Indonesian Prison Sex Documentary Too Hot for Justice Ministry

Jakarta Globe, Ismira Lutfia | October 15, 2010

Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar meeting with Indonesian inmates. The minister has reportedly refused to be interviewed for a potentially explosive documentary titled 'The Sex Business Behind Prison Bars.' The documentary's screening on private TV station SCTV has been delayed due to pressure from the ministry. (Antara Photo)    

Jakarta. Media watchdogs have condemned the Justice and Human Rights Ministry for reportedly ordering private TV station SCTV to drop a sensitive broadcast, and have vowed to investigate.

The program, a documentary titled “The Sex Business Behind Prison Bars,” was scheduled to air at 11 p.m. last Wednesday, but was pulled at the last minute by the SCTV management.

Don Bosco Selamun, the SCTV newsroom chief, said the ministry had tried repeatedly to thwart the documentary’s production.

“Our crew were turned away when they tried to interview [Minister] Patrialis [Akbar] for confirmation, and we had requests from the ministry demanding to see the program before it went on air,” he said on Friday. “In all my years as a broadcaster, this is the first time I’ve experienced this.”

He said the SCTV news crew working on the documentary had been subjected to “continuous intimidation” for two days, while the station management also received a phone call from the ministry demanding that the program be scrapped.

Ezky Suyanto, from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), said the group would meet with SCTV to discuss the issue.

“We’ll do it jointly with the Press Council since this pertains to a journalistic product,” she said. She added that neither the commission nor the council had decided whether to seek clarification from Patrialis.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) called the cancellation of the program “regrettable.”

The group said it condemned the ministry’s actions, calling them a violation of the 1999 Press Law, which prohibits censorship.

Patrialis, however, has denied having anything to do with the cancellation.

Ministry spokesman Martua Batubara, meanwhile, said his office had sent a letter to the broadcaster, but not to demand the program’s cancellation.

“We only requested a copy of the program after its broadcast, for our documentation,” he said.

“It is normal procedure in our media monitoring program to document any news reports regarding the ministry,” he said. “The minister understands press freedoms, and there’s no way he would interfere.”

The AJI said the SCTV team had worked hard to produce the documentary, including getting footage with hidden cameras as proof of the prostitution business in prisons.

Batu police probing violent death of Dutchman, presumed wife

Antara News, Friday, October 15, 2010 20:40 WIB

Batu, East Java (ANTARA News) - Police are still investigating the case of Dutch consulate employee Dirk Pieter van Antwerpen and his presumed Indonesian wife whose injured dead bodies were found in their home on Thursday (Oct 14).

Batu Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Gatot Sugeng Susanto said here Friday the police had not yet succeeded in determining the motive behind what appeared to be the murder of the Dutchman and his assumed wife.

"We need more time to investigate this case and establish the motive of these murders," he said.

Police were still examining things at the crime scene and trying to find witnesses among their close friends to obtain a clearer picture of what happened and why they were killed.

Meanwhile, a man named Samuel, a neighbor who had found the dead bodies, said, at first he had picked up the smell of something rotten that came from the Dutchman`s house at 16.30 pm. He thought it was the smell of a dead chicken, but when he took a closer look at the house, he saw a body lying on the ground inside the house.

"I thought it was the smell of a dead chicken but it turned out it came from a dead human," Samuel said.

Samuel then reported what he found to the local neighborhood chief and later to the police. Afterward, people found the bodies of Dirk Pieter and Suyatmi, an Indonesian woman believed to be his wife, with their hands tied.

Dirk`s body lay in a hallway linking the house`s front terrace and the backyard, and Suyatmi`s body in the backyard. Both bodies showed signs they had been assaulted with a sharp weapon, Samuel said.

Rabies Claims 100th Fatality in Bali

Jakarta Globe, October 15, 2010

Bali, Indonesia. A rabies outbreak on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali has now killed 100 people.

A street dog near Kuta Beach in Bali. The death of a
man in Bali overnight Thursday has taken the death toll
from the rabies outbreak on the resort island to 100.
(EPA Photo)

Ken Wirasandhi, a doctor monitoring the epidemic, said Friday that a 40-year-old villager died overnight after being hospitalized with rabies symptoms.

Bali, an island of 3 million people and one of Asia’s top tourist destinations, has been grappling with the outbreak for nearly two years.

