Navy foils attempt to hijack barge containing 4,078 tons of CPO

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - A patrol boat of the Indonesian Navy recently foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack a barge that was carrying 4,078 tons of crude palm oil (CPO) from East Kalimantan, to Surabaya, East Java.

"The Navy`s patrol boat, KRI Sutedi Senaputera-878, frustrated the action by the seven pirates on Sunday (Dec 23) in waters near Bilang-Bilangan island, off the East Kalimantan coast," Lt Col Toni Syaiful, spokesperson of the Indonesian Navy`s Eastern Fleet Command, said on Friday.

The crude palm-oil, stacked on a barge named Makmur Abadi-V which was pulled by a tugboat, the Makmur Abadi-I, was being transported from Tanjung Redep, East Kalimantan, to Surabaya, East Java. After one day`s sailing, the tugboat and barge were stopped by a seven-man group of pirates in a speed-boat led by Rebaldo.

Wielding sharp weapons, the pirates overpowered the skipper and crews of the tugboat and barge and locked them up in a cabin.

After doing a repainting job to rename the tugboat Ocean Line-1 and the barge Ocean-Line-2, the pirates steered the vessels toward Labuan, Malaysia.

The KRI Sutedi Senaputera which was patrolling waters in the Ambalat region chased and eventually intercepted the pirated vessels. The pirates were arrested and they as well the two vessels were then taken to the Tarakan naval base in East Kalimantan from where they would later be transferred to Surabaya to undergo a judicial process.

Heavy storms to keep ships in harbors

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has renewed calls for ships and boats not to set sail in the next few days following warnings of extreme weather and high waves from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG).

Sea transport director general at the Transportation Ministry Effendi Batubara told Detik.com on Wednesday the no-sail warnings were valid throughout this week and could be renewed.

The ministry issued its first warnings two weeks ago.

In bad weather warnings issued on Tuesday, BMG said three- to five-meter-high waves could hit several parts of Indonesia because of seasonal monsoon winds expected to last until the end of this year.

"Ships and boats should not set sail in the next two days because they might be swept away by high tides," Eko Prasetyo, a meteorology and geophysics expert with the BMG office in Surabaya, told Antara on Wednesday.

He said the Java Sea would be hit by waves as high as three and five meters, while the Makassar Strait and Bali Sea might see waves with heights between 0.5 and 3.5 meters.

BMG said waters in the southern part of Sumatra and in the south of Nusa Tenggara could be hit by up to four-meter-high waves, while the waters to the south of East Java might see 0.5 to 2.5-meter waves.

The agency said the predicted waves would likely be caused by the West Monsoon wind, a seasonal wind that occurs when atmospheric pressure is high across the Asian continent and low across Australia.

Eko said mariners should also stay alert for severely low tides, which might hamper ships from harboring and loading.

He said waters in Surabaya's Tanjung Perak harbor receded to minus-170 centimeters on Wednesday and were predicted to rise only by 10 centimeters the following day.

Effendi said they would keep monitoring BMG's reports, but reminded sailors and fishermen to stay alert because there had recently been several serious sea accidents.

On Dec. 23, a tugboat pulling a coal barge was overturned near Bali as it sailed from South Kalimantan to Cilacap, Central Java.

In September, the BMG also warned vessels against sailing in the Indian Ocean, including waters around the Mentawai islands and the coastal areas of West Sumatra, due to extreme weather.

Passenger ferries plying the Mentawai-Padang route continue to operate despite the warning, but no accidents have been reported.

The Indonesian archipelago boasts the largest area of territorial waters in the world.

Indonesia has 5.8 million square meters of sea territory, or three-quarters of its total area. Its shorelines, which stretch for some 81,000 kilometers, are the second longest worldwide after Canada.

While Indonesia is a maritime nation, its sea transportation remains a public concern, because many vessels are poorly equipped and apply minimum safety procedures in the face of bad weather warnings.

One of the most noted sea tragedies was the sinking of the Senopati Nusantara ferry in the Java Sea on Dec. 30, 2006, after it was reportedly hit by dangerous waves.

This accident claimed the lives of more than 300 passengers. It is believed that defective lifeboats were among the causes of the great number of fatalities. (lln)

Sea holds climate change benefits, threats

The United Nations climate change panel says seas could rise by up to 59 centimeters by 2100 due to warmer global temperatures. Indonesia, according to the government, is experiencing a sea level rise of about 0.8 mm per year. This is the fourth article in a series on climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The sea poses both a threat and opportunity for coastal communities in Indonesia -- a sprawling archipelago with some 17,000 islands -- in facing global warming.

Rising sea levels are expected to submerge smaller islands while at the same time the sea can be used as a carbon sink to help the world mitigate human-induced climate change.

The ministry of maritime and fishery affairs says Indonesia's seas have the capacity to store up to 245 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main driver of climate change.

The ministry also predicts that some 61,000 square kilometers of coral reef could absorb 73.5 million tons of CO2 per year. The existing 93,000 hectares of mangrove forest could store 75.4 million tons of CO2 and phytoplankton species could handle some 11 million tons of carbon.

In addition to rising sea levels, global warming could also alter sea water's acidity and temperature, the ministry says, as well as forming more frequent weather extremes such as high sea waves and tropical storms.

The ministry predicts that a meter in sea level rises could swamp 405,000 hectares of coastal areas and 2,000 small islands while damaging coral reefs.

A plan of action on mitigation says that the government would develop more mangrove forests to help coastal communities fend off rising seas and stronger tropical storms.

Mangroves provide a habitat for shrimps and small fish, break up waves and retain silt and soil, preventing them from damaging coral reefs.

Mangroves also keep rising sea levels at bay, up to a certain extent, giving communities more time to adjust.

The action plan says the government would promote integrated coastal management to improve the quality of rivers and coastal areas as well as setting up early earning systems for extreme weather.

For fishing communities, the government intends to develop eco-friendly fishing facilities such as boats that could resist high waves.

Meanwhile, scientists have been urged to review the sea's potential to store CO2.

Six Southeast Asian and Pacific nations, including Indonesia, recently launched an initiative to save the "Coral Triangle", which contains more than half of the world's reefs, during the Bali climate change summit.

