the price of goods, which was one excuse why transport fares have not yet been reduced. 

"There are thousands of excuses not to reduce transport fares, from the prices of tires, to the price of basic necessities, which have not yet been reduced," he said. 

Meanwhile, Chairmain of the Yogyakarta branch of the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda), Johnny Armantya, said his organization would study the possibilities of reducing fares. 

"We will conduct the study in relation to the government's plan to again lower fuel prices," he said. 

Johnny said his organization did not lower transport fares when the government reduced the price of premium gasoline on Dec. 15 because the price of spare parts were still high.

New rule: South Jakarta officials must ride bikes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/13/2009 8:41 PM   

In an environmental ruling announced Tuesday, South Jakarta's Mayor Syahrul Effendi has officially proclaimed that district heads of South Jakarta must cycle when performing their duties. 

"This decision affects village and sub-district heads, as well as their representatives. This is compulsory," Syahrul said to reporters on Tuesday, at the South Jakarta Mayor's office. 

He said that the ruling is one of the ways his office's is contributing to the effort to reduce the problems associated with increasing global warming. 

Aside from the helping the environment, this ruling will improve the health of officials, he added. By cycling, he continued, the officials could further explore the narrow alleyways of the area and would learn more intimately about the lives of residents. 

The ruling does not forbid officials from owning or driving a car. They are allowed to take their car to the office, but when they need to travel in the area on business, they must leave their car behind and use a bicycle. 

The government will not give the officials funds to buy a bike. "They can buy it themselves, if not, they could borrow their son's bike, if not, they could borrow their neighbors,'" he said. 

He added that the ruling is not limited to district heads and village chiefs, but also affects suku dinas (lower ranking officers) in South Jakarta. Syahrul said Peace and Order officers started cycling this Tuesday. (rid)

'Clogged sewerage' to blame for flooding

Agnes Winarti and Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/14/2009 8:19 AM 

It now takes less than an hour of heavy downpour to turn some of Jakarta's streets into impassable waterways and to bring traffic to a grinding halt.

An official at the Jakarta Public Works Agency said Tuesday the city's clogged sewerage and waterways were the major cause of traffic in the city on Tuesday when monsoon rain brought Jakarta's roads to a virtual standstill. 

“The garbage causes both micro- and macro-drainage systems in the city to only be able to perform at 50 to 70 percent of their capacities,”  head of the agency Budi Widiantoro said. 

He clarified that micro drains were 1- to 5-meter-diameter drainage pipes, and that macro drains were the city's major rivers. 

He said because of the excess of garbage in the city's sewerage, water tended to overflow onto the streets in heavy rain. He said even without the blockages, the city's sewerage was inadequate to absorb protracted heavy rainfall. 

It has proven incapable of absorbing the monsoon rain that has pounded the city over the last two days. 

“The [city] only has the capacity to absorb a maximum of 50 millimeters of rainfall, and today there was more than 50 millimeters of rain,” Budi told The Jakarta Post. 

In Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, 87 millimeters of rain had fallen in the last two days. The average annual rainfall for the city is 300 millimeters. 

“It only rained for a moment but the intensity was very high,” he said. 

 

 Water boom: Children watch as high tides break against an embankment in Muara Karang, North Jakarta, on Tuesday. Heavy rain and high tides inundated large parts of the city and brought traffic to a stand still. JP/J. Adiguna

 

On Tuesday morning, the heavy rainfall broke a 25-meter-long dike near Artha Gading mall and a 15-meter-long dike next to the Telkom building, both on Jl. Yos Sudarso in North Jakarta. 

“The broken dikes have been temporarily fixed using sand bags,” Budi said. 

According to the Coordination Board for Disaster Mitigation's disaster center at City Hall, Rawa Terate in Cakung, North Jakarta, was inundated with 1 meter of water Tuesday morning. 

Also, Kayu Putih area in East Jakarta was flooded in water as high as 50 centimeters, Cempaka Putih Timur in Central Jakarta took on 60 centimeters of water and Petogogan in South Jakarta was inundated with 20 centimeters. 

