| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 29 (ANTARA) - The competitive edge of the country's sugar industry is still low so that the government should focus attention on increasing it if it is willing to create sugar self-sufficiency in 2014, a former agriculture minister says. The competitive edge of domestically produced sugar should be increased because ahead sugar could no longer be protected by fixing an official price. Low competitiveness of the country's sugar could be seen from the big margin between the price of domestic sugar and that of overseas. "Up to now the price still shows significant difference, namely about Rp3000 per kg. This would cause sugar-based industry unable to compete with the same industry abroad," former agriculture minister Anton Apriantono said. On the other hand, the average production of Indonesia's sugar industry is also low, namely about 6.2 tons of sugar crystal per hectare in 2009, which is far lower than sugar production in Java in the 1970s. Production at that time could reach an average of 10 tons of sugar crystal per hectare. The productivity of sugar industry at home is far lower compared with the average productivity of sugar industries in sugar producing countries like Australia, Egypt, Brazil, the United States, Colombia, Mexico and India. The main factor that causes low competitiveness in the country's sugar industry is low productivity and inefficiency in the production sector. In addition, Indonesia is still importing raw sugar to the amount of about 2.13 million tons. Therefore, the government should give attention to increasing the competitiveness of the country's sugar. It should improve the health conditions of the inefficient sugar factories in Java, expand sugar cane plantations and build new sugar mills. "It is better for the government to use sugar import duty funds for increasing the productivity of the country's sugar cane plantations, making sugar mills more efficient and building new sugar factories," Anton Apriantono said. In the meantime, Deputy to Chief Economic Minister for Agriculture and Maritime Affairs, Diah Maulida said so far some of the sugar import duty funds had been used to increase plantation productivity and to assist sugar cane farmers. "Certain amount of the funds are allocated to the Agriculture Ministry which provides some of it for increasing productivity and assisting sugar cane farmers," Diah said. The government also has an action plan to achieve its self-sufficiency in sugar target in 2014 through increasing productivity, expanding plantations, revitalizing old sugar mills and carrying out institutional re-arrangement. "For the revitalization of sugar mills, the government has worked out a road map and detailed plan to actions in the ministry of industry," Diah said. With regard to the government plan to import sugar, Diah said that it was recalculating its sugar production and stocks. The import of crystal white sugar was to meet the need in the first five months next year. "We at the end of this August recalculate the needed stocks because some have been pessimistic that production at home in 2011 would drop to only 2.2 million to 2.3 million tons. Stocks at the end of the year might decline to 800 thousand tons to one million tons so that they could not meet the need for the following five months," Diah Maulida said. The plan to import sugar was also expressed by Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu on separate occasion. She said that Indonesia would import white crystal sugar to meet the people's need in the first five months in 2011. "Due to long wet dry season this year, the sucrose content of sugar cane is expected to drop so that sugar production is also expected to decline to below target. We estimate production would be at 2.5 million tons, or about 200 thousand tons lower than the target," she said. So, the minister said, the government would take an anticipatory step after it finalized its estimates on production, the needed stocks and imports. Diah and Mari however assured that stocks would be enough until the end of the year. "There is no need to worry about stocks until the end of the year. We will import sugar only for the first five months of 2011," she said. Earlier, President Director of state-owned Logistics Agency (Bulog) Sutarto Alimoeso said the white sugar production was predicted to drop from 2.9 million tons to 2.2 million-2.5 million tons this year due to less supportive climate condition. With that condition, Chairman of the Indonesian Wheat and Sugar Traders Association (Apegti) Natsir Mansyur predicted that stocks of white crystal sugar would fall short by 400 thousand tons. Diah said further that the government would also check the capacity of mills which were usually operated to process raw sugar. This is to see the possibility of importing raw sugar to meet the people's need for white crystal sugar. "We are aiming at importing raw sugar so that we could obtain added values," she said. Executive Director of the Indonesian Refine Sugar Association (AGRI) HM Yamin Rahman said if raw sugar was to be imported the government should soon issue permit for its importation because the milling season would end soon. "Raw sugar should have already arrived in October before the milling season ends. License should have been issued this August because the import process would take time. After all, Brazil which is the main producer is far. It must take time to wait for our turn because all countries also buy sugar from Brazil," he said.***2*** |
Senin, 30 Agustus 2010
DOMESTIC SUGAR INDUSTRY LACKING COMPETITIVE EDGE
SINABUNG REFUGEES NEED AID AS DISEASES BREAKING OUT
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 30 (ANTARA) - About 30,000 refugees from the Mount Sinabung eruption in North Sumatra that happened early Sunday are in urgent need of medicines and other humanitarian aid as various diseases such as respiratory problems and diarrhea have begun to break out. A member of a medical team in an emergency clinic in Brastagi, Maria Tarigan (28), said she had received reports from refugees about diarrhea outbreaks on Monday. In the meantime, respiratory problems have also begun to affect the displaced persons. Hariati Sebayang (38), an evacuee in a refugee tent in Brastagi, said she and two other members of her family were suffering from respiratory problems. According to Maria Tarigan, her team had provided medication. "The government has distributed different kinds of assistance such as blankets, food, medicines. "We found in the field that the diarrhea mostly affected children," Maria Tarigan said. In order to help evacuees, the central government has set aside funds totaling Rp15 billion to assist the victims of the Mount Sinabung eruption for 10 days. Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said on Monday that the funds would be used to provide food, medication and security. "We hope refugees will be assisted so that they will at least enjoy a little convenience because it is not comfortable to stay at emergency or makeshift shelters," he said. He said the funds were taken from the state budget and disbursed by the National Disasters Mitigation Agency (APBN). Agung Laksono said that up to Monday, the number of evacuees had reached 30,000, but he expected that conditions would improve and the number of refugees returning to their homes would also increase. "Assistance needed by refugees such as blankets, food, milk for infants and sarongs are being supplied. In the emergency tents, they need blankets because rains also often fall and the weather is cool. The latest information said conditions are beginning to improve, the thick smoke has started to dissipate and many evacuees are preparing to return to their homes," Agung Laksono said. He said the government felt it was not yet necessary to declare the volcanic eruption a national disaster. The central government had also instructed regional government heads to provide assistance. "I received a report this morning that many people are