It is estimated that there are more than 600 species of coral and more than 3,000 species of plants and fish living in the waters encompassing the Philippines, Timor Leste, parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

High tides continue to cause headaches

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Almost 100 fish processing companies located in North Jakarta's Muara Baru have been forced to cease operations due to high tides that have inundated the area for several weeks.

The Nizam Zachman fishing port in Muara Baru, which is home to 163 companies, is not accessible to vehicles carrying fish during the day as the road leading up to it is generally flooded.

As of Monday, floodwaters in the area had reached 1.2 meters.

Head of the port Bambang Sutejo said only 66 companies located in the area had been able to continue operating.

"The rest have temporarily closed down," Bambang told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Bambang said fishing boats were not affected by the tides and were able to dock at the port at any time of the day.

However, catches could not be transported directly to fish processors and exporting companies until the high tides receded, which usually occurred after 5 p.m.

"If vehicles cannot pass the road until 5 p.m., workers have to wait for hours and work overtime. Companies have to pay more in wages and the health of workers is also at risk," he said.

Bambang said companies operating at the port exported fish products to Europe, Japan and the United States.

He said some 41,000 workers were employed at the port, which also provides fish to more than 500 local retail stores and 100 street vendors.

"We have lost on average 50 percent of our usual daily revenue," Bambang said.

On a normal day, companies at the port collectively make up to Rp 10 billion from 110 tons of fish brought in by fishing boats.

"But now this figure has fallen to around Rp 5 billion per day from 90 tons of fish," Bambang said.

He said even though fish supplies had only dropped by 20 tons, slower distribution had decreased the price of fish.

Suparjo, the general manager of PT Pelindo II Sunda Kelapa, said high tides had also affected business at neighboring Sunda Kelapa port.

"Because of the high tides, many ships have chosen to dock at Tanjung Priok port. We have lost hundreds of millions of rupiah because of this," Suparjo told the Post on Monday.

He said his company tried to prevent flooding by building retainer walls. However, the tides were higher than the 100-centimeter walls, resulting in the area becoming flooded.

At Nizam Zachman port, retainer walls were also built in anticipation of the floods, Bambang said.

However, due to limited funds, the port authority had not been able to complete all of the necessary walls, he said.

"We haven't finished building the walls. As a result, sea water enters and inundates the port. We have to wait for more funding next year to complete the project," he said.

He said plans were also in place to raise the height of the road entering the port by 1.2 meters next year. (tif)

Ferry fares to rise almost 5% on Jan. 1

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government will increase interprovincial ferry fares by an average of 4.46 percent starting Jan. 1 next year, a transportation ministry official says.

"We've decided to increase the fares as the current fares barely cover actual costs," head of the Communications Center at the Transportation Ministry, Bambang S. Ervan, was quoted as saying Saturday by Antara.

According to Bambang, the new fares for the 18 ferry routes were stipulated in a ministry regulation, with the smallest increase being on the Balikpapan-Taipa route (0.24 percent), and the biggest on the Gorontalo-Wakai route (18.13 percent).

Among the routes affected are Ketapang-Gilimanuk, where the fare will increase by 10.94 percent from Rp 640 to Rp 710; Merak-Bakauhuni (11.03 percent from Rp 453 to Rp 503); and Padangbai-Lembar (10.42 percent from Rp 568 to Rp 627).

Bambang said it was hoped that the new fares would encourage ferry operators to maintain or even improve their services, as well as pay more attention to the safety of passengers.

Also, starting next year, insurance premiums will also be increased from Rp 440 per passenger to Rp 770.

"This means the compensation for death in an accident while using a ferry will rise significantly to Rp 50 million (around US$5,400) from the current Rp 30 million," Bambang said. (ndr)

Jambi flooded as Batanghari River overflows

Jambi, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Batanghari River in Jambi Province overflowed and inundated Jambi City, forcing 166 residents to flee their homes.

The water level of Batanghari River has reached a height of up to more than 13 meters, Head of the Jambi provincial social welfare service Jazid Idris said here on Tuesday.

The Jambi authorities were on alert to anticipate the flooding of spreading to wider areas, he said.

The local administration has prepared among other things a number of emergency tents and tens of rubber boats, to help flood victims.

At Legok kampong, two large emergency tents have been set up to accommodate the 166 flood victims.

The Jambi province also has a stock of 75 tons of rice to be distributed to local people in case of emergency.

Indonesia will continue to experience above-average precipitation under the impact of La Nina in the period December 2007 - February 2008, according to the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA)`s National Weather Service (NWS) recently.

In addition to Jambi, floods also hit several other provinces in Indonesia recently, such as in Gorontalo, Central Java, East Java, West Java and South Kalimantan.

Tidal flood inundates parts of West Kalimantan city of Pontianak

Pontianak, West Kalimantan Province (ANTARA News) - Tidal flood reaching a height of between 10 and 30 centimeters inundated parts of Pontianak city, West Kalimantan, on Tuesday.

Flood waters inundated roads towards Pontianak Harbor and residential areas, disturbing the traffic.

The West Pontianak Police office was also flooded up to 10 centimeters high.

Three dead, six missing in Indonesia boat accident: navy

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three people died and six were missing after their boat crashed into a fish trap Tuesday while sailing in bad weather and strong seas near Indonesia's Sumatra island, a navy officer said.

"Five people survived the accident and two of our patrol boats are searching for six other people," Bagansiapiapi navy post commander Navy Second Lieutenant Mufit told AFP.

He said the small wooden boat with 14 people struck a fish trap just half an hour after it set sail on midnight on Monday, half a mile off the coast of Bagansiapiapi in Riau province.

Bad weather, fuelling big waves and strong winds, has plagued the region since earlier this week, Mufit said.

The boat was ferrying passengers between coastal towns on Sumatra's east coast since roads are in poor condition or non existant.

Indonesia is an archipelago nation of some 17,480 islands, where both sea and air links are crucial, but safety standards are notoriously lax.

Algae farming

Bali’s fishing community adapts to looming climate change.

The Star online

By ANNE CHAON

AS COUNTRIES from around the world met in Bali, Indonesia recently to thrash out a new framework on fighting global warming, the fishing community there is adapting to the looming impact of climate change.

Many are turning away from fishing to a small but innovative scheme aimed at reviving the tropical island’s coral reef, which is threatened by rising temperatures and over-exploitation.

The scheme, run by environment group WWF, encourages people to give up damaging fishing practices and turn instead to the more sustainable – and lucrative – practice of seaweed farming.

