Kuta Karnival opens Wednesday

by Wasti Atmodjo on 2012-10-10

The annual Kuta Karnival kicks off today (Wednesday) offering an energetic
and glamorous festival, which will run until Oct. 14.

I Made Rudika, chairman of the organizing committee, told journalists on

Tuesday afternoon that the festival, now in its 10th year, would bear the main
theme The Prosperity World.

The festival will bring together 1,200 artists and participants featuring both
traditional and modern performing arts.

A colossal Balinese dance, Legong Kraton ala Lotring, is slated to open the
five-day event and will involve 300 dancers.

A turtle release and paddle for peace event, with hundreds of surfers
participating, will also be highlights as the festival opens. Ogoh-ogoh,
traditional giant effigies, will also entertain visitors.

Rudika said that all the activities would draw participants from traditional
villages in Kuta, as well as businesses and hotel communities operating in the
area. A large variety of art shows, food bazaars, music and dance performances
would make Kuta glitter, he said.

Sports and games are being presented during the five-day carnival to attract
young visitors, as well as sales of clothing and surfing accessories.
RA Ngurah Bagus Putra, secretary of the organizing committee, said that the
themes of the festival were always connected to each other. Among the themes
have been Heal the World and Light up the World.

He said that the festival, first held in 2002, was aimed at encouraging the Kuta
communities to stand tall following the tragic Bali bombing that October.

The carnival, he said, would always unite the Kuta communities in facing both
good and bad times.

In the previous years, the organizing commmittee of Kuta Karnival lamented a

lack of government support to the annual festival. During the initial years, the
Badung and Bali provincial governments provided the festival with generous
supports. But, in the last several years, that had not been the case.

Held for the past 10 years ago, the annual joyful event is meant to encourage
friendship and brotherhood among people living in Kuta and beyond.

One Direction reluctant to perform in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Entertainment | Tue, October 09 2012, 11:29 AM

One Direction: (AP)British pop sensation One Direction, believed to have a

large fan base in Indonesia, have said they have no intention of staging a concert
in Indonesia due to widespread piracy in the country, a music executive said.

One Direction cannot come to Indonesia because they see rampant CD piracy
and rising illegal downloads here, Sony Music Indonesia managing director
Toto Widjojo told a press conference on Monday.
[One Directions] album sales are not as high [here] as those in Australia,
Toto argued, adding that he was upbeat that the band would have second
thoughts should there be a decline in the numbers of illegal downloads and CD
piracy in the country, tempo.co reported.

One Direction is confirmed to tour three continents: America, Australia and

Europe. (swd)

Bali to have 10,466 new hotel rooms by 2014

by Desy Nurhayati on 2012-10-10

Thriving tourism in Bali has encouraged investors to build new hotels despite
the oversupply of hotel rooms in the islands most crowded areas.

Research conducted by property consultant Knight Frank (PT Willson Properti

Advisindo) shows that Bali will have an additional 10,466 hotel rooms by 2014
from a total of 60 construction projects currently underway.

According to the research, which has been published recently and made
available to Bali Daily, as many as 3,922 rooms, or 37 percent of the total new
room supply, have come into operation as of the second half of this year.

The supply of new rooms is dominated by four-star hotels, which account for
52.8 percent, followed by five-star and three-star hotels with 23.9 percent and
23.3 percent respectively.

Kuta is recorded as having the highest supply of new rooms, at 3,358, half of
which are in four-star hotels.
Nusa Dua has 924 new rooms, 72.5 percent of which are in five-star hotels.

Four-star hotels dominate new room supply in Seminyak, Sanur and Legian.
There will be an additional 691 rooms in Seminyak, 1,025 rooms in Sanur and
671 rooms in Legian, the research shows.

The property consultant also predicted that the occupancy rate would decrease
or stagnate during the second half of this year due to the high number of new
hotels.

Occupancy could increase during the year-end holiday, but not significantly,
said Fakky Hidayat, senior associate director of Knight Frank, the global
property consultancy headquartered in London.

To anticipate an increase in the electricity tariff predicted for 2013, which will
affect operational costs, hotel tariffs are predicted to rise by five to 10 percent
early next year. There will also be an adjustment for inflation, he said in a
statement.

In line with the countrys economic growth, Bali remained a popular and
attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists. The governments
commitment to accelerate infrastructure projects in Bali, including the
expansion of Ngurah Rai International Airport and Benoa-Nusa Dua toll road,
ahead of next years APEC summit, would further optimize and accommodate
the fast growth in tourism on the island, he said.