ready to extend a helping hand. We have instructed the regional governments both at provincial and district levels, to assist them," he said. In the meantime, the Ministry of Social Affairs has also sent logistics and shelters for the victims of Mt Sinabung eruption. "Logistics and shelters have been channeled through the social affairs services of North Sumatra," Syafii Nasution of the Social Affairs Ministry said. He said that the assistance consisted of 50 tons of rice, 960 bottles of soy sauce, 400 cartons of sardines, 120 bottles of cooking oil, 5.000 pieces of blankets, 27,000 face masks and 76 tents. The ministry had also channeled 3,000 sarongs, 2,000 long-sleeve and long-pant clothes, 200 mats, 4 mobile public kitchens, one truck and one mobile water tank to meet the evacuees' emergency needs. He said that based on updated data, the number of refugees until 11 am on Monday was recorded at between 18,834 and 20,000 from 29 villages in 17 sub districts of Tanah Karo district where Mount Sinabung is located. Because local residents fled their homes, most of the villages on the slopes of the mountain were almost totally deserted, but police and military personnel were mobilized in the region to maintain order and security in the deserted villages. A total of 486 servicemen and 378 police personnel were deployed. Refugees shelters lay scattered in a number of places such as the city of Brastagi and Kabanjahe. Some stayed in Jamburs (village halls) which are normally used by Karo tribal people to hold meetings or marriage parties. Agung Laksono asked the refugees to remain in the emergency shelters or other safe places until the alert status of Mount Sinabung was lifted. "As long as the alert status is still in place people are asked to remain in the evacuation centers. They are still staying in 15-17 places," he said. According to BNPB data, up to 9 am on Monday, two victims had died. After the Vulcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) raised Mt Sinabung status to alert level, the BPBD directly observed the location and coordinated the establishment of public kitchens, drinking water tanks and washing, bathing, toilet facilities at the refugee camping sites. The 2,460-meter-high Mt Sinabung showed its first volcanic activity on Saturday, Aug 18, 2010 and spewed black smoke that completely covered its crater. It erupted at 0.15 am on Sunday, after lying dormant for 400 years. It last erupted in 1600. On Monday it erupted again, spewing white clouds of smoke and ash more than 2,000 yards (meters) into the air.***3*** |
Sabtu, 28 Agustus 2010
LEBARAN TRAVELERS NEED SAFETY GUARANTEE
Jakarta, Aug 28 (ANTARA) - The exodus of millions of annual home-bound travelers is expected to start in the next two weeks and will peak one day before the post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran holidays which begin on September 10, 2010.
If the number of travelers this year is similar to that in 2009, it means that about 27 million Lebaran revelers will be returning home-towns to have family reunions and to celebrate Lebaran festivities. Last year the country saw about 27 million travelers using all modes of land, sea and air transportation means throughout the country.
However, the conditions of this year's roads and other infrastructures are not as good as those last year while the number of travelers is expected to increase. Thus, there is high accident potential and health disturbance.
Therefore, the government should guarantee the safety and health conditions of Lebaran travelers.
"Every year we have a routine problem in the runup to Lebaran holidays. We could not provide optimal services for travelers. Safety is often ignored, like using passengers and goods packed ships. But we cannot do much because we were demanded to transport them although the vehicles had been overloaded," Abdul Hakim of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission V for transportation affairs, said.
Therefore, the House Commission V asked all sea, land and air transportation operators as well as those traveling on private cars or motorcycles to give priority to safety.
He said that during Lebaran, where the number of travelers increase sharply, the safety and rights of passengers to obtain proper services were often ignored. Besides matters about overloaded, the conditions of sea, air and land transportation means such as train and buses should also be checked first.
If the vehicles are not feasible to be operated the government should firmly ban them from operating. "Drivers and Skippers have no choices other than paying attention to passengers safety in an effort to avoid the occurrence of undesired incidences. Buses and ships should be loaded based on their capacity. The feasibility of the vehicles should be checked before they are operated so that accidents could be minimized," Hakim said.
He predicted that the traffic flow of this year's Idul Fitri travelers could not be well organized because most of road sections were damaged. This is because the number of this year's travelers for land transportation alone is expected to reach 15.5 million, or an increase of 6.35 percent from that in 2009.
Bad road infrastructures have caused frequent traffic accidents. So, Hakim called on the Ministry of Public Works to repair soon damaged roads so that travelers would be provided relatively better services.
He said that road infrastructures in Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi at present are in bad conditions. The damages happened to national, provincial and district roads. In a number of damaged sections, repair is being done but still it is hampered with bad weather. The same is also true to the train services which are expected to experience slight disturbance.
The railways near Lapindo in East Java could experience floods when rain falls due to disturbance of mudflow.
He said that there was no reason for the central and regional governments not to repair damaged roads. This matter has been stipulated in Law No. 22 / 2009 on Traffic and Transportation.
In the meantime, in order to guarantee travelers' health conditions, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih on Friday checked preparations for health services for home-bound travelers.
"Health preparedness along the home-bound routes is urgent because the travelers may need treatment for serious illnesses or life-threatening conditions," the minister said.
The health ministry has set up 500 health posts to serve home-bound travelers during the Idul Fitri holidays for 24 hours a day throughout Indonesia.
The government, in this case the ministries of health and transportation, as well as relevant agencies, will also launch joint operations to secure Idul-Fitri travelers in Java and Sumatra highways. The joint would be carried out in 15 locations of Java and Sumatra highways.
She said that the health ministry would conduct health checks on drivers for public vehicles. "We will check the health conditions of drivers to see whether they are fixed to drive or they are free from alcoholic drinks. If they are not well enough we will ask them to take a rest," she said.
Besides, the health ministry will also distribute health vests to travelers at health-care posts set up on road sides of certain sections of the highways.
The health care posts are set up to anticipate possible acute illnesses such as diarrhea and food poisoning.
Along the Java-Lampung route, the government has made available 3,719 community health posts, 1,229 ambulances, 98 state-run hospitals plus ambulances, and 500 health posts consisting of 418 posts from local health services and 82 from local seaport health offices.
The health ministry has also prepared a health information command post located at The Rapid Response and Perceptive Center (PTRC), the Public Communication Center, with phone numbers: 021-500567 and 30413700; and e-mail address at
Dehydration and communicable diseases are feared to afflict Idul Fitri travelers on their home-bound trips to celebrate the post-fasting holidays.