Sustainable practice: A woman harvesting seaweed at her farm in Nusa Dua, Bali.

The algae farms, launched in 2001 in the village of Sumber Kima and the surrounding coast, support 200 households. This year, the fishermen will harvest 29 tonnes of seaweed, mostly to be sold to the United States and Japan.

WWF coral expert Lida Pet-Soede said the project was aimed at “reducing human pressure on this reef, which is so rich in biodiversity and in its variety of fish.”

“The local population who live here on fishing and tourism can continue to benefit from it in the future while at the same time being less dependent,” she said.

Many of the tiny bouquets of brownish algae being harvested from the reef come from the nets of fishermen who, in the past, used grenades to blast fish to the surface or captured fish for the lucrative foreign trade in tropical aquariums. Both practices have been hugely destructive on both the coral and populations of rare fish species.

Ria Fitriana, who runs the programme for the WWF, said the scheme offered fishermen the chance to earn about 750,000 rupiah (RM300) a month, almost double what they made before.

“For the first time I have enough money for my family. One day I’ll send my children on to higher education,” said Khairiyah, a 30-year-old woman who is part of the project and whose husband has now given up fishing.

“He had to go off for longer distances and longer times and petrol is getting more and more costly,” she said.

A warming of the seas caused by a severe El Nino in 1998 ravaged Bali’s coral reef. Some 16% of the ornate undersea flora was killed off and the remainder is still suffering a decade later. Scientists anticipate that temperatures are rising in Indonesia by 0.3°C per decade, raising fears that the reef’s rich biodiversity will be wrecked for future generations.

Women in particular have cashed in on the new business, using the protein-rich seaweed to make sweets, chips and crackers that they can sell.

The project receives small amounts of funding from the local government and from Australia, which contributed about US$2,000 (RM6,800). – AFP

Six missing fishermen found alive in West Java

Sukabumi, West Java (ANTARA News) - Six fishermen of Pelabuhanratu, Sukabumi District, West Java Province, who had been reportedly missing since December 1, were found alive in Pameungpeuk waters, Garut District, early Monday.

The six fishermen were respectively Bakri (the skipper), Agus, Andi, Anto, Edo and Suki. They were aboard MV Yakin Grup 07, a fishing boat, when they encountered with a machine trouble early this month.

The ill-fated Yakin Grup o7 was currently being pulled by MV Yakin Grup 01 on its way from Pameungpeuk to Pelabuhanratu and was expected to arrive on Tuesday (Dec. 25), Head of the Pelabuhanratu water police unit Rukiman, said.

MV Yakin Grup 07 was waters off Cidaun area, Cianjur District, when suddenly its machine broke down on December 5, 2007, and later the boat drifted away by sea currents to Pameungpeuk.

High tides submerge Bekasi's coastline

BEKASI (Jakarta Post) : Hundreds of houses were submerged with water when a high tide hit Segara Jaya village in Bekasi regency Sunday.

The one-meter-high waters also inundated 200 hectares of milkfish and shrimp ponds which were to be harvested at the end of this month.

Pond owner Sidiq said the seasonal tides this year were higher than in previous years. He said the waters reached villages up to three kilometers from the shoreline.

"We expect to see these huge tides once every five years ... these tides came early, since we last had a huge tide two years ago," he said as quoted by Tempointeraktif news portal.

Bekasi regency official Enop Chan said he and several officers would stay in flood-affected villages to assist residents with evacuation if needed.

Floods hit Jambi province

Jambi, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Floods hit a number of towns and districts in Jambi Province on Saturday, forcing local people to pack their belongings and move them to safer areas.

The Jambi provincial police had mobilized their personnel throughout the province in anticipation of rising waters and landslides, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yatin Suyato, a spokesman of the Jambi Police, said here on Saturday.

The policemen were put on standby to help the evacuation of flood victims and provide first aid assistance if needed, he said.

A number of school buildings were also inundated. However, the floods did not affect school activities as Jambi`s students are currently enjoying a year-end vacation.

High tide flood again hits Muara Baru, N. Jakarta

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A flood triggered by cyclical high tide again hit Muara Baru area, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Saturday, inundating around 4,000 houses.

The flood waters which reached a height of up to 100 centimeters submerged Muara Baru Market and its main road.

The cyclical high tide started to rise at 7 am local time and it slowly subsided as of 11 am, As`ad, the Penjaringan neighborhood council head, said here on Saturday.

Despite the flooding, local residents did not flee because they had become used to the natural phenomenon, he said.

Fish auctioning activity in Muara Angke and Muara Baru fish markets were affected by the flooding.

Local inhabitants were on alert as very high sea waves were predicted to occur, he said.

All Bengkulu residents to take part in earthquake simulation

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - All Bengkulu residents will on Sunday morning take part in an earth-quake and tsunami emergency simulation organized by provincial authorities, the provincial governor said.

The fourth simulation which was aimed at preparing the public of eartquake-prone Bengkulu province for the real thing, will be held at 06.00 a.m. on Sunday, Agusrin Maryono Najamuddin, Bengkulu`s governor said here Saturday.

"The fourth simulation will be held in nine districts and we hope that all citizens will take part in the drill, so that it will be like the real thing," he said.

One month ago, on Sunday November 23, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in cooperation with the Bengkulu city administration conducted a tsunami-emergency drill involving the inhabitants of several villages including Lempuing.

Simulations were also conducted on December 10 and 15 by the provincial and Bengkulu city administrations.

The provincial government decided to hold the simulation in response to widespread rumors that an earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter Scale followed by tsunami will happen on December 23, 2007

Bantul prepares health centers for seasonal increase

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Bantul

Community Health Centers in Bantul, Yogyakarta, one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations, are ready to serve patients over the Christmas holiday.

The centers will be opened 24-hours-a-day to anticipate an increase in the number of patients.

"We ask all health clinics to expand their services during the holiday season due to an increase in the number of tourists in Yogyakarta. We have to prepare ourselves to anticipate a rising number of patients here," said head of Bantul Health Office Siti Noor Zainab.

She said 16 of the 27 clinics in Bantul had hospital beds and most of them were located along main city roads, as well as on tourist routes.

"So, residents or tourists who need health services can be assisted," she added.

Parangtritis Search and Rescue (SAR) team secretary Taufik F Usman said 50 SAR team members had been assigned to guard beaches to anticipate any incidents over the holiday.