Several countries have issued advisories, telling travelers they should get shots and stay clear of dogs roaming the white-sand beaches.

In a widely criticized move, local officials responded by killing 200,000 stray dogs, saying they couldn’t afford to vaccinate the animals against rabies. That has changed in recent weeks with the help of international funds.

Associated Press

Central Java, Taiwan universities to cooperate in herbal medicine research

Antara News, Thursday, October 14, 2010 17:24 WIB

Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - Soegijapranata Catholic University (Unika Soegijapranata) in Semarang, Central Java, and Providence University in Taiwan have agreed to cooperate in herbal medicine research.

"A team from our university currently visiting Providence University in Taiwan reached the cooperation agreement with the hosts," Unika Soegijapranata spokesman Antonius Juang Saksono said here on Thursday.

Antonius said Unika Soegijapranata Rector Prof Budi Widiaarko who led the team to Taiwan had reported that the two universities had reached an agreement to cooperate in various fields of research including herbal medicine.

He said both parties would carry out a research on the prospects of herbal medicine industry to go international and to make every effort to protect Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan.

"One of the researches which had been agreed on is about the prospects of herbal medicine in Indonesia and its development in the future," Antonius said.

Besides, Gajah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta also has a cooperation with several colleges in Taiwan.

Therefore on Wednesday a "Taiwan Higher Education Fair 2010" was held at Gajah Mada University and participated in by the representatives of 34 colleges and institutes in Taiwan.

The participants from Taiwan provided the visitors with various information about the study and scholarships such as Taiwan Scholarship, MOE Scholarship, Southern Sunshine Scholarship (SSS), and University Scholarship in the country.

UGM Rector Sudjarwadi, when speaking at the fair`s opening, said the event was of great advantage for Indonesian students who would like to study in Taiwan.

He said Indonesian students who got the scholarships to study in Taiwan were expected to be reliable generation in the field of research and culture because many important problems such as global warming needed reliable scholars and thinkers.

Indofood Insists Noodles Safe After Taiwan Ban

Jakarta Globe, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Dessy Sagita & Susilo Wardhani | October 12, 2010

Jakarta. Senior executives from Indofood, the world’s biggest maker of instant noodles, on Monday speculated that unfair trade practices or illegal imports were to blame for their products being pulled off shelves in Taiwan on Friday, as two chains in Hong Kong followed suit on Monday.

Meanwhile, Indonesian health officials moved to reassure the public the noodles were safe.

Fransiscus Welirang, director of Indofood Sukses Makmur, questioned the Taiwan Health Department’s motives for banning Indomie brand instant noodles, which are produced by Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur, a spinoff company.

“Taiwan wants to protect its market from Indomie, which is cheaper than any other noodles,” Fransiscus said.

He also suggested that the Indomie noodles in Taiwan might have been intended for other markets and illegally imported to the island nation, which has higher food-safety standards than other countries.

Indofood CBP makes the Indomie noodles with different ingredients for different markets.

On Friday, Taiwanese authorities banned the brand on the grounds that it contained excessive levels of the preservative benzoic acid.

On Monday, the Hong Kong newspaper The Standard reported that two of the city’s biggest supermarkets, Park’n’Shop and Wellcome, had also taken Indomie noodles off their shelves because of the Taiwan ban.

Kustantinah, head of Indonesia’s National Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), on Monday said the noodles were safe.

“There’s no need to panic. All instant noodles that have been registered [with us] are safe,” she said.

Kustantinah said she would ask the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to try to find out more about Indofood products being pulled.

“We have no diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, so we can’t just ask its food and drugs agency to clarify the situation, but perhaps people from the Trade Ministry can ask why,” she said.

Fransiscus said all Indofood CBP’s products were in full compliance with the guidelines set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international food-standards body. However, he acknowledged that Taiwan had independent guidelines.

“The preservative content in Indomie is still within normal levels,” he said.

Fransiscus said Indofood CBP was still weighing its response to the ban.

Shares of Indofood CBP tumbled 4.3 percent on Monday, while shares of Indofood Sukses Makmur fell 4.4 percent. The stocks’ outlook was also downgraded for unrelated reasons by JP Morgan.

Muhammad Al Fatih, an analyst from Samuel Sekuritas, said the declines would be temporary, and the issue was likely to pass quickly.