(T.A014/a/H-NG/a014 ) 28-08-2010 17:38:5
Selasa, 24 Agustus 2010
RI SHOULD NOT REMAIN SILENT OVER MALAYSIA'S VIOLATIONS
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 24 (ANTARA) - An international law observer has reminded the government that Indonesia should not remain silent about violations of its territorial sovereignty committed by Malaysians. "Indonesia should act firmly and not ignore any violations committed by Malaysians of its territorial sovereignty. The action of Indonesia's maritime patrol officers in arresting Malaysian fishermen poaching in Indonesian waters was already correct," Prof Dr Suhaidi, international law observer at the North Sumatra University, said on Tuesday. However, Malaysian police did not respect the law in force in Indonesia as they came up to arrest the Indonesian maritime patrol officers. "Malaysia needs to respect the law which is in force in Indonesia," Suhaidi said. He said that in fact Malaysia had no right to interfere in the arrest because the Malaysian fishermen had allegedly been poaching in Indonesian territorial waters. Ironically, the Malaysian police had even fired at the Indonesian marine petrol boat. "Foreign police should not have interfered in the legal process carried out by the Indonesian patrol officers who arrested the Malaysian poachers," he said. Malaysia's latest action was seen by a legislator as a deliberate provocation to test how far Indonesia would react. "Malaysia did have the intention to create a disturbance in the border area as a test case," Rahadi Zakaria of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) said. He said that Malaysia had repeatedly created test cases to see how far Indonesia was able to protect its territorial waters. Moreover, the latest test case by Malaysia was marked by hostage taking of Indonesian maritime patrol officers. The hostage taking of the Indonesian patrol officers was not a trivial matter but a serious problem which set a bad precedent, something that would encourage Malaysia with the support of its international backers (its Commonwealth partners and US neo-colonialist network) to become more and more aggressive. "It seems to me, after observing the repeated cases, Malaysia is becoming more and more daring. So, I think, Malaysia has the intention (to disturb) to create provocations in our waters, particularly in areas it thinks are rich in natural resources or commercially potential international lanes," Rahadi Zakaria said. After all, Indonesia's negligence in settling its border problems has been used by Malaysia to stage its test cases. This comes after it was successful in winning the case of Sipadan and Ligitan islands in the international court. Malaysia in the Sipadan and Ligitan case also began with provocations. "This continues to encourage Malaysia to disturb us. It has the target to take control of natural wealth and commercially potential international lanes," Rahadi Zakaria said. The question now was why the border conflict once again surfaces. "This is because they are trying to turn the case into an international issue even if it is trivial. They would even hope the matter could be brought to the International Court which is under the influence of the Commonwealth countries and the United States," he said. He said that the entry into the Indonesian territorial area of seven Malaysian fishermen to poach in the waters of Riau Islands was part of Malaysia's grand scenario to continue its provocations, particularly because the area was a potential international lane (Malacca Strait). "So, once again, I would like to stress that one can just consider this as a small case, yet there is a deliberate intention which is part of the grand scenario. This can be an initial test in an effort to gain control over the Malacca Strait, natural resources and hidden sunken ship treasures in the waters of the area," he said. Fayakhun Andiradi of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission I on defense affairs shared Rahadi Zakaria's opinion. Fayakhun believed that neighboring countries had often launched provocations in border areas. In this regard, he suggested that the government fulfill the military's Minimum Essential Force (MEF) concept and realize it soon to defend the country's honor. "If this continues to be ignored it will cause the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) to suffer from lack of armaments, low quality and quantity, particularly in the face of various provocations both from within and outside," he said. He said the MEF concept was an urgent need, not something to that could be met six years from now. "This is a matter of the nation's honor which has been trampled on by neighboring countries," he said. Fayakhun said there were many provocative maneuvers in the border areas but Indonesia was not able to respond to them with at least equally balanced maneuvers. "This is because we feel we are outclassed in terms of armaments (MEF). In the Soekarno and Soeharto eras, we never experienced this and no one had the guts to snap at us," he said.***4*** |
Senin, 23 Agustus 2010
HOUSE TO SUMMON MINISTER OVER REMISSIONS TO CORRUPTORS
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 23 (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives (DPR) will soon ask for explanations from Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar about the government's decision to grant sentence remissions to a number of convicted corruptors recently. "The House will soon ask for clarifications from the minister about the government's decision to grant remissions to certain convicted corruptors," Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung said here on Monday. The House deputy speaker was referring to the release of several high profile corruption convicts after they received sentence cuts in connection with Independence Day on August 17. On August 18, 2010 Aulia Pohan, father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's son and a former Bank Indonesia (BI or central bank) deputy governor was granted conditional freedom together with other BI deputies, namely Maman H Somantri, Bun Bunan Hutapea and Aslim Tajuddin. Aulia was sentenced to four years and six months by the Corruption Crime Court (Tipikor) in a Rp100 million fraud case of the Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI)funds Therefore, the House of representatives (DPR) should soon ask for explanations from Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar regarding the sentence reductions for corruptors. According to Bambang Soesatyo of the House's Commission III on legal affairs, the remissions given to the convicted corruptors hurt the people's sense of justice. After all, the public could witness Aulia Pohan and friends having conditional freedom. "The minister has explained the remissions a lot to the press but for Commission III the explanations are not yet enough. We need more detailed explanations about the remissions provided for each of the jailed corruptors," Bambang Soesatyo said. He said that the public were questioning the government's seriousness in upholding the law in this country. The public trust had fallen into the lowest level. "There is no need for the president's aides to cover it up if the president has a role in this case. The statement that the president did not interfere in the conditional freedom would not all at once eliminate the public's perception and assumption," he said. He said that the remissions given by the government recently was an explicit injustice practice. Once injustice is practiced without shame, the government would have no right to expect public confidence in enforcing the law in this country. "How could the people expect justice if they clearly practice injustice", he questioned. He