Old hotels will continue to improve to be able to compete with new hotels, not
only by renovating their buildings but also providing better service, and offering
unique concepts.

Commenting on the research, chairman of the Bali Hotels Association, Djinaldi

Gosana, emphasized that Bali should only have higher quality accommodation,
instead of just ordinary hotels since hotel rooms on the island were in
oversupply, especially in the south.

Its just regrettable that some speculators might make use of the infrastructure
development to promote tourism to investors or anyone who might care about
the islands sustainability, he said

Big Bang fans gearing up for Alive tour

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia | Entertainment | Wed,
October 10 2012, 12:05 PM

It is only two days until South Korean group Big Bang play in Jakarta. The
bands fans, known as VIPs, are no less busy than the promoter as they are
preparing several joint projects for the event.

Founder of one of the groups Twitter fan bases @VIP_bigbangIDN, Sulvina

Mira, 19, said that she had attended several gatherings with other fans to talk
about their projects.

We are planning to do a golden wave, blue mission and fan-chant during the
concert, Sulvina who prefers to be called Vina told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.
She explained that all VIPs were expected to create wave by taking turn to turn
off their crown lightsticks (the groups official merchandise) starting on the
right side of the audience when the group sing certain songs.

The blue mission is when we will turn on blue lightsticks, when they sing Blue
and the fan-chant will see us chanting in support of the band members during
song intros, she said.

She added that she had coordinated with eight other fanbases to familiarize their
members with the projects in the months running up to the bands concert. Each
fanbase has thousands of Facebook page members and Twitter followers.

Big Bangs band members G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri
formed in 2006 under the management of YG Entertainment. The band will
perform its Alive world tour show at Mata Elang International Stadium, North
Jakarta, on Oct. 12. and Oct.13.

The group began to recieve international acclaim after winning the best
worldwide act category, at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, with 58
million votes.

Nadia Jaffar, 26, a VIP from Singapore will be flying to Indonesia with her five
friends to attend the concert even though the band had played in her country on
Sept. 28 and Sept.29.

I attended the concert on both days in Singapore, said the girl who will arrive
in Indonesia on Friday.

She said the groups world tour was not only a chance for her to see Big Bang
perform in other countries but to also gave her the opportunity to meet fellow
VIPs, who she knew online, in person.
I attended their concerts in Seoul on March and Im thinking of going to Hong
Kong too, if there are tickets still available, she said.

Asked why she went to such great efforts, Nadia said the members could work
the stage and turned it into one giant party.

Besides, their music doesnt really stick to one genre and their versatility when
changing songs is seamless, said the girl who had just hooked up with the
group in July when it came to Singapore for the Korean Music Wave Festival.

Dwi Lestari, a college student, shared similar view saying that unlike other
Korean groups that usually rely on their looks, Big Bang gave a unique
performance and their songs were matchless.

They compose most of their songs, which captured my heart from the moment
I heard them, she said. Therefore she doesnt want to waste the opportunity to
see their live performances and plans to attend the two-day concert, which will
cost her a whole year of savings.

Yogyakartans pin big hopes on their sultan

Sri Wahyuni and Bambang Muryanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Headlines |
Wed, October 10 2012, 9:51 AM

The people of Yogyakarta province are placing big hopes on Sultan

Hamengkubuwono X as he is scheduled on Wednesday to be sworn in for the
first time as an appointed governor, following the enactment of Law No.
13/2012 on Yogyakartas special status last month.

Regardless of the governor now being appointed and not elected, I really hope
that the control function of the people through the provincial legislative council
will still work, local community figure Budi Setiawan told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.

Law No. 13/2012, which was endorsed by the House of Representatives in

August after almost 10 years of deliberation, partly stipulates that the governor
and deputy governor of the province are the ruling sultan of Yogyakarta palace
and duke of Pakualaman principality respectively.

Other tough issues in the deliberation included whether the Yogyakarta

governorship and deputy governorship were democratically elected by the
people or directly appointed by the law and given to the ruling Yogyakarta
sultan and Pakualaman principality duke respectively.

Following the enactment of the law on Sept. 3, the provincial legislative

councils plenary session on Sept. 21 finally named the incumbent sultan and
Pakualam IX as Yogyakarta governor and deputy governor respectively.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to swear in both of them on

Wednesday at the Yogyakarta State Palace. Article 27 (1) of the law stipulates
that the swearing in of the Yogyakarta governor and deputy governor should be
conducted by the President.