But he added that investors would need some time while the facts were clarified.

Related Articles:

All instant noodles from Indonesia inspected in Taiwan

Critics Blast Indonesian Government’s Defense of Indomie

Taiwan Bans Sales of Indomie Instant Noodle

Red Cross Slams Lack of Aid for Wasior Survivors as Death Toll Hits 144

Jakarta Globe, Banjir Ambarita & Dessy Sagita | October 10, 2010

Aid workers warn that survivors of the flash floods in Wasior, forced to
live in their ruined homes, face the risk of fresh flooding. (Reuters Photo)

Related articles

• 76 Still Missing in Wasior as Rain and Lack of Supplies Hamper Relief Efforts
• Indonesia President Doesn't Have to Take Care of Everything: House Speaker
• Logging Blamed for Floods in West Papua
• US Envoy Disappoints Papuan Activists by Not Probing Abuses
• Death Toll Approaches 100 After Papua Flash Floods

Jakarta. A week after flash floods devastated the town of Wasior in West Papua province, the death toll has reached 144, with another 161 people missing and feared dead.

More than 3,000 residents have been evacuated, but aid workers say the government has overlooked those left behind.

La Abidin, an official from the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), said on Sunday that survivors were forced to seek refuge in damaged homes and buildings because the government has focused more on recovering bodies.

He said the survivors risked death as long as they stayed in the ruined properties, which he warned could be swept away should more floods hit the area.

He also said they are vulnerable to infectious diseases.

“The government should set up proper evacuation camps immediately for these people because not only is it dangerous for them to stay in damaged buildings, but it also makes it difficult for rescuers to work properly,” Abidin said.

He added rescue efforts were suspended on Sunday due to heavy rains, which also hampered the recovery team’s work on Friday.

“We’re afraid there may be more floods because of these rains,” he said. “Nevertheless, the rescue team is standing by, and once the rain lets up, we’ll be back at work.”

Abidin said the priority for rescuers was to clear debris and mud from roads and rivers to allow aid shipments to come in.

DJ Sawaki, head of the Wasior disaster command post, on the other hand said that most areas which have been isolated from the town due to landslides and floods are now accessible.

He added most residents had already been evacuated to the neighboring towns of Manokwari and Nabire.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was expected to visit Wasior on Sunday, has postponed the trip to Wednesday at the earliest because he “did not want to get in the way of the evacuation efforts,” presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.

Julian was quoted by news portal Kompas.com as saying the president had made his decision after meeting with Sjamsul Maarif, the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The relief goods sent by the government arrived in Wasior on board the Navy warship KRI Kalakay on Saturday.

The six-ton consignment which was sent on Friday includes clothes, blankets, instant noodles, biscuits, canned fish, milk and rice.

“The aid had to be sent by sea because the Wasior airstrip is still not fully functional due to the disaster,” Lt. Col. Yayan Sugiana, the spokesman for the Navy’s Eastern Fleet Command, said on Saturday.

“The total aid the president donated was 30 tons, but the Kalakay could only take six.”

He added the rest had been stored in a Navy warehouse and would be taken to Wasior once the Kalakay had returned.

Meanwhile, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the Health Ministry’s director general for disease control, said previously it was imperative to get all survivors out of Wasior because of the high risk of more flooding and an outbreak of infectious diseases there.

He also said there was very little clean water, while the electricity supply had been cut off.

Tjandra said the ministry had sent several aid shipments to the area, including baby food, body bags and antibiotics.

He added the ministry would disinfect as much of the area as possible to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak.

Agung Laksono, the coordinating minister for people’s welfare, and Salim Segaf Al Jufri, the social affairs minister, visited the area over the weekend and handed over Rp 2 billion in cash for the rescue and recovery effort.

Salim was reported by state news agency Antara as saying the government would also give Rp 4 million each to the families of those killed in the tragedy and would pay the medical costs for all survivors.

Agung also said they would ensure that the emergency response was being handled well.

“We are also concerned about the post-disaster response, such as rehabilitation and reconstruction,” he said, adding that they would check all public facilities such as schools and hospitals.