The heavy rain created puddles on more than 30 main streets in the city, causing lengthy traffic jams. 

As of the afternoon, water had inundated a number of main streets in the capital, according to the city police’s Traffic Management Center (TMC). 

Muara Baru in North Jakarta suffered the highest water levels with 40 centimeters, Second Brig. David of the TMC said. 

“Puddles could be found in some areas, mostly in North Jakarta, such as on Jl. Baru Ancol,  Jl. RE Martadinata, East Kelapa Gading and Teluk Gong,” David told the Post.

 

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Fuel price down, bus fares likely stay the same

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/13/2009 12:50 PM  

Despite a further expected cut in fuel prices within the next few days, public transportation fares in Jakarta will likely remain unchanged, a meeting of the city's land transportation organization (Organda) concluded Monday. 

Organda's Jakarta secretary, T.R. Panjaitan, said that based on the group's operating cost calculations, the presumed fuel price cut would have little effect on fares. 

"Bear in mind even though fuel prices might go down, the local currency's recent poor performance against the US dollar has raised spare part prices by 20 percent," he said. 

He added there were 11 factors to be considered in the calculation, so a cut in one did not automatically mean an overall decrease in fares. 

"Not to mention the illegal fees charged by corrupt police officers, transportation agency officials and thugs in bus terminals," he added. 

However, he said Organda would respond by improving service quality and passenger comfort, rather than cutting fares. 

"We'll improve service, for instance by requiring all*our drivers to wear*uniforms and to drop passengers off only at the appropriate shelters," he said. 

In response to Organda's refusal to lower the current fares, Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto said the issue was still under discussion. 

As for unauthorized fees for corrupt officials and police officers, Prijanto encouraged drivers to refuse to pay such fees. 

At City Hall, Governor Fauzi Bowo said that if the government decided to cut fuel prices again, then public transportation fares must follow suit. 

City councilor Ben Sitompul said a 20 percent reduction in the current fares was reasonable, following a 25 percent drop in the global oil price, from US$150 to US$40. 

M. Tauchid, head of thetransportation agency, said fares could be cut by Rp 200 (2 US cents). 

If the government does cut fuel prices soon, it will be the third time in the last two months. In December last year, the government cut fuel prices, but fares remained unchanged. (hdt)

Economy-class train rides to cost less

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/13/2009 10:46 AM  

The Transportation Ministry said Tuesday that it would reduce the cost of economy-class train tickets by 5 to 10 percent as fuel price decreases. 

The Ministry's train transportation director Wendy Aritenang said that a 5 percent reduction of cost had already been confirmed. 

"The 5 percent cut is at hand," she said, adding that the ministry was still studying the possibility of further reductions. 

Aritenang previously indicated that state railroad operator PT KA would be ready to reduce transportation cost should the government further reduce fuel prices, an initiative set to materialize as of mid-January. 

"PT KA has already verbally expressed its readiness in accomodating reduced fuel costs," she said, as quoted by Antara newswire. 

Economy-class train tickets are determined by the government. Business and Executive-class rides, however, are regulated by a government-imposed price ceiling and price floor. 

PT KA received a total of Rp 544 billion for economy-class subsidy last year. 

Aritenang said the amount would increase to Rp 580 billion this year.

Indonesia cuts fuel price again to curb inflation

By Muklis Ali, Reuters, Mon Jan 12, 2009 1:10pm GMT  

JAKARTA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Indonesia's president cut fuel prices for the third time in six weeks in a bid to reduce inflation and combat the impact of the global crisis ahead of elections this year in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. 

"With this decision we expect to see a direct or indirect impact on prices of goods," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a press conference. 

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the cut in fuel prices would feed into lower transportation costs, and ease inflationary pressures in January and February. 

"The trend of declining prices is expected to help ease inflation to single digits, approaching 6 percent in the near future," Indrawati said. 

Annual inflation was 11.06 percent in December. The government had forecast annual inflation in the range of 6-7 percent for 2009. 