Budi, who is also chairman of the management of Yogyakarta Palaces Masjid

Agung mosque, said that with the enactment of the law, in the palace and
principality there was one thing that both needed to consider: internal reforms.

There is no way now to think that the king can do no wrong. He is human and
therefore can do wrong. That is why opening himself to input and criticism is
also a must, Budi said.
Tri Sudaryanto of Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, shared the same view, saying that
the palace and principality could no longer tolerate internal conflict in royal
institutions and internal matters as it would affect the people of Yogyakarta in
general.

Its important that the palace, for example, makes itself clear about the
succession especially in regard to the fact that the sultan only has daughters and
no son, said Tri, who is a traditional herbal medicine producer.

He said the sultans naming of his successor was important because it prevented
the palace from encountering internal conflict if something happened to the
sultan. No one knows for how long we will live, so its better to be prepared,
he said.

He also expressed optimism that the present sultan had the capacity and
experience to act and rule the province democratically.

Although I was initially among those who preferred an election, I now think
that the appointment is even better as [the governor and vice governor] posts
cannot be competed for by political parties. I trust no political party, Tri said.

Totok Adianto, a pedicab driver, expressed the same sentiment.

I really hope the sultan can rule better so that the condition of Yogyakartans
will improve, said Totok of Kulonprogo.

Separately, political observer Arie Sujito of Gadjah Mada University said that
both the governor and deputy governor had to be able to interpret the meaning
of special status so that it contributed to the peoples wealth, more
accountability, better public services, more pluralism and more tolerance

Indonesia, Japan agree on $43b plan for Jakarta

Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post, Tokyo | Headlines | Wed, October 10 2012,
9:53 AM

Paper Edition | Page: 1

Indonesia and Japan have agreed on a master plan for the construction of roads,
railways, airports and other strategic infrastructure in Jakarta and its
neighboring cities.

A steering committee tasked with drafting the master plan concluded its third
meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday, announcing 45 projects with the total value of
investment required estimated to reach Rp 410 trillion (US$43 billion).

All projects are expected to be completed by 2020 with the construction of 18

priority projects scheduled to start by the end of 2013.

The priority projects will include the construction of Jakartas Mass Rapid
Transit system, Cilamaya International Airport, the expansion of Soekarno-
Hatta International Airport, the creation of a new academic research cluster and
the development of the citys sewage system.

As one of the most populated cities in the world, Jakarta is struggling to

accommodate growing demand for basic infrastructure. The capital has a
population of 10,187,595 , equal to 15,427 people per square kilometer.
According to a study by the Public Works Ministry, at the current rate of car
sales, Jakartas traffic may come to a standstill by 2014. The study finds that
Jakarta is in need of 12,000 kilometers of roads to accommodate traffic in 2012
while existing roads currently stand at 7,208 kilometers.

Approximately 55 percent of the total investment needed to make the master

plan materialize would come from private investors, said Coordinating
Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, who represented Indonesia at the meeting in
Tokyo.

The remaining investment, he said, would come from the government, in which
Japan through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) would contribute Rp
125.7 trillion or about 31 percent to the total. According to figures from the
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japans ODA total loan aid to Indonesia
reached 4.55 trillion yen ($58 billion) at the end of 2010.

Several other sources of financing are also under consideration, including

financial mechanisms under the Indonesia Infrastructure Guarantee Fund and
also loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, which could be
disbursed to the private sector.

According to a statement from Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and

Industry, the countrys leading companies participated in drafting the master
plan. They include Mitsubishi Corp., Hitachi Ltd., JGC Corp., Taisei Corp.,
Chiyoda Corp. and Nippon Yusen K.K.

For the public investment, there will be a mixture of public-private partnership,

state budget and a loan scheme, Hatta said.
To ensure the implementation of the master plan, the Indonesian government
has established a special unit within the Committee for the Expansion and
Accelera-tion of Indonesian Economic Growth (KP3EI), which reports directly
to the coordinating economic minister.

Indonesia and Japans trade volume reached $32.5 billion during the January to
July period, increasing by about 6 percent compared to $30.56 billion in the
same period last year.

The two countries trade volume is expected to exceed last years amount of
around $53 billion.