"We predict the number of tourists visiting beaches in the area will increase sharply. Therefore, we have appointed 50 of our 73 SAR team members to safeguard the most popular beaches, including Parangtritis, Depok, Samas and Pandansimo," he said.

According to data from the Yogyakarta Tourism Agency, the number of foreign tourists visiting the province tumbled from around 120,000 in 2005 to only 60,000 in 2006, after a powerful earthquake devastated Yogyakarta and its surroundings.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Yogyakarta is projected to rise again to about 70,000 by the end of this year.

Data also shows the number of local tourists to the province dropped to around 1.4 million in 2006 from 2 million in 2005, and is projected to increase to 1.6 million by the year end.

He added all of the SAR members had been equipped with rubber rafts, life vests and communication tools.

He said personnel would set up warning signs at several dangerous beaches to prevent tourists from swimming there.

"Nature-lover organizations from universities in Yogyakarta will also help us safeguard the beaches," he said.

Occupancy rates of hotels in Yogyakarta usually increase sharply during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Public Relations Manager of the Malioboro Ibis Hotel Eunike Martanti said all 148 of the hotel's rooms had been booked from Dec. 21 up to the end of the year.

She predicted the occupancy rate would return back to normal, to around 50 to 60 percent, by the beginning of January.

Public Relations Manager of the Yogyakarta Hyatt Hotel Erika said 80 percent of the 269 rooms at the hotel had been booked for the holidays.

Travel agents in Yogyakarta are also experiencing an increase in the number of ticket and tourism pack

Indonesian authorities struggle to salvage tanker: official

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian port authorities were struggling to salvage a small fuel tanker that capsized this week at a port in the country's second city of Surabaya, the port master said Friday.

"We're still working hard to turn the tanker upright, but are still unable to do so," Tanjung Perak port master Rocky Ahmad Suherman told AFP.

The locally owned and operated Karisma Selatan, which has a capacity of 500,000 litres (132,000 gallons), capsized after its hold was filled with an unknown amount of marine fuel at the port on Tuesday. Nobody was injured.

Suherman said that two sea cranes had tried to shift it, with two tugboats equipped with firefighting equipment on stand-by. Rubber booms remained in place around the ship in case of a serious leak, he added.

Dirty fuel has been leaking from the tanker's engine but no leak has come from its hold, Suherman said.

An investigation into what caused the mishap is underway, with preliminary results reportedly suggesting the ship's ballast had not been filled correctly.

NSW scheme to be rolled out in nine more ports

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government hopes to expand the National Single Window (NSW) scheme, an on-line permit service for importers and exporters -- first introduced earlier this week at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port -- to nine more major ports next year.

"So far, it's been successful at Tanjung Priok Port.

"And we expect that ten big ports, including Tanjung Priok Port, will be served by the scheme by the end of 2008, at the latest," said Edy Putra Irawadi, a deputy to the coordinating minister for economics, on Thursday.

By next April, he said, the government would introduce the system at Belawan Port in North Sumatra, Tanjung Mas in Central Java, Tanjung Perak in East Java, and Makasar Port in South Sulawesi.

The extension of the scheme to another five ports -- Panjang in South Sumatra, Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Batam, Bali and Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan -- was expected to follow later in the year.

Last Monday, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati officially launched the first stage of NSW and its web portal -- http://www.insw.go.id.

During the first stage, five government agencies out of the 36 with responsibilities in the export/import field, have adopted the system, namely, the Customs Office, Food and Drug Control Agency, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Animal Quarantine Center and the Agricultural Quarantine Center.

Currently, however, only 100 importers -- the beneficiaries of the so-called fast-track priority facility operated by the port authority -- are able to benefit from the scheme.

The priority facility, which grants importers preferential treatment for goods inspection at the port, is restricted to firms that have a proven track record and have never violated the regulations.

As for exporters, they will not be eligible to receive such treatment during the first phase of the NSW scheme, which is expected to end before April, when the second phase is scheduled to commence.

"We hope that by April next year, when we launch a common portal, the work of all the 36 agencies will be integrated in the NSW system, as well as other importers and exporters, so that we can simplify permit processing and curtail corruption," Edy said,

"There used to be a lot of redundancies involved as regards the necessary documents, unnecessary payments and convoluted bureaucracy."

He said that under the new service, an importer would only need 7.5 hours to get the necessary clearances to recover their shipments from the port authority, must faster than previously, when several days might be required.

The new service would also significantly reduce costs.

Edy said the NSW scheme had also simplified the job of the relevant government agencies, adding that the 23 biggest ports in Indonesia had to process 4.5 million export and import documents every year.

Jakarta warned of Christmas tidal floods

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): A second high tide in less than a month is likely to hit Jakarta's shores on Dec. 23 and 24, said an Indonesian-Dutch tidal monitoring body.

The city's public works body said it has moved into preparatory mode and is repairing coastal embankments in seven areas in North Jakarta.

Jakarta Flood Project, the Indonesian-Dutch partnership, said it has closely monitored tide levels and has calculated sea water levels on Dec. 23 and 24 would be as high as Nov. 26, when high-tides caused traffic mayhem along the city's airport toll road.

"Sea water levels are already very high," project leader Jan Jaap Brinkman was quoted in an email sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"The 190 centimeter mark was reached at Pasar Ikan (Jakarta's fish market) today," Jan Jaap said.

"Tomorrow levels will increase again."

"It is almost certain that sea water levels will reach the same levels as on Nov. 26."

Naval base offers rewards to fishermen reporting smuggling activity

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA News) - The Bangka Belitung Naval Base Tuesday offered rewards to fishermen who can provide information to uncover tin smuggling, illegal fishing and illegal log trading activities.

"We hope local fishermen can provide such information. We cannot fight the illegal activities alone as Bangka Belitung is mostly made up of waters so smuggling activity can happen almost anywhere in the province," Bangka Belitung Naval Base Commander Col M. Zainuddin said on Wednesday.

But he stopped short of revealing what the rewards would be.

He said he had the impression that local fishermen who had seen or knew about strange things happening at sea were often afraid to report to the security agencies.

Bali`s canned fish exports jump to $10 million

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - Bali province`s canned fish exports in the first ten months of 2007 jumped 120 percent to US$10.8 million from a year earlier.

