AT LEAST 34 LIVES LOST AT SEA DURING LEBARAN

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 31 (Antara) - At least 34 people have died in sea accidents or drowned at beaches in the past three days of the post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran festivities across the country.          In a major incident, 17 Lebaran revelers died when a ferry sank in the Kapuas River in Central Kalimantan while 7 others were killed in a boat accident in West Sumatra. In Papua and Central Sulawesi provinces, boat accidents also led to 4 deaths.          As of Thursday, some 51 others were still missing as a result of sea accidents.          Reports revealed that in West Sumatra, at least six people drowned while swimming in beaches, and several others are still missing.          "In the past three days, six people have drowned at various beaches in West Sumatra, such as the Artha and Padang beaches," Juanda Sogo, the chief of the operation section of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) for Padang office, West Sumatra, stated in Padang on Thursday.          Sogo remarked that it was suspected that the victims had drowned as they were not able to swim the high waves at the beaches.         "As the waves were relatively big, they were dragged from the beach lines," Juanda Sogo added.

INDONESIAN HOTSPOTS STILL NEED PROMPT RESPONSE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 30 (Antara) - Indonesian forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, particularly in Riau Province, where fires have burnt 25 thousand hectares of forest and land this year, still require speedy actions.          As forest fires are increasing in the two provinces of Riau in Sumatra and West Kalimantan in Kalimantan, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is taking immediate measures.          "The BNPB took immediate steps after it received information that forest fires were on the rise in the two provinces," BNPB's Head of Data Information Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwon Nugroho said through an electronic message to Antara on Wednesday.          The Terra and Aqua Satellites had detected 417 hotspots in Riau Province on Monday last week, indicating an increase in widespread wildfires in the province.          According to the BNPB data, 417 hotspots were detected in Riau on Monday (July 21) at 5 a.m. local time last week, while a total of 570 hotspots were detected in Sumatra.          However, data has revealed that the number of hotspots actually have shown a downward trend this week in Riau.         "The number of hotspots on Tuesday had declined from 133 on Monday in Sumatra, of which 85 have been found in Riau Province," Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Head Said Saqlul Amri told the press.

PEOPLE CONSUME MORE FISH DURING FASTING MONTH

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 29 (Antara) - As fish is one of the staple food items, the demand for processed fish in the country has increased drastically to about 60 percent during the fasting month.          "During the fasting month and in the face of the Lebaran festivities this year, the demand for processed fish products rose by about 50 to 60 percent," Director General for Processing and Marketing of Fishery Products of the Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Ministry (KKP) Saut Hutagalung remarked on Tuesday.          However, despite the increase in the demand for processed fishery products, there was no undue escalation in prices as they were under control and the increase only ranged between 20 and 30 percent.          Indonesia, which had a per capita fish consumption of 30.4 kilograms per annum in 2010 and has begun viewing its maritime sector as a key source of economic gain, has set a fish production target of about 21 million tons this year.

'LEBARAN' EXPECTED TO 'REUNITE' PEOPLE AFTER ELECTIONS

By Andi Abdussalam		\
Jakarta, July 28 (Antara) - The Indonesian people appear divided into two camps following the recent presidential election on July 9, 2014, but the post-fasting month Idul Fitri or Lebaran festivities are expected to reunite them.          The elected president and vice president have emphasized that the Idul Fitri or Lebaran festivities serve as a momentum for the people's 'reunification.'     The offer to make the Idul Fitri holiday an occasion to 'reunite' and maintain peace was expressed by President-elect Joko Widodo or Jokowi and his running mate, Vice President-elect Jusuf Kalla on the occasion of the current Lebaran festival.          Besides Jokowi and Kalla, other parties have also expressed keenness to build and maintain national peace and unity.          According to Jokowi, Idul Fitri, the celebration that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, is the best time to unify the nation. His running mate, Jusuf Kalla, also echoed his views.