New commercial airport to open soon in Purbalingga

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga | Business | Thu, August 30 2012,
5:37 PM

Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo announced on Thursday that the

conversion of an air base into a new commercial airport to be called Wirasaba
Airport in Purbalingga regency, was almost complete and that it would start
operating soon.

Bibit said that although the Purbalingga administration had received approval in
2008 from the Air Force to convert the 115-hectare base, located in Wirasaba
village, Bukateja district, into a commercial airport, the conversion work took
longer than planned because of many technical obstacles.

According to Bibit one of Indonesia's pioneer airlines, Susi Air, has agreed to
open a route from the new airport. Apart from Susi Air, the Purbalingga
administration had also lobbied several airlines to open a route to the Wirasaba
Airport, Bibit said.
We have to plan it [the conversion] very well. We cannot be in a hurry with
such a project because we do not want it to fail, he told The Jakarta Post at the
construction site on Thursday.

Susi Air sales operation officer Indra, who was also present at the site, said that
his company currently only needed to complete administration requirements
before operating at the new airport.

We have examined the site and it is suitable for our airplanes, Indra said.

Susi Air, he said, would open a route from Wirasaba Aiport to Halim Perdana
Kusuma Airport in Jakarta. He said his company would operate 12-seater
Cessna C208 B Grand Caravan planes. Susi Air, he added, had conducted a test
flight, carrying Bambang Trihatmojo, son of former president Soeharto, and his
family.

The flight went smoothly without any significant obstacles, he said.

At the site, Purbalingga Regent Heru Sudjatmoko told the Post that it took Rp
15 billion (US$1.56 million) to convert the base into a commercial airport. He
said he had also cooperated with surrounding regencies such as Banyumas,
Banjargnegara and Wonosobo during the project.

The airport will lure more investors to the southern part of Central Java, he
said, adding that currently 19 foreign investors operated wig and fake eyelash
businesses in his regency.(riz/swd)

Police defy Yudhoyono over Novel prosecution

Margareth S. Aritonang and Rabby Pramudatama, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta |

Headlines | Wed, October 10 2012, 9:57 AM
Paper Edition | Page: 1

The National Police have defied President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos call
not to prosecute Comr. Novel Baswedan, an investigator with the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK).

As the police defied the President, lawmakers announced that they too would
continue with their plan to amend the KPK law, something the President has
also criticized.

In an address to the nation on Monday evening, Yudhoyono lambasted the

police for their attempt to prosecute KPK investigator Novel for a shooting
incident in 2004, which many believe is a plot to disrupt the KPK investigation
into corruption at the National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas).

The President also opposed the plan by the House of Representatives to amend
Law No. 30/2002 on the antigraft body, urging lawmakers, as well as all
elements of the nation, to focus on efforts to eradicate corruption.

However, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Suhardi Alius told reporters on
Tuesday that the police would continue legal proceedings against Novel when
the time was appropriate.

The President said in his speech that the timing and approach [to prosecute
Novel] were not appropriate. Therefore, we will reschedule the timing and the
approach, Suhardi said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

Continuing the legal proceedings against Novel, Suhardi said, was essential
because he was involved in a crime. Once we present a case, he [Novel] must
face trial, he said.

Separately, KPK chairman Abraham Samad said that he noted the polices
insistence on prosecuting Novel, but felt assured that it would be settled in a
civilized manner.

We will of course hold a follow-up meeting [with the National Police] where
we will talk about technical matters to settle the problem, he said. Abraham
said the KPK and the National Police had agreed not to take any action that
would provoke unnecessary tension or nationwide protests.

In the meantime, Haris Azhar, representing Novels team of 22 lawyers, said his
team would not accept Novel being prosecuted solely by the police. He
suggested that an independent court take over the case if the police insisted on
continuing the prosecution.

Lawmakers have also decided to continue with their plan to revise the law on
the KPK, arguing that such a revision was necessary to strengthen the
anticorruption body.

The President is welcome to propose his suggestions [on the matter], but we
have the authority to make a final decision when it comes to legislation, said
lawmaker Dimyati Natakusumah, who chairs a working committee at the
Houses Legislation Body (Baleg) discussing the revision plan.

He made the statement after a meeting with leaders from House Commission III
overseeing law and human rights on Tuesday.

The House has become a target of criticism for its plan to revise the KPK Law.
Some revised articles limit the authority of the KPK to wiretap graft suspects.

