Indonesia officially launches "Sail Banda"

Antara News, Thursday, February 4, 2010 15:41 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The 2010 Sail Indonesia, featuring the beauty of Maluku Province`s Banda Islands, would spend at least Rp40 billions, Director General of Marine Resources and Fishery Surveillance Aji Sularso said.

The funds came from the Maluku province`s budget and those of the marine and fishery ministry and coordinating ministry for social welfare, he said at the launching of "Sail Indonesia-Sail Banda" here Wednesday evening.

The fund totaling Rp12 billions (US$1=Rp9,420) that Maluku government had pledged would be used to provide needed facilities, he said.

According to Aji Sularso, the marine and fishery ministry, and the coordinating ministry for social welfare had respectively allocated Rp9.5 billion and more than Rp20 billion.

The funds would be used for supporting various events and financing social activities involving local people, and fueling the Indonesian navy`s hospital ship, KRI Dr.Suharso, he said.

Meanwhile Marine and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad said the Sail Banda was aimed at making Maluku capital of Ambon be eastern Indonesia`s main tourist gate and promoting the province`s potentials to the world.

This annual event was expected to attract foreign investors, including those of China, to the province in the future, said Muhammad, who is also chairman of Sail Banda`s national committee.

"Providing people in coastal areas with health services is also the objective of Sail Banda. That`s why, the social welfare minister will come to the targeted areas," he said.

Sharing Muhammad`s views, Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Agung Laksono said the Sail Banda was also expected to boost eastern Indonesia`s economic development.

"By promoting the natural, cultural and historical heritages that the areas have, we push the growth of tourism industry in eastern Indonesia," he said.

In another development, the Sail Indonesia-Sail Banda committee`s official website has said that more than 220 information update brochures had been sent to all yachts, which had been interested in joining this event.

Last year, Sail Indonesia-Sail Bunaken was participated in by about 133 yachts from dozens of countries around the world.

Over the past years, the participating international yachts started sailing to the Indonesian waters from Darwin, the capital of Australian state of Northern Territory.

This year, as explained in the committee`s official website, the first destination was Banda, 500 miles north of Darwin to participate in a series of events that would be held in Maluku and its capital city Ambon.

The participating skippers are scheduled to leave Darwin on July 24 at 11 am for Banda Sail. They are welcomed with a series of cultural festivals at the different stopovers across Indonesia on the islands of Timor, Banda, Ambon, Buton, Lembata, Wakatobi, Flores, Sulawesi, Bali, Java, Borneo, Belitung and finally on to Batam or Bintan just south of Singapore.

The peak event of "Sail Banda" is scheduled on August 3. Banda is famous for the beauty and richness of its deep sea, cultural heritage and historical remains.

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Floating Gas Terminals a Reality by End of Next Year

Jakarta Globe, Janeman Latul, February 04, 2010

A replica of a Iiquefied natural gas tanker. Three floating LNG terminals are on track to be built in Indonesian waters by the end of 2011. EPA Photo

The government’s plan to build three floating liquefied natural gas terminals is on track to be finished by the end of 2011, said the state-owned companies involved in the plan, as a joint-venture agreement for the first terminal was signed on Thursday.

The LNG terminals are aimed at helping to meet rapidly growing local demand for gas for electricity generation and the fertilizer and manufacturing industries.

However, Indonesia, the world’s third-biggest LNG producer, may still need to start importing to meet demand, with the government confirming on Thursday that Pertamina was in negotiations to start receiving shipments from Qatar.

State oil and gas producer PT Pertamina and state-owned PT Perusahaan Gas Negara signed the agreement to form a joint- venture company, to build the $200 million West Java LNG terminal, which will be able to supply 500 million cubic feet of gas per day to Greater Jakarta.

“Today [Thursday], we see an agreement between state-owned companies to develop and supply gas as the national demand is increasing rapidly,” said StateEnterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar. “The fertilizer and electricity sectors are the sectors that need the gas supply the most.”