said that the government's commitment to upholding the law was already dead due to its remissions for convicted corruptors. Pramono Anung said that the practice was a bad precedent for law enforcement in Indonesia. President Susilo Bambang Yudhohono himself had declared war on corruption but now he has pardoned a big-time corruptor. He said it was the right of the law and human rights minister to give the remissions but in many cases he should be selective. "This includes businesswoman Artalyta Suryani or Ayin who received a two month sentence reduction for her "good conducts. This surprised the public," the former secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) said. He also referred to the presidential pardon granted to former Kutai Kertanegara district head Syaukani Hasan Rais, which he said also constituted a bad precedent for legal enforcement. "The pardon was given to a corruptor who we all know was sentenced for a case involving a huge amount of money. The reason for the granting of the pardon is ill health, but we also know that there are many inmates whose health conditions are worse than that of Syaukani," he said. On the sentence cut given to Aulia Pohan, Pramono said the House also needed to question Minister Patrialis Akbar about it. "It should be examined because why the remission could be six months as if there was an effort to make the remission in such a away that Aulia would be able to enjoy freedom. It has become a big question by the public, though the president has denied any role, why he got six months while those in other cases only got one month," he said. Muhammadiyah Chairman Din Syamsuddin also advised the government not to give remissions or pardon to convicted corruptors. "The government must be sensitive to and consider its people's sufferings. Don't touch the people's sense of justice," he said in response to the release of some convicted corruptors. Providing convicted corruptors a remission or pardon was the president's prerogative right but he should also consider the people's sensitivity, Syamsuddin said. Indonesian people had considered corruption as an extraordinary crime against the state and nation. "At the moment, our people undergo such economic difficulties as skyrocketing prices of staple food," he said. A lot of ordinary Indonesians struggled for meeting their daily needs a head to the Eidul Fitri festivities in September, he said.***1*** |
Kamis, 19 Agustus 2010
RI CAR SALES EXPECTED TO REACH RECORD HIGH
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 19 (ANTARA) - Car production in Indonesia during the current fasting month is dropping but automotive businesspeople are upbeat that their car sales this year will set a new record. "Production during the current fasting month and next September will decline because overtime hours are being reduced," Johnny Darmawan, an Indonesian Motor Vehicle Industry Association (Gaikindo) executive, said. He said car production in the current fasting month was slowing down because overtime hours could not be maximized as there were times for breaking the fast and holidays. The same opinion was voiced by Marketing Director of PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) Joko Trisanyoto. He said that in August Toyota sales could be going down because of declining stocks. "In the current fasting month, production declines because overtime work cannot be maximized," he said. He predicted that TAM's sales would decline by 18.5 percent from about 27,000 units in July to about 22,000 units this month. Yet, this would not hamper the growth of car sales this year. Johnny said demand for cars in Indonesia is continuing to increase. He predicted that car sales in the country this year would set a new record, namely exceeding 700 thousand units. He said that the highest sales figure so far was achieved in 2008 when car sales reached 600 thousand units. But this year, automotive businesses are upbeat to hit a record of over 700 thousand units. After all, based on data available at Gaikindo, car sales in the country in the first semester of 2010 had reached 370,206 units, or about 76.2 percent of the total car sales during the whole year in 2009. "We are convinced that car sales will reach a new record this year. This is because only in the first half of 2010 the number of cars sold already reached 76 percent of the total sales last year," Johnny said. Toyota cars still dominate the sales, followed by Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Daihatsu and others. In the meantime, Chief Operation officer of PT Astra International-Daihatsu Sales Operation (AI-DSO) Manager Toto Suryana, said Daihatsu car production is now declining in the current fasting month but it would return to normal again in October and December. "This month coincides with the fasting month so that production could not be maximized causing supply to consumers to decline," he said. He said that production was expected to drop further in September because there would be post-fasting month Lebaran holidays. Production is expected to return to normal in October and December, however. In the January - July 2010 period sales increased 66.5 percent to 64,987 units, placing Daihatsu in the second biggest car sellers in the domestic market. He said that in August 2010 Daihatsu car sales are expected to drop 16 percent from 11,700 units in July to 9,700 units this month due to the fall of supply from the factory. Daihatsu production in Indonesia is carried out by PT Astra Daihatsu Motor (ADM) which is Daihatsu's sole authorized agent (ATPM) in Indonesia. Daihatsu sales are handled by AI-DSO. ADM has a factory in Sunter, North Jakarta with a capacity of 211 units per annum. In this factory, ADM produces cars of Daihatsu trade mark which consists of Xenia minis bus, Terios, and Gran Max, as well as Toyota trade mark, namely Avanza and Rush. ADM Marketing Director Amelia Tjandra said automotive sales began to increase after the economic condition had improved and the intensive sales promotion efforts had been made. The biggest sales of Daihatsu were contributed by Xenia sales. In July this year the Xenia sales reached 6,355 units followed by Gran Max (2,939 units) and Terios (1,504 units). "We have set a target of sales up to 105 to 110 thousand units," Amelia said. The encouraging development on car sales was also reflected in a 10-day expo early this month. The Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2010 succeeded to conclude Rp2.4 trillion in car sales transactions during the expo. "We are satisfied at the IIMS's achievement this time," Chairman of Gaikindo Sudirman MR said. The transactions rose 41 percent compared to last year and outstripped the Gaikindo-set target of Rp2 trillion, he said. The increase was in line with the automotive growth which reached 76 percent in the first half of 2010 compared to the same period last year. "The number of cars sold in the expo is 10,087, while the number of visitors is 279 thousand compared to 241 thousand last year," he said. He said car sale volume during the 10-day expo rose 50 percent from last year when car orders reached 5,518 units. Compared to last year, the number of sole authorized agents and automotive supporting industries taking part in this year's expo also rose to 22 and 181 respectively.***2*** |
Rabu, 18 Agustus 2010
MUST CONSTITUTION BE AMENDED TO GIVE THIRD TERM TO PRESIDENT?
| Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 18 (ANTARA) - The idea of Democrat Party (PD)'s lawmaker Ruhut Sitompul to propose an amendment to the 1945 Constitution so that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be able to run for a third term in 2014 is a setback in democracy and would betray the country's reforms agenda, legislators say.