MEAT PRICES JUMP UP ONE DAY BEFORE 'LEBARAN'

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 27 (Antara) - Beef prices in different parts of the country drastically increased on Saturday, one day before Muslims celebrate the post-fasting Idul Fitri holidays on Monday and Tuesday.          The price increases varied from one regions to another, from about 10 percent in Jakarta for example to 55 percent in Sukabumi District, West Java.          The highest increase of beef price one day ahead of the Idul Fitri, or Lebaran day took place in a traditional market in Sukabumi, which rose by about 55 percent from that three days earlier.          "Today, the local beef  price in traditional market jumped up to Rp150 thousand per kg. However, mixed meat still could be bought at a price of Rp120 thousand per kg," beef trader coordinator at Cibadak traditional market, Suhendi told Antara on Sunday.          Suhendi explained that the rising beef price was caused by high consumers' demand in the face of the Idul Fitri festivity on Monday. The price of beef in Sukabumi two days earlier was still Rp90 thousand to Rp100 thousand per kg.          Despite rising prices, traders were overwhelmed to cater consumers' demand because stocks were running short on Sunday.

PUBLIC URGED TO AVOID CONDUCTING 'TAKBIRAN' NIGHT PARADES

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 27 (Antara) - After fasting for one month, the Indonesian Muslims will celebrate the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivity, marked with 'takbiran' (recital of God greatness) on Saturday night and Idul Fitri prayers on Monday morning.          The words of 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great) are echoed by Muslim congregations at mosques and at other places of warships such as 'Musholla' (small mosques).          In many parts of the country, 'Malam Takbiran' (the night when God greatness is repeatedly recited, that is the night before the Idul Fitri is said the next morning) is usually celebrated in convoys with mobile congregations on different vehicles.          To maintain security and order, the National Police therefore called on the public to avoid convoys on highways when they celebrate the 'malam tabiran' event on Saturday night.

LEBARAN TRAVELERS EXPECTED TO PEAK ON SATURDAY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 26 (Antara) - Post-fasting Idul Fitri, or Lebaran holiday travelers have begun their home-bound journeys since early this week, but numbers are expected to peak on Saturday as employees and civil servants began their leave on Friday.          The peak in the Idul Fitri exodus is expected on Saturday, two days before the D-Day of Lebaran holidays which fall next Monday and Tuesday.          The government has imposed joint leave from Wednesday until Friday next week, giving a chance to employees, particularly civil servants, to enjoy a full week off next week.          There have been several estimates on the number of Lebaran travelers this year, but the ministry of transportation predicted 24 million revelers.

PEOPLE NOW ASK PRESIDENT-ELECT TO REALIZE PROMISES

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 23 (Antara) - The General Elections Commission (KPU) on Tuesday evening had announced Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla (JK) pair as the winner of the Indonesian July 9, 2014, presidential race against their competitor Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa duo.          Jokowi and JK, who will be inaugurated as the president and vice president on October 20 for a five-year period until October 20, 2019, are expected to implement their programs and promises made during the pre-election campaigns.          "The president-elect should remain controlled and remember the promises he had made during the pre-election campaigns. Support and criticism against the president-elect will make democracy--as an essential means of popular control on public affairs-- function maximally," political observer Ari Dwipayana of the Gadjah Mada University said.          Ibrahim, a political observer in Pangkalpinang, Riau Islands Province, agreed, saying that the president-elect must give substance to the promises he had made to the people during campaigning.          "The president-elect should now start proving his promises to the people of Indonesia. As a leader who holds the people's mandate, he has to prove and realize his promises and programs," he said on Tuesday.

ASDP GEARING UP FOR MILLIONS OF LEBARAN TRAVELERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 21 (Antara) - State-owned Inland Waterway Transportation Service PT ASDP in cooperation with state-owned shipping firm PT Pelni is taking necessary steps to provide transportation for post-fasting month Idul Fitri holidaymakers, or Lebaran travelers.          Beginning this week, about 24 million Lebaran travelers, locally known as "pemudik," have started their exodus for family reunions in their hometowns during the Idul Fitri holidays.      The homeward and return flow of travelers will last from about 7 days before and 7 days after the Idul Fitri D-Day, which falls on July 28-29, 2014.          Of the 24 million Lebaran revelers, about 5.11 million will travel by sea through ships or ferries.          Transportation Deputy Minister Bambang Susantono said early this month that the government will deploy at least 1,200 ships to cater to travelers who will arrive home by sea.          PT Pelni has expressed its readiness to serve homebound travelers or "mudik" makers this year. PT Pelni will coordinate with various concerned parties in providing the services.         "We have been preparing 25 passenger ships, with a total seating capacity of 45,077 passengers," said PT Pelni President Director Sulistyo Wimbo Hardjito on Wednesday (July 2, 2014).

