Indonesia Tercinta: 2008

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Indonesian police: Recently seized bombs more deadly than previous

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The nearly two dozen active bombs that were seized during a recent raids at a suspected terrorist safe house in Indonesia were more powerful than those found or used in previous deadly attacks, national police chief General Sutanto said Friday.

The bombs, which were found in South Sumatra province had the potential to cause deadlier attacks than previously experienced in the country, including the Bali bombings which killed more than 200 people, he said.

"The bombs were not only filled with ball bearings but also bullets. So when the bombs explode they will have a double impact and will easily kill people," Sutanto, was quoted by DPA as telling reporters.

"They (terrorists) have changed their technique."

Sutanto, who like many Indonesians goes only by one name, said during the interrogation of suspects, it came to light that the explosives were distributed from central Java to South Sumatra.

The state-run Antara news agency quoted Sutanto as giving details of an alleged plan for the seized bombs to be detonated at several locations around the country, including outside the capital, Jakarta.

Ten terrorist suspects, including a Singaporean, were arrested during raids by anti-terror police forces between Saturday and Wednesday. Twenty active bombs, 16 of which were ready to be detonated, and tens of kilograms of explosive materials.

Police believe the Singaporean and an Afghanistan-trained bomb-maker, identified only as MH, as the associate of Singaporean terror fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari, who escaped from the city-state's prison early this year.

Sutanto said he had been a student of Azahari Husin, a Malaysian master bomb-maker who was killed in a shootout with anti-terror police at his hideout in East Java province in late 2005.

The suspects have also been linked to leading regional al-Qaeda linked terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), including Noordin M Top - a Malaysian national considered a key figure behind a series of bomb attacks in Indonesia over the past few years.

Dozens of terrorist suspects and alleged JI members have been arrested at several locations in central Java in previous operations where explosive materials were seized.

JI has been blamed for the October 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali, the 2003 and 2004 attacks on the JW Marriott Hotel and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and the 2005 triple suicide bombings on restaurants in Bali.

The first Bali attack killed at least 202 people, most of them Western tourists. (*)

Police yet to declare Kastari involved in Palembang bomb-making group

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian police have yet to declare terrorist Mas Slamet Kastari, a fugitive wanted by the Singapore police, involved in the assembling of illegal bombs discovered recently in Palembang, though the main suspect in the case is a member of Kastari`s terror network, National Police Chief General Sutanto said.

The police chief said that although Kastari was not declared involved in the case, the National Police would disseminate Kastari`s photos in Indonesia in order to narrow down the area in which could move frrely.

"In the past, we also disseminated Kastari`s photos. Now we are going to do it again," the National Police chief said here on Friday.

Kastari and the main suspect in the Palembang bomb discovery in South Sumatra are both Singapore nationals.

He said the Indonesian police would coordinate with their counterpart in Singapore to know whether Kastari was involved in Indonesian terror networks.

Kastari who was charged with terrorism and detained in Singapore since 2006 escaped from prison on January 27, 2008. He was arrested because Singapore suspected that he had planned attacks on government and foreign targets as well on airport in 2001.

He was also detained in Indonesia in 2003 for an immigration law violation. After walking free in 2006, he was extradited to Singapore.

On the bomb discovery case in Palembang, police arrested HM, a Singaporean national who was suspected to have assembled the bombs and provided training on how to produce bombs.

The police arrested MH after they obtained a tipoff from Singapore that he was involved in terrorist activities in that country.

During the investigation, police found that HM was a member of the Kastari terror network.

After obtaining information from MH, police arrested nine other suspects, identified only by their initials, among others AT alias M alias K alias I (35), SG alias S alias R (22), AM alias Z (26), W alias Y alias R (35), AG alias G (36), HP alias H (25), AS alias AH alias UG (42), SA alias AB and AMT alias AT. (*)

KPK hopes to recover Rp1 trillion from corrupters by year end

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) hopes to have recovered a total of Rp1 trillion worth of state assets from resolved corruption cases by year end, a spokesman said.

Until now, the amount of recovered state property had reached Rp 455 billion and all of it had been transferred to the state treasury immediately to prevent it from generating interest, KPK Vice Chairman (for prevention) M Yasin said here Friday.

Speaking at a public discussion at the parliament building, Yasin also said the commission`s budget for 2008 was Rp250 billion. "This amount is commensurate with our task to retrieve stolen state assets," he said.

Yasin explained KPK`s actions were never motivated by political interest. "Our actions against people are void of any political interest." he said.

The commission was always working with meticulous care, professionally, indiscriminately and without seeking popularity, he said.

"We are not allowed to issue a stop-investigation order (SP3) in any ongoing investigation so we cannot afford to make mistakes and must always have sufficient material evidence as the basis of our actions," he said.

About the possibility of a corruption suspect entering into a "bargain" with KPK investigators, Yasin said this never happned with KPK personnel.

Asked whether it could happen that KPK officers took personal advantage from or misused their authority, Yasin said KPK personnel were bound by a clearly defined code of ethics. Any kind of gifts they had received, especially from suspects, had to be reported to superiors.

"When we visit the regions, we are not allowed to be `welcomed` much less `entertained` by local officials. When we return to Jakarta, we do not accept `transport money` from the locals. So far, these rules are being consistently observed," he said.

He said the House of Representatives (DPR) should also have such a code of ethics. "It would be very good for its image, if the House implements such rules consistently," he added. (*)

As Mt Anak Krakatau is in alert status, tourists advised not to ascend it

Serang (ANTARA News) - After the Bandung-based Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has declared Mt Anak Krakatau in top alert status, tourists are strongly advised not to climb the volcano in the Sunda strait, because on certain times it was still spewing red-hot rocks and toxic gasses.

"We are still strongly advising tourists not to climb Mt Anak Krakatau," head of the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center Surono said in Bandung.

He said that after the activity of Mt Anak Agung has stopped recently, its status was lowered from alert III to alert II by the center in Bandung.

But tourists were still not allowed to ascend the volcano, except up to two kilometers from the cauldron which had been declared as top danger zone.

"We have also established coordination with the managers of tourist facilities, like hotels, in the area in warning guests not to ascend the mountain at all," he said.

There was a time, when the volcano was active, a French tourist tried to ascent the volcano, but later fainted after inhaling toxic gasses, and hit by flying red-hot rocks to his eventual death, Surono said. (*)

Indonesian teachers to join `profs en France` program

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some 33 teachers from Indonesia, and their colleagues from China and India, will join a visit program called `Profs en France` organized by the French foreign ministry, from July 6 to 19, 2008.

"Some 33 Indonesian teachers and 67 others from China and India, will take part in the program," a press statement of the French embassy in Jakarta, said on Friday.

The teachers were invited to visit France to actualize their linguistic, pedagogic and cultural capabilities.

In the first phase of the program, they will visit Vichy and stay with local French families. And the second half of the program, they will visit Paris, among other things to see Sorbonne, Versailles Palace, and several museums, as well as to meet with officials of the French foreign ministry. (*)

Indonesian terror suspects linked with Singapore network

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The suspected terrorists who were arrested by the Indonesian anti-terror police in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Tuesday and Wednesday were said to have links with a terrorist network in Singapore.

According to National Police Chief Spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira, the suspected terrorists had links particularly with the group of Mas Slamet Kastari (45) in Singapore and wanted top Malaysian terrorist Noordin M Top.

Noordin is the most wanted terror suspect in Indonesia after Dr Azhari, a Malaysian bomb expert associated with Jemaah Islamiyah, who was killed in a police raid in Indonesia in 2005.

Abubakar said the South Sumatra networks were known to have links with the network in Singapore after police arrested suspect HM (35) in Sekayu sub district, Musi Banyuasin district, South Sumatra on June 28, 2008.

Kastari, a Singapore national, and escaped from a jail on Whitley Street in Singapore some time ago. He was put in the Singapore jail in 2006 and had been there until he escaped, on charges of planning terror attacks. He planned an attack on government buildings, airport and foreign representative offices in Singapore in 2001.

He was also once detained in Indonesia in 2003 for an immigration law violation. After walking free in 2006, he was extradited to Singapore.

"The police arrested MH after they obtained a tipoff from Singapore that he was involved in terrorist activities in that country," Abubakar said.

After obtaining information from MH, police arrested nine other suspects. Police until Thursday still refused to name the suspects, but made public their initials. They were among others AT alias M alias K alias I (35), SG alias S alias R (22), AM alias Z (26), W alias Y alias R (35), AG alias G (36), HP alias H (25), AS alias AH alias UG (42), SA alias AB and AMT alias AT.

Abubakar said in the investigation of the South Sumatra networks, police discovered links with members of Noordin M Top networks who were arrested in Semarang and Wonosobo (Central Java) in 2006.