There are still many corruptors. Therefore we still need to revise the law in
order to strengthen the KPK. We will reformulate the existing law to give more
power to the antigraft body rather than reducing its authority as shown in the
current draft revisions submitted by Commission III, said Dimyati, who is also
a member of House Commission III.

Meanwhile, Commission III deputy chairman Aziz Syamsuddin said that his
commission refused to withdraw the draft revision currently with Baleg, saying
that it would be illegal. The Golkar politician emphasized that a withdrawal was
only legally possible if lawmakers agreed to drop it from the national legislation
program.

Aziz challenged the government to send an official letter demanding the House
drop the revision plan. Its all in the hands of the government and the Houses
Legislation body [Baleg], he said.

Support keeps flowing in for KPK

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | National | Mon, October 08
2012, 6:26 PM Support for the efforts to eradicate corruption is continuing to
pour in from people in various professions: from public officials to activists, and
academics to garbage collectors.

Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud MD personally visited Corruption

Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters on Monday to show his support
for the fight against corruption.
Mahfud said he was paying a visit not as a chief justice but as a citizen.I give
my support to the fight against corruption, not the institution, he said.

He said he was convinced the KPK, the National Police and the government had
the same intention to eradicate corruption. These institutions should be
cooperating to eradicate corruption instead of fighting over technical matters, he
added.

Tension between the KPK and the National Police increased following the
commission's investigation into a driving simulator procurement case at the
National Police Traffic Corps, which implicates its former chief, Insp. Gen.
Djoko Susilo.

Although the KPK began to investigate, the police subsequently insisted on

conducting their own investigation.

Mahfud said he would also go to the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal
and Security Affairs Minister and the National Police to offer the same support.

Meanwhile, alumni associations from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in

Yogyakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) also delivered their
support to the KPK, and urged the President to take stern and prompt action to
resolve the rift between the two law enforcement institutions.

UGM rector Pratikno said during a declaration of support in Yogyakarta on

Monday that the President should order the National Police to hand over the
driving simulator graft case to the KPK.

Pratikno also called on the public to be aware of the efforts to weaken the
commission. Attempts to criminalize and weaken the KPK can happen at
anytime, he said.
The police attempted to arrest KPK investigator Comr. Novel Baswedan on
Friday night over allegations of his being responsible for the death of robbery
suspects in 2004, when he was serving as Bengkulu Police detectives chief. The
move by police came just shortly after the commission had questioned Djoko
for the first time.

ITB alumni association member Ali Nurdin, who arrived at the KPK building
on Monday, said that the association urged the President to order the National
Police to hand over the driving simulator case to the KPK.

The National Police cannot handle the case because there is a conflict of
interest, he said, adding that they hoped before the end of October the tensions
between the KPK and the police would have ended.

Meanwhile, dozens of garbage collectors also visited KPK headquarters to show

their support. They brought along a large cardboard banner, which read,
Garbage collectors are nobler than corrupt officials.

They gave a speech for 10 minutes before donating small change and Rp 20,000
(US$2) notes to the commission as a symbol of their support. This is our
earnings for the KPK, one of the supporters said. (cor/iwa)

83 websites found selling illegal drugs

Elly Burhaini Faizal, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Wed, October 10 2012, 9:39 AM

In a joint operation, law enforcers recently tracked down 83 websites that were
used to distribute illegal and counterfeit medicines, most of which were sexual
performance boosters.

In the fifth Pangea Operation from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, the National Drug and
Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) confiscated unlicensed drugs worth Rp 150
million (US$15,642).

BPOM chairwoman Lucky S. Slamet said on Monday that the agency had
requested the Information and Communication Ministry to close down the
websites.

We have found 83 websites that distribute illegal and counterfeit medicines and
we have requested the ministry to block them, she told a press conference in
Jakarta.

In the crackdown, BPOM seized 66 types of unlicensed and counterfeit drugs,

most of which were used for erectile dysfunction, body slimming and to boost
female libido.

The agency conducted the operation in Jakarta and Yogyakarta in cooperation

with the National Police, the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) and the Customs
and Excise Office.

Officials posing as potential buyers were able to trace the route of the illicit
online trade and found four distributors, three in Jakarta and one in Yogyakarta.

They arrested two suspects and are in the process of bringing four cases to
court.

We hope the sentences can have a deterrent effect on the person being
punished and other perpetrators, said Lucky.