Canned fish exports in the January-October 2007 period more than trippled in volume to 5,572 tons from 1,865 tons in the same period last year, Ni Wayan Kusumawathi, chief of the foreign trade division at the Bali Industry and Trade Office, said on Tuesday.

The canned fish exports went to the United States, Japan, Taiwan, China and the European Union, she said.

Overall, the province`s fishery exports in the first ten months of 2007 rose 28.8 percent to US$56.6 million compared to US$43.9 million in the same period last year, she said.

Fresh and frozen tunas dominated the fishery exports with a value of US$47 million, followed by the grouper with US$3.4 million.

CP Prima signs agreement with shrimp farmers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The world's biggest shrimp producer, PT Central Proteinaprima (CP Prima), signed a key partnership agreement Monday with local shrimp farmers supplying the company's subsidiary, PT Aruna Wijaya Sakti.

The farmers work 17,870 shrimp ponds covering some 16,030 hectares of land in Lampung that is owned by Aruna Wijaya Sakti, formerly known as PT Dipasena Citra Darmaja -- which was once the biggest shrimp producer in Southeast Asia.
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Under the agreement, CP Prima, under the supervision of Aruna, will apply its technology to boost shrimp production in the farmers' ponds, and the farmers in return will sell their produce directly to the firm, thereby increasing its exports of frozen shrimp, said operations director Mahar Sembiring.

The agreement also incorporates international standard operating procedures for sustainable and optimum shrimp farm production, he added.

"We believe that this agreement will benefit both sides as it provides commercial certainty," he said.

Indonesian Association of Fisheries Enterprises chairman Herwindo echoed Mahar's view, saying that the partnership would increase CP Prima's frozen shrimp exports and improve the incomes of shrimp farmers.

He said the agreement would also benefit the government through increased exports and employment.

CP Prima, the biggest integrated shrimp producer in the world and Indonesia's market leader in shrimp fry, shrimp feed and fish-feed production, acquired the former Dipasena through a tender in May.

Besides Aruna Wijaya Sakti, CP Prima has two other subsidiaries engaged in the same business in Lampung -- PT Central Pertiwi Bahari and PT Wachyuni Mandira (WM).

It now has 50,000 hectares devoted to shrimp farms and provides more than 38,000 jobs, including 12,500 full-time jobs.

In mid-November, CP Prima signed a similar partnership agreement with local shrimp farmers grouped under WM, which also involved what is known in Indonesia as a nucleus-plasma scheme (the company being the nucleus, the farmers the plasma). (ind)

Govt to install 23 tsunami buoys until late 2008

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has set itself the target of installing 23 tsunami buoys in Indonesian waters until the end of 2008, an official said.

"One of the tsunami buoys has already been put in place in the southern part of the Sunda Strait," Ridwan Djamaludin, head of the oceanographic survey unit at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Techonology (BPPT), said here on Monday.

Eleven of the tsunami buoys were locally made, he said, adding that 10 units were produced in Germany and the rest in the United States.

The tsunami buoys would be installed at a depth of 2,054 meters below the sea level, Ridwan said at a media briefing about a "tsunami drill" to be carried out in Banten province on December 26, 2007.

He said the tsunami buoys would directly transmit data to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG).

"We checked the tsunami buoys` sophistication on December 14 including the water height," he said, adding that the tsunami buoys were equipped with sensors and data transmission instruments.

Ridwan said the government would conduct an evacuation exercise involving 10,000 people in Banten`s coastal area on December 26 witnessed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhohono.

The first evacuation drill was carried out in Padang, West Sumatra, on December 26, 2005 followed by the second one in Bali on December 26, 2006.

Australia has repatriated 16 Indonesian "boat people"

Brisbane (ANTARA News) - As many as 16 Indonesiawn boat people including 10 children who had been held at a detention centre on Christmas Island, Western Australia, had been repatriated on Saturday (Dec 15), a diplomat has said.

Indonesian Consul in Perth, capital of Western Australia, Dr Aloysius L.Madja who is now in Jakarta after accompanying the Indonesians on their flight to Jakarta arriving in the Indonesian capital on Saturday, told ANTARA News in Brisbane on Sunday that he and deputy consul for social, cultural and information affairs Ricky Suhendar were flew on a chartered Australian plane to Indonesia.

"Now I am in Jakarta. Yesterday (Saturday) we accompanied Australian Immigration officials who brought the 16 Indonesians from Christmas Island and flew to Jakarta where we arrived at 2.30 p.m.," he said.

Aloysius earlier said his side had already checked that the 16 people were really Indonesians and handed their travel documents in lieu of passports to the Australian Immigration officials.

"In an interview, the family heads of the 16 Indonesians said actually their destination was not Australia, but Saumlaki in Indonesia`s Southeast Maluku," he said.

However, as their boat had engine trouble, they continued their trip after setting up a sail, but the blew them to Southeast and eventually entered Australian territorial waters, he said.

Two of the three family heads were identified as Suwardi and Sukardi Liri from Rote Island in Indonesia`s East Nusa Tenggara province, Aloysius said.

"On their arrival at the Soekarno Hatta airport, they were handed over by the Australian immigration officials to Pak (Mr) Teguh Wardoyo, Foreign Ministry`s director for protection of Indonesian corporate bodies and citizens," he said.

On the health condition of the 16 people, he said they looked healthy and happy as they were back home, but they did not want to return to their village but rather to Mola, Wangi-Wangi subdistrict, Buton district, Southeast Sulawesi.

Scheduled to leave for Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi on Monday (Dec 17) they stayed in Jakarta in Jakarta under the auspices of the International Organization for Migration, he said.

It was reported that the cost of their flight to Jakarta was paid by the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, he added.

The Australian government`s decision to repatriate the 16 people was submitted to the Australian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Senator Chris Evans on December 7.

After being detained for several weeks on Christmas Island, the 16 Indonesians were repatriated following interviews and medical examinations.

The Australian minister said his ministry very carefully interviewed the `boat people` to ensure that their entry into Australia was really an accident.

Senator Evans also said that according to reports the Indonesians did not tell about any issue which may prompt Australia to feel obliged to give them protection under the Convention on Refugees.

He said he is a firm supporter of the Convention on Refugees and Australia one of the three countries which had accepted refugees to stay.