Pertamina will own 60 percent of the yet-to-be-named venture with PGN holding the rest. Pertamina will select the company’s president director, technical and operation directors, while PGN will choose its financial and administration directors.

PGN president director Hendi Prio Santoso said the agreement showed the commitment the two companies have to help nation cope with quickly growing needs for electricity. The West Java terminal was on track to be completed before the end of 2011, he said.

“We will eventually invest around Rp 800 billion [$85.6 million] in the West Java terminal while Pertamina will invest the rest,” Hendi said.

The other floating LNG terminals will be located near Medan in North Sumatra and East Java. The Medan terminal will be fully financed by PGN while the East Java terminal will be financed by Pertamina. Each terminal will require an investment of $150 to $200 million, Hendi said.

“The North Sumatra LNG terminal is currently at the technical preparation stage and is expected to be operation by 2011 as well,” Hendi said. It would handle around 1.5 to 2 million tons of LNG a year, he said.

The North Sumatra terminal would be 70 percent financed by loans and the rest would come from PGN’s internal cash, he said.

Pertamina is planning to form a joint venture with a shipping company that provides oil and gas services to build the East Java terminal and it will start searching for a partner before the end of February.

Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan said the terminal should also be completed by the end of 2011. The floating terminals would help Pertamina complete its LNG supply chain, which has been in development for 30 years, she said.

The terminals will be supplied by British energy giant BP, which will supply 1.5 million tons of LNG a year from the Tangguh field in Papua, and PGN, which will provide 1.5 million tons of LNG a year from the Bontang field in East Kalimantan. The three terminals will eventually have a combined storage capacity of 3.5 million to 4 million tons of gas.

However, even after the floating terminals are operational there still won’t be enough gas to meet the rising demand in Indonesia.

“We [Indonesia] may still import two million tons a year from Qatar to meet local demand,” said Michael Baskoro, PGN’s commercial director.

Evita Legowo, director general of oil and gas at the Energy Ministry, confirmed that Pertamina was negotiating with a Qatar company for additional gas supplies.

Selayar’s mangrove forest gone up in the air

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | Thu, 02/04/2010 11:14 AM

Sublime: The beachfront cottages at Selayar Islands Resort are a gateway to world-class diving and snorkeling sites. JP/David Metcalf

Mangrove deforestation in the Bua Bua Selayar delta area was protested by activists in Selayar Islands regency in South Sulawesi, who said the move would negatively impact the environment.

The protesters, affiliated with the Selayar Islands Environmental Awareness Community, aired their protest on Tuesday at the Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua Regions Environmental Management Center in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The delta, located in the middle of Selayar Islands regency capital Benteng, so far acts as a barrier to prevent abrasion, floods and heavy winds.

“The Bua Bua delta plays a very important role for Benteng city as a shield against coastal abrasion,” said resident Asrahiyah Abubakar.

“The area, which comprises 2 hectares of mangrove, also protects Benteng from floods, strong winds and prevents sea water intrusion into residents’ wells.”

Around two hectares of the mangrove forest has allegedly been felled by a businessman who bought the delta from a resident.

The land purchase was allegedly facilitated by the local officials and authorized by the Selayar’s National Land Agency office.

The mangrove deforestation was carried out early January using heavy machinery.

Apart from mature mangrove trees, around 1,000 mangrove seedlings had also been damaged.

Earlier, in March 2009, they had also logged the area to build an embankment.

The protesters questioned the legality of the ownership of the delta area, claiming the delta was part of land that had been reclaimed dozens of years ago.

The Selayar Islands regency administration had earlier designated the delta as an urban forest and conservation area back in 2009, and it aims for the area to serve as a natural laboratory in the future.

“We believe there has been corrupt practices in the land purchase because a person cannot own a delta area and river,” said one of the protesters, Sirul Haq Nawawi.

“Besides, the government has designated it as an urban forest.

“The deforestation has damaged the environment at a time when the world is making efforts to prevent the impacts of global warming.”

The delta is home to around 10 varieties of mangrove trees, one of them endemic.