"This discourse is a setback in democracy. So, it does not need to be given serious response because it would be counterproductive and a waste time and energy," National Mandate Party (PAN) politician Teguh Juwarno, said.Ruhut Sitompul, a member of the Democrat Party (PD) faction in the House of Representatives (DPR), has earlier stated that he would propose an amendment to the 1945 Constitution to extend the tenure of the president to three terms considering that at present there was no figure who could match President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as a national leader. Teguh Juwarno, who is also chairman of House Commission II on home affairs, said that the idea was a setback in the history of Indonesia's democracy where the people had paid dearly in fighting for a reform of the democracy system adopted during former president Soeharto who did not restrict presidential terms. |
Senin, 16 Agustus 2010
DEMOCRATS PARTY LEADER CALLS FOR PROTEST AGAINST MALAYSIA
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 16 (ANTARA) - A ruling political party leader has urged the government to lodge a strong protest against Malaysia over the arrest of three Indonesian maritime patrol officers, an act seen by a House deputy speaker as arrogant and provocative. "We don't like to raise a fuss and create tension in the international world, let alone if it is with a neighboring country like Malaysia, but in many cases Malaysia has often shown attitudes of disrespect to Indonesia," ruling Democrats Party (PD) chairman Anas Urbaningrum said on Monday. He was responding to the arrest by Malaysian police of three Indonesian patrol officers in the waters of Riau Islands province on Friday. It was reported that the three Indonesian patrol officers were arrested after they had nabbed a Malaysian fishing vessel and seven crew members who were allegedly poaching in the waters of Bintan Island, Riau Islands province. "We cannot let this case go unheeded because this is an act bordering on provocation," DPR Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso said meanwhile. He said the Malaysian police's action in arresting three Indonesian officers is an arrogant and provocative act. The politician said if the arrest was not reacted to it was feared that it would tarnish the image of Indonesia as a sovereign nation. Priyo said that as a people's representative on political and security affairs he felt he was belittled by the Malaysian police's act. "The arrested Indonesians were officers in uniform and were doing their patrolling task in Indonesian border areas. This indicates an arrogant act by the Malaysian police which is almost like a provocation," Priyo said. According to ruling PD party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, Malaysia had often shown little respect towards Indonesia. That's why on the latest case, he said, his side was of the view that Indonesia had to lodge a strong protest with the Malaysian government. Anas said that efforts to release and send back to Indonesia the three patrol officers should soon be made while the note of protest was expected to serve as a lesson for Malaysia that neighborly nations should respect each other as equally sovereign parties. "It should not happen that Malaysia would continue to belittle the Indonesian sovereignty only because we do not like to kick a fuss. A strong note of protest should therefore be lodged soon," he said. He said that other steps such as freezing diplomatic ties or even waging a war were not yet in "our mind at present" but Indonesia must show its firm stance and position in the international affairs. "War is not an option but we need to affirm our dignity and make clear our position in international affairs. We don't want war but we are forced into it, so be it," Anas said. According to Priyo Budi Santoso, Indonesia needs to take retaliatory action by on occasion also arresting and detaining Malaysian officers to see how Kuala Lumpur would react. The Malaysian officers should be detained for several days. "Then we wait and see how Malaysia reacts," the House deputy speaker said. He said being the greater nation Indonesia should have no difficulty in making Malaysia aware of the consequences it could face if it continued its harassment. But so far, the government was still giving priority to diplomatic channels to resolve the case. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wanted the case to be solved through peaceful means, particularly through diplomatic channels. Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said his ministry was doing its best to secure the release of the arrested Indonesian patrol officers. "The sooner they can come home, the better," he said in response to journalists' question about whether the foreign ministry had a timeline for the three Indonesians' release. In the meantime, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Fadel Muhammad said three of his officers arrested by Malaysian sea police recently would be repatriated within the next two days. "The Malaysian authorities have promised to set free our officers within two days. I have also sent my deputy to Johor Baru to check the three officers' condition," said Fadel here on Monday. According to information from his deputy, Fadel said, the three arrested officers were in good condition. He also expressed optimism that the problem regarding the arrest of the three would be solved soon without any further complications. The three patrol officers were Asriadi (40), Erwan (37) and Seivo Grevo Wewengkang (26). They were arrested when they intercepted the Malaysian fishing vessel which was poaching in the Indonesian waters of Riau Islands province. However, Fadel admitted he did not know the legal status being imposed by the Malaysian authorities on the Indonesian officers. "We still have no information on their legal status until today," the minister told the press Monday. He expressed optimism that the three would be released soon because from the legal point of view the three Indonesian officers were not guilty. He also said the government would soon make clear the borderlines between Indonesia and Malaysia following the arrest of Indonesian patrol officers. "Following the incident we will arrange and make clear the borderlines between Indonesia and Malaysia," the minister. So far the borderlines between Indonesia and Malaysia were not yet clear, particularly in their water areas. According to Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia and Malaysia have yet to agree on their sea borders so that incidents such as that of August 13 could occur. "Negotiations have not yet started and no agreements on land and sea borders has been made by Indonesia and Malaysia," he said. Therefore, Indonesia would soon negotiate its territorial borders, including the sea border, with Malaysia, he said. ***1*** |
MERAK, BAKAUHENI PORTS GEARING UP FOR IDUL FITRI TRAVELERS