Before being detained on Christmas Island, the 16 people were rescured by Australian patrol boats HMAS Ararat and HMAS Tarakan when their boat sank some 650 kilometers west of Darwin, Northern Territory, on November 20, 2007.

Meanwhile, former fishery minister under the PM John Howard administration, Eric Abetz, refused to help the 16 Indonesians who were facing Australian law on eradication of poaching in the country`s territorial waters.

Abetz made the decision on his refusal following local mass media reports that the 16 people who were resolved to leave their hometown in Rote Island for Australia were small fishermen.

Abetz said it was not his business to deal with the Indonesian fishermen if they could no longer fish on the Australian waters.

ABC reported the Indonesians from Rote Island were fishermen who were affected by the Australian government`s stern measures to stamp out poaching.

The Australian government spent 603 million dollars on coping with poaching in its waters. The measure has dropped the number of poaching cases on its territorial waters in the north to 90 percent.

In the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Indonesian and Australian govenments in November, 1974, known as MoU Box 1974, Australia still recognized the rights of Indonesian traditional fishermen who have been earning a living from marine resources along the northern part of the west coast and around that the coral reefs in the past centuries.

Australia still allowe Indonesian traditional fishermen to take water and fish on islands the two countries had agreed on in the agreement.

However, Australia then declared the area as a national park.

Under the 1974 MoU, the areas where Indonesian traditional fishermen could fish as agreed to by the two countries are Scott and Seringapatam reefs, Browse Island, Ashmore reef, Cartier Island and surrounding waters.

Indonesia loses Rp30 trillion per year by illegal fishing

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Illegal fishing in Indonesian waters is causing a financial loss of Rp30 trillion a year to the country, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said here Friday.

"Immaterial losses from illegal fishing include coral reef damage due to the use of explosives and potassium in the activity," he said on the sidelines of a coordinative meeting on fishery resources protection.

He said the coral reef ecosystem was of vital importance to the survival of submarine biota.

Illegal fishing by foreign fishermen were also a threat to the country`s sovereignty.

Numberi said eradicating illegal fishing activity was one of his ministry`s priority programs which would continue to be implemented over the next five years.

Therefore, fishery resource monitoring should be intensified as it was playing a significant role in upholding the law in Indonesian waters.

"Of course we also need the support of regional governments," he added.

The maritime and fisheries sector, he said, had a competitive ability to move the national economy.

The fisheries sub-sector`s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had increased by 18 percent in 2006. Fishery production in 2005-2006 increased by an average of 7.64 percent.

Fishery exports in 2006 totaled 1.02 million tons and added US$2.08 billion to the country`s foreign exchange earnings.

Ironically, the country`s fishery resources were being seriously threatened by the wide-spread use of irresponsible management and exploitation methods, he said.

Indonesia to deport 400-plus Thai, Vietnamese fishing vessel crews

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will soon deport more than 400 Vietnamese and Thai nationals who had served as the crews of foreign fishing vessels operating illegally in Indonesian waters, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said here Friday.

"We have to deport them. Now, there are more than 400 Thai and Vietnamese fishing vessel crew members waiting to be deported," the minister said on the sidelines of a coordinative meeting on maritime and fishery monitoring in 2007.

The deportation would be done in coordination with several other government agencies, he said.

During 2007, a total of 200 foreign fishing vessels that had entered Indonesian waters illegally were captured by Indonesian security personnel.

The vessels` skippers and chief engineers were tried in courts of law while the rest of the crews would be deported, Numbery said.

Meanwhile, the director general of monitoring at the maritime and fisheries ministry, Aji Sularso, said the 400-plus foreign fishing boat crews were currently being held in Riau province and in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

They would be moved from Riau and Pontianak to Jakarta before being deported to their home countries.

The Vietnamese government had agreed that the Vietnamese crews would be sent home on Indonesian airline flights, while Thailand was planning to send a Hercules aircraft to Indonesia to pick up the Thai sailors.

Aji said, the deportation would be done in consideration of Indonesia`s diplomatic ties with the two Southeast Asian countries.

While the Vietnamese and Thai boat crews would be deported, their boats would remain in Indonesia, he added.

RI gets US$33.3 million for coral reef management

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has received funds amounting to US433.3 million for coral reef management under the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), an official said.

The funds were among other things received from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) (US$25 million), the United States (US$4,3 million), and the Asian Development Bank (US$2 million), Saut P Hutagalung, head of the data, statistics and information Center of the marine and fishery ministry, said here on Thursday.

Indonesia also got US$1.4 million from Australia, US$500,000 from the Nature Conservancy (TNC), as well as technical assistance, facilities and grants from Conservation International (CI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), he said.

"The commitment of funding support from several donor countries and institutions was agreed on at a senior official-level meeting of CTI in Bali last week," he said.

The CTI groups Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Timor Leste (CT-6).

The CT-6 covered a total area of 75,000 square km and had 500 species of coral reef which is habitat of more than 3,000 fish species.

"The coral reef area is also known as the Amazon of The Seas because it has the world`s richest biodiversity," he said.

The coral reefs in the area are food sources for 120 million inhabitants of the coastal areas, breeding areas for tuna, and a regional economic source with an estimated money circulation amounting to 2.3 million US dollars per year, he said.

The CTI agreement would be formally signed during the World Ocean Conference (WOC) which will be held in Manado in 2009, he said.

He said coral reefs had a number of crucial functions such as to support food sources for coastal areas` inhabitants, ecotourism and to protect coastal areas from tropical cyclones or tsunami.

Electronic sea charts launched

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Navy launched its new Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) on Tuesday, expecting to provide more accurate navigational data at sea than manual charts.

The ENC, a compact disc containing navigational charts displayed by an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), was put together by the Navy's Hydrographic Agency.

Chief of the Hydrographic Agency, Commodore Willem Rampangilei, said the ENC would provide a number of advantages, including accident alarms and continuous ship positioning.

"It also takes a shorter time to determine the movement of ships and get other navigational data with the ENC," Willem told a media conference after the launch of the ENC aboard the KRI Leuser, a Navy ship used for navigational mapping and research purposes.

The Hydrographic Agency, with the support of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the Marine Port Authority of Singapore and the Japan Hydrographic Association (JHA), has completed electronic charts for sea traffic at 18 out of a total of 25 international ports in Indonesia.

The agency aims to complete the rest in 2009 in accordance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convention on the Safety of Life at Sea, which Indonesia has ratified.