In Central Java several years ago, police arrested a number of suspected terrorists who were believed to have hidden Noordin M Top.

MH, the police chief spokesman said, admitted he had assembled bombs and trained other suspects how to assemble them. AT was believed to have assembled bombs, planned to explode `Bedudel` Cafe in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra in 2005 and tortured clergyman Joshua in Bandung in 2005.

"He was found to be in possession of firearms of S and W colt types with six bullets," Abubakar said. SG and AM also had assembled bombs. Besides possessing home-made bombs, suspects W, AG and HP meanwhile had planned to explode the Bedudel cafe and maltreated Jushoa. AS and SA were also charged with helping MH to go into hiding.

Pieces of evidence seized from the South Sumatra network included four bombs, one colt revolver, 10 bullets of 28 mm caliber and 18 computers.

The exhibits were found and confiscated on July 1, 2008 in a house on Jl Papera, Palembang, South Sumatra. On July 2, the following day, police confiscated other evidence, among others, 10 home-made bombs, 9.1 kg of black powder and eight detonators.

Police also confiscated potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, a mixture of carbon and potassium nitrate, home-made pistols and various types of cable rollers.

But police are not yet able to reveal their next targets. Abubakar said that police up to now were still studying the locations of targets where the terror suspects had planned to carry out bomb attacks.

In their efforts to uncover further evidence and suspects, police in South Sumatra are still detaining one suspect there for interrogation.

"In order to trace other suspects and evidence, police are still keeping one suspect in Palembang while others have been put in the Kelapa Dua Mobile Brigade detention house in Depok, a satellite town south of Jakarta," Abubakar said.

The nine terror suspects arrived at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Headquarters` detention center at 11 am Thursday under heavy guard.

With their heads covered in hoods, the nine men arrived in a bus guarded by members of the police`s anti-terror detachment riding in three other vehicles - one in front of, and two behind, the prisoners` bus.

After going through a checking-in procedure, the nine suspects were led to a cell located in the back part of a block housing the Mobile Brigade Headquarters` internal affairs unit.

None of the police officers at the Mobile Brigade Headquarters or the prisoners` guards was prepared to make any comments to reporters covering the happening. They only said they did not know anything about the prisoners. (*)

Indonesian police interrogate terror suspects

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian police said Friday they were interrogating 10 suspects and examining some 20 improvised bombs after cracking a major cell of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regional terror group.

They were also sifting through volumes of material gathered from an alleged safe house in the South Sumatra provincial capital of Palembang earlier this week, including the bombs and 18 computer hard drives.

"We are still investigating the terror suspects and examining all the explosives we found," national police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira told AFP.

"Our team is still studying how powerful these bombs would have been. There are quite a lot of devices and we're still working on that."

He refused to confirm media reports that some of the bombs found in the safe house, including 10 that were primed to explode, were capable of unleashing the sort of blasts which killed 202 people in Bali six years ago.

Police have given very little information about the men who were rounded up in and around Palembang between Saturday and Wednesday, saying only that they formed a dangerous cell linked to some of the region's most wanted extremists.

The cell had staked out a backpacker cafe in the tourist town of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, police said, and was reportedly eyeing Western targets in Jakarta.

Police said the leader, believed to be a Singaporean known as Abu Hazam, was connected to Malaysian extremist Noordin Mohammad Top, who allegedly masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2003 Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta and the Australian embassy attack in 2004.

Noordin is the alleged chief of the most extreme JI faction and calls himself leader of Al-Qaeda for the Malay Archipelago, a loose network believed to include extremists in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Abu Hazam, also known as Omar and Taslim, is also an associate of Mas Selamat bin Kastari, the alleged leader of JI's Singapore branch who escaped from prison there in February and is still at large, reportedly in Indonesia.

Police said Hazam had received military training in Afghanistan but have not confirmed local media reports that he had met Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

They said Hazam was teaching bomb-making to other cell members in Palembang when he was arrested on Saturday.

Police were investigating reports that Kastari had fled to Indonesia after his escape from custody in Singapore on February 27.

"We still don't know whether Kastari has already entered Indonesia, we're still investigating that," Nataprawira said.

Being circumspect

National chief police Sutanto told reporters however that police were being circumspect about giving information on Kastari because they were afraid he would escape.

"We don't need to say anything. It's still under investigation. We're afraid that if we mention it he'll escape," he said.

The Singaporean government accuses Kastari of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Singapore's Changi Airport in 2001.

Police said the Singaporean detainee captured on Saturday, belived to be Abu Hazam, had been the subject of a "red note" from the Singapore government informing Jakarta that he was engaged in terrorist activity in Indonesia.

Sutanto said he would be prosecuted in Indonesia before any Jakarta considered any extradition request from Singapore. (*)

Indonesian embassy provides assistance for Zimbabwean HIV/AIDS patients

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian embassy in Harare provided humanitarian assistance to HIV/AIDS patients at Mashambanzou Msasa Care Trust in Harare, according to an embassy press statement on Friday.

The assistance , especially intended for HIV/AIDS-infected children, was handed over by Mrs. Djoko Sjarijono, wife of the Indonesian ambassador to Zimbabwe.

It was the second food donation provided by the embassy to the patients following the economic crisis hitting Zimbabwe and the cessation of assistance from international organizations to Mashambanzou Care Trust, Mrs. Sjarijono said.

The World Food Program (WFP) had stopped its assistance to the shelter which is accommodating nine children and 20 adults infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, following political turmoil in the African country.

Medicine San Frontier Zimbabwe reported that around 20 percent of Zimbabwe`s 15 million population had contracted HIV/AIDS. (*)

Jail for giving to beggars, Indonesian city says

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Residents in one Indonesian city who give in to the tug of guilt could face three months in jail under a law criminalising giving money to beggars and street children, the city's mayor said Friday.

The new regulation approved last month by the legislative council in Makassar, South Sulawesi, is aimed at reducing the city's swelling population of beggars, Mayor Ilham Arif Sirajuddin told AFP.

"Under the law, people who give money to beggars will be jailed up to three months or have to pay a maximum fine of 1.5 million rupiah (163 dollars)," he said.

"This is an important decision to clear beggars from the streets," Sirajuddin said, adding that beggars and street children face maximum sentences of three years in jail or fines up to five million rupiah.

The crackdown has been matched by a programme to train beggars for work, he said.

The population of beggars and street children in Makassar jumped from 870 in 2006 to 2,600 this year, he said. (*)

Indonesia to execute `black magic` serial killer: prosecutor

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An Indonesian man who murdered 42 women in "black magic" rituals aimed at increasing his supernatural powers will soon be executed by firing squad, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Self-proclaimed shaman Ahmad Suraji was sentenced to death in 1998 after police found the women's bodies buried in a sugar cane field in North Sumatra.

Suraji confessed to police that he strangled most of the women and drank their saliva after they came to him for supernatural help with their finances and love life. He said the saliva improved his magical powers.

Indonesia is mainly Muslim but belief in black magic is widespread.

Suraji's execution was approved after his second application for clemency was rejected by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, senior prosecutor Abdul Hakim Ritonga told AFP .

"Based on that rejection, we decided to execute him. We have ordered local officials to carry out all the preparations," Ritonga said.

The serial killer is one of five Indonesians set to be executed "soon", Ritonga said, while declining to give specific dates.

A security officer at the North Sumatra prison where Suraji sits on death row, who identified himself as Budi, said no official order had been received for the execution.

Suraji's wife Tumini, the oldest of three sisters all married to the convicted serial killer, was also sentenced to death for her role in the killings. No date has been set for her execution.

Suraji told police before his 1998 trial he began his killing spree after his late father ordered him in a dream to murder 70 women as part of a black magic ritual.

Police said during Suraji's trial that he instructed his female clients to allow themselves to be buried naked up to the neck before he strangled them to death.

However, Suraji's lawyer said Thursday his client was innocent and had been tortured by police into confessing.

"If he really has black magic powers, why did he have wounds all over his body? Police must have tortured him. Someone who has black magic can't be wounded anywhere on his body," Legal Aid Institute lawyer Adi Mansar said.

The bodies found in the sugar cane plantation were actually those of victims of a brutal military-backed crackdown on communists in the 1960s that killed upwards of half a million people, Mansar said.

Pious Muslim in prison

A local journalist who interviewed Suraji earlier this week said the serial killer had become a pious Muslim while in prison, praying five times a day and doling out religious advice to his fellow inmates.

"The black magic came from God. I don't have it anymore, I have repented. I hope I have a chance to live," Suraji told Wadson Manalu.

Prison guard Budi said the serial killer was popular with other inmates and did not need to be isolated.

"He has no problem here and has many friends. He is not living in a special
cell, he shares a cell with several prisoners," Budi said.