Additional reporting from Antara

Related Articles:

Wasior refugees flee disaster area

Wasior refugees still flowing to neighboring towns

Govt guarantees enough medical supplies for Wasior

Aid for Papuan Flood Victims Being Sent to Wrong Place, Red Cross Says

Bird flu kills 49,000 Makassar chickens, ducks

Antara News, Sunday, October 10, 2010 03:58 WIB

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Bird flu has killed at least 49,000 chickens and ducks in South Sulawesi province over the past four months, a government official said.

Head of South Sulawesi Province`s animal husbandry office Murtala Ali said here Saturday he had ordered related authorities in districts and cities to destroy the infected chickens and ducks.

"We have also prohibited the transportation of chickens from infected areas to other places," he said.

The dead chickens and ducks were found in 11 districts and towns, namely Takalar, Makassar, Luwu Timur, Luwu Utara, Soppeng, Pinrang, Parepare, Sidrap, Barru, Bulukumba and Bone.

Chickens in other 13 districts and towns in South Sulawesi were declared "free from the bird flu virus", he said.

Besides destroying the bird flu-infected animals, Ali said his people had intensified the vaccinization of chickens, spraying chicken nests, and public awareness campaigns.

He said the high rainfall in the province could trigger the spread of bird flu virus to other chickens.

Therefore he had ordered related authorities to halt the transportation of chickens from infected areas to elsewhere in the province.

Despite the concerning situation, the bird flu virus did not endanger local residents, he said.

Four bird flu suspects being hospitalized at Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital here had been confirmed free from the deadly virus infection, he said.

"Nobody has died of flu here over the past two years," he said.

Various parts of Indonesia remain vulnerable to bird flu.

The Balikpapan city government had even declared state of bird flu alertness on October 4, 2010 following the death of 96 chickens last September.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs.

The WHO has warned that infection with avian influenza viruses could spread very rapidly among the poultry population.

Indonesia has been dealing with bird flu cases since 2005. However, the H5N1 virus is also known to have attacked chickens and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Viet Nam.

Old woman dies of malnutrition

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | Fri, 10/08/2010 9:49 AM

An 80-year-old woman was found dead, with malnutrition believed to be the cause, in her home in Pannampu subdistrict in Makassar, South Sulawesi, one of the country’s top rice producers.

The woman was believed to have died three to seven days earlier when her decomposing body was found by a village security officer Tuesday.

The woman’s husband, Daeng Ali, said he was aware that his wife had died but did not have the money for a decent funeral.

“I locked her remains in a room and went to find money for the funeral,” the 81-year-old said.

Daeng Ali supported himself and his wife by working as a scalper and worker at nearby Pannampu traditional market. At times, neighbors provided the family food.

The couple, who did not have children or other family members, lived in a shack where its floor is submerged in water from the neighborhood’s domestic waste.

There is one old bed with a dirty mattress in the house and a cabinet made of triplex wood, along with humble kitchen appliances.

Officials said they found it difficult to gather information related to the death of Daeng Ona from her husband as he did not speak clearly and was believed to suffer mental illness.

“His wife’s health probably worsened due to lack of proper treatment,” Mauluddin, a forensic doctor at the Makassar Police’s Bhayangkara hospital, said.

Mauluddin said the postmortem examination result showed no traces of inflicted violence on Ona’s body.

“We found that she suffered from serious malnutrition. She had no fat at all, only bones and skin.

“She might have died because of complications from some acute diseases and old age,” he said.

Yet, he said the diseases could not be detected since no autopsy was carried out, only an outer postmortem examination.

Makassar Police chief Adj. Comr. Ahmad Maryadi confirmed that Ona’s body was decomposing saying the flesh was rotting.

“We directly evacuated the body to the hospital for a postmortem examination to determine the cause of death,” he said.

Bird flu spreads to six regencies in S. Sulawesi

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 10/08/2010 9:54 AM

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: An avian flu outbreak has hit six South Sulawesi regencies, killing 18,000 chickens.

The head of the provincial animal husbandry agency, Murtala Ali, said Thursday that the infection had spread across the regencies of East Luwu, North Luwu, Pinrang, Soppeng, Sidenreng Rappang and Bone since September. He added that infections were also reported in Barru regency.

Murtala blamed changing weather patterns for the outbreak.

“The virus’ survival is very much dependant on the weather. This extreme change of weather may have triggered the outbreak,” Murtala said, adding that the spread of the virus was helped by the high mobility of chickens.