The reduction in fuel prices follows several other measures, including interest rate cuts and a fiscal stimulus package, aimed at spurring growth which the government earlier this month said could slow to around 5 percent in 2009 from an estimated 6.2 percent in 2008. 

The 10 percent and 6.3 percent reductions in gasoline and diesel fuel announced on Monday will take effect on Jan. 15 and should help ease inflationary pressures, paving the way for the central bank to cut its key interest rate BIPG again. 

Bank Indonesia has cut twice, by a total of 75 basis points, since early December, bringing the key rate down to 8.75 percent. 

The government announced a 72 trillion rupiah ($6.5 billion) fiscal stimulus in early January, with plans to spend heavily on the country's creaking infrastructure in order to create jobs and drive economic growth. 

Indonesia already has some of the lowest fuel prices in Asia, thanks to state subsidies. Since Dec. 1, the government has cut gasoline prices by 25 percent in total and diesel by 18 percent. 

"It may help restore purchasing power. But due to psychological factors, people may not spend their money and may save it instead," said David Sumual, an economist at Bank BCA. 

"To create demand, the focus of the government should be on the fiscal stimulus, including spending and tax cuts, not price cut". ($1=11,075 Rupiah)

(Additional reporting by Dicky Kristanto and Tyagita Silka; Editing by Sara Webb and Toby Chopra)

City plans major facelift for Blok M and surroundings

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/10/2009 10:19 AM  

The city administration plans to revamp 25-hectare Blok M, South Jakarta, into a prospective economic territory by integrating shopping centers, office buildings, parks and the transportation terminal. 

"Blok M is a unique area with high economic potential because it has an intercity bus terminal serving routes from all over Greater Jakarta," said Tri Rahmat, from the South Jakarta City Planning Body, on Thursday. 

In accordance with the new design, Blok M will have an elevated travelator above the main streets surrounding the area and the future Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) tracks, connecting Blok M Plaza to the west, two parks to the north and south, and Pasaraya to the east of the new Blok M Square mall, which is in the heart of the area. 

The streets bordering the area will be revamped, including Jl. Trunojoyo to the north, Jl. Hasanudin and Jl. Iskandarsyah to the west, Jl. Melawai to the south and Jl. Panglima Polim to the east. 

Tri said the body planned to build skyscraper office buildings to maximize the economic potential of the area. 

He said the plan also included the creation of at least two new parks. 

Tri said the master plan was still being processed by the city spatial planning agency; South Jakarta administration was still assigning the necessary infrastructure to support the master plan. 

"We have cleared the corridors from illegal vendors and we're still trying to find a solution for a better parking management system," he said. 

"The current parking system charges Blok M Square mall visitors twice, when you enter the area and when you enter the mall. The new system will have a single parking management," he added. 

The South Jakarta Public Order Agency dismantled more than 800 kiosks occupying the corridors of Blok M area on Dec. 13, 2008 to ease traffic in the area and make way for shoppers to enter the mall where the vendors run their businesses now. 

Tri said the necessary infrastructure would be ready by March, with construction of the plan expected to start next year. 

Tri said the South Jakarta mayor would discuss the plan with all stakeholders and business owners in the area to accommodate their aspirations. 

Andra Matin, an urban architect, welcomed the city's plan to rejuvenate Blok M. 

"Placing street vendors in a single location would make for a neater and cleaner environment, but the location does not necessarily have to be in a mall," he said. 

Andra also agreed with the city's plan to construct skyscrapers so long as the area surrounding the buildings were turned into parks. 

"There are a lot of two story stores and offices in the area. Putting them all in a single vertical location would create room for parks and water catchment areas," he said. 

He said the new design of Blok M should reduce the use of air conditioners and electricity, and see more parks and sidewalks. 

Andra said he agreed to the building of bridges, but disagreed with the plan to install travelators. 