Asrahiyah said a section of the mangrove swamp had been grown and was tended to by local residents, while the others have existed for years.

Residents have also turned the delta into a mangrove seedling area.

Some of the seedlings have been grown in Selayar and others have been sold to augment their income.

Selayar Islands regency is currently home to 291 hectares of mangrove forest, but the number is declining.

More than 320 hectares of mangrove in the area had been converted into fish farms.

When confirmed, Selayar Islands Vice Regent Nursiyah Aroepala said her office had unsuccessfully tried to stop the businessman from felling the mangrove trees.

She said that the logging acti-vities continued with the owner insisting on his legal ownership of the delta.

“We deeply regretted the logging. We had asked the owner to stop felling the mangrove trees because the delta area is a conservation area and [the move] would threaten people’s lives.”

She claimed she was not in the regency when the logging activities took place.

She said her office had instructed district and village heads as well as the National Land Agency to investigate the delta’s legal status and stop the logging activities.

Head of Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua Regions Environment Management Center, Ridwan D. Tamin, promised that his office would check the report on the field.

He said if the mangrove deforestation did happen, it has violated the 2009 Law on Environment protection and management and the 1999 Law on forestry.

If proven guilty, the violator might get up to 10 years imprisonment and Rp 1 billion (US$108.000) in fines.

Two officials found guilty in patrol boat graft case

Bagus Budi Tama Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta| Thu, 02/04/2010 2:02 PM

The Corruption Court found Djoni Anwir Algamar and Tansean Parlindungan Malau, two former Transportation Ministry officials, guilty of corruption in a graft case Thursday and sentenced them to three years and two and a half years in prison respectively.

The graft case involved the procurement of 20 patrol boats by the ministry in 2007 worth Rp 300 billion (US$32.4 million).

The court previously convicted Dedy Suwarsono, the director of PT Bina Mina Karya Perkasa, the ministry's partner in the procurement, and sentenced him to four years in prison.

Dedy allegedly paid lawmaker Bulyan Royan of the Reform Star Party (PBR) Rp 480 million and paid Rp 685 million to ministry officials, including Djoni and Malau, as the ministry's head of the project committee.

Bulyan was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment last year.

Turtle, Snake Smugglers Busted at Jakarta Airport

Jakarta Globe, Putri Prameshwari, February 03, 2010

A quarantine officer inspecting pig-nosed turtles at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta on Wednesday. Antara Photo/Ismar Patrizki

An cargo consignment documented as 2,200 kilograms of fresh fruits shocked even the most seasoned customs officials at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Tuesday when they discovered at least 700 snakes and over 3,400 pig-nosed turtles inside.

“The document just said ‘fresh fruits,’ ” said Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, chief of investigations at the customs office.

Gatot said the illicit cargo was being exported by a company identified only as PT IDT, located in West Jakarta, and was scheduled to be shipped to Hong Kong on a Cathay Pacific flight on Tuesday.

Gatot did not say whether police had tracked down PT IDT’s executives. “These snakes and turtles are mostly used to make soups and sex-enhancing drugs,” he said.

Following a thorough check and seizure by the airport’s quarantine department, it was revealed that at least 25 bags contained Chinese rat snakes and six other bags contained 3,492 pig-nosed turtles. In total, the cargo was worth at least Rp 5.7 billion ($616,000).

He said that the two people in charge of the packages were being interrogated.

“They have not been named as suspects yet,” Gatot said, without elaborating.

Gatot said airport officials became suspicious after seeing two tons of fresh fruits scheduled for shipment to Hong Kong.

“According to our procedures, we have to check any unusual export activity at the airport, so we opened the packages. That’s when we found the turtles and snakes,” Gatot said. The smugglers violated a 1990 law on the conservation of natural resources and a 1992 law on animal-quarantine regulations. They could face five years in prison and fines of up to Rp 100 million ($10,800).

The pig-nosed turtles, found in Papua, are sought mostly for their eggs. Their exports are regulated in Indonesia.