Executions in Indonesia are by firing squad, usually carried out at night in isolated and undisclosed locations. The prisoner is notified of his execution date at least 72 hours beforehand. (*)

BI raises key rate to 8.75 pct

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Bank Indonesia (BI) on Thursday decided to raise its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 8.75 percent.

The central bank took the decision after considering the impact of the current situation on the domestic economic stability and financial system, and the prospects for the national economy this year and next year, BI Governor Boediono said in a press conference here on Thursday.

"Inflationary pressure in 2008 was particularly the result of fuel oil and food price hikes," he said.

BI also noted that the inflationary pressure also resulted from rising demands due to a rise in the amount of bank loans and money supplies until the second quarter of this year.

Therefore, BI considered it necessary to raise its key rate to prevent the second round effect of fuel oil and food price hikes on the prices of other commodities, he said.

He said BI would always use the available instruments in a flexible and measurable way to lower the inflation rate in 2009 to 6.5-7.5 percent. For its part, BI would coordinate with the government intensively.

On-year inflation rate reached 11.03 percent in June 2008 while the January-June 2008 inflation rate climbed to 7.37 percent compared to 2.08 in the same period last year.

The central bank predicted full-year inflation rate would soar to 11.5-12.5 percent.(*)

Palembang terror suspects linked with S`pore networks, Noordin M Top: Police

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Police Chief Spokesman Insp Gen Abubakar Nataprawira said on Thursday the nine teror suspects arrested in South Sumatra during the past two days had links with terror networks in Singapore and wanted top terror suspect Noordin M Top.

In Singapore, the networks included the group of Mas Slamet Kastari (Singapore national). Kastari (45) escaped from a jail on Whitley Street, Singapore, some time ago.

He had been held since 2006 on charges of terror offenses, namely planning an attack on government buildings, airport and foreign representative offices in Singapore in 2001.

Kastari was also once detained in Indonesia in 2003 for an immigration law violation. After walking free in 2006, he was extradited to Singapore.

Abubakar said the South Sumatra networks were known to have links with the Singapore rings after police arrested a suspect identfied as HM (35) in Sekayu sub district, Musi Banyuasin district, South Sumatra, on June 28, 2008.

"The police arrested MH after they obtained a tipoff from Singapore that he was involved in terror activities in that country," Abubakar said.

After obtaining information from MH, police arrested nine other suspects, namely AT alias M alias K alias I (35), SG alias S alias R (22), AM alias Z (26), W alias Y alias R (35), AG alias G (36), HP alias H (25), AS alias AH alias UG (42), SA alias AB and AMT alias AT.

The nine terror suspects who were arrested on Wednesday by anti-terror police in Palembang were at 9 am on Thursday flown to Jakarta.

Tightly escorted by police officers, the nine men were herded into a police aircraft at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang.

The nine were rounded up in anti-terror raids conducted in Palembang on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a raid on a house on Jalan Papera, police discovered and seized eight partly-assembled bombs and 13 fully built-up bombs, and 50 kilogram of explosive materials.

The police left the house belonging to the late Rustam Alamsyah in a mess as they had to search the house intensively before finding the dangerous objects and materials hidden in the house`s loft.(*)

RI recognizes state but not govt of Zimbabwe : Spokesman

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government recognizes the state but not the government of Zimbabwe in light of the controversy that has arisen over Robert Mugabe`s reappointment as the country`s president in an election marred by violence and international criticism, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"We are of the opinion that last week`s general election (in Zimbabwe) were undemocratic and Indonesia`s policy in this regard is to recognize the state rather than the government of Zimbabwe," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said here on Thursday.

He was commenting on Mugabe`s induction as Zimbabwe`s president.

The Indonesian government, he said, was concerned about the undemocratic general election process which was marred by intimidations.

"We have also noted the results of the African Union meeting in Egypt which gave a negative opinion on the Zimbabwe election," he said.

The foreign ministry spokesman said owing to the fact that the process in that country was still on-going, including a proposal for the formation of a national unity government, Indonesia would continue to keep abreast of developments there.

"We are looking at it as a development or an indication of the dynamics at play in the Zimbabwean crisis," he said.

Mugabe won a presidential re-run with a single presidential nominee. The election commission announced that Mugabe won 85.5 percent and his rival, Tsvangirai, 9.3 percent of the votes.(*)

Police yet to explain arrest of nine terror suspects

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Police Headquarters is not yet prepared to explain the arrest of nine terror suspects in Palembang, South Sumatra two days ago.

Chief of the Police Public Relations Affairs Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira here on Thursday only mentioned the initials of the suspects.

They were HR, alias K alias, M alias Y, SGD, SDC alias GG, AS, WYD alias MY alias HD, HY alias H, AZ, SA alias AR and AMT alias T.

"They have been taken from Palembang to Jakarta today for detention at the Police`s Mobile Brigade`s detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok," he said.

Police also confiscated pieces of evidence such as 19 home-made bombs and potassium chlorate.

Abubakar was not prepared to answer reporters` questions on the possibility of the involvement of foreign nationals.

"We still do not know who they are and to what networks they belong because they were arrested only yesterday," he said.

The role of each suspect was also not yet known because the investigation was not yet finished, he added.

The nine terror suspects who were arrested on Wednesday by anti-terror police in Palembang were at 9 am on Thursday flown to Jakarta.

Tightly escorted by police officers, the nine men were herded into a police aircraft at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang.

The nine were rounded up in anti-terror raids conducted in Palembang on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a raid on a house on Jalan Papera, police discovered and seized eight partly-assembled bombs and 13 fully built-up bombs, and 50 kilogram of explosive materials.

The police left the house belonging to the late Rustam Alamsyah in a mess as they had to search the house intensively before finding the dangerous objects and materials hidden in the house`s loft.(*)

Nine arrested terror suspects held at Brimob Hq`s detention center

Depok (ANTARA News) - The nine terror suspects arrested in Palembang, South Sumatra, during the past two days arrived at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Headquarters` detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, at 11 am Thursday under heavy guard.

With their heads covered in hoods, the nine men arrived in a bus guarded by members of the police`s anti-terror detachment riding in three other vehicles - one in front of, and two behind, the prisoners` bus.

After going through a checking-in procedure, the nine suspects were led to a cell located in the back part of a block housing the Mobile Brigade Headquarters` internal affairs unit.

None of the police officers at the Mobile Brigade Headquarters or the prisoners` guards was prepared to make any comments to reporters covering the happening. They only said they did not know anything about the prisoners.

Earlier in the day, at 08.25 West Indonesian Time, the nine men were put on a police plane at Palembang`s Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport and, at precisely 09.00, flown to Jakarta.

A National Police Headquarters` spokesman was on Thursday still unable to provide further explanations on the arrests which took place in Palembang over the past two days.

He could only give the initials of the nine men and disclose that a number of improvised explosive devices and a still undetermined volume of explosive material were confiscated during a raid on a house in South Sumatra`s provincial capital.(*)

Indonesia anti-terror unit brings suspects to capital

Palembang (ANTARA News) - Nine suspected terrorists, arrested on Wednesday by anti-terror police in Palembang, South Sumatra, were at 9 am on Thurday flown to Jakarta.

Tightly escorted by police officers, the nine men were
herded into a police aircraft at Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang.

The nine were rounded up in anti-terror raids conducted in Palembang on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a raid on a house on Jalan Papera, police discovered and seized eight partly-assembled bombs and 13 fully built-up bombs, and 50 kilogram of explosive materials.

The police left the house belonging to the late Rustam Alamsyah in a mess as they had to search the house intensively before finding the dangerous objects and materials hidden in the house`s loft. (*)

Indonesian Navy orders three aircrafts from PT DI

Surabaya3 (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy has ordered two maritime patrol aircraft and one CN 212-400 plane from the country`s aircraft industry PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI).

"The number of naval aircraft we have is still small and therefore we will continue to increase it," Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Sumardjono said here on Thursday.

He said he would continue to improve the naval armament system including aircraft and warships through transfer-of-technology deals with other countries.

"The oldest aircraft we have at present were made in the 1980s but we will continue to rejuvenate our fleet," Sumardjono said, adding that only airworthy planes would be operated.

Meanwhile, the head of the Navy`s Aviation Center,Admiral Sumartono, said the Navy now had a total of 68 airplanes of various types but only 48 of them were serviceable. (*)

Indonesian police find bomb cache, arrest nine

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Nine men arrested in Indonesia's South Sumatra province in connection with a cache of homemade bombs were flown to Jakarta in blindfolds, shackles and under heavy security on Thursday.

The unidentified suspects were arrested in connection with the discovery of some 20 makeshift bombs in the attic of a rented house in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Tuesday, a police source said.

Members of the US and Australian-trained Special Detachment 88 anti-terrorism squad were involved in the raid on the house in the provincial capital, police said.

