Indonesian navy finds Japanese bastion in Makassar

Antara News, Fri, February 11 2011

Makasaar, S.Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia Navy Main Base VI in Makassar found the sites relics of the Japanese bastion when tracing river delta in Lakkang village, Tallo sub district, Makassar on Friday.

The Commander of Navy Main Base VI Intelligence Team, Major Dismet Kolmet, said here, Friday that the team found some signs that showed the tunnel was the bastion of the Japanese army while leading the survey.

"We found seven bunkers here. We estimate the two bunkers were booth weapon that could be used to shoot long distances," he noted.

He estimated, there are several bunkers located in the vicinity of ammunition, because usually hideout bunker is built circularly.

The team derived by the navy also requested information from some local residents whom are estimated still having relationship with the history of the old bunkers in Tallo river mainland.

"We recommend the location to be secured first before cleaning done because it is possible to found mines or other dangerous objects at the excavation site," one of the team sweeping member said to the local people.

The navy requested the culture and tourism office of Makassar to involve preservation of archaeological heritage center and archaeologists to examine the location before the people digging and cleaning the historic areas.

The Head of Resources and Community Participation, the culture and tourism office of Makassar, Andi Mirza Zainal, said it would immediately make a written request and an audience with the center.

"These are historical assets that can sell Lakkang as a tourist village. So, we will immediately contact the archaeological center and invites Hasanuddin University to research the area," he said.

The head of Lakkang village, Andi M. Fara, explained, some local people who had long lived in the area estimated that the bunker was built in the 1940s when Japan was in Makassar.

In fact, the local people said, the place was once used as a consolidation or secret meetings by the kings of South Sulawesi.

He added, many foreign tourists who had been visiting Lakkang are attracted by the seven bunkers located in Tallo river delta, Makassar city.

"The condition of the bunkers is not too good, because it is buried in silt soil sediments. We hope the villagers social service by involving the navy can support the efforts of our village to promote the appealing objects to the tourists," he said.

The head of Lakkang village stated, the historical relics in their areas is expected to be a tourist attraction to visit the location of bunkers that could only be reached by using a small boat or pincara (raft-like transportation mode).

Editor: Suryanto

University seeks to develop agrotourism in Bali

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/23/2011

Bali’s Udayana University School of Agriculture is seeking to develop a model for agrotourism in Bali highlighting a tradtional Balinese farming system called subak.

Udayana agriculture professor and project leader I Wayan Widia said the university was conducting research with support from the National Education Ministry.

The research, he said, involved hundreds of farmers in three subak locations in Denpasar, Gianyar and Tabanan, and was expected to complete this year.

“The results of the research will be used as material for a doctoral dissertation,” Windia said, as reported by Antara on Sunday.

“It will also be used as input for the Bali administration to help develop agriculture in collaboration with development of the tourism sector,” he added.

Under the subak system, Balinese farmers regulate water usage for irrigating rice paddies and plantations in a fair and effective manner. The subak system also incorporates various traditional and religious activities to support agricultural communities in Bali.

President to dedicate Batak museum

Antara News, Friday, January 14, 2011

From the past: Visitors view artifacts from the Batak tribe group in the TB Silalahi Batak Museum in Tobasa, North Sumatra, Tuesday. The museum was recently officially opened by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Antara/Septianda Perdana)

Tobasa, North Sumatra (ANTARANews) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to dedicate Batak Museum at Balige in Toba Samosir (Tobasa) district, North Sumatra, next Tuesday, January 18, 2011.

"President Yudhoyono will be accompanied by a number of cabinet ministers to dedicate Batak Museum which houses a collection of Batak cultural artifacts," TB Silalahi Center chairperson Masrina Silalahi said in Balige on Friday.

She said the museum displays Batak handicrafts such as masks and household items including baskets, pots, spears, tribal effigies, and musical instruments such as gongs and drums.

According to Marsina, a committee meeting has been held at the TB Silalahi Center which was attended by retired General TB Silalahi, North Sumatra provincial acting secretary Hasiholan Silaen, and heads of Tobasa, Dairi, and Taput districts.

Meanwhile, Hasiholan Silaen said the meeting was held to discuss preparations for President Yudhoyono`s visit to dedicate the Batak museum.

He said the president and his entourage would directly fly from Jakarta to Silangit airport in Taput district, where he would take an overland trip to the location of Batak museum in Balige.

Hasiholan Silaen also called on the local people who would greet the president to wear their respective traditional costumes.