In December, police arrested a man accused of smuggling 10 rare kangaroos by boat from New Guinea island.

Five of the kangaroos died and the surviving five were given to a Surabaya animal sanctuary.

Illegal trade in rare and exotic animals is rampant in Indonesia, owing to poor law enforcement and the wide range of exotic species found here.

The Whale Whisperer: Astonishing bond between diver and Scar the giant sperm whale

MailOnline, by Mail Foreign Service, 03rd February 2010

Peering solemnly nose-to-nose at each other, this is the Whale Whisperer and his friend - Scar the 10-year-old giant of the sea.

These spectacular images show Andrew Armour bonding with the colossal sperm whale in the warm Caribbean waters off the island of Dominica.

Taken on the weekend, the photographs offer stunning insight into the lives of other pod members travelling with Scar.

Friends: Andrew Armour and Scar the sperm whale consider one another
solemnly as they swim in the waters off Dominica last weekend

In one picture a large group of 'socialising' whales come together - giving the impression they are meeting up for a chat.

And in another they arrive in a perfectly formed procession - almost like they are part of an underwater military march.

The jaw-dropping series of images show how a decade spent befriending the gentle giant allows Andrew, 45, to stroke and gracefully swim alongside the 32-foot mammal.

Whale watch operator Andrew, from Dominica, said: 'Our bond began in 2000 when my wife Rhona found him injured out at sea when he was just a calf. We think he might have been attacked by pilot whales but we are not sure.

'His head and dorsal fin were injured and he came to our boat, perhaps seeking some comfort. The most we could do was pet him and his injuries left him with some scarring.

That feels nice: Scar's eyes are closed as Andrew swims alongside

him petting him 'From then on he and another young female would approach

us whenever they saw our boat. We could even call him over.

'Now he recognises me when I am swimming. I feel like he even knows my voice. I can get very close with him because we trust each other. I even clean lice off him and he lets me do it.

'Other whales in the area don't tend to stay in the same place when humans are around but Scar seeks interaction and seems to enjoy being petted.'

More than a decade later, Andrew is now able to invite other snorkellers and divers along to share in the incredible experience.

Last week he took underwater photographers Eric Cheng, 34, from San Francisco, California, and Tony Wu, 42, from Tokyo, Japan, to witness his amazing encounters with Scar and other sperm whales in his pod.

It meant observers Eric and Tony were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with the huge animal themselves.

Social functions: Other sperm whales in the pod with patches of dead skin
flaking off them. Sperm whales often exfoliate by rubbing against one another

'When Tony and I first encountered Scar we had to continuously move out of the way to prevent the large whale from rubbing up against us,' said Eric.

'Soon enough, we overcame the worry that is natural when confronting one of the world's largest carnivores in its native environment.

'We stroked and scratched Scar, who twitched and rolled over repeatedly in what appeared to be enjoyment.

'It's dangerous to anthropomorphise animals - even intelligent ones - but it was absolutely clear in this case that Scar wanted the interaction.'

Anthropomorphism is the human habit of likening animal behaviour to human behaviour.

Eric continued: 'Scar can be now be approached by humans, but it is important to remember his still a wild animal and needs to be treated with respect.'

Just hanging out: Four of the whales suspend themselves
upside down in the water

Captivated Tony and Eric spent three days photographing Scar and other members of the pod under the watch of experienced Andrew.

'Each day, the number of whales in the group varied,' said Eric.

'The most we have seen at one time is 13. The pods are made up of adult females, their calves, and male and female juveniles.

'When sperm whales socialise, they often come together head first. Every whale seems to be in physical contact with every other whale, and in addition to the psychological bonding contact may reinforce, their constant rubbing is also a handy way for them to remove dead skin.

'The area around each social group was filled with sheets of dead sperm whale skin, which resembles black plastic bags.

'Also striking was the repeated sonar clicks the whales used to communicate. During social encounters, the sound of rhythmic clicking was overwhelming. It felt like our bodies were shaking.'