The convention obliges IMO members to apply the ENC in their navigational systems by July 1, 2010 at the latest. Some 35 countries out of the total 167 IMO member countries, including Indonesia, have applied the ENC in their navigational systems.

The Navy earlier this year also launched an ENC for the sea route connecting Malacca and Singapore Straits. The ENC, which was produced by both Indonesia and Singapore, was part of the ocean traffic system operated in three different regions in Indonesia, namely the west, central and east territorial waters.

Navy deputy chief Rear Adm. Didik Heru said the ENC did not only represent the country's ability to develop its own ENC, but also reflected its commitment to complying with international navigation safety standards.

"Indonesia's maritime area, connecting Asia and Australia, is known for its high traffic frequency by international fleets. If Indonesia does not have ENCs at its international ports, it will hamper foreign ships from traveling here."

Captain Robert Ward, the director of the International Hydrographic Bureau, who attended Tuesday's event, said the world community and particularly the maritime sector would benefit from ENCs, which covered very important trade routes and ports in Indonesia.

"A concern has been that while ECDIS equipment (the ENC displayer) has been available for some time and mariners are ready and waiting to use the systems, the necessary official electronic charts have been missing for some key areas of the world."

"Today's launching marks a big step forward in filling in one of those key areas. It sets an example for others to follow," said Ward.

While the homemade ENC was launched Tuesday, unofficial ENCs have been on sale locally for some time.

Commodore Willem reminded mariners of the danger of using those unofficial ENCs as the contents could not be held accountable. "Customers will soon be able to get the official ENC after it appoints an authorized distributor." (lln)

Army, police posts vital to protect outer islands

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

The government has been advised to immediately station troops and set up police posts in outlying border areas to anticipate problems that may arise, a legislator says.

Deputy speaker of Commission I on Defense at the House of Representatives Yusron Ihza Mahendra said Tuesday the Indonesian Military (TNI) should speed up the deployment of battalions to strategic border areas, as surveillance on outer islands was still inadequate.

"The TNI will place troops in strategic border areas with neighboring countries. Commission I strongly supports the move so we can overcome problems in border areas and increase surveillance on outer islands," Yusron said on the sidelines of a meeting with the Riau Police top brass in Batam.

Yusron did not specify the number of battalions to be deployed or where they would be set up. He only pointed out Commission I had given approval and that the plan would soon be implemented.

Aside from widespread smuggling in the border zones, Indonesian fishermen have often been driven out by foreign authorities that blame them for trespassing into their territories. This, Yusron said, would not be the case if there were Indonesian military or police patrols.

Another problem, he said, is the reported sale of islands to foreigners in Riau Islands province.

"Deployment of military personnel to border zones is crucial in order to safeguard our territories from the threat of foreign parties."

Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Sutarman said his office had posted three officers on each of the inhabited islands.

The provincial police have placed their officers on more than 10 outer islands in an effort to beef up security and prevent the islands from changing hands.

Sutarman said the deployment of police personnel to outer islands was part of their commitment to oversee border areas.

Based on a consent, the TNI will deploy Marine or Army troops to the outer islands, while the inhabited islands will be manned by police personnel.

"We will build police posts if possible. We have proposed to build police stations there," Sutarman said.

Currently, there are 92 outer islands bordering neighboring countries, 19 of which are in Riau Islands province. Natuna regency consists of 12 islands located between Malaysian Borneo and the Malaysian mainland. The islands include Tokong Malang Biru, Damar, Mangkai, Tokong Nanas, Tokong Berlayar, Tokong Boro, Semiun, Sebetul, Sekatung, Senua, Subi Kecil and Kepala islands.

Bintan regency includes Sentut Island near Singapore, Karimun regency encompasses Iyi Kecil and Karimun Kecil islands, also near Singapore, and Batam includes Nipah, Pelampong, Batu Behanti and Nongsa islands.

Navy preparing 20 warships for joint exercise in Sengata

Balikpapan (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy was preparing the operation of 20 warships for a joint exercise in Sengata, East Kalimantan.

A spokesman for the Balikpapan Naval Base, Major Arif, said here on Tuesday the presence of the warships from the Eastern Fleet was only aimed at supporting the operation of the naval exercise which would take place from December 14 to 16, 2007.

In addition, the navy will also deploy around 1,200 troops to support the exercise. "We will also operate the latest warships Indonesia has just bought like KRI Surabaya and KRI Diponegoro," he said.

KRI Diponegoro is a Corvette of SIGMA class (Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach) recently purchased from Royal Schelde in the Netherlands.

"The vessel seems to be Indonesia`s most sophisticated warship," Arif said, adding that KRI Surabaya is a landing platform dock (LPD) capable of carrying 400 naval personnel.

Some 122 meters long and 22 meters wide, the vessel which was built in Korea was equipped with 40 mm cannons and 20 mm machine guns.

Enmeshed: Australia and South-East Asia’s fisheries

Onlineopinion.com

By Meryl Williams and Malcolm Cook - posted Tuesday, 11 December 2007

Distressing and perhaps threatening stories, depending on your perspective, of Indonesian fishing vessels apprehended in Australia’s northern waters have become common. We explore what is driving this phenomena and what can Australia do about it.

The Indonesian fishing transgressions are but one relatively minor, though significant manifestation of what is happening in fisheries in the South-East Asian region, and indeed globally. The history of fishing shows that fish stocks that are not properly managed end up threatened with survival. This lesson is stark for Australia and its neighbours in South-East Asia who are enmeshed through connections over fish - connections that become problematic when they threaten the basis of good fisheries management and are explored in more depth in a recent Lowy Institute paper.

Australia manages and protects its fish stocks better than most. The Commonwealth, State and Territory governments share the burden of responsibility. They use scientific, economic and environmental advice and consult with fishers and the public. The main management goals are sustaining the fisheries resources and their environment, supporting economically viable commercial fishing industries and vibrant recreational fishing.

To our north, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are now in the top 12 fish producing countries in the world. Nearly 100 million people are directly dependent on the fishing industries and their related service sectors and nearly all South-East Asians eat fish.

Australia’s connections with South-East Asia are important for Australia’s own fisheries management. The key connections are, first, fish trade. Australia imports more than half its fish because its own fish catch is small, though high value. Three times as much will be imported by 2050. South-East Asia supplies almost half Australian fish imports. Thailand and Vietnam are number one and three fish suppliers, respectively. Yet, South-East Asian large marine fish resources face big problems.