King Marnangkok Naipospos, give grains of rice to the head a number of people at a ceremony in the hall Pasogit Parmalim Hutatinggi Village, Town Laguboti, District Sanosir Toba, North Sumatra, Monday, July 26, 2010. (Demotix)

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Bangka has abundant marine tourism, historical attractions

Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Saturday, October 16, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Bangka island in Bangka-Belitung (Babel) province undeniably has marine tourism and historical attractions in abundance.

Having lush tropical forests and surrounded by crystal clear sea with white sandy beaches, Bangka island is another tourism destination in Indonesia.

After visitors have set foot on the pristine, beautiful beaches such as Parai, Pasir Padi, Sampur, and Matras beaches, returning to their hotels and accommodations will be a hard thing to do.

It is because of these abundant marine tourism and historical attractions that the Pangkalpinang city government is currently making every effort to develop them for both domestic and foreign tourists.

"Besides marine tourism, historical attractions also have a great potential to attract and increase the number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit the island," Pangkalpinang culture and tourism office spokesman Ahmad Elvian said in Pangkalpinang on Saturday.

The historical attractions on Bangka island, according to Ahmad, are among others Museum Timah (Tin Museum), Rumah Residen (Resident`s House), Dutch Cemetery, Perigi Pekasem (Pekasem Well), and Tugu Pergerakan Kemerdekaan (monument of independence movement).

"Meseum Timah used to be the house of Bangka Tin Winnig (BTW) workers, and the venue of meetings between Indonesian leaders and the Dutch government before the Roem-Royen conference," he said.

But Ahmad said the house at present had become the tin museum where visitors could learn about the history of tin mining in Indonesia.

Commenting on Rumah Residen, Ahmad said it had a specific historical background as indicated by the presence of two ancient cannons in its compound.

Another historical attraction, according to him, was Pekasem well at Tuatunu village in

Gerunggang sub-district, Pangkalpinang.

Ahmad said the bodies of people killed by Tentara Keamanan Rakyat (People`s security force) in the past were thrown into that well.

Meanwhile, local Transportation, Culture and Tourism Office (Dishubudpar) spokesman Choirul Amri Rani said in Muntok, Bangka, recently that the Bangka Barat district administration was also currently developing three tourist objects in the area.

"With their appealing natural beauty, the three tourism objects, namely Batu Rakit Beach, Menumbing rest house, and Dendang Hot Springs are expected to attract a multitude of both domestic and foreign tourists," Choirul Amri Rani said.

According to him Batu Rakit Beach was potential enough to be developed into a family sport and recreational object.

"We have prepared the entertainment supporting facility at the beach for tourists and local community to enjoy," Choirul said, adding that the local government had also renovated the Menumbing Resthouse for tourists.

He said Menumbing rest house had historic value because the house used to be the residence of Bung Karno and Bung Hatta when they were exiled to Bangka island during the Dutch colonial era.

"Visitors can enjoy the original state of the house in a more comfortable atmosphere because we have renovated it," Choirul said.

According to him, the third tourism object in Bangka Barat was Dendang hot springs in Kelapa sub-district.

To introduce the three tourist objects, he said, the Bangka Barat district government would continue to make familiarization through photos and brochures.

"With continuous familiarization, we hope many domestic and foreign tourists will come to Bangka Barat," he added.

Therefore, Choirul also expressed hope that the local people would actively improve their creativity by creating various typical crafts for souvenirs in a bid to support tourism in their area.

"Dishubudpar has organized a souvenir creating competition but unfortunately the participants are still very few," Choirul said, hoping the local economy would improve following the promotion of the three tourism objects.

To support the tourism industry on Bangka island, Babel transportation office spokesman M Ilyas said the runway of Depati Amir airport in Pangkalpinang was being extended and expected to be completed at the end of this year.

"It is expected that the extension of the airport`s runway from 2,250 meters to 2,600 meters will be completed before the end of this year," Ilyas said.

He explained that after the extension of the runway, the Depati Amir airport would be at the same level of other airports in the country for Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

"With its 2,600-meter runway, the Depati Amir airport will be able to be landed by Air Bus planes," Ilyas said.

No wonder he said more tourists were expected to visit Bangka island.

He added that the local transportation office put the extension of the airport`s runway on top priority because it is located at the provincial capital.

"We will prioritize the development of Depati Amir airport but it does not mean that we ignore HAS Hanandjuddin airport in Tanjungpandang," he said.

According to Ilyas, the development of Depati Amir airport, popularly known as Pangkalpinang airport, was the responsibility of airport management company PT Angkasa Pura-II while the expansion of HAS Hanandjuddin airport in Tanjungpandang was the responsibility of air transportation department.