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 14 (ANTARA) - The ports of Merak in the western tip of Java and Bakauheni in the eastern tip of Sumatra are gearing up to serve millions of homeward travelers who want to celebrate post-fasting Lebaran or Idul Fitri festivities in their home-towns in Sumatra or Java. At least 36 ships, consisting of 33 Roro (Roll-on roll-off) ferries and three express vessels, are being prepared to transport millions of revelers in the runup to, during and after the Lebaran holidays which will peak on September 10-11, 2010. "Indeed the 36 ships are now ready to be operated because the Merak and Bakauheni port administrators have examined them," Zailis Anas, operational manager of the Inland Waterway Service (PT ASDP Ferry Indonesia) for Bakauheni, said. He said that in the face of the Lebaran day, his office had prepared infrastructural facilities at the ports. "We are adding facilities for passengers and now they are still in the process of improvement for the convenience of passengers," he said. The state-owned ferry service firm will also make available other facilities which would be adjusted to the conditions in the period nearing Lebaran. For passengers' convenience, PT ASDP will coordinate with related agencies such as police, land-transportation owners organization (Organda), port administrators, transportation services, health services and other relevant parties. Bakauheni port has six piers, three of which are ready to be operated for passengers namely Pier I, Pier II and Peir III for unloading passengers and cars. The other three piers are the Plengsengan, Peirs IV, Piers V and Piers VI but the three would be operated only if the other three are not able to accommodate a jump flow of passengers. Besides, the port infrastructural facilities, PT ASDP has also prepared 36 ferries and express ships. Each of the 33 Roro ships has an average capacity to transport 676 passengers and 104 vehicles each trip. The head way of the 33 ships 150 minutes or a total of 90 trip per day. The three express ships, namely Pascadana 2, Alle Ekspres and Citra Jet 2, have a capacity of 172 passengers per trip with a trip frequency of 16 per day. They have a cruising time of 60 minutes to cover the Bakauheni and Merak ports. In the meantime, PT ASDP operational manager for Merak port Endin Juhaendi said that each of the 33 ferries, among others BSP II, Duta Banten, Nusa Mulya, Nusa Agung, Nusa Jaya and Panorama was able to transport over 100 four wheel vehicles. The 33 Roro ships included two large ones with a capacity of transporting 175 four wheel vehicles. The two are being prepared at the dockyard but were ready to be operated in the runup to the Idul Fitri holidays. "They are still docking and are under maintenance service but work is almost complete. We could ascertain that they are ready for operations in the runup to Idul Fitri holidays," Head of Ship Safty Affairs of the Banten Port Administrator, Capt M Hasan Basri said meanwhile. He said that based on field checks and reports from the relevant services, the two ships were ready to be operated during the Idual Fitri holidays. He said that Tribuana I ferry had a capacity to transport 175 four wheel vehicles and 395 passengers while the other one BSP III was able to load 100 units of four wheel motor vehicles and 500 passengers. But according to data obtained by ANTARA, most of the 33 roll-on roll-off ferries to be operated for home ward Indul Fitri travelers are old ships with only a number of them are less than 15 years. The data received from PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry showed that of the 33 ships under the firm at Merak port most were already old, or over 25 years, some others even almost reaching 40 years old. The 33 old ferries which will serve and ferry millions of home-bound post-fasting month travelers and vehicles from Java to Sumatra or the vise verse, included the Jatra I and Jatra II produced in 1980. The others are Jatra III,1985, BSP I,1973, BSP II,1971, BSP III,1973, Bahuga Pratama, 1992, Bahuga Jaya,1987, Menggala, 1973, Mufidah,1979, Duta Banten, 1973, Jagantara, 1979, Nusa Dharma, 1986, Nusa Bahagia,1979, Victorius, 1990, Laut Teduh I, 1990, Musthika Kencana,1975, HM Baruna,1992, Tribuana, 1997 and Rajabasa I, 1990. Besides that other old ferries are SMS Kartanegara,1984, Windu Karsa Dwita,1997, Windu Karsa Pratama,1993, Titian Nusantara,1995, Panorama Nusantara,1987, Royal Nusantara,1985, Prima Nusantara,1975, Mitra Nusantara,1997, Titian Murni,1985, Nusa Agung,1992, Nusa Jaya,1987, Nusa Mulia, 1992 and Nusa Setia, 1994. The Indonesian government has to facilitate annual Idul Fitri travelers every year during the post-fasting month festivities. The preparations made included transportation facilities and infrastructures, provision of basic necessaries, fuel, security and the comfortable travel conditions. All government agencies must therefore be responsible for their respective main duties. The country last year saw the exodus of about 27 million home-bound Indul Fitri travelers when the government services for the revelers focused on three main things - security, safety and comfort. Last year?s Idul Fitri travelers in the country were recorded at 27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motor cycles. ***4*** |
RI NEEDS TO IMPORT 700 THOUSAND TONS OF SUGAR
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 14 (ANTARA) - Businesses producing sugar-based products are calling on the government to import some 700 thousand tons of raw crystal sugar to anticipate a sugar shortage this year. "The country's sugar need for industry and consumption is estimated at five million tons while the remainder of last year's sugar imports plus that already imported this year only total 4.3 million tons, so we still run short of 700 hundred tons," Food and Beverage Businessmen Association (Gapmi) General Chairman Adhi S Lukman said on Friday. After all, he said, sugar production of about 60 factories at home which last year totaled 2.7 million tons was predicted to drop to 2.1 tons. This requires the government to prepare a mechanism for the importation of 700 thousand tons of raw crystal sugar to anticipate sugar shortages. This is regardless of the fact that sugar supply to industry is still safe because refined sugar industry still has stocks. "Actually the 700 thousand tons are only for use, not for stocks. If we need stocks we need to import more (more than 700 thousands), about one to two month need," he said. Lukman said the import mechanism should have been prepared this August so that it could be carried out next November, thus there would be no parties who could manipulate sugar prices and disadvantage sugarcane farmers. Actually, like last year when it imported sugar for this year's stocks, the government is now also planning to import sugar but it is designed for next year's stocks. It has predicted that sugar production in 2011 would drop. "The import plan is more aimed at meeting next year's stocking needs in the face of a fall in domestic sugar production," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pengestu said here on Friday. She said the imports were especially needed to meet the need for sugar in the first five months of 2011. The government believed the dry spells in the country would affect national sugar production. "Production this year is predicted to be lower than last year," she said. She said however stocks now were enough to meet the need for sugar in the current fasting month and during the post-fasting lebaran festivities. Earlier, the Indonesian Refined Sugar Business Association (AGRI) insisted that the government issue soon a license for the importation of sugar to produce refined sugar. M Yamin of AGRI said that stocks of raw sugar to make refined sugar for industry were now declining. The refined sugar industry must be able to meet the annual need for sugar of the food and beverage industries which reached 600,000 tons. Lukman supported Yamin's call for the government to import sugar. He said that Gapmi expressed fear that it would suffer a sugar shortage because national sugar production was predicted to decline this year. The need for sugar for food and beverage industries this year reached five million tons. "Sugar production last year was 2.7 million tons and this year it is expected to drop to 2.1 million tons," he said. He said, if sugar imports this year and the remainders of last year's imports were added up, the total would only reach 4.3 tons. "So, there is a shortage of 700,000 tons," he said. Even though Indonesia is an agricultural country, the government has to import sugar every year to meet the need at home. In September last year, the government decided to import 180,000 tons of raw sugar in an effort to increase its sugar stocks and to secure sugar supplies in the country in the first five months of 2010. In 2009, the government was allocating 1.6 million tons of raw sugar imports for refined sugar industries, and the importation of 380,000 tons of refined sugar. Indonesia intends to become sugar self-sufficient but for this it needs to expand its sugarcane plantations. It needs another 350 thousand hectares of sugarcane plantation to reach self-sufficiency in sugar production. Indonesia's sugarcane plantations at present cover about 480,148 hectares. During the 2004-2009 period, sugarcane plantations did not expand significantly. In 2004 it covered 344,795 hectares and in 2009 it was recorded at 480,148 hectares only. Based on the results of a survey, the country now has around 7.3 million hectares of idle land, Agriculture Minister Suswono said. Nearly 2 million hectares of the land could be used as farm land including sugarcane plantation, he said. The Agriculture Ministry has earlier projected that sugar stocks in 2010 will reach 6.24 million tons. The stocks will come from initial stocks, white crystal sugar production, refined sugar production, and imported sugar. Meanwhile, the country's sugar needs this year are projected to reach 4.94 million tons. As such, the country is expected to have a sugar surplus of up to 1.3 million tons this year.***2*** |