The second key connection is illegal cross-border fishing, especially by vessels from Indonesia, a world fishing giant. Even a small fraction of its huge fishing fleet presents a threat to Australian fish resources. Illegal cross-border fishing is an unwelcome connection between countries throughout South-East Asia, and not an Australian problem alone.

The third connection is the challenge of managing shared fish stocks such as sharks and snappers. These stocks can be overfished if over fishing is happening on just one side of the border.

The fourth connection concerns tuna stocks that Australia cares about. Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines feature prominently in southern bluefin, Pacific and Indian ocean tuna fishing and trade.

Read More ....

N. Sulawesi to tap natural resources to raise incomes

Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

The North Sulawesi provincial administration is striving to tap the region's natural resources to diversify its revenue base.

To realize its goals, the administration has embarked on various initiatives, including its decision to host the World Ocean Conference in the North Sulawesi capital of Manado in 2009.

"I want support from all sides for the conference as it will not only promote North Sulawesi to other regions throughout Indonesia, but also to the world," North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang said.

"I'm pretty sure the conference's success will be followed not only by higher exports from the province, but also increasing numbers of tourists," he said.

Sarundajang's optimism is based on the assumption that the international conference will be attended by between 2,500 and 3,000 participants, including heads of government from various countries, scientists, investors, NGO representatives and journalists.

The participants will discuss current international maritime issues, and the use of marine resources to promote the welfare of all human beings.

The governor said he had discussed the plan with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and a number of Cabinet ministers in 2006. Further, he had also visited the United Nations Headquarters in New York to secure support and sponsors.

Sarundajang said he hoped the central government would fund a number of projects to support the holding of the conference, such as the expansion of Sam Ratulangi airport, the widening of some major roads, and the construction of conference venues. He also urged investors to build more hotels in Manado to accommodate the expected large number of visitors.

"I want Indonesia to become a center of marine research. I expect that by holding the conference, marine tourism in North Sulawesi, and all over Indonesia, will grow significantly," Sarundajang said.

He said that besides the conference, the provincial administration was also promoting a number of other sectors to help promote public welfare.

"We have tried, for example, to eliminate poverty around the province by implementing programs in a number of sectors, such as agriculture, fisheries and tourism," Sarundajang said.

The administration has also successfully encouraged people to plant corn on more than 80,000 hectares of fallow land. At least 16,000 people have participated in the corn-planting drive over the last two planting seasons.

It has also promoted seaweed cultivation on over 400 hectares of coastal land in projects that now employ about 4,000 workers, the processing of virgin coconut oil (VCO) involving 100 farmers' groups that now produce 40 tons of VCO every six months, and the cultivation of castor plants on more than 3,000 hectares to produce castor oil as an alternative fuel.

The North Sulawesi administration has also provided low-interest loans to develop micro industry.

In the education sector, the administration has provided scholarships and extra allowances for part-time teachers.

Provincial data shows that economic growth came in at 4.9 percent in 2005 and 5.87 percent in 2006, and is expected to hit up to 6.30 percent this year.

The number of tourists also increase from 19,940 in 2005 to 22,328 persons in 2006, according to the figures.

The governor said that he would continue trying to improve the business climate, and provide both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to attract investors.

Sarundajang also criticized the many local administrations that depended heavily on the central government for funding.

He also said that central and local government needed to establish good cooperation so as to help improve people's living conditions.

High tide floods coastal subdistrict

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): The combination of a high tide and high rainfall Sunday inundated hundreds of houses in Penjaringan subdistrict, North Jakarta.

Subdistrict head Budi Santoso said his staff had prepared two inflatable boats for possible evacuation, and established a coordinating center with a communal kitchen in the subdistrict offices.

"We estimate that our area will continue to be flooded until Monday," he was quoted as saying by the Tempointeraktif news portal.

Jakarta officials warned last week that high tides in December threatened to flood coastal areas in the city, following an alert from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

The head of the Jakarta Crisis Center, Heru Joko Santoso, said officials were warning that Penjaringan and Pluit subdistricts in North Jakarta would be threatened by high tides between Dec. 8 and 12, and Dec. 20 and 25. -- JP

RI seafarers to get new biometric IDs

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian seamen have hailed the government's ratification of an International Labor Organization convention allowing them shore leave, transit and transfer in transit privileges at destination seaports.

The chairman of Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI), Hanafi Rustandi, said that by ratifying the 2003 Convention 185 on Seafarers Identity Documents (SIDs), the government would need to issue new biometric SIDs for more than 35,000 Indonesian seafarers working on vessels flying both Indonesian and foreign flags.

The convention requires all ILO member countries to recognize the seafarers' SIDs and let them enter their territories for short shore leaves without visas.

"Certain countries, particularly the United States and Britain, will have no reason to reject our seafarers from stopping over or entering their territories," Hanafi told The Jakarta Post when asked to comment Friday on the ratification.

He said Indonesia moved quickly to ratify the ILO convention, which took effect on Feb. 9, 2005, because the U.S. and Britain had rejected Indonesian seamen entry following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington D.C.

"So far, Indonesia is still on the list of 25 countries considered prone to terrorism, which has affected our seamen," he said.

The House of Representatives endorsed the bill on the convention's ratification in a plenary meeting Friday to protect Indonesian seafarers overseas.

Chairwoman of the House's Commission IX for labor and health issues said the ratification not only showed Indonesia's commitment to implementing international labor standards, but also encouraged job seekers to work with shipping companies to reduce unemployment and improve the country's income through remittances from seafarers.

Related to the convention, the ILO approved in March 2004 a biometric verification system that provides a more rigorous response to the need for increased security in the maritime industry.

The new identity document for seafarers allows for the use of a biometric template to turn two fingerprints of a seafarer into an internationally standardized 2-D bar code on the SID.

Transportation Minister Jusman Safii Djamal praised the quick deliberation and ratification of the ILO convention to protect Indonesian workers working in international waters.

"Allowing seafarers to have shore leave at seaports means they can go to hospitals for medical treatment, mail letters to their families back home and report on any piracy and smuggling activities to the authorities," he told the plenary session.

"Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno and I will soon meet to coordinate the issuance of SIDs for all Indonesian seafarers."