"I personally disagree with the plan to install travelators. We should encourage people to walk because it is healthy for them." (fmb)

High-rise manager rejects city's safety inspection policy

Triwik Kurniasari and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post

A plan by the city administration to recruit 200 inspectors to monitor safety standards in Jakarta's high-rises has been criticized as wasteful. Suryo Adi Prasetyo, who manages the Wisma Kosgoro building on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, said dedicating so many people to the task was overkill. 

He assured that building managers in the city coordinated with the Jakarta Property Management and Supervision Agency (P2B) and the Jakarta Fire Agency to ensure safety standards in their buildings were upheld.        

Safety requirements for high-rises - High-voltage electrical installations and a backup power generator.

• Fire-safety equipment, including fire alarm system, fire exits, fire extinguishers and hydrants.
  
  
• Must have elevators or escalators.
  
  
• Car parks must be fitted out with traffic signs, speed bumps, ramps and iron railings where there are drop-offs.
  
  
• Clean water installation and sewerage.
  
  
  

Air Asia opens new RI-overseas routes

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung | Fri, 01/09/2009 10:55 AM  

The Indonesian subsidiary of Malaysia's budget carrier Air Asia is planning to open at least 10 international routes in Indonesia this year to help reach its target of carrying 3.5 million passengers from Southeast Asia's largest economy. 

Air Asia Indonesia president director Dharmadi said Thursday the company hoped to generate Rp 2 trillion (US$185 million) of revenue from Indonesia this year, as against Rp 1.6 trillion from carrying 2.4 million passengers in 2008. 

Air Asia plans to open this year a new route linking Bandung and Singapore by operating two A-320s, each aircraft having a capacity of 180 seats. 

However, the airline is seeking support from West Java administration to immediately upgrade the runway at the Husein Sastranegara airport in Bandung for the use of its Airbus A-320 aircraft. 

"With a full cargo load, the A-320s are required to land on an airstrip with a thickness of more than 52 centimeters. We have proposed this since 2008," said Dharmadi after meeting West Java governor Ahmad Heryawan Thursday. 

The current thickness of the Bandung airport main runway is just 37 centimeters. 

Air Asia is planning to open 10 other new routes in Indonesia which will be served by 12 A-320 aircraft and five Boeing 737s. 

The routes include those linking Denpasar with Singapore, Denpasar with Perth in Australia, Medan with Penang in Malaysia, Medan with Hongkong, Medan with Bangkok, Medan with Phuket in Thailand, and Medan with Singapore. 

"We will only operate the A-320 aircraft if the airstrips in Indonesia meet the requirements," said Dharmadi. 

Air Asia carried some 160,000 passengers from Bandung to Kuala Lumpur back and forth last year, as more Malaysian tourists flocked to the city for shopping. 

The Husein Sastranegara airport is operated by state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, which has already allocated Rp 60 billion (US$5.55 million) for improving the airstrip. 

Heryawan said the administration would help Air Asia in lobbying Angkasa Pura to immediately upgrade the runaway in a bid to allow bigger aircraft to use Bandung airport and generate more foreign tourist arrivals.

BMG warns of big floods in January

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 01/08/2009 10:36 AM  

Districts in North Jakarta -- such as Tanjung Priok, Koja and Kelapa Gading -- are likely to be hit by flooding this month, according to the city meteorology and geophysics agency's (BMG) official website, bmg.go.id. 

The head of climatology and air quality analysis at BMG, Soetamto, said sporadic rain would gradually increase and the falls would peak in late January to early February. 

"We will start analyzing the flood potential a week before late January. Currently, heavy rain clouds can be seen out to sea north of Jakarta. They will move south and hit the city in the following weeks," Soetamto told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. 

"Based on our analysis so far, there is potential for flooding. However, we cannot predict how big the rains will be because there are so many factors that still need to be calculated." 

Soetamto said BMG would publish its official prediction on the flood potential and size as soon as they finished the analysis. 

The city administration are coordinating with BMG in relation to the flooding potential, said the head of the relocation and reconstruction unit at the Jakarta Public Order Agency, Hulman Sitorus. 