Minggu, 08 Agustus 2010
SAIL BANDA YACHTS BEGIN FLOCKING TO WAKATOBI FESTIVAL
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 8 (ANTARA) - Some yachts, both those taking part in Maluku's Sail Banda and those which failed to reach the international event due to rough seas, began flocking to Wakatobi Island in Southeast Sulawesi province to take part in a local cultural festival. "Twenty yachts have arrived. About 146 yachts from various European countries, the United States and Australia are expected to take part in the Wakatobi Cultural Festival," Wakatobi district head Hugua said on Sunday. Maluku province is now organizing an international yacht rally called Sail Banda from July 24 to August 17, 2010. In the meantime, Southeast Sulawesi will also organize a cultural festivity from August 13 to August 16, 2010. Participating yachts from overseas entered Indonesia through the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) but due to bad weather and huge waves, some 40 yachts are still not able to reach Maluku for the Sail Banda rallies. It seems that these yachts have decided to change their directions to Southeast Sulawesi to take part in the Wakatobi cultural festival. As the Wakatobi festival draws near, yachts from Maluku (those taking part in Sail Banda) and from East Nusa Tenggara (those hampered by bad weather) have begun flocking to Wakatobi Island. "Eight arrived on Saturday and 12 others arrived today," Wakatobi district head Hugua said. With the arrival of 12 yachts on Sunday, the number of yachts which had anchored in the Wakatobi waters had reached 20, Hugua said. "It is expected that about 10 to 15 yachts will arrive at Wakatobi tonight and all of the 40 yachts are expected to have arrived in the coming two days," the district head said. "Because of the bad weather the yachts decided to change course to Wakatobi to take part in the "Wakatobi Cultural Festival" which will begin on August 13, 2010," Hugua said. Hugua said that he had contacted a sailor on an American yacht which had arrived at Wakatobi. The district head said he was informed by the American sailor that about 40 other yachts which had changed their directions would continue their trips from NTT to Wakatobi. Sailors of the yachts which have arrived are now having under sea diving around the Hoga island. Hoga island is one of the isles in Wakatobi district which has 750 coral reef species known to be the most beautiful in the world, one of them is the newly found species, the palo streak, a species which is only found in the Palao Island in the Philippines. Regarding the "Sail Banda" participants which number about 50 yachts, Hugua said that they would enter Wakatobi in stages and it was expected that all of them would have arrived in Wakatobi on August 16, 2010. Actually, all Sail Banda participants are expected to have arrived in Wakatobi on August 13, and they will be greeted with various cultural and art performances during the Wakatobi Cultural Festival, including the Bangka Mbule-Mbule cultural attraction. The Bangka Mbule-Mbule attraction is to greet Sail Banda participants and would be performed by around 10,000 fishermen from various coastal areas in Wakatobi. Wakatobi is the biodiversity hotspot known as Wallacea. It is also host to Operation Wallacea, a UK based non-profit conservation group looking at sustainable development of fisheries and coral reef research. Bangka Mbule-Mbule is a ritual of Bajo ethnic community in Wakatobi offered to ask for the Creator to bestow the local fishermen with blessing and save them from perils when they go fishing at open sea. "At the night of August 16, 2010, all of the sail rally participants would be served a dinner at the residence of Wakatobe district head. At the dinner party, we will serve them with various kinds of local traditional foods such as 'ksuami,' 'pepe,' and other tuber foods," Hugua said. He said that during their participation in the festival in Wakatobi, the guests would have undersea diving, witnessing cultural attractions such as 'karia,' 'kabuenga,' and other traditions. The karia is a local tradition ceremony where Makatobi families declare that their daughters had entered the grown-up age and were ready to be proposed. The karia ceremony will be attended by about 10,000 locals from various areas in Wakatobi district. "This cultural festival will really reflect the local people's ceremony in welcoming yacht participants. We can say that this ceremony is really of a folk festival," the district head said. The peak of the festival which would be broadcast live by SCTV television will see the sail participants from 40 countries to unfurl the Indonesian white-and-red flag in the sea bed about 20 meters under the sea level. "The participants who will unfurl flags are limited to 60 participants only. The activity will be done after the Independence Day Proclamation Ceremony is finished at the State Palace in Jakarta," he said At least 1.3 million hectares of Wakatobi are part of Wakatobi National Marine Park with Karang Mari Mabo, One Mombaa, Pulau Hioga, and Pantai Patuno diving sites. "Even United States ambassador to Indonesia Cameroon Hume has ever gone diving at Karang Mari Mabo site," Hugua said. Mari Mabo in the local dialect means getting drunk. Thus the diving site is called Mari Mabo because the area has stunning under water panoramic beauty that makes divers stay longer under the water and forget to resurface. "While diving in Wakatobi, you'll not only see beautiful vistas or pristine coral reefs, but also abundant colorful reef fish and rare and unusual cryptic "critters". New undocumented species are being discovered in Wakatobi," Hugua said.***4*** |
Sabtu, 07 Agustus 2010
BLACKBERRY URGED TO SET UP DATA CENTER
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 7 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has repeated its call on the Canadian firm Research In Motion Ltd (RIM) to set up in Indonesia a data center which would enable it to monitor the communications of suspected criminals via their BlackBerry smartphones . "If RIM does not set up a data center in Indonesia it would be difficult for law enforcement officers to track crime-related commuications through BlackBerry hand pones," Informatics and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring said in Magelang, Central Java, on Saturday. However, the Indonesian government has not yet received any response from RIM on its request to set up a data center in the country. "We have so far not received any response but we continue to communicate with them and I think they are still processing it," Minister Tifatul Sembiring said. Indonesia made the request amid reports that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had recently blocked BlackBerry e-mail, Internet and messaging services. India and Saudi Arabia have announced they might take the same steps and impose bans of their own. Unlike rivals Nokia, Samsung and Apple's iPhone, RIM controls its own networks which handle encrypted messages through centers in Canada and the UK. This has made the BlackBerry and its messenger application highly popular as a secure way to communicate, but has also worried