Several newspapers reported that one of the suspects was a Singaporean but police would not confirm rumours that he was Mas Selamat Kastari, the alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group in Singapore.

Despite a massive police manhunt, the 47-year-old Kastari remains at large more than three months after his escape from a detention centre.

An AFP reporter saw the men -- wearing balaclavas, blindfolds and handcuffs -- being transferred from a plane onto police buses at a civilian airport in the capital.

One of the suspects wore a black T-shirt with a logo that said "Suicide."

They were escorted by masked and heavily armed plain-clothes officers and taken to a police headquarters on the southern outskirts of the city.

National police spokesman Abu Bakar Nataprawira confirmed that an unspecified number of arrests had been made in relation to the discovery of the bombs but he could not provide further details.

"The suspects will be brought to Jakarta (on Thursday) for questioning," he said.

"There have been arrests but the details about who they are and what they have done will be announced later today."

Local residents told the Antara news agency that the occupants of the house had moved in only two months ago and rarely socialised with neighbours.

The Singaporean government accuses Kastari of plotting to hijack a plane in order to crash it into Singapore's Changi Airport in 2001. He was never charged, but was being held under a law that allows for detention without
trial.

A committee of inquiry found that Kastari, who walks with a limp, escaped through the window of a bathroom where he was taken before a regular visit by his family.

Surveillance cameras that were not working, and a slow reaction from guards, contributed to Kastari's flight, Wong said.

Singaporean officials said in April they believed Kastari was still in Singapore but terrorism experts have said he is likely to have gone underground in the vast archipelago of Indonesia.

Authorities blame JI for a string of regional attacks including the 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali which killed 202 people.

The Kompas daily said 16 of the bombs found in the house were ready to be detonated. (*)

Indonesian police raid nets terror suspects, explosives

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian police have captured several terrorist suspects, including a Singaporean, and seized dozens of assembled bombs and a cache of explosives, officials and local media reports said Thursday.

The nine terrorist suspects, believed to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a regional terrorist network linked to al-Qaeda, were arrested during various raids since June 28 at several locations in South Sumatra province.

The latest arrest took place on Tuesday in the provincial capital of Palembang, national police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira was quoted bu=y DPA as telling reporters on late Wednesday.

A Singaporean, identified as Alim, alias Omar or Taslim, was among the detained men, who was arrested last Saturday in South Sumatra district of Sekayu.

According to a report by the Kompas.com news portal the suspects were flown out of Palembang to Jakarta on Thursday morning for further interrogation.

In addition to 20 assembled bombs, 16 of them ready to be detonated, the counter-terror units also seized tens of kilograms of potassium chlorate and other explosive materials as well as several hand grenades, Nataprawira said.

Police believe Singaporean Alim, an Afghanistan-trained bomb-maker,was a close aide to Malaysian master bomb-maker Azahari bin Husin, who was killed in late 2005 in a shoot-out with anti-terror police at his East Java province's hideout.

Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks blamed on JI since 2000, including bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 and 2005 and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004.

The Indonesian government, after initially being in denial about its terrorism problem, has made tremendous strides against JI since the 2002 Bali bombings. Authorities have arrested more than 300 suspects and convicted most of them.

However, the country's counter-terrorism police are still on a nationwide manhunt for Malaysian bomb-maker Noordin M Top, who leads a breakaway faction of JI is believed to be the mastermind behind all the bombings since 2000. (*)

Australian Corby spotted in Indonesian beauty salon

Denpasar, Indonesia (ANTARA News) - Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby, who is serving 20 years in jail in Indonesia, was spotted Wednesday in a beauty salon on Bali where she is serving her time.

Corby, found guilty of trafficking 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of marijuana in 2005, was escorted by two armed police officers as she emerged from the Gardenia Salon on the resort island, an AFP correspondent saw.

Wearing jeans, a blue cap and matching tank top, the 30-year-old tried to hide her face from journalists as she left the salon and was escorted back to an adjacent hospital where she was admitted last month for depression.

She made no comment and prison authorities were unavailable to clarify why she was allowed to leave the hospital, where she is under constant guard. Staff at the salon also refused to talk to the media.

Friends of the salon staff however said Corby had had her hair done and enjoyed a soothing spa treatment.

An employee of a nearby market said she also did some shopping there on Tuesday afternoon, again with an escort of two police officers.

"She spent quite a long time here, almost two hours. She bought some snacks and clothes. She had a look out the door before she left," he told AFP.

The former beauty therapist is reported to have slumped into depression after Indonesia's Supreme Court rejected her final appeal in March.

Corby, who turns 31 next week, has always maintained her innocence and claims international drug smugglers placed the marijuana in her luggage.

It was seized from her unlocked surfboard bag when she arrived on the palm-fringed island for a holiday in October 2004.

Corby's sentence outraged many Australians, partly due to its severity and partly because many believed the photogenic beautician's claims of innocence.

She shares a prison on the island with the so-called Bali Nine, a gang of Australians convicted of smuggling heroin from Indonesia to Australia in 2005.

The gang's three ring-leaders, Scott Rush, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, are on death row, while the six other members are serving prison sentences ranging from life to 20 years. (*)

Police arrest terror suspect in Palembang

Palembang (ANTARA News) - Police have set up a police line in front of a house on Jalan Papera where on Tuesday (July 1) they arrested a terror suspect, identified by the initial W, and an associate.

According to eye-witnesses, members of the police`s Special Detachment 88 raided the house on Tuesday at around 15.00 and arrested W and a companion.

At 16:00, W and his friend were put in a police car and taken away under escort of plainclothes officers.

Until Wednesday, uniformed members of the bomb unit of the South Sumatra Mobile Brigade were still guarding the house which had been left empty.

A local resident, Sulaiman, related the police raid happened in a tense atmosphere, especially because W made an unsuccessful attempt to escape through a window of the house.

According to Suleiman, W had moved into the house only two months ago and almost never socialized with neigbors.

The police raid and W`s arrest caused quite a stir among local residents as their area had always been trouble-free and peaceful. Many of them were in fact struck by fear, particularly when on Tuesday evening police also took out goods, said to be tools and materials to make electronic explosive devices, from the house.

Meanwhile, the South Sumatra police`s chief infomration officer, Senior Commissioner Abu Sopah, said he could not give any information on W`s arrest as the entire operation was carried out by personnel from the National Police Headquarters.

"For information on this, please, contact National Police Headquarters," he said. (*)

Police investigating illegal sending of students to Egypt

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Police have began investigating the case of 39 Islamic boarding school students from Banten who were illegally sent to Egypt for further studies, a spokesman said.

So far, police have been questioning witnesses and not yet identified any suspects, a senior officer at the National Police`s criminal investigation department, Brig.Gen Badrootin Haiti, said here Wednesday.

"The victims are students of an Islamic boarding school in Banten who wanted to study in Cairo," he said.

Each of the students had paid Rp17 million to someone who guaranteed they could study at Al Ahzar University and receive a monthly allowance until they graduated.

"The person promised that they could study, get scholarships, and have part-time jobs," he said.

The scam was discovered in June 2008 by the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. The 39 students were from Darul Qolam Islamic boarding school in Gintung, Banten province.

"They were given temporary accommodations in a Cairo suburb," said Teuku Faizasyah, a foreign ministry official.

The students were sent to Egypt via Malaysia using tourist visa which were later changed into student visa.
(*)

150 houses from Islamic Relief for Aceh`s tsunami victims

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Britain-based Islamic Relief has donated 150 houses to victims of the 2004 tsunami in Aceh Besar, Aceh Jaya Districts, and Banda Aceh city, Aceh Province.

The houses were officially presented on Monday, according to acting Communication Director of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) Ridwan Muchtar here on Monday.

The Islamic Relief, Qatar`s Red Crescent, AmeriCares, Disaster Emergency Committee and BRR also officially handed a unit of clean water supply facility at Beuromae village.

Director of Islamic Relief Indonesia Ahmed Tosson said that the 150 houses were part of 1,100 houses which had been constructed by the humanitarian institution since January 2005 for tsunami victims.

"It`s recorded that 850 of the 1,100 houses which we have constructed, have been handed to tsunami victims in Aceh," Tosson said.

Deputy Governor of Aceh Muhammad Nazar expressed gratitude for the assistance and said that the provincial administration was committed to improving the economic condition of the local people.

A deadly tsunami devastated Aceh on December 26, 2004, killing more than 150,000 people and leaving around one million others homeless. (*)

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Government sets target of all areas in RI having broadband access in 2015

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has set itself the target of making all areas in Indonesia have broadband access for connection to universal internet in 2015, a minister has said.

"At a meeting in Bangkok last week, APEC telecommunications and industry ministers set a target of making all countries in Asia and the Pacific including Indonesia have broadband access in 2015," Communications and Informatics Minister Muhammad Nuh said here Tuesday.