"We will use a vast amount of space on higher grounds, such as Halim Perdanakusumah airport, National Monument and Senayan Stadium, for emergency refugee camps if a major flood takes place," he told the Post. 

The agency will deploy all of its 7,000 personnel to the 78 flood-prone areas throughout the city. 

In the wee hours of Wednesday, several parts of Jakarta experienced incessant rain. 

A duty officer of the flood gate Manggarai in South Jakarta reported Wednesday that the water level was still at a safe height of 670 centimeters. 

"It is still below the normal level of 750 cm," said Dian, the duty officer, as quoted by Antara news agency. 

Dian said he received a report from Depok flood gate that as of Wednesday morning, the water had reached 85 cm, well below the normal rate of 200 cm. 

Katulampa flood gate in Bogor reached 30 cm, below the normal rate of 80 cm. (hdt)

Manokwari's Airport Operating Normally

Tuesday, 06 January, 2009 | 21:23 WIB 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Rendani Airport in Manokwari, West Papua, is still operating normally despite the 7.2 earthquake on the scale Richter that struck the region last Sunday morning. "Generally speaking, it is still in good condition and operational," said head of Public Communications Center of the Transportation Department, Bambang S. Ervan, yesterday in Jakarta. 

Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal and Air Transportation director Tri Sunoko saw firsthand that the runway and the taxi way did not crack. The walls on the control tower suffered minor damage while communication with the tower continued to operate as usual. However, due to the frequent follow-up tremors, the officers would not stay at the top of the tower. "The tremors being around 5 on the Richter scale, they were quite strong and the officials refused to go up so the communications equipment, the VHF portable equipment were moved downstairs," Bambang explained. 

One window in the passenger terminal was broken. Damages, like cracks on the ceiling and half of the walls, were only visible at the fire fighters building. 

Meanwhile, facilities at the port area also suffered some damages. The old port sunk and shifted by 5 to 10 centimeters deep. The edges of the docks were also damaged by the friction. The new port area, however, remained in good condition. 

Sea Transportation Traffic director Leon Muhamad, who also visited the location, said the port is fully operational. "The 2009 budget will be used to rehabilitate the old port," Leon said. 

VENNIE MELYANI

Pertamina to Take Over Fuel Stations

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta, Wednesday, 07 January, 2009 | 12:16 WIB 

PT Pertamina is reviewing the contract involved gas station owners as there have been fuel shortages in several regions in Indonesia since January 2. 

“We will review the contracts. If the shortages are because of a owner’s carelessness, Pertamina will take over the gas station,” said Pertamina's corporate secretary, Toharso, on Wednesday (7/1), in Jakarta 

He said that Pertamina was monitoring fuel supplies on a 24-hour basis. 

“There is no reason that fuel stations should not have fuel supplies. Distribution is running normally,” said Toharso. 

He went on to say that there were only one or two fuel stations running out of supplies in several regions. 

“Fuel stations run out of supply when they are late in sending in delivery orders or paying their bills,” said Toharso. 

SORTA TOBING

Train company made Unexpected profit

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 01/07/2009 11:17 AM  

JAKARTA: The state-owned train company PT Kereta Api (KA) made an unexpected Rp 40 billion (US$ 3.7 million) in profits, despite a forecast Rp 57 billion loss, because of fewer accidents, improved efficiency and better sales. 

The company's performance improved after it made investments in renewing rolling stock and carriages and increasing safety measures. 

"We thought we would make a loss because of the investments, but apparently (the return) came back positively," president director Ronny Wahyudi said. 

Better sales of business and executive class tickets and a shift from airplanes to trains because of higher air fares, also helped to boost profits. Ronny said the profits would be allocated to employee incentive programs to increase their efficiency. 

The company is targeting to make up to Rp 12.5 billion in profits in 2009. 