governments, who are not able to tap into the network. Thus, there was speculation that Indonesia would follow the UAE's step in blocking the BlackBerry internet access, though the government was quick to deny it. An official from the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Body (BRTI), an independent regulator, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post on Wednesday that such a ban was being considered. Telematics expert Roy Suryo said there was no need for the Indonesian government to ban or restrict the use of BlackBerry hand phones as the United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries had done. "There is no need for the government to block it. Instead, it should create conditions that enable users to take careful and anticipatory measures with regard to the possibility of certain people using BlackBerry as a device for negative acts," Roy Suryo said. Roy Suryo, who is also a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission I for information affairs, said there were many laws that could be used by the government to supervise, control and tighten the use of BlackBerry hand phones in the country. He said the government could reinforce its intelligence technology to carry out supervision. It should not create unrest among users. The government should increase the number of BlackBerry users to increase state income. "The number of BlackBerry users in Indonesia at present is 1.3 million. This should be increased in order to strengthen our bargaining position. If our bargaining position is strong we will have significant power to urge RIM to set up a data center in Indonesia," Roy Suryo said. On Wednesday, an official from the BRTI said a ban was being considered after India and Saudi Arabia announced they might take steps similar to the UAE and issue bans of their own. Minister Tifatul Sembirirng however was quick to clear up the misunderstanding, saying that Indonesia had merely demanded that RIM provide a data center in Jakarta. "There is no plan for a ban. We're not going to follow the UAE regarding BlackBerrys," Tifatul Sembiring said. He said that Indonesia had asked RIM to set up a data center but so far RIM had not yet responded to the request. The minister said that based on Law No. 11 / 2008 on Information and Electronics Transactions, each telecommunication operator in Indonesia is required to set up a data center. He said that international banks which had opened services in Indonesia were also required to establish a data center because it was needed in investigations into corruption cases. "Indonesia will face difficulties to investigate an alleged corruption case if international banks do not have data centers in the country. If data centers are available, law enforcers can carry out legal intervention," the minister said. He said that his ministry had written to BlackBerry about its obligation to set up a server in Indonesia because it was also operating in Indonesia. Besides, he said, the establishment of a data center would enable Indonesia to earn an income from non-tax revenue (PNBP) source. "We have asked BlackBerry to establish a server in Indonesia, or otherwise, Indonesia will not be able to obtain PNBP income. So far, they only use Indonesians to reap profits," the minister said. ***5*** |
RI TOURISM BEGINS TO RISE AGAIN
| By Andi Abdussalam |
Jakarta, Aug 7 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's tourism sector as one of the country's main foreign exchange earners has experienced a set back in the past several years due to terror attacks on domestic foreign targets, yet the success of the government in cracking down on terrorists of late has led the tourism sector to revive. The positive developments in the country's tourism are reflected in the foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of this year which have increased about 14 percent from that in the corresponding period a year earlier. With the achievements in the first semester, the country's tourism officials are upbeat that Indonesia would be able to meet or even exceed its foreign tourist arrivals target of 7 million this year. They are even planning to raise Indonesia's foreign tourist arrivals target to 7.6 million next year. They made the plan after seeing that in the first half of 2010, a total of 3.38 million had visited Indonesia, while in fact it was a low season during this period. "It is a very good figure because the January-July period is a low season, yet we are able to book a good number," I Gde Pitana Brahmananda, overseas tourism promotion director of the Ministry of Tourism, said. He said that the arrivals of 3,380,544 foreign tourists in the country in the first half of this year was a good omen for the country's tourism development and made him convinced that the target of 7 million arrivals would be exceeded. "During the low season we able to achieve a two digit growth so I am confident that we will experience a higher growth in the second semester," Pitana said. The Central Board of Statistics (BPS) announced early this week that more than 3.38 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia in the first half of 2010, up 14 percent from the same period last year. In June 2010 alone, more than 613.4 thousand foreign tourists visited the country, an 11.41 percent increase compared to the same period last year, BPS Chief Rusman Heriawan said on Monday. Compared to May, the number of tourist arrivals in June slightly rose 2.23 percent, he said. The number of tourists visiting Bali via Ngurah Rai Airport in June 2010 reached 224.7 thousand, an increase of 12.07 percent compared to June 2009 or 12.68 percent to May 2010, he said. The rise in the number of tourist arrivals in June raised the average occupancy rates of star-rated hotels in 17 of the country's 33 provinces to 53.37 percent, up 0.73 point compared to June 2009 or 2.15 point to May 2010, he said. On average the foreign tourists stayed at the star-rated hotels for 1.96 days in June 2010, down 0.04 day from June 2009, he said. The BPS also noted that the number of domestic air passengers in June reached 3.5 million, an increase of 0.43 percent from a month earlier. Meanwhile, the number of foreign-bound air passengers in June rose 14.06 percent to 867.3 thousand compared to the previous month. In the January-June 2010 period, the number of domestic and foreign-bound air passengers increased 20.99 percent to 20 million and 25.96 percent to 4.5 million respectively compared to the same period last year. With these developments, the Tourism and Culture Ministry has expressed its optimism that its target to net seven million foreign tourist arrivals in 2010 would be achieved. "We are optimistic that the seven million target would be achieved considering the positive growth of foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of this year," I Gde Pitana Brahmananda said. According to Marketing Secretary of the Tourism Directorate General Noviendi Makalam, the government will increase its foreign tourist arrivals target from 7 million this year to 7.6 in 2011. "We have an optimistic scenario where we will raise our target for foreign tourist arrivals in 2011 to 7.6 million" Noviendi said. But the tourism directorate general is also setting a moderate target of 7.3 million and a pessimistic target of 6.8 million. The latest developments of the past 18 months have served as a basis for the government to raise its pessimistic target, Noviendi said adding that in the last 18 months, there had been an upward trend in the tourism growth, and in the first semester of 2010 it grew 14 percent. Noviendi expressed hope that the positive growth in the tourist arrivals would continue to go on until the year end so that the 7 percent target would be achieved. It has also begun to exploit secondary markets such as Germany and the Middle East and continue to look for new markets such as ex-Soviet Union's countries and Latin American ones like Brazil. "We will exploit a number of countries such the United States as our main market, including Taiwan," Noviendi said.***2*** |