Indonesia was one of 100 countries taking part in the fifth Pangea Operation,
which was coordinated by the International Criminal Police Organization
(ICPO)Interpol to root out the illicit internet trade in unlicensed and
counterfeit drugs.

When the ICPOInterpol held the first Pangea Operation in 2008, only eight
countries participated. By 2011, a total of 81 countries, including Indonesia,
took part in the effort.

In last years operation, BPOM seized 57 counterfeit drugs, primarily sexual

performance enhancers and diet pills, worth Rp 82 million. Two suspects were
arrested and two cases were brought to court.

The dossiers of the two suspects have been handed over to the prosecutors,
said Hendri Siswadi, the BPOMs chief of drug and food investigations.

The Information and Communication Ministrys chief of investigations and law

enforcement, Aidil Chendramata, said his ministry had yet to receive official
requests for the closure of the 83 websites found in this years operation.

He said that in 2011, his ministry closed down 30 websites that distributed
unlicensed and counterfeit medicines.

We blocked and closed down the websites based on recommendations we

received from BPOM. We cannot close down any single website just as we like.
We can block and close down the website only if we have a recommendation
from the agency, he said.

According Law No. 36/2009 on Health, all products distributed and sold by
retailers must have a BPOM product distribution permit.
In previous market surveillance, BPOM revealed that traditional medicines
containing illegal substances were widely found in local markets.

As of the first semester of 2012, BPOM had recalled 25 traditional medicines,

down from 64 in 2010 and 98 in 2009.

SBY goes nowhere on solving past human rights violations

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Wed, October 10 2012, 9:36 AM

Human rights activists have criticized President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos

administration for its poor achievement in resolving human rights violations,
saying the nation is going nowhere with its
human rights issues.

Many regulations issued by various state institutions fail to guarantee that the
government will strive to solve past human rights violation cases, Ifdhal
Kashim, chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
HAM), said on the sidelines of a discussion in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Indonesia, he said, already had a set of regulations that obligated the

government to investigate and reveal what actually happened in the past.

One example, Ifdhal said, was the Peoples Consultative Assemblys (MPR)
decree No. V/MPR/2000 on National Unity Advancement, which required the
government to reveal the truth about the nations history. If it is found that the
government committed wrongdoings, then it was expected to make an apology.

Today, 12 years since its issuance, there has been no significant achievement in
the settlement of human rights violation cases.
The government and the House of Representatives should determine new
methods to uncover past human rights violations, he said, adding that
institutions could no longer rely on existing regulations.

The current regulations seemingly fail to guarantee that the government will
apologize for political misconduct.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto

stated last week that the killings in 1965-1966 were justified.

Djoko also refused to apologize to the victims although Komnas HAM,

following its four years of study, recently stated that the purge amounted to a
gross human rights violation.

The government even rejected several recommendations made at the United

Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) summit in May, at which Indonesia
was urged to repeal laws and regulations that
curtailed religious freedom.

The country, in trying to save its image, readdressed the UNHRC in September,
stating that it would soon draw up a bill on the founding of a truth and
reconciliation commission to deal with past human rights violations.

Aside from trials, the government had many options to deliver justice to the
victims of human rights violations, he said. For example, the government could
compensate or rehabilitate them.

But, the government could also apologize for past regimes misconduct, he
said.

Meanwhile, a researcher with the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy
(Elsam), Zainal Abidin, said that if the government allowed the perpetrators of
human rights abuses to remain free, others would be inspired to carry out
similar actions.

Members of the majority continue to torture and persecute minorities, like Shia
and Ahmadiyah followers, because they think they will receive no
punishments, Zainal said. (riz)

A decade after the bombs, Bali remains vigilant

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Wed, October 10 2012,
1:55 PM

A decade after the 2002 bombing, Bali continues to be vigilant of terrorist

threats as more tourists and migrants flock to the island of gods.

Bali governor Made Mangku Pastika on Wednesday told a reporter that despite
Balis full economic and security recovery in the decade since the first bombing
in 2002 and seven years since the second bombing in 2005, security,
intelligence and the local community are continually on alert for possible
terrorist threats.

We have to be very, very cautious, all the time, he said. Pastika said that the
people of Bali realize that terrorists are living around us and that the Balinese
have accepted this as something that the community has to deal with as part of
their lives. The security [officers] and the people must carry out preventative
and pre-emptive measures to clean our society,
Thats the only thing we can do, you know? Bali is a destination for everybody.
We cannot check everybody who wants to come to Bali. There are a lot of entry
points into Bali. They can come and go anytime - this is the tourist area. That is
the biggest problem, Pastika said.