Meanwhile, in 2008, KA received Rp 544 billion from the government through the public service obligation (PSO) subsidy for keeping the ticket price for the economy class below its operational cost. -- JP

WALK, DON'T WALK

The Jakarta Post  |  Tue, 01/06/2009 7:11 PM  |  Jakarta

High school students cross cross a busy downtown street in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. Hard to find pedestrian right of ways and lax street discipline has contributed to traffic accidents in the country's capital. (JP/J. Adiguna)

Related Article:

4 Jakartans killed in hit-and-runs in 2 days

Visitors complaint over airport services

Luh De Suriyani, The Jakarta Post, Tuban | Mon, 01/05/2009 11:06 AM  

The island's sole international airport should improve its services as an increasing number of visitors have expressed disappointment over various inconveniences they experienced during their arrival at Ngurah Rai, a tourism association executive said Saturday. 

"Airport's services, or lack of them, will influence the overall image of Bali as perceived by tourists," said Al Purwa, the head of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA). 

The poor quality of the airport's service, Purwa disclosed, was once again brought up during his meeting late-December with representatives of major Japanese travel agents. 

"The meeting was attended by representatives of eight major players in the Japanese market. Their travel agents send 30 percent of the total Japanese tourists who visit Bali," he said. 

The representatives specifically mentioned the Ngurah Rai as an airport that failed to cater to the needs of elderly Japanese visitors. 

Purwa claimed the representatives had labeled Ngurah Rai airport as the world's worst airport for elderly visitors due to the chronic problem of long queues in front of the immigration counters and the lack of sufficient rest areas. 

New arrivals would have to stand in line, sometimes for hours, as the immigration officers process their application for Visa on Arrival (VoA). 

"Having to stand in line for considerable time after just getting off a long-haul flight is definitely not a comforting nor convenient experience for visitors," Purwa said. 

The problem related to the time-consuming VoA process, Purwa stressed, is one of the most common complaints voiced by foreign visitors about Ngurah Rai airport. 

"We have informed the relevant agencies about this problem. It has became a public knowledge, even Vice President Jusuf Kalla knows about this problem. However, a significant measure to mitigate the problem has yet to be launched," he said. 

He reminded that elderly Japanese visitors would play a significant role in softening the adverse impact of the ongoing global economic crisis to the island's tourism. 

"These elderly visitors are mostly rich retirees, whose assets have not been significantly affected by the crisis," he said. 

Purwa also asked the airport authority to improve the services of its porters. 

"Several porters still demand a payment way beyond the accepted standard, which is Rp 2,500 per luggage. We have reports that some porters asked for Rp 100,000 to transport one luggage," he said. 

Assistant to the spokesperson of PT Angkasa Pura, the company that runs the airport, M Dimyati cited the fact that the airport had operated beyond its capacity as the reason behind the inconveniences suffered by the passengers. 

"The domestic terminal has a maximum capacity of dealing with 1.5 million passengers per year, but currently has to cope with 3.6 million passengers," he said. 

Dimyati promised to add more VoA counters to deal with the surge of visitors. 

He was quite optimistic that all those inconveniences would disappear once the airport's expansion project completed. In April 2009, the airport authority would commence the expansion project that would cost around Rp 2.1 trillion.

Pertamina admits implementing discriminatory policy

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/04/2009 3:40 PM  

PT Pertamina admits Sunday that it has been implementing a discriminatory policy between "Pasti Pas" certified gas stations and those without, a representative told tempointeraktif.com 

"We want the gas stations that have yet to certify themselves to start upgrading their service to the public," Pertamina Marketing and Trade Director Achmad Faisal said. 

The total number of Pertamina gas stations are 4,300, he said, however, the number of that which have received certification are merely 1,000. 

According to Faisal, "Pasti Pas" certified gas stations are prioritized in every fuel shipment delivery and given a Rp 200 per liter profit margin as opposed to non-certified establishments, which are only eligable to receive Rp 180 per liter. 

Pertamina President Director Ari Soemarno added that the certification was necessary so as to ensure that the entrepreneurs did not cheat in providing service. 

"So we're making it easy for certified gas stations, whereas the rest would have to catch up in their upgrading efforts," he said.