Four people admitted to Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar on Sept. 29 for displaying symptoms of bird flu infection have all tested negative for the virus and have been discharged from the hospital. — JP

New deadly types of virus found in Papua

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya | Fri, 10/08/2010 9:37 AM

Scientists from Airlangga University’s Institute of Tropical Diseases (ITD) in Surabaya announced recently the discovery of three new subtypes of the hepatitis B virus in Papua.

ITD research and professor Maria Inge Lusida told The Jakarta Post that currently, the hepatitis B virus was classified by eight genotypes and nine subtypes.

All these types, Maria said, were prevalent across the world and classified based on geographical location, virus characteristics, and the clinical effects that these different types of the virus had on the human body.

“We were surprised when we found three new subtypes of the hepatitis B virus in Papua, one of which was discovered on a Papuan plateau,” she added.

She said the discovery was made in collaboration with Japan’s Kobe University in 2007, adding that scientists at ITD were only now conducting more in-depth clinical analysis of the three subtypes in the hope of understanding the degree of their malignancy.

“In general, the hepatitis B virus is deadly,” Maria said.

She added that authorities across the country should increase awareness of the new strains, although they were found only in Papua, where four infected patients were now receiving extensive treatment.

“We also found that these new strains may create complications for HIV/AIDS patients. The government needs to remain vigilant on this matter, as the number of HIV-infected people in Papua is considerably high,” Maria said.

Hepatitis B affects the liver, with the acute illness causing liver inflammation and other liver-related complications, such as cirrhosis, cancer, hepatic confusion and coma, and bleeding in the upper part of a patient’s digestive system.

Acute hepatitis takes six months to become chronic, however, about 90 percent of hepatitis patients, if they recover, develop strong immunity during this period. Without medication, their condition deteriorates within 10 or 20 years into cirrhosis and finally liver cancer.

Similar to HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B transmission occurs most frequently when a person comes into contact with infected blood, Maria says.

Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih claimed around 30 million Indonesians were currently living with hepatitis B and C.

Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s Disease

ANH-USA, October 5, 2010

How worried should drug companies be about supplements eating into their monopoly profits? A lot—as this story will show. Please share it with anyone you know who is suffering from Alzheimer’s or is worried about it.

Of course, just about everyone worries about Alzheimer’s. It currently afflicts 5.2 million people in the US and is the seventh leading cause of death. The cost of treating it is estimated at $148 billion.

Mary Newport, MD, has been medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Florida since it opened in 2003. About the same time the unit opened, her husband Steve, then 53, began showing signs of progressive dementia, later diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. “Many days, often for several days in a row, he was in a fog; couldn’t find a spoon or remember how to get water out of the refrigerator,” she said.

They started him on Alzheimer’s drugs—Aricept, Namenda, Exelon—but his disease worsened steadily. (It should be noted that the latest research shows that the various Alzheimer’s drugs, like Aricept, have proven disappointing, with little real benefit and often distressing side effects.) When Dr. Newport couldn’t get her husband into a drug trial for a new Alzheimer’s medication, she started researching the mechanism behind Alzheimer’s.

She discovered that with Alzheimer’s disease, certain brain cells may have difficulty utilizing glucose (made from the carbohydrates we eat), the brain’s principal source of energy. Without fuel, these precious neurons may begin to die. There is an alternative energy source for brain cells—fats known as ketones. If deprived of carbohydrates, the body produces ketones naturally.

But this is the hard way to do it—who wants to cut carbohydrates out of the diet completely? Another way to produce ketones is by consuming oils that have medium-chain triglycerides. When MCT oil is digested, the liver converts it into ketones. In the first few weeks of life, ketones provide about 25 percent of the energy newborn babies need to survive.

Dr. Newport learned that the ingredient in the drug trial which was showing so much promise was simply MCT oil derived from coconut oil or palm kernel oil, and that a dose of 20 grams (about 20 ml or 4 teaspoons) was used to produce these results. When MCT oil is metabolized, the ketones which the body creates may, according to the latest research, not only protect against the incidence of Alzheimer’s, but may actually reverse it. Moreover, this is also a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), drug-resistant epilepsy, brittle type I diabetes, and type II (insulin-resistant) diabetes.