Dominica is a small, volcanic island in the southern Caribbean and is less than two hours by plane from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sperm whales live in the waters around the island all year round.

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Green activists protest mangrove forest logging

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi | Tue, 02/02/2010 6:58 PM

Dozens of green activists from Selayar Island in South Sulawesi rallied outside the provincial environmental agency on Tuesday to protest deforestation of a mangrove area in Delta Bua Bua.

Asrahiyah Abubakar of the Selayar Island Environmental Community said the logging activities could cause a natural disaster in the area.

“The mangrove forest has been guarding the city from abrasion, flood, and strong wind as well as sea intrusion to residents’ wells,” said Asrahiyah.

A businessman, Nasir Ali, has reportedly bought the two-hectare delta from previous owner Andi Raja and started to fell mangrove trees in March last year to clear the land for a dam construction project there. About 1,000 mangrove seedlings also vanished during the land clearing activities.

Riau wants Malaysia, Singapore to face up to oil spills

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam | Tue, 02/02/2010 10:55 AM

Trudge the sludge: A man walks along the polluted beach of Tanjung Bemban in Riau Islands, on Monday. The pollution has been blamed on the disposal of the sludge oil by tankers in the Singapore and Malacca Straits. JP/Fadli

The Riau Islands administration has called on neighbors Singapore and Malaysia to share responsibilities in safeguarding the sea traffic from the disposal of sludge oil by tankers, which has polluted the island’s territory.

Kaharuddin Djaffar, the head of the Environmental Impact Management Agency of Riau Islands, told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that the cost of tackling the sludge oil pollution caused was expected to increase to 250 million this year from last year’s Rp 100 million.

He said the amount would be allocated to restore the polluted Tanjung Bemban.

“We want Singapore and Malaysia to share the responsibility for the incident because the busy traffic at the Malacca and Singapore straits have so far benefited the two countries more than it has us, while our territory suffers the brunt of pollution,” Kaharuddin said.

He said they were preparing a draft to demand that the two countries become more involved in the matter.

He added the move was necessary because Singapore and Malaysia had not been cooperative nor responsive over the issue.

“Malaysia and Singapore seem disinclined to discuss how to tackle the effects of the sludge oil disposal,” he said.

“They are nearer to most of the countries making those vessels [behind the spillages].”

Other parts of Riau Islands affected by the pollution included Batam, Bintan and Karimun.

On monitoring, the Post found the sludge oil to have a strong odor and a viscosity similar to hot asphalt.

Since contaminating the Tanjung Bemban two weeks ago, the dark liquid waste has swamped the mangrove forest, making the trees roots dark and oily.

Tanjung Bemban is home to 20 hectares of mangrove forest.

The agency disclosed that the northern part of Riau Islands territory had been hit by the junkyard of sludge oil between four and five times a year from September to January.

The office has turned to Navy patrol to help control polluting acts.

Indonesian Navy Chief Vice Admiral Agus Suhartono said his fleet would intensify their monitoring of the Singapore and Malacca straits.

He added four were on duty at the territory bordering the Singapore strait and seven were on duty at the other.

“Based on our monitoring, the vessels disposed the sludge oil on international waters,” he said on the sidelines of the Regatta Singapore Strait in Batam on Saturday.

“Because the wind from the north, the current drag the sludge to our coast.”

Agus said to enhance the monitoring of sea traffic, the Indonesian Navy was developing a satellite monitoring system.

“The number of fleet at the border has sufficed,” he said.

“We need to upgrade the monitoring system in order to detect what vessels are there.”

Navy patrol arrests illegal coal carrying tugboat

Antara News, Tuesday, February 2, 2010 03:08 WIB

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian navy patrol boat arrested a coal-carrying vessel in the Sulawesi strait after all the ten crew members of the tugboat were unable to produce legal papers.

Spokesman for the Eastern Fleet Command Lt Col Toni Saiful said here Monday the tugboat is now in the custody of the Tarakan naval base in East Kalimantan.

The tugboat had 8,000 tons of coal in its holds when stopped by the navy patrol boat when sailing from Nunukan to Tarakan.