At their 7th meeting on 23-25 April, the telecommunications and industry ministers of APEC (the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) agreed to set a target of raising access to universal internet by three folds from the 2010 target set at a forum of its kind in Brunei Darussalam last year.

Thus, the Indonesian government would soon prepare a roadmap about major strategies and policies on broadband access in the country.

At the meeting, the ministers also touched on the use of sound and safe internet.

"An environ which is able to protect users, mainly children, and guarantee safety for individual and business users, was a main point in the conclusion of the Bangkok Declaration," Nuh said.

The Bangkok Declaration also agreed on global cooperation calling on governments, industries, business community and consumers to make a concerted effort which is universal in nature.

"Indonesia at the meeting presented efforts which have been made like the ID-SIRTII (the Indonesia Security Incident Response Team on Internet Infrastructure) and newly-approved ITE Law," Nuh said.

The Bangkok Declaration also mentioned the exchange of technology information, innovative services and technical cooperation.

"The US specially offered technical cooperation to improve our capability in information on communications and technology," he said.

On the sidelines of the forum, Indonesia held a bilateral meeting with the US Coordinator for International Telecommunications and Information Policy, David Gross. (*)

Indonesia, Australia host regional forum meeting on disaster

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer has welcomed the hosting by Indonesia and Australia of a desk-top exercise to enhance multinational disaster relief responses in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Australian embassy said here on Wednesday the two-day exercise commencing on Thursday aims to improve the speed and effectiveness of multinational, civil and military disaster response capabilities between the 27 participants of the ASEAN Regional Forum and will involve a range of government agencies and regional aid bodies.

Australia`s Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon was quoted by the embassy as saying the initiative built on the valuable contributions the Australian Defence Force had made in regional disaster relief efforts and highlighted Australia`s commitment to its regional partners.

The last few years had seen an increase in multinational responses to regional disasters - most notably the successful international effort in responding to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. It was important that the region works together to further improve and coordinate their efforts, Fitzgibbon said according to the embassy

"Holding the exercise in Jakarta also ensures regional countries gain maximum benefit from the lessons learned and experience of the Indonesian government and Armed Forces in responding to a range of natural disasters," he said.

"The exercise is an important step in coordinating expertise from across the region and focuses a very broad bank of resources to the critical task of rendering assistance to those who need it most during a natural disaster."

The exercise - a regional cooperation activity conducted through the ASEAN Regional Forum - is to be held at the Indonesian Naval Command and Staff College in Jakarta on May 1-2, 2008.
(*)

Thousands of Indonesian workers rally to mark May Day

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Thousands of workers from Jakarta and vicinity areas rallied here on Thursday to mark the International Workers` Day or May Day.

Before proceeding to the State Palace, the workers, who were coming among other things from Bekasi, Tangerang and Bogor, gathers in several spots such as the Banteng Square and the Proclamation Monument in central Jakarta.

Workers gathering in the Banteng Square were grouped by several labor unions including the Labor Union of Indonesian People (SPRI), the Labor Union of Indonesian Informal Workers (Serbiindo), the Labor Union of Indonesian National Maritime (SBMNI), the Labor Union of National Transportation (SBTN), and the Labor Union of Indonesian Automotive (SPOI).

Earlier Jakarta Metropolitan police chief Inspector Gen. Adang Firman said his office would mobilize at least 15 thousand security personnel and the military to control the mass rallies.

Meanwhile, in the Proclamation Monument, more than 200 workers demanded the improvement of their welfare when celebrating the May Day.

The workers were among others members of the Reform Tourism Labor Union Federation (FSP-PAR-Rev), the Indonesian Automotive Labor Union (SPO), the Indonesian Migrant Worker Union (SBMI), and the Demanding Worker Alliance.

They voiced their demands for the improvement of their welfare, the eradication of contract system and the payment of proper salaries for them.

Other spots in Jakarta where a number of workers gathered for the May Day were the Hotel Indonesia Circle, in front of the Parliament Building, and the Senayan sport stadium.

Around 50,000 workers were expected to gather in the Senayan stadium in the conclusion of the May Day celebration.

Similar rallies were also held in other Indonesian cities such as Yogyakarta, Medan (North Sumatra), Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya and Malang (East Java), Bandung (West Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi). (*)

Indonesia stresses on every country`s rights to develop nuclear energy

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has highlighted the rights of every country to develop nuclear energy, but expressed their high concern over a slow process of the nuclear disarmament by countries which have modernized their nuclear fleet.

In the second preparatory committee meeting of Nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty held in Geneva, Indonesian Charge d`Affairs to UN in Geneva I Gusti Agung on Wednesday said it was the right of every country to develop nuclear energy already guaranteed by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

The double standard of nuclear weapons producing countries which often stressed on non-proliferation policy in one hand while ignoring the obligation of nuclear countries to dismantle their weapon on the other hands, had the potential to weaken the integrity of nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty, he said.

A big worry about the proliferation of nuclear weapons should not be made as an excuse to block others` rights, he said.

Therefore Indonesia often encouraged the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the relevant agency in dealing with the challenges in the context of preventing the proliferation and building international cooperation in making use of nuclear energy.

In the meeting, Indonesia also called on countries in possession of nuclear weapons to abide by the protocol on nuclear weapon-free zone.

At present, more than 100 countries have been part of nuclear weapons-free zone including ASEAN member countries known as the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANFWZ).

Indonesia also stressed on the importance of creating nuclear free zone in the Middle East as already agreed in the review conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1995.

As a NPT member country, Indonesia had actually met NPT provisions including forging cooperation with IAEA and ratifying comprehensive safeguard agreement and IAEA additional protocol.

Indonesia continued monitoring and learning the proposal on multilateral mechanism to guarantee the supply of nuclear raw materials.

The proposal was expected to be able to support the interest of whole countries wishing to make use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Gusti Agung said. (*)

NAM calls for nuclear disarmament

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) called for the disarmament of nuclear weapons as the only guaranty to prevent the danger posed by nuclear weapons to the survival of human beings.

Such an appeal was extended in the second preparatory committee meeting of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation conference in Geneva which happened to be part of a review conference of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapon to be held in 2010.

The Third Secretary of the Indonesian permanent representative office in Geneva, Widya Sadnovic, in a press release made available to Antara News in London on Wednesday said Indonesia in the meeting reiterated the position of NAM on the nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation as specified in the various documents of the conferences and NAM summits.

The meeting, which started on April 28 and would end on May 9, 2008, was attended by around 190 members countries of the nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty (NPT) in which the objective was to review the provisions of the NPT implementation, decisions and agreements, thus assessing the adherence of member countries in implementing the NPT chapters.

NAM member countries in the NPT were committed to fulfilling the agreements produced in the review conferences in 1995 and 2000 with an aim to stop the proliferation of the whole nuclear weapons.

According to Widya Sadnovic, all NAM group expressed their agreement to the nuclear disarmament and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in a balanced manner.

NAM group also expressed their concern over the slow process of nuclear disarmament by countries having nuclear weapons as part of their defense system and they even continued to modernize their nuclear fleet.

In this context, NAM as the biggest group in NPT proposed that the next review conference of the non-proliferation treaty of nuclear weapons should be able to formulate the time frame of the chapter VI implementation and mechanism in a bid to verify the member

Friday, April 25, 2008

Government adamant on limiting Namru-2 staffers having diplomatic imunity

Jakarta, April 24 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is persisting in its preparedness to grant diplomatic immunity to only two US Namru-2 (Naval Medical Research Unit 2) staff members, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said here on Thursday.

"We are sticking to our stance that not all of Namru-2 officers will be granted diplomatic immunity. We will give the immunity to only two of the 20 US naval officers with Namru-2," he said.

He made the remark after receiving British Armed Forces Commander Marshal Jock Stirrup here on Thursday.

The minister said besides restricting the number of Namru-2 staff having diplomatic immunity, Indonesia was also insisting that doctors of the Indonesian Navy be assigned in Namru-2 as supervisors.

The need to assign Indonesian supervisors was due to the fact that so far the activities carried out by Namru-2 officers were not transparent, he said.

Therefore, Indonesian naval officers must be involved as supervisors in Namru-2 activities in Indonesia, he said.

"We want Indonesian naval officers to be involved in the activities of NAMRU-2," the minister said on Wednesday.

The minister said Indonesia and the United States were still negotiating several points for the resumption of its cooperation with Namru-2.

"The discussions are now focused on the United States request for diplomatic immunity for 20 Namru-2 staff members," the minister said.

He said Indonesia had refused to give diplomatic immunity to all 20 Namru-2 staff members and was prepared to grant it to only 2 of them.

"If we give diplomatic immunity to all of them, we are afraid we will not be able to control or know the things they do or take in the research activities," Juwono said.