So Mr. Newport, not being able to get into the drug trial, started taking the coconut oil twice a day. At this point, he could barely remember how to draw a clock. Two weeks after adding coconut oil to his diet, his drawing improved. After 37 days, Steve’s drawing gained even more clarity. The oil seemed to “lift the fog,” and in the first sixty days, Dr. Newport saw remarkable changes in him: every morning he was alert and happy, talkative, making jokes. His gait was “still a little weird,” but his tremor was no longer very noticeable. He was able to concentrate on things that he wanted to do around the house and in the yard and stay on task, whereas before coconut oil he was easily distractible and rarely accomplished anything unless he was directly supervised.

Over the next year, the dementia continued to reverse itself: he is able to run again, his reading comprehension has improved dramatically, and his short-term memory is improving—he often brings up events that happened days to weeks earlier and relays telephone conversations with accurate detail. A recent MRI shows that the brain atrophy has been completely halted.

Let’s take a moment to consider what actually happened here. Synthetic (patentable) Alzheimer’s drugs have failed. A drug company reluctantly decides to put a non-patentable natural substance (medium-chain triglycerides derived from coconut or palm) through an FDA trial. It works. But, darn it, a smart doctor figures out that a natural food can be substituted for the super-expensive drug. Not only that, the ketones from natural coconut oil last in the body longer than the drug version—eight hours instead of three hours. This is enough to make a drug company start worrying about its future. What if this natural health idea really catches on? Goodbye to monopoly profits!

Coconut oil can be found in many health food stores and even some grocery stores. One large chain sells a non-hydrogenated (no trans-fat) brand of coconut oil in a one-liter size (nearly 32 ounces) for about $7. It can be purchased in quantities as small as a pint and up to five gallons online. It is important to use coconut oil that is non-hydrogenated and contains no trans-fat. We would also strongly encourage the use of virgin oil (chemicals used to extract non-virgin oil are potentially dangerous, and better still, virgin organic, still quite reasonably priced.)

For more information, see Dr. Newport’s website. Sadly, you will not find any information on ketones, or the use of coconut oil or MCT oil, on the Alzheimer’s Association website.

Coconut oil is not the only natural product that has the potential to turn Alzheimer’s around. We will cover some other ones, and drug industry efforts to steal some of them, in a future issue.

Related Article:

Alzheimer's victory: After three-year campaign by the Mail, sufferers will finally get vital £2.50 drugs banned by NICE

Poverty Watch: Chicken farming industry empowers villagers in Bantul

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Wed, 10/06/2010 9:46 AM

The bird flu epidemic in 2005 not only caused a decline in the population of local Javanese chicken species, but is also giving potential breeders second thoughts about raising chickens.

“It seems that local species are on the verge of extinction and the demand for poultry increasingly depends on imports,” Sujito said.

Sujito is seen as a pioneer of the Mandiri Free-range Chicken Farming Group in his village in Bantul, Yogyakarta.

He said the villagers’ decision to raise free-range chickens was motivated by haunting questions whether there was a safe way to raise chickens.

They decided to set the chickens free and found many of them died, until they came up with an idea about raising chickens in a coop, isolated from wild poultry.

The chickens were protected from diseases and their growth cycle was quicker than the chickens set free. More residents became interested in the method and in 2007 they formed the Mandiri Free-range Chicken Group, which served as a discussion forum especially on issues related to chicken farming.

“We didn’t imagine that raising free-range chickens would be the main livelihood for people in our area,” group leader Agung Yulianto said.

There are now more than 40 chicken farmers in Pucanganom selling more than 6,000 chickens each month.

For each chicken sold, residents contribute Rp 100 (about 1 US cent) to the group’s coffers. The total has now reached tens of millions of rupiah and covers the cost of day-old-chickens (DOC) and chicken feed.

“The cost of DOC and feed are covered by the group for now. The members pay their dues and contribute during the slaughter to the group’s treasury,” Agung said.

Agung, who studied animal husbandry, said free-range chicken farming helped minimize unemployment and raise people’s well being.

“Rather than working as a laborer in the city, it’s much better to be self-employed because it is more profitable,” Basuki, one of the chicken farmers, said.

The cost to raise a free-range chicken is between Rp 13,000 and Rp 14,000, with a 65 to 70-day-old chicken weighing up to 800 grams and selling for Rp 24,000 per kilogram or Rp 20,000 for a whole chicken.