For further investigation, the tugboat is currently held at the Tarakan naval base.

Recovery Seen As Indonesian Exports Hit A Record High

Jakarta Globe, Irvan Tisnabudi & Ardian Wibisono, February 02, 2010

A worker passing a pile of containers at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, Monday. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Indonesian exports hit an all-time monthly high of $13.3 billion in December as commodity prices rose in line with the global economic recovery, the Central Statistics Agency said on Monday.

“We’ve never achieved a monthly figure of more than $13 billion,” said Rusman Heriawan, the chairman of the agency, known as the BPS. “The highest figure before this was $12.9 billion in May 2008.”

Exports in December jumped 23.9 percent from November and a dramatic 49.8 percent from December 2008, when they plunged 20 percent after the outbreak of the global financial crisis.

Full-year 2009 exports still fell 15 percent to $116.49 billion.

Rusman said exports of key commodities boosted December’s figure. Shipments of crude palm oil increased by $1.1 billion month-on-month, copper rose $284 million and coal exports went up by $268 million. “This is a sign of the global economic recovery,” he said. “Our exports staged a turnaround in the fourth quarter of the year.”

Japan was the biggest buyer of non-oil and gas exports in December, taking $1.25 billion. China ranked second with $1.19 billion and the United States third with $1.04 billion.

December imports totaled $10.33 billion, a 17.2 percent increase from November.

Indonesia’s 2009 trade surplus totaled $19.63 billion, more than double the $7.82 billion in 2008.

Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, chief economist at the state-run Danareksa Research Institute, said developed economies had recovered significantly in the fourth quarter of 2009. “The strong exports in the fourth quarter and in December showed that the recovery is not just in sentiment but is real,” Purbaya said.

The country’s non-service sector should take advantage of the strong demand created by the global recovery by increasing production, he said.

“Currently, I see that the banks’ intermediation function has not fully recovered. The country’s real [non-service] sector might not take advantage of the global situation if they can’t expand their businesses due to high interest rates applied by lenders,” he warned.

Helmi Arman, an economist at PT Bank Danamon, said the longer-term trend showed that export earnings would continue to rise, driven by demand for commodities such as coal, crude oil and palm oil.

“Such changes in the structure of exports could lessen any deterioration of the trade surplus going forward,” he said. “This is because the need for raw material imports bound for re-export will be lower, compared to if exports were mostly comprised of higher-value added goods, which have higher import content.”

Waterbirds in mangrove forests under threat

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/01/2010 11:23 AM

The number of species and the populations of waterbirds in Muara Angke natural conservation area, North Jakarta, have decreased because of water pollution and human encroachment into the area, an environmental organization says.

During its annual survey on Saturday, volunteers of Jakarta Green Monster (JGM) found 206 waterbirds, down from 333 last year, with only 18 species identified, down from last year’s 23.

JGM reported that the missing species were the Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris), Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana), White-browed Crake (Porzanna cinerea), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and Black-naped Tern (Sterna sumatrana).

However, a very rare species, the Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and two endangered non waterbird species, Sunda Coucal (Centropus nigrorufus) and Black-winged Starling (Acridotheres melanopterus), were spotted on Saturday.

JGM has been studying the Waterbirds in the area each year since 2006, in recognition of World Wetland Day on Feb. 2, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971.

JGM volunteer Ady Kristianto said water pollution and human encroachment were the main causes of the decline in bird numbers. The darkened water in the area had been heavily polluted because of an accumulation of plastics and styrofoam from the Angke River, he said.

Liquid waste from nearby housing complexes and makeshift houses was also dumped there.

“Water pollution has slowed the growth of mangrove trees, which provide shelter to the birds, and has also caused a decline of fish stocks, the main food source for waterbirds. Some species are unable to adapt and had flown away to less polluted areas,” he said.

Human encroachment had disrupted the habitat, Ady said.

“As you can see there are hundreds of fishermen who inhabit the makeshift houses opposite the wetlands, and their numbers increase from year to year.”