He said Namru-2 activities were expected to be transparent and useful for both nations with the involvement of Indonesian naval officers and a restriction in the number of US staffers obtaining diplomatic immunity.

US Health Minister Michael O Levitt during a working visit in Indonesia recently asked the Indonesian government to give diplomatic immunity to Namru-2 staffers.

The US minister`s request was made in connection with a plan to extend Namru-2`s work contract in Indonesia after it expired in 2000.

When the bird flu broke out in Indonesia in June-July, 2005, the Namru-2 cooperation was continued. Namru-2 assisted Indonesia in research on avian influenza virus infection and helped the government send specimens of suspected patients to the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC)laboratory in Atlanta and the WHO collaboration laboratory in Hong Kong.

Namru-2`s contract with Indonesia expired on December 31, 2005 so that all activities with the laboratories were stopped on January 1, 2006. (*)

Indonesia sends diplomatic note to three countries

Pontianak (ANTARA News) - The Foreign Ministry has sent a diplomatic note to Chinese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese embassies following the capture of 17 foreign motor vessels with 151 crew members while poaching in Natuna waters.

Consular affairs director at the Foreign Ministry Indra Kesuma Oesman said here on Thursday he had submitted a diplomatic note to the three countries calling on them to conduct a verification of the existing detainees to smoothen their deportation.

He hoped that after the sending of the diplomatic note, the embassies of the three countries would be able to arrange the deportation of the Indonesians as soon as possible. It was believed that a delay in their deportation will cause new problems such as their meal cost and other social problems.

The quickest process of the deportation will take at least two months if the embassy is proactive in helping their nationals return home as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Pontianak Naval Base Commander Lt Col Taufik Harun said his side had sent 151 crew members from the three countries to Pontianak Immigration office for further legal process. "But till now the whips of the detainees are still berthing at Jeurju TPI port, as the immigration office has no place to accommodate such big number of detainees."

He said that fish confiscated from their vessels could serve as evidence. Based on law No 5.1985 and a ruling of the Supreme Court No 1/2007, the confiscation of the fish caught in Indonesian waters is the authority of the navy and the proceeds of fish auction could be kept as evidence for the court.

"We hope that the deportation can be immediately carried out to prevent other problems," he said.

The Director General for Marine and Fishery Resources Supervision (DKP), Aji Sulasto, on another occasion said his office in 2007 succeeded in saving the state from a loss of about Rp460 billion in addition to Rp295 billion in the January-April 2008 period.

Most of the poachers caught red handed in Indonesian waters came from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

It was reported that about 75 fishing vessels had been confiscated in Ranai and another 60 in Pontianak. Those vessels will be declared as state assets on the basis of the court verdict.(*)

President: govt continues to overcome national problems

Batulicin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - The government continues to make every effort of solving all problems in the country, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said here on Thursday.

"All government elements from time to time continue to overcome problems in the country, although it is not easy," President Yudhoyono said when dedicating the Ashar Nurulsallam Mosque in Batulicin, Tanah Bumbu district, South Kalimantan.

On the occasion the president pointed out that the country is currently facing skyrocketing world oil prices and global food crisis.

"No matter how difficult the problems that we are facing at the moment, the government will continue to find the best possible solution," the president in the company of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono said.

But the head of state added that to overcome those problems once and for all, the government also needed the contribution of all public elements in the country.

"on the one hand the government continues to work hard in its efforts to overcome the problems but on the other hand all public elements need to cooperate with the government," Yudhoyono said.

The president arrived here on Thursday afternoon from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, where he launched a program to create models of disadvantaged villages in Indonesia.

On Friday morning, President Yudhoyono, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, Central Kalimantan Governor Rudy Arifin and Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto would attend a function to mark the 12th anniversary of regional autonomy.

After performing Friday prayers, the president and the first lady would dedicate a smart house at 3 p.m. , before returning to Jakarta.(*)

Indonesia still questioning "elements" having links with Reinado

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is still waiting for clarifications about whom Timor Leste President Ramos Horta meant when he said "elements in Indonesia" had had contacts with rebel leader Alfredo Reinado.

Ramos Horta was quoted by the Associated Press as saying in Dili recently there was a possibility rebel army officer Alfredo Reinado, who had tried to assassinate him in an armed attack on his residence but was himself killed in an ensuing shootout, had "a lot of contacts ... with elements in Indonesia".

Horta was shot in the stomach during the pre-dawn attack on February 11, 2008 on his Dili home by rebel soldiers led by Alfredo Reinado.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda who earlier challenged Horta to provide evidence on his statement said on Monday Indonesia was waiting for explanations from Timor Leste on who were the `elements` referred to by the Timor Leste president.

"We want to hear whether the problem referred to as `elements` by President Ramos Horta has been overcome," Wirajuda said referring to the arrest by Indonesian police of three Timor Leste citizens last Friday.

The arrest was made based on information provided by the Timor Leste government.

"We rely on the information given by the Timor Leste government as to what it has meant by `elements`. We don`t know whether or not the elements meant are the ones we have arrested or whether there are others," the minister said.

The three Timor Leste citizens who were arrested by the Indonesian police were Egidio Lay Carvalho, Jose Gomes and Ismail Sansao Moniz Soares. They had entered Indonesia illegally.

Last week, in New York, Wirajuda challenged Horta to provide evidence on his allegation. "If Timor Leste can provide evidence, we will be ready to take follow up actions on the allegation," he said.

He said the Indonesian government had an open mind. If there was information, for instance on phone calls or money transfers, it should be given to the Indonesian government. With such information it`s easy to trace the people involved, he said.

Also in reaction to Horta`s allegation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked Timor Leste leaders not to issue any statement that could be interpreted as if there had been elements in Indonesia possibly involved in the shooting on February 11, 2008 of President Jose Ramos Horta.

Yudhoyono said he talked with Ramos Horta on April 10 when the Timor Leste leader was being treated in Australia for gunshot wounds.

"In the phone talk, Ramos Horta briefed me on the investigation being conducted into the shooting incident and asked for assistance from the Indonesian government," Yudhoyono said.

Indonesia sent two high-ranking police officers to Dili on April 13 and April 15 to collect information from the Prosecutor General of Timor Leste and to analyze the information together.

Based on the information, the Indonesian police acted swiftly to locate the suspects. Everything happened quickly, professionally and in a high spirit of cooperation, he said.

"That is why, I was a bit surprised to hear President Ramos Horta`s statement because it was my understanding that the telephone conversation on April 10 was not for public knowledge yet. I instructed my ministers and police chief not to disclose the information to the public in order to give an opportunity to the Indonesian police to hunt the suspects," he said.

The three suspects, identified as Egidio Lay Carvalho, Jose Gomes, and Ismail Sansao Moniz Soares, are all members of the military of Timor Leste, who have been involved in rebellious activities, and suspected of involvement in the shooting incident.

Yet, it is not clear who were the `elements` Horta referred to in his statement when he arrived in Dili from Australia last week.

According to Australian television and radio station ABC on Friday last week, Ramos Horta also accused Indonesian Metro TV journalist Desi Anwar of having assisted Alfredo Reinado to visit Indonesia for an interview in May 2007.

The station in a report quoted Horta as saying he had strong evidence that Anwar, in cooperation with officials in East Nusatenggara (NTT), had helped Reinado obtain fake documents to travel to Indonesia.

Desi Anwar denied the president`s allegation, however, saying it was absolutely ridiculous and nonsense. "This is ridiculous, illogical and not true," she was quoted by ANTARA News Agency as saying.

She expressed regret that a president had made allegations without evidence and accurate data. As a head of state, Horta should have obtained accurate information. "As a president, Horta should have been given accurate inputs," Anwar said adding she hoped the Timor Leste president was convalescing well. "I wish him a speedy recovery," she said.

Horta said what Metro TV and "other elements in Indonesia" had done had also contributed to the attempt on his life last February 11.

In the meantime, the Indonesian Army stressed on Tuesday that no serviceman in Indonesia had had any contact with Alfredo Reinado.

"None of them have had any contact with him. Indonesian army members (in East Nusatenggara bordering Timor Leste) only have the duty to guard the border and they are not allowed to enter the neighboring country," Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo said.

He said all soldiers of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) always followed regulations, including in carrying out government policies to uphold national sovereignty and secure the borders with Timor Leste.

"No Indonesian military man is involved. Soldiers follow rules. They only guard the border areas," Agustadi said.
(*)

RI reporter accused by Ramos Horta to report to press council

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Metro TV journalist Desi Anwar who was accused of involvement in an attempt to assassinate Timor Leste President Ramos Horta has called for support and protection from Indonesia`s Press Council and journalist associations.

"Ramos Horta`s accusation against me is unfounded and irresponsible . It has also created a bad perception harmful to me as a journalist and an individual. I will take the matter to the Press Council and professional organizations," she said here Thursday.