“Each chicken could brings in between Rp 5,000 and Rp 8,000 in profit,” he said.

The Buras Mandiri chicken-farming community says it also provided free counseling to new farming groups.

“We don’t have special volunteers because we are all volunteers. We will provide counseling to new farming groups, from building coops to teaching raising techniques,”

Sujito said.

Sanden district has seen an increase in chicken-farming communities thanks to Buras Mandiri counseling, such as in Krangan, Murtigading, where a farming group produces 1,600 chickens and in Srigading, where the Segoro group produces more than 4,000 chickens each month.

The success of developing rural economies through free-range chicken farming has made Buras Mandiri a reference point for several poultry institutions and agencies.

Recently, a delegation from the Australian Agricultural Ministry conducted a survey before carrying out a bird flu handling program, and Buras Mandiri was one to the groups included in the criteria.

“Buras Mandiri has raised the people’s awareness. Now if there is a bird flu outbreak or other chicken farming issues, residents are quick to contact us so we can act immediately,” Sanden Animal Health Agency veterinarian Imawati said.

Drug Stash Found in North Jakarta

Jakarta Globe, Zaky Pawas | October 05, 2010

Jakarta. Police uncovered a haul of illicit drugs worth Rp 6.9 billion ($773,000) after they arrested a man on the resort island of Bali on drug trafficking charges, an officer said on Tuesday.

The West Jakarta anti-narcotics unit arrested a 34-year-old man identified only as RF in a raid on a hotel in Bali, the unit’s chief, Comr. Kristian Siagian, said. He added that the police had been hunting the man for three months.

“He was a wanted man. He was arrested in a hotel in Denpasar, Bali, on September 27, 2010,” Kristian said.

Five grams of methamphetamine were found in the suspect’s hotel room, Kristian said, adding that Jakarta-based RF had been on the island for about a week.

Kristian said that after questioning the suspect, police raided two locations where he had stored illicit drugs.

The first was his house, at the upscale Premier Mansion residences in Bandengan Utara, North Jakarta, but police only found 15 grams of methamphetamine there.

The second location was an apartment in Pluit, also in North Jakarta, where police found a haul of 34,000 “Happy Five” or Nimetazepam pills — a hypnotic drug, 12,500 Ecstasy pills and 500 grams of ketamine, a recreational drug.

“The drug haul is worth a total of Rp 6.9 billion,” Kristian said.

He also said that RF told police he had only been in business for a year and obtained the drugs from overseas.

RF also said he only sold drugs in Jakarta, but police suspect he may also have been peddling them in Bali, in light of his many trips to the resort island.

Police are now looking for AH, a k a CH, in whose name the apartment was rented, and who RF named as his courier, saying drugs could only be ordered by phone and only in large quanti ties.

Bird flu alertness status declared in Balikpapan

Antara News, Monday, October 4, 2010 23:57 WIB

Balikpapan, E Kalimantan  (ANTARA News) - The East Kalimantan city of Balikpapan government has declared the bird flu alertness status since Sunday following the death of 96 chickens last September.

"Those dead chickens have positively been infected by bird flu virus," Mayor of Balikpapan City Imdaad Hamid said in response to the sudden death of 96 chickens in four villages.

Hamid said the infected chickens belonged to local residents of four villages -- Gunung Bahagia, Sepinggan, Manggar, and Prapatan.

The bird flu virus had so far infected chickens, not birds, and there were no reports of fatalities, he said.

"Therefore, the status that we declare is watching bird flu but if there have been human casualties, we shall increase the status to `extraordinary`," he said.

In anticipating the unexpected eventualities, the city`s government had intensified surveillance and instructed the burning of all bird flu-infected chickens, he said.

The related authorities had even activated check points at such seaports as Kariangau and Kampung Baru to ensure the flows of healthy chickens into and out of the city areas, he said.Various parts of Indonesia remain vulnerable to the bird flu cases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs.

The WHO has warned that the infection with avian influenza viruses could spread very rapidly through poultry flocks.

Over these past few days, the bird flu viruses had attacked a few hundreds of chicken in Pademawu Timur village. The number of infected chickens tended to increase, he said.

Indonesia has been dealing with the bird flu cases since 2005. However, this H5N1 typed influenza is also recorded to have attacked chicken and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Viet Nam.