"The air transportation office will facilitate the development of the two airports in Bangka Belitung province to make them more adequate," he said.

Ilyas explained that as of 2008, the Depati Amir airport at the provincial city was far behind HAS Hanandjuddin airport in Tanjungpandang.

"As of 2008 the Depati Amir airport was far behind HAS Hanandjuddin airport in Tanjungpandang, and therefore Bangka Belitung transportation service office prioritized the development of Depati Amir in stages.

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A day in the Kei Islands

Tifa Asrianti, The Jakarta Post, Kei Islands, Maluku | Sun, 08/08/2010 11:04 AM | Travel

As the small airplane flew above Kei Islands in Maluku, passengers saw green hills and crystal-clear blue water — a perfect holiday destination.

Ngurbloat beach or Pasir Panjang beach in Ngilng
of village.

Located directly under the “bird head” of Papua, the Kei Islands encompass a number of small islands with Kei Besar and Kei Kecil (big and small) being the biggest islands in the group. Kei Besar may be bigger in size but it is the Kei Kecil that has a larger population.

Our plane landed at Dumatubun Air Force Base on Kei Island. A commercial airport is currently under construction and is expected to be ready by 2012.

The island is known for its white sandy beaches. One of these beaches worth visiting is Ngurbloat Beach in Ngilngof village. Local natives call this beach “Pasir Panjang” or the long sandy beach.

On a recent sunny Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit this beach. The white sand felt as soft as baby powder beneath my feet as I walked along the coastline. Wearing sunglasses is strongly recommended as the white sand of the beach reflects the sunlight strongly.

So clear was the sea that people on the beach could see the gradation in the seawater’s colors, from crystal clear to aquamarine and then to stronger hues of blue as it goes deeper.

On the weekends, the beach bustles with locals relaxing after a week of work. Some people swim in the shallow waters while others strolled.

Despite being remote, life at Ngurbloat is not as modest as we assume. In fact, there was a family who enjoyed its fast ride on a jet ski.

Thanks to the beauty of nature, Ngurbloat has big potential to be developed into a world-class resort, but for the time being, only locals manage the area. In their modest ways, these people erected gazebos and small food stalls along a pathway flanked with coconut palms and other vegetation.

Traditional snacks and beverages are offered at the stalls, including thinly-sliced fried bananas served with sambal and coconuts the vendor picks directly from the tree after an order is placed.

If you prefer to go for a pristine beach, you might find Ngur Sarnadan Beach more to your liking. Located in Ohoililir village, Ngur Sarnadan is not far from a fishing village.

At Ngur Sarnadan there are long rows of bamboo tables onto which fishermen usually place their catch.

No, not fish, but seaweed. While I stood there waiting for the sunset, one fisherman was cleaning a long rope he used at his seaweed farm.

With a road system almost encircling the island, it’s not difficult to explore and find a favorite beach. My favorite beach was the thickly vegetated crescent-shaped beach in Madwaer village. It is a perfect getaway for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. And the good thing is that there isn’t any cell phone signal in this area.

After a swim in the sea, you can clean up at Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in Letvuan village. A guide told me that this cave is around 100 meters long and people can explore only by putting on a mask and snorkel. In local language Hawang means ghost so prepare yourselves for the unexpected. Another legend surrounding the Kei Islands is that of Ken Dedes, a Singosari princess who sought refuge to in the islands to escape from the invading Majapahit soldiers. Locals believe the tomb of Ken Dedes is on Kei Kecil.

Local also believe Dedes had a daughter named Nen Dit Sak Mas, who became a queen and codified a new set of law Larvul Ngabal. This law has seven articles concerning treatment of criminals, respect of women and civil law.

The Larvul Ngabal law continues to have an important role in the Kei Islands, having prevented a religious conflict affecting the entire Maluku in 1999. One of the truisms in the law that help prevent the conflict is that Kei people come from the same chicken egg and breathe with the same gills.

Muslims and Christians share the Kei Islands as their home, although the latter is larger in number.

Mosques and churches stands next to each other, and women wearing the Muslim headscarf could be seen sitting next to women wearing a cross.

Goa Hawang, a freshwater cave in
Letvuan village.

Christianity entered Kei Islands in the early 1900s, and recently several villages celebrated the religion’s centennial anniversary in the islands. Wab village celebrated this milestone in 2007.

At the highest point of Kei Kecil, there is the Cross Path and a statue of Jesus Christ opening his arms towards the sea. Locals are extremely friendly. Once I bumped into a group of schoolchildren walking home, and every one of them greeted me with a smile and said “Good afternoon” to me.