PEOPLE HOPE FOR PEACE DURING POLL ANNOUNCEMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 19 (Antara) - As they feel the rising tensions,  the public hopes that peace will remain in place when the General Elections Commission (KPU) announces the results of the July 9 presidential polls next Tuesday.          The rising temperature of the political atmosphere has been ongoing since the presidential campaigns were launched last month. Further, tensions have been exacerbated by the victory claims of the two contesting presidential candidates, based upon the unofficial quick counts.          Therefore, the public hopes that there would not be a chaotic situation when the KPU announces the presidential election results next Tuesday, July 22, 2014.          The hope for continuing peace has also been expressed by Din Syamsudin, the executive board chairman of the country's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah. Further, the same call came  from Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Chairul Tanjung.         Chairul Tanjung said that the people hoped the announcement of the election results on July 22 could be conducted in a situation conducive for peace.         "We believe that the people's voice is the voice of God (Vox populi vox Dei). Therefore, we hope all sides will respect the voice of the people. Whatever the people have voiced is the best for the nation," the minister said on Friday.

GOVT TO MAINTAIN FOOD CROP PRODUCTION TARGET

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 16 (Antara) - The government will secure its 4.4 million hectare rice fields from drought and retain its production target of 70.24 million tons of unhusked rice and a surplus of 4.4 million tons of rice this year.          The Ministry of Agriculture is convinced that if efforts are taken to safeguard rice fields from the threat of El Niño-related drought and production is maintained, a surplus of 4.2 million tons will be achieved.          Acting Director General of Food Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture Haryono said on Wednesday that based on the Forecast I figure of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the country's unhulled rice production this year is estimated at 69.87 million tons.          "The efforts to secure rice plantations will be made through pest organism control (OPT) system, fertilizer supplies, reduction of deprecation in harvest production or losses, and the provision of agricultural equipment," he pointed out.          Stocks of pesticides are now more than adequate to carry out OPT pest control. Likewise, agricultural equipment is also sufficient, such as the procurement of water pumps used in anticipation of the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon.          The directorate general of food crops has also planned to take satellite images of the existing rice plantations or the standing crops in East Java, Central Java, West Java, and Banten.

MUSLIM CONSUMERS WARNED OF PORK-TAINTED MEAT

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 16 (Antara) - Amid increasing need for beef in the face of the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivities or 'Lebaran', Muslim consumers are warned of pork-tainted meat circulating in the market.          Consumption of meat is on the rise in the fasting month of Ramadan, particularly in the face of the Lebaran festivities, yet several consumers failed to distinguish between beef and pork.     As Muslims are not permitted to consume swine meat, they have to exercise caution while buying beef. After all, numerous cases have surfaced wherein beef was mixed with pork before it was sold to consumers in the market.          Beef is adulterated with cheaper wild boar meat that is smuggled from Sumatra to Java and is sold in the traditional markets.          "Seeing an increase in the number of cases of illegal smuggling of swine meat, we can conclude that there are parties who are trying to benefit from the Ramadan fasting month by mixing beef with pork," Agriculture Minister Suswono stated while destroying a total of 7.4 tons of illegal wild boar meat in Cilegon, Banten, on Wednesday.

GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT TRAVELERS FROM TICKET SCALPERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 15 (Antara) - The period of post-fasting, the Idul Fitri holidays, or Lebaran, where millions of travelers return home for family reunions, has found ticket scalpers reaping profits from would-be passengers.          Passengers who often become the target of scalpers are often those traveling by ship, train or bus. Air transportation is relatively safe from abuse by these middlemen.          The Ministry of Transportation will, therefore, focus its attention on protecting passengers from becoming victims of ticket scalpers by increasing the number of ships and trains available during the holiday period.          The Ministry will also cooperate with  police and other security officials to urge the public to report scalpers to the police.          Further, Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan said that officials and the public should cooperate to stop ticket scalpers who target travelers prior to the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivities.          "Ticket scalper practices are one of the things that have to be fought against by the alert forces of the police and other security officials," the transportation minister said on Monday.