Indonesia`s poor people reaches 31 million

Antara News, Sunday, October 3, 2010 18:41 WIB

Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said that the number of poor people in Indonesia still reached 31 million.

"The number of Indonesian poor is five times the size of the Singapore population," the minister said at a function here on Sunday.

He said that efforts to lift them of the poor condition had to be made not only by the government but also by the people as a whole.

"We are challenged to empower the poor so that they would be freed from the poverty condition," Agung Laksono said.

He said that maximizing human resources that Indonesia possessed should be supported by all societal elements and people who had care for assisting the government in overcoming poverty.

In the meantime, Vice President Boediono had earlier said that poverty-related problems cannot be borne only by the government but all parties in the country should be involved in solving them, Vice President Boediono said.

"My idea of solving and tackling all kinds of poverty-related problems is by motivating all parties to synchronize their actions and activities in reducing poverty," he said in his keynote speech at the third International Conference of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Wednesday in Jakarta.

He said one of the basic functions of the state was to eradicate poverty in tandem with other problems without neglecting other interests.

He said that a team representing the government and private sector has been tasked to accelerate the efforts to reduce the poverty rate, the coordination of which was adjusted with other programs and activities.

"This is a national team in which all programs have to be discussed and synchronized with a clear strategy and time to enable us to tackle poverty-related problems," Boediono said.

Boediono said that one of the government`s programs was to solve poverty problems, as it was also a National Programs of the Independent Communities Empowerment (PNPM) established at the time when this country was facing an economic crisis in 1997/1998.

Indonesia has 21,770 HIV/AIDS cases

Antara News, Saturday, October 2, 2010 16:18 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has recorded 21,770 cases of HIV/AIDS and 4,128 deaths from April 1, 1987 to June 2010, according to the health ministry`s data.

"Every year the HIV/AIDS cases increase, as there have been more people involved among other things in unprotected sex, and sharing needles with injection drug users," Eki Komalasari, a spokesman of the East Jakarta Red Cross and HIV/AIDS Manager Program, said here Saturday.

In June 2010 alone, the country`s HIV/AIDS cases reached 1,797 cases and in 2009 3,863 cases.

Of the total HIV/AIDS patients, 16,093 were male and 5,578 were female, and 99 were unknown.

Jakarta has a total of 3,740 cases and 552 deaths, West Java 3,710 cases and 663 deaths, East Java 3,540 cases and 732 cases, Papua 2,858 cases and 373 cases, and Bali 1,747 cases and 311 cases.

Alleged Australian Drug Smuggler Arrested in Bali; Could Face Death Penalty

Jakarta Globe, October 01, 2010

Denpasar, Bali. Another Australian could be facing the death penalty after he was caught allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine through Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport on Friday.

The man was identified as Michael Sacatides, 43. He was born in Wentworthville, New South Wales, though is understood to reside in Sydney.

Customs official Endro Wibowo said Sacatides, a boxing coach, was arrested shortly after his Air Asia flight landed from Bangkok.

Endro said the alleged drug smuggler had admitted obtaining the drugs — valued at Rp 2.8 billion ($314,000) in Indonesia — from an Indian man in Bangkok.

He said authorities had alerted the Australian consulate in Bali and would transfer Sacatides to Bali Police.

Bird flu outbreak revives in S. Sulawesi, 4 hospitalized

The Jakarta Post, Makassar, SouthSulawesi | Fri, 10/01/2010 8:20 AM

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar is treating four people from Pinrang and Soppeng regencies for displaying symptoms of avian flu virus infection.

The patients, three of them are children, were admitted to the hospital on Tuesday night after complaining about high fever, suffocation and coughs.

They were immediately taken to the infection center in accordance with the standard operating procedure for avian flu treatment, the hospital’s director, Kalsum Patonangi, said Wednesday.

“We are waiting for the laboratory examination to confirm the status of the patients,” Kalsum said.

Head of the Pinrang health agency for disease control, Dyah Puspita Dewi, said the agency had monitored 30 people who suffered from fever. She added three of them were admitted to the hospital as their health condition worsened.

“We suspect the three people were infected with the bird flu virus as their fever reaches 38 degree Celsius and complain of suffocation, sore throats and coughs, which are symptoms of the disease,” she said.

She added the three patients caught a fever after dozens of chickens nearby their homes suddenly died. — JP