Bali tourism has continued to grow in the last years. More than 2.8 million
visitors came to Bali last year an increase from around 2.5 million visitors in
2010. Economic development on the island has also attracted people outside
Bali to live and work in the island. According to the 2010 census out every
1,000 people living in Bali, 28 of them are migrants.

So I always say, yes, now we are safe but I don't know about tomorrow.
Nobody can guarantee that, even the best security officers in the world, he
said.

In March, Indonesias anti-terrorist squad Detachment 88 received a tip off that

a terrorist group planning to carry out a suicide mission had arrived in Bali.
Police killed five suspected terrorist linked to Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT),
founded by radical cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir, who were believed to be planning
to launch an attack in Bali and other areas in the country. The suicide bomb
groom reportedly escaped.

Indonesias top tourist destination is gearing up for the 10th commemoration of

the first Bali bombing. On Oct. 12, 2002, terrorist attacked Sari Club in Jalan
Legian, Kuta killing 202 people, 88 of them Australian. Terrorist launched a
second attack three years after in Jimbaran and Kuta, which killed 20 people.

This years commemorations will be the biggest of all of the ceremonies staged
in the last 10 years. The Bali administration also said that this would be the last.
Its not easy to forget a tragedy so big, but I think we have to forgive and with
this forgiving spirit we hold this commemoration, Pastika, who led the
investigation of the first Bali bombing, said.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former Prime Minister John Howard
is expected to attend the ceremony on Friday at Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural
Park in Jimbaran. Around 4,000 people are expected to attend, including around
800 Australians who are families of the victims of the bombing.

Groups call for abolition of death penalty

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Wed, October 10 2012, 9:37 AM

Paper Edition | Page: 4

As the world celebrates World Day against the Death Penalty on Wednesday,
a coalition of human rights groups has urged the government to abolish the
death penalty, describing it as a human rights violation that only provides a
minor deterrent effect.

One member of the coalition, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims
of Violence (Kontras), said that the government must immediately adopt the
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/149 issued in 2007, which
called for a moratorium on capital punishment.

The Indonesian government has continued to ignore the resolution.

In the UN General Assembly this December, Indonesia will once again be

challenged to declare a moratorium. It will once again test the governments
will, Kontras activist Puri Kencana Putri said in a press conference on Tuesday
in Jakarta.
Currently, 155 countries have abolished the death sentence in their laws or have
conducted no executions in the past 10 years.

The last time Indonesia put convicts to death was in 2008, when it sent 10 drug
and murder convicts, including three convicted Bali bombers Amrozi, Imam
Samudra and Mukhlas, to the firing squad.

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, an activist with human rights watchdog Imparsial, said that
frequent terror attacks indicated capital punishment never succeeded as a means
of deterrent.

Death row means that government gives a scholarship for terrorist who dont
fear death. Instead, it motivates a new generation of terrorists, he said.

Bhatara said that the death penalty had also been ineffective in curbing drug
trafficking and corruption, which had only gotten worse in the country.

In a joint statement, the coalition said that by abolishing death penalty, the
government could spare the lives of 148 individuals who were on death row for
murder, drug trafficking and terrorism.

The group also applauded the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the death
sentence handed down to a drug convict and reduced it instead to a 15-year
prison term.

The Supreme Court arrived at such a controversial decision after one of its
judges declared the penalty unconstitutional and a violation of basic human
rights.
Yura Pratama of the Institution for the Advocacy and Study of Judicial
Independence (Leip), expected that if Supreme Court continued to uphold the
right to life, the House of Representatives could be inspired to abolish the death
penalty.

If Supreme Court keeps delivering similar verdicts in the long run, lawmakers
could change their mind and abolish the death penalty altogether, he said.

However, for the time being, the death sentence remains an option for crimes
like drug trafficking, premeditated murder, terrorism and corruption. In addition
to existing laws, lawmakers are considering moves to include capital
punishment as an option in several bills, including amendments to the Criminal
Code (KUHP), the anti-narcotics law, the intelligence bill and the state-secrecy
bill.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has pledged its support for
sentencing corruption convicts to death.

Article 2 Section 2 of the 1999 Corruption Law stipulates that those found
guilty of corruption can be subject to capital punishment in cases of war, natural
disasters and crises. (yps)