Desi was also expected to tell the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) about the Timor Leste President`s false accusation and ask for IFJ protection.

"The accusation is damaging my reputation at home and abroad. I could be banned from entering a country due to the accusation. As a journalist, I often cover events abroad," she said.

A member of the Press Council, Wina Armada, said he was ready to receive information from Desi about her problem and give moral support to her.

"The Press Council is obliged to help and protect every member of the press community. We will receive Desi Anwar and our friends from Metro TV (an Indonesian private TV satiation) tomorrow (Friday/ April 25)," he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI)`s foreign affairs section, Saiful Hadi, told newsmen that PWI would help defend Desi Anwar as according to information he had received, the Metro TV journalist was not wrong.

"We will hear about Ramos Horta`s accusation directly from Desi. If the accusation is unfounded and not supported by evidence, PWI will urge Ramos Horta to withdraw his accusation. Horta must also apologize to Desi, Metro TV and the Indonesian people," said Saiful Hadi who is also Chief Editor of ANTARA news agency.

According to Saiful, nobody, not even a president, could level an accusation against someone else without evidence. "The accusation against Desi could disrupt her journalistic works and threaten her life," he said.

On Ramos Horta`s accusation against Desi Anwar, Metro TV made a clarification on the matter.

It was untrue that Metro TV journalist Desi Anwar was involved, either directly or indirectly, in an attempt to assassinate Timor Leste President Ramos Horta.

It was also untrue that, as a journalist, Desi Anwar had facilitated Major Alfredo Reinado`s trip to Jakarta or other places in the world.

In her professional history as a journalist, Desi Anwar did not know Major Alfredo Reinado as an individual and did not make any direct or indirect contact with Reinado.

Thus, according to Metro TV, Ramos Horta`s accusation against Desi Anwar was unfounded, irresponsible and had a created a bad perception harmful to Metro TV as an institution and Desi Anwar both as a journalist and an individual.

Metro TV has been looking forward to giving chances to President Ramos Horta to make corrections on his statement which was declared openly and quoted by media worldwide, and till April 22, 2008, at 2 pm, he did not make any correction, Metro TV needed to issue an official denial.

Metro TV urged President Ramos Horta to soon make a rectification on the unfounded accusation. (*)

No Indonesian arrested over Ramos Horta`s shooting

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National Police Chief Gen Sutanto said not a single Indonesian citizen was arrested and being questioned in connection with the shooting of Timor Leste President Ramos Horta last February.

"Not a single Indonesian citizen has been arrested. All the people we are now questioning (in relation with Horta`s shooting) are Timor Leste citizens," he told the press here on Thursday.

He said the police were questioning four Timor Leste nationals who were arrested near the Indonesia-Timor Leste border on suspicion of involvement in the attempt on Horta`s life in Dili last February. All four were Timor Leste military men who had entered Indonesia without the required legal travel documents.

Sutanto said the police were now legally processing the cases of the four Timor Leste men, adding the Timor Leste government had earlier asked for Indonesia`s assistance to take action against anybody suspected of involvement in the attempt on Horta`s life who had fled to Indonesia.

The police chief expressed hope other members of the network that had perpetrated the attack on Horta could be nabbed.

Sutanto also denied rumors that a Timor Leste-born youth figure residing in Jakarta was linked with the plot to kill Horta.

"There is no such link," he said.

Previously, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said police arrested three people from Timor Leste, namely Egidio Lay Carvalho, Jose Gomes, and Ismail Sansao Moniz Soares last Friday.

"I need to clarify that the three suspects are all members of the Timor Leste Military involved in the unrest and shooting," he said.

The arrest was a follow up on the request Horta had made to him via telephone on April 10,2008, he added.
(*)

Friday, April 11, 2008

RI delegation attends UN rights council`s meeting in Genewa

London (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian delegation to a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday briefed the session on Indonesia`s efforts to improve respect and protection of human rights at home.

"Delegates from all other countries at the meeting appreciated the progress achieved by Indonesia in promoting respect for and protection of human rights," a staffer at the office of the Indonesian Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Yasmi Adriansyah, said.

The Indonesian delegation was led by Director General for Multilateral Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, Reslan Izhar Djenie, and further consisted of officials from the ministries of law and human rights, social affairs, manpower and transmigration, women`s empowerment and the Indonesian Permanent Representative`s office in Geneva.

Yasmi said Indonesia was among 16 countries attending the UN Human Rights Council`s first UPR meeting which would run until April 18.

The other countries are Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Finland, Britain, India, Brazil, the Philippines, Algeria, Poland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the Czech Republic and Argentine.

The second UPR meeting would be held in May and December, she said, adding that Indonesia would be a member of a troika that would review reports from India and Japan.

The UPR mechanism was agreed on by UN member nations as an effort to intensify protection of human rights in each member country through dialog and cooperation based on the Council`s resolution on Institutional Building.

The mechanism, she said, would eventually result in the issuance of recommendations and inputs from all UN member countries and observers an efforts to intensify protection of human rights in UN member countries, including Indonesia.

At Wednesday`s UPR meeting, the Indonesian delegation provided explanations and information on the human rights situation in Indonesia to complement a report the government had submitted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights last February.

The Indonesian delegation also elaborated on Indonesia`s first and second national action plans on human rights as a follow up of the Vienna Declaration and the Action Program adopted in 1993.

It reported the Indonesian government was completing a process to revise the country`s Penal Code in consultation also with some non-governmental organizations.

The Indonesian delegation also told the session Indonesia would ratify the Optional Protocol I of the International Convention against Torture by 2009, withdraw some of the reservations it had once put forward on some articles in the International Convention on Children`s Rights and try to adjust its national laws with those convention articles.

About the Law on Public Information which was passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) on April 4, the delegation said based on the law, the state and all public institutions were obliged to make their financial reports public.
(*)

US praises TNI`s internal reforms

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The US government has once again praised the Indonesian military (TNI) for its success in implementing internal reforms.

The TNI`s respect for human rights was also getting better, Commander of US Pacific Command Admiral Timothy J Keating said at a meeting with TNI Chief Gen Djoko Santoso at the latter`s office here on Thursday.

"We also praise the Garuda military contingent (Konga) XXIII-B for its performance while joining the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon," he was quoted by Head of the TNI Headquarters` Information Service Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen as saying.

Even, the UN had also praised the Konga XXIII-B for its remarkable performance while joining the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), he said.

He further said the TNI and the US Pacific Command had also agreed to step up the existing cooperation and to expand the areas of cooperation.

Under the cooperation agreement signed in 2007, the US offered 138 programs to Indonesia. The programs were divided into five categories, namely training and exercise working group (64 activities), logistics working group (10 activities), communication and intelligence working group (7 activities), high level visit working group (15 activities), and special education and program working group (42 activities).

In 2008, both sides had agreed to implement all programs of which cooperation agreements were signed in the previous years, he said.(*)

Navy nabs foreign tramp ship in Papua waters

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian warship KRI Arun-903 of the Eastern Fleet has arrested a tramp ship belonging to a Chinese national in the Fak-Fak waters, Papua province, a navy spokesman said.

"The arrest of MV Fuyuan Yu F 80 was made recently in the Papua waters which is rich in tuna fish," Eastern Fleet Spokesman Lt Col. Toni Saiful said here on Thursday.

The 1,344 GT vessel was skippered by Cheng Kong Zhang and had served as a tramper to collect fish catch. It was reported to have the capacity of carry 1,000 tons of fish catch.

The arrest of the Chinese ship began when KRI Arun detected a ship with a foreign name and flag. Suspicious that something was wrong with the foreign vessel, KRI Arun intercepted and searched it, he said.

It turned out that the Chinese ship had no legal documents and the number of its 39 crew members (including the skipper) did not match the vessel`s manifest.

"The manifest mentioned only 18 people, while in fact there were 39, which is a violation of the law," he added.(*)

RI Consulate in Sydney, Garuda to organize `Discover Indonesia`

Brisbane (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian consulate general in Sydney and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia will jointly organize a tourism promotion event called "Discover Indonesia" for Australian tourism operators and mass media.

Intended to support the Visit Indonesia 2008 program, the promotional event would be held for two weeks starting late July 2008, Pratito Soeharyo, minister counselor at the consulate, said here Friday.

Representatives of 20 Australian travel bureaus and a number of newspaper and television reporters would be invited to take part in the program, he said.

They would be given the opportunity to visit and see some of Indonesia`s eco-tourism potentials outside Bali, especially on Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua islands.

Garuda would among other things fly them to the Bunaken marine park in North Sulawesi, the center for orangutan protection in Kalimantan, and Toba Lake in North Sumatra.

Most Australian tourists visiting Indonesia so far stay mainly in Bali.