PEOPLE AWAIT REALIZATION OF MARITIME 'TOLL ROAD'

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 14 (Antara) - The people, particularly businesspeople, are awaiting the realization of a maritime supercorridor transportation system that will link thousands of Indonesian islands from the eastern to the Western regions, cutting freight costs up to 50 percent.          The concept of the maritime supercorridor has been prepared by the current government in what it calls 'Pendulum Nusantara' (Archipelago Pendulum) program where large tonnage ships with cargoes or passengers serve main sea lanes and call at six major seaports located in areas stretching from the eastern to western parts of the country.          The government hopes the sea corridor will help smooth the implementation of the national connectivity program as regulated in Presidential Instruction No. 26/2013 on National Logistics System.          In a recent presidential debate, presidential candidate Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, revealed his program on the sea transportation system, which he called 'Maritime Toll Road' scheme, a sea lane transportation system which is more or less the same as the  'Pendulum Nusantara' concept.          Therefore, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) supported the idea of Jokowi to follow up the sea lane development program, as the current maritime-based national connectivity scheme designed to boost economic development and growth has yet to be implemented.

GOVT READY TO SERVE MILLIONS OF 'LEBARAN' TRAVELERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 12 (Antara) - The government is prepared to provide services for some 24 million people seeking to return to their home towns (mudik) to celebrate 'Lebaran', or the Islamic post-fasting holidays, at the end of this month.          Further, the Ministry of Transportation will provide at least 1,200 ships and increase the frequencies of trains, along with offering additional flights, to serve the post-fasting Idul Fitri holiday revelers.          "In general, all transport operators are ready to provide services to people keen on returning to their native villages for Lebaran, this year," Director General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Suroyo Alimoeso, said.          It is predicted that during this year's Idul Fitri holidays, the number of home-bound travelers, excluding those traveling in their own vehicles, will increase by about 3.83 percent to 19.30 million from 2013, which saw 18.59 million travelers.          The 19.30 million travelers excluded those using their own private vehicles, predicted to reach 4.16 million.

PRABOWO TO TRUST KPU ON ELECTION RESULTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, July 10 (Antara) - Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said he will rely on the General Elections Commission's (KPU) vote count results more than the quick count results by survey institutions regarding presidential polls on Wednesday (July 9).          Prabowo said the red-and-white coalition (a coalition that had nominated Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa as presidential and vice presidential candidates) will continue to call on its rank and file to remain calm and not to be provoked by other parties.          President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has earlier called on both presidential candidate pairs to refrain from indulging in any actions that might heat up the situation.          President Yudhoyono made the announcement at a press conference in Puri Cikeas, Bogor, Wednesday afternoon, responding to the increasingly heated situation after both candidate pairs, Prabowo-Hatta and Jokowi-JK, had claimed victory based on quick count results.          The unofficial quick counts by various survey institutions, such as SMRC, LSI, Indikator, CSIS-Cyrrus, Kompas, and RRI, showed that the Jokowi-JK pair had won an average 52 percent of the votes, while the Prabowo-Hatta duo had secured about 47 percent.          Meanwhile, other survey institutions, such as the LSN, IRC, Puskaptis, and JSI, gave a victory of average 51 percent to the Prabowo-Hatta pair and average 49 percent to the Jokowi-JK pair.

INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RUNS PEACEFULLY

by Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, July 9 (Antara) - The presidential election held across the country on Wednesday was peaceful and without any major hindrances.          National Police Chief General Sutarman reported to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto that in general the polling process in all the regions of Indonesia was implemented in a smooth, peaceful and orderly manner.          The National Police chief said his rank and file had conducted monitoring and maintained security at 486,866 polling stations across the country. "Security officers had been deployed at polling stations to maintain law and order. We had also conducted patrols with adequate number of personnel. On the whole, there was no problem, particularly in Jakarta," the National Police chief said.          On the occasion, a teleconference was also held to brief the minister about the security conditions in the regions by regional police chiefs. "Today, the chief political, legal and security minister is with us to listen to information from various police forces in the region (Regional Police and Resort Police) on the implementation of the 2014 presidential elections," Gen. Sutarman said.