Many fishermen were seen sailing past the wetlands area with motor boats on Saturday, causing the waterbirds to fly away.

Residents and squatters in the area had attempted to capture the birds, ranger Arifin said, adding that he often found and removed bird traps.

“They want to capture the birds for pets or to sell them.”

However, so far no one had been punished for such crimes, Arifin said.

Suyanto, an officer from the Jakarta Marine and Fishery Agency, said it was difficult to control the damage.

“It is hard to keep this area in an ideal condition. For example, you may say the water in here should be clean and that the surrounding residents must not dump their waste here, but, so many people continue to do so. How can we stop them?” (mrs)

Eight killed after boat sinks in eastern Indonesia

Xinhua, English.news.cn 2010-02-01 13:32:36

JAKARTA, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy to Indonesia confirmed on Monday that 24 Chinese citizens were involved in the fast boat sinking accident in eastern Indonesia waters.

By now, eight people were confirmed to have been killed and one evacuated safely from the accident, said Amin Bintongke, head of operational of Maluccas rescue team, on Sunday. He told Xinhua over phone from Maluccas that among the 33 victims, 24 were Chinese passengers, five were crews, and the others were unidentified passengers.

Zhong Ruiming, counselor of Chinese Embassy, told Xinhua that the Embassy attached great importance to the accident as soon as they received the information, and it had asked Indonesia government to send navy force and professional rescue team to search the Chinese victims.

However, Zhong has not identified the 24 Chinese citizens on board.

The accident happened on Jan. 27 at 15.00 local time (0600 GMT) in Moluccas water near the Southeast Maluku province. The "Dolphin " fast boat carrying 33 people sank near the Aru islands due to bad weather and waves as high as two to five meters.

"The boat sank at the midday, one hour after it left the harbor in Dobo island in Aru islands for Tual district in Southeast Maluku," Amin said.

"Eight people have been found dead, some of them are Chinese, and another Chinese has been found alive. The rest of 24 people are still missing," he added.

Poor weather has been blamed for the accident, as the country's meteorology and Geophysics Agency had issued a warning not to sail since days ago. "It seems that the boat violated the warning. It departed from an old harbor in Dobo, but actually it should leave from an official harbor with permission," said Amin. "The passengers seemed forced the boat to sail, as they had an urgent business."

Search and rescue work is still under way, in spite of the bad weather here, he said.

According to Antara news agency, there were 35 people on board, and the 24 Chinese victims were employed by a local company PT. Arabika Jaya Tama (AJT) to build a factory in Penambulai island of Maluku.

Editor: Li Xianzhi

Govt to control fish prices soon

Antara News, Sunday, January 31, 2010 23:18 WIB

A fisherman repairing a net at Cilincing, North Jakarta. Fishermen make just Rp 900,000 a month on average and find it hard to get bank loans. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Marine Resources and Fisheries Ministry is set to intervene in the fish market soon to control its prices.

"This is about supply and demand. And we are to launch a limited market intervention to stabilize fish prices," Minister Fadel Muhammad said here on Sunday.

Fadel said the domestic fish market must be controlled to set fish prices to certain level without sacrificing the interests of fishermen, fish farmers and people at large.

"Like in the past, we will focus it (the market intervention) on tuna. When the market is oversupplied (with tuna) and cold storage facilities cannot accommodate it, then its price will fall to Rp6,000 a kg. Under these circumstances, we will export it to allow the price to return to normal," he said.

So far, China and Japan had adopted limited intervention to control fish prices in their domestic market, he said.

"I think it (the market intervention) will not cost us huge funds. About Rp200 billion to Rp300 billion is enough," he said.

The market intervention aimed at protecting fishermen, fish farmers and the public was not tantamount to subsidy and therefore, it would not run counter to World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings, he said.

Arif Satria, director of research and strategic studies at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said the minister`s plan to launch the market intervention was good idea.

"This is good idea to promote fishermen`s living standards. The idea is worth supporting," he said.

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