For food lovers, the Kei Islands is known for its seafood, mostly served fried or grilled. For vegetarians, sautéed papaya flower is another specialty and while the staple food of Kei people is rice, they also consum sago and enbal (made from cassava).

The best way to enjoy sago and enbal is to dip them into hot water and wait a few minutes before eating them. You can also replace hot water with tea, coffee, milk or soup, as long as it is hot.

For whatever reason you finally go to the Kei Islands, for business or pleasure, you will certainly leave them with the wish to return.

Tips

• Currently, only three airlines fly to Kei Islands, Wings Air, the subsidiary of Lion Air (www2.lionair.co.id), Express Air (www.expressair.biz) and Trigana Air (www.trigana-air.com).
• If you are flying to the Kei Islands from Jakarta or other cities in Indonesia’s western time zone, you’d better take enough rest before the flight given the two-hour time difference.
• You can find public minivans serving long routes across the island. But for your own convenience, better rent a car or a motorcycle from locals, as almost public minivan drivers have an inexplicable penchant for turning up the volume of their car stereo.
• If you want to remain connected, consider switching to Simpati, Indosat’s Mentari or IM3 provided by Telkomsel as those three GSM services are currently available in the area. However, not all areas on the islands are covered.
• While the Kei Islands is supposed to be in its dry season in July, torrential rains often hit the islands without warning. Sunglasses, blockout and a waterproof hooded jacket are essential.

— Photos by JP/Tifa Asrianti

Bali to firmly uphold law on environment

Antara News, Saturday, July 24, 2010 03:49 WIB

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - The tourist resort province of Bali will in the coming years firmly uphold the law on the environment, Head of Bali`s Environment Agency (BLH) AA Alit Sastrawan said.

"In our efforts to realize the program to make Bali a Green Province which as launched by the local government, the law on the environment should be firmly upheld," Alit said here on Friday.

He said his office was now preparing legal frameworks, including draft bylaws so that later enforcement of the law would in real terms protect all stakeholders in the environment.

Alit explained that after all the legal frameworks had been made they had to be popularized to the people so that the "Bali Green Province` program would run in line with the interests of the people.

"We will popularize it first before we take firm actions to enforce the law," Alit said.

Earlier, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono fully supported Bali`s initiative to become the first "green" province in Indonesia.

"We have also received expressions of support from various parties, including the director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Bangkok who will be visiting Bali in the near future," Made Mangku Pastika said on Tuesday.

The governor who attended a workshop on Bali Green Province which involved various elements of Bali`s community, said turning Bali into a green, healthy, beautiful and clean province would not be easy.

However, he was confident that with the high commitment of and consistent hard work by regional government officials at all levels, and the cooperation of local religious and community leaders, the dream to turn Bali into a green province would be achieved.

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Govt to develop tourism in 200 villages

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 07/03/2010 6:17 PM

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has selected 200 villages across the country as recipients of community empowerment fund (PNPM) in a bid to develop tourism there.

Director of Community Empowerment at the ministry, Bakri, said on Saturday each village in Java would receive between Rp 65 million (US$7,140) and Rp 70 million, while those outside Java would earn between Rp 85 million and Rp 90 million each.

The ministry expected the fund to help people in the villages develop tourism industry as a source of income.

Borobudur village near the world’s largest Buddhist temple in the Central Java regency of Magelang is a success story of the program, he said.

“People in the village were scavengers who lived under the poverty line. But now after their village has turned into a tourist area, many tourists visit there, creating many jobs related to tourism,” Bakri told Antara news agency.

The ministry only initiated the program last year, with 104 villages receiving the empowerment fund. The fund will be channeled to 450 villages next year, according to Bakri.

President plants mangrove trees in Angke

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 06/07/2010 11:43 AM

Planting season: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono plants a mangrove tree in the Angke ecotourism park in North Jakarta on Monday as part of efforts to rehabilitate the mangrove forest. Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and a number of Cabinet members planted mangrove trees in the Angke ecotourism park in North Jakarta on Monday as part of efforts to rehabilitate the mangrove forest.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said his office had struck an agreement with the Jakarta administration to plant 9 million mangrove trees in the coming five years.

“We have organized tree-planting activities here in Angke Bay, in Ancol and in other places several times ,” Zulkifli said as quoted by Antara.

He added that garbage was the most responsible for the destruction of the mangrove forest along Jakarta coast.

“Our main enemy is garbage. Jakarta Bay is like a supermarket, where beds, pillows and garbage can be found,” he said.

Other officials joining the tree planting were Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.

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