For 2008, Indonesia had set a target of attracting seven million foreign tourists and earning around US$6.7 billion in foreign exchange from them.

A total of 5.5 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year. Topping the list of countries where the tourists came from were Singapore with 1.46 million tourists, Malaysia (941,202), Japan (593,784), Australia (313,881), South Korea (423,098), China (335,172), Europe (528,171), and the United States (154,846). (*)

VP assures S Korean bizmen Indonesia seriously fighting corruption

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla here Friday assured South Korean and Indonesian businessmen that the government was seriously fighting corruption in the country.

"As we all know, two days ago, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested a legislator at this hotel for alleged corruption," Kalla said when opening an Indonesia-South Korea Business Forum at the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

The vice president said the arrest on Wednesday of Al Amin Nasution, a member of the House of Representatives` Commission IV, by the KPK at the Ritz Carlton Hotel was an example of Indonesia`s serious efforts to combat corruption.

Kalla said the arrest of Al Amin Nasation as a suspect in a bribery case was part of the government`s efforts to change the perception that Indonesia was one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

He said eradication of corruption and other law enforcement efforts were badly needed to encourage investment growth.

"Our government system is now more democratic and transparent and therefore we invite foreign investors to invest in Indonesia," the vice president said.

Kalla said Indonesia was at present in need of investment in infrastructure facilities such as seaports, airports and toll roads.

"We also have abundant natural resources, and a big population which is a potential market for South Korean businessmen investing in our country," Kalla said.
(*)

Govt to issue regulation on rice export soon

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government, through the Ministry of Trade, will soon issue a decree to regulate rice exports.

"I am preparing a rice export regulation and hope it can be issued within the next few days," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said after a coordinative meeting on economic affairs here on Friday.

The minister said the decree would ban export of rice conducted by any party other than the National Logistics Agency (Bulog).

"It is only Bulog that will be authorized to carry out rice exports but before it does so it should first get the green light from the government through the Food Stability Team," she said.

The minister said Bulog could carry out rice exports only if there was a surplus in rice production. "So, there will be no export if there is no rice surplus," she added.

The government is planning to export rice as this year the country is expected to experience a rice production surplus of over 1.30 million tons.

Director General for Food Crops Sutarto Alimuso said recently production in 2008 was estimated to reach 58.26 million tons of dry unhusked rice or equivalent to about 33 million tons of rice.

If the population was 227.78 million with a per capita rice consumption of 139.15 kg, the national need for rice was about 31.68 million tons, he said.

So this year there would be a rice surplus of about 1.30 million tons, excluding year-end left-over stocks in the warehouses of Bulog and rice stored by the people, the director general said.

At present, March and April, Indonesia is in a rice harvest season. "Indonesia`s dry unhusked rice production this season is estimated at 19.3 million tons," Sutarto Alimuso said.

The 19.3 million tons will come from harvests on a total of 4.12 million hectares of paddies in West Java, Central Java, East Java, Banten, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, Lampung and South Sumatra provinces. (*)

UNICEF hands 49th rehabilitated school building to Aceh govt

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - The United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) on Friday handed an elementary school building in Kajeung, Sungai Mas sub district, to the people and government of West Aceh District.

The school building, the 49th UNICEF had reconstructed in Aceh under its post-tsunami assistance program, was handed by the head of the UNICEF Representative Office in Meulaboh, Frederic Sizaret, to West Aceh District Chief Ramli MS.

Earlier, on Thursday, UNICEF also handed two buildings to house the Islamic Elementary Boarding School of Peulanteu Lembalek and state elementary school of Suak Ie Beusou in Arongan Lembalek sub district to the West Aceh district head.

The three buildings are among 18 school buildings rebuilt by UNICEF in West Aceh.

The school buildings each consist of a number of class rooms and also offer sports facilities, Sizaret said.

Up to April 10, he added, UNICEF had rebuilt 49 school buildings and handed them over the local people and administrations, consisting of 25 units in Aceh Jaya District, 18 units in West Aceh District and six units in Nagan Raya District.

He said UNICEF would always try to support the Indonesian government in making basic education affordable by the people.

Therefore, he added, UNICEF was committed to rebuilding 109 school buildings across the west cost of Aceh as part of the rehabilitation of 346 school building units in Aceh and Nias damaged by the quake and tsunami on December 26, 2004 or due to the past armed conflict in the province.

He said UNICEF would also help to improve the quality of education in these schools along with the local education office by giving training to school principals and community figures on program creating learning communities for children (CLCC).
(*)

RI, UNODC hold meeting on combating illicit trafficking in forest products

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and the United Nations shrugs and crime agency UNODC organized an international experts group meeting on International Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Illicit International Trafficking in Forest Products, in Jakarta, recently.

The forest products included timber, wildlife and other forest biological resources, according to a press statement of the Indonesian forestry ministry here on Friday.

The meeting was attended by 47 experts from 15 member countries and observers from ASEAN-WEN, AFP, FLEGT, UNEP, UNFF, World Bank, and CIFOR.

In the two-day meeting officially opened by Indonesian Forestry Minsiter MS Kaban on March 26, the participants emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating and preventing illicit international trafficking in forest products.

The international cooperation in environmental crime could be carried out by using legal instruments of the UN Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime and Corruption (UNCTOC), the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), or the UN model Treaties on Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance.

The (UNODC) is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. Established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Center for International Crime Prevention, UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices. (*)

Monday, January 28, 2008

Govt recognizes Soeharto`s meritorious services

Karanganyar, Central Java (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on behalf of the government Monday recognized the late former president Soeharto`s meritorious services during Indonesia`s struggle for independence and in leading the country.

President Yudhoyono made the acknowledgment in his address at the state funeral of the former president at Astana Giri Bangun cemetery with state officials and respresentatives of friendly countries attending.

He said Soeharto had dedicated his life to the service of the state and nation. In the 1945-1949 period, he led a struggle to expel the colonial ruler to uphold the sovereignty of the fledgling nation and state.

On March 1, 1949, he again led a general armed attack and succeeded in liberating Yogyakarta which was the provisional capital of the Republic of Indonesia, Yudhoyono said.

In 1962, Soeharto acted as commander of the Mandala Command, a mission which was considered successful in diplomatic and military terms, he said.

Three years later, Soeharto succeeded in rescuing the nation from a communist coup on September 30, 1965 (G30S/PKI) and in maintaining peace and order since then, he said.

Since he came to power on March 27, 1968, Soeharto had tried his best to implement national development based on a concept he called `Development Trilogy` which put emphasis on stability, growth and equitable distribution of the fruits of development, according to Yudhoyono.

The government, in all honesty, recognized the meritorious services rendered by Soeharto to the nation and state during his lifetime, he said.

"As a nation that upholds the principle of fairness, the government expresses its greatest possible gratitude and appreciation to the late Soeharto," he said.

As a human being, Soeharto had shortcomings and was not free from mistakes for which the entire nation should forgive him, Yudhoyono said, adding the nation should also pray for the deceased leader.

"Farewell, Father of Development," the president said.

During his lifetime Soeharto received 27 medals of merit from domestic institutions, 38 medals of merit from foreign countries and awards from seven world organizations.

Soeharto died of multiple organ failure at Pertamina Hospital on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in South Jakarta after being treated for more than three weeks. (*)

Condolences flowing in from Indonesia`s neighbors

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Since former president Soeharto`s death on Sunday (Jan 27), expressions of condolences have also been flowing in from Indonesia`s closest neighbors.

The former strongman who ruled Indonesia for 32 years, died on Sunday aged 86, suffering multiple organ failure.

In a letter to President Susilo Bambamg Yudhoyono, Singaporean President S R Nathan praised Soeharto for turning a "fractious country" with a "broken-back economy" into a modern state producing years of prosperity and stability. He also credited Soeharto for turning ASEAN into a premier regional organization.

Outgoing Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the expansion of ASEAN in the mid-1990s would not have been possible without Soeharto`s "blessing, commitment and leadership". Soeharto`s focus on peace and security made the region "far safer, stronger and more confident than it was decades ago," he said in a letter to President Yudhoyono.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed similar sentiments.

"As one of the fathers of ASEAN, President Soeharto was among those who had the pioneering vision of establishing a more peaceful, progressive and prosperous South-east Asian region founded on respect and understanding".

Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said Soeharto was a friend to Australia despite his "less than desirable" human-rights record.

"He had a very good vision for building a strong South-East Asian community and a prospective view about Australia being part of that," Downer told Australian Associated Press.

Xanana Gusmao, the first president of East Timor, expressed his deep condolences, according to the secretary general of the East Timor Reconstruction Party, Dionisio `Didi Babo, in a statement.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong made an official visit to the Indonesian embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday to lay a wreath and sign a condolence book in honor of the former president.(*)

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