BENJINA SLAVERY CASE SHEDS LIGHT ON OTHER CRIMES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 28 (Antara) - The alleged slavery case by the Thai firm PT Pusaka Benjina Resource (PBR), based in Aru Island, Maluku province, has led to the revelation of other alleged crimes in the maritime and fishery sector.          The Ministry of Manpower is probing indications and investigating alleged slavery practices against the crew members of PT PBR's fishing vessels operating in the waters of Aru Island, Maluku.          "The manpower ministry is still carrying out thorough investigations in the Benjina case. We are examining manpower violations while criminal violations are being handled by the police," Manpower Minister M. Hanif Dhakiri stated after meeting Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastusi in Jakarta on Monday.          Early this month, several international media outlets such as the Associated Press from the United States had reported about the enslaved boat crew members employed by the company that conducts fishing in Indonesia.          According to the Associated Press, PT PBR, a company based in Benjina on Aru Island in Maluku, an eastern province of Indonesia, had been treating its ship's crew members as slaves.          The International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed that the number of fishermen forced into slavery reaches four thousand. They are reportedly compelled to work as slaves.

DOMESTIC SUGAR MARKET NEEDS PROTECTION

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, April 27 (Antara) - The consumer market at home must be protected from the influx of imported refined sugar in order to maintain stability in sugar prices and to protect the interest of the domestic sugarcane farmers.         Indonesia has been importing refined sugar primarily to cater to the needs of the food and beverage industries rather than to meet its domestic demand. Thus, imported refined sugar may not be sold in the domestic open market.          However, in reality, imported refined sugar still reaches the consumer market, which is disadvantageous to the local sugar producers and sugarcane farmers.          Although the government has issued a policy to eliminate the services of sugar distributors, who are suspected to have leaked imported refined sugar into the consumer market, yet imported refined sugar is still found in the local markets, such as Banyumas and Cilacap in Central Java, for household consumption.

INDONESIA SHOULD LEAD EFFORTS TO REINFORCE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 21 (Antara) -- Indonesia is expected to lead efforts towards the strengthening of global governance through the ongoing 60th anniversary celebrations of the Asian-African Conference (AAC).          These commemorative events, which began on April 19, will be held till April 24 in Jakarta and Bandung.          "Indonesia should lead Asian and African countries to reinforce the multilateral system of global governance," an expert of international relations Makarim Wibisono said.          Wibisono, who is also a special rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) on human rights in Palestine, added that global governance was not being carried out well currently.          The unfavorable condition of global governance was reflected in the failure of the UN in overcoming various issues and developments that have become the focus of the world's attention, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the Crimea conflict in Ukraine.          "The United Nations has neither been able to overcome the ISIS issue, nor resolve the Boko Haram case and the Ukrainian separatist conflict," Wibisono remarked.

INDONESIA INCREASES GLOBAL ROLE IN ASIA-AFRICA CONFERENCE

by Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, April 17 (Antara) - The 60th anniversary celebrations of the Asia-Africa Conference (AAC), which will take place in Jakarta and Bandung from April 19 to 24, 2015, is a good opportunity for Indonesia to increase its global role.          The spirit of the first ACC, which was hosted by Indonesia in April 1955, was to stand for the freedom of Asian and African countries from colonialism.          Today, 60 years later, Asian and African countries have gained independence and colonialism has been eliminated. Yet, the spirit of the AAC must remain, albeit for different objectives, such as global welfare and progress and world peace and security.         As the host of the AAC, Indonesia can use the event as an opportunity to strengthen its role in promoting regional and international cooperation between nations.         "Indonesia should seize the opportunity to utilize the 60th anniversary commemoration forum of the AAC to lead development cooperation, particularly among the AAC member countries," Professor Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, an economic observer from the Business and Economic Faculty of Padjajaran University, stated on Friday.

MAHAKAM TAKEOVER TRANSITION EXPECTED TO RUN SMOOTHLY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 16 (Antara) - State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, which has officially been appointed to take over oil rich Mahakam Block in East Kalimantan, is optimistic that the management transition will run smoothly.         Pertamina Upstream Director Syamsu Alam said on Thursday that the government has issued an official letter appointing Pertamina to manage the Mahakam Block after the contract of the current operator, Total Exploration and Production (Total E&P) Indonesie, expires in 2017.         According to Alam, Pertamina received the letter from Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said on Tuesday night. Pertamina will take over the gas block from Total E&P Indonesie after the French oil giant ends its contract.          Pertamina will now discuss at length the transition period with Total E&P Indonesie, Syamsu Alam added. Alam is optimistic the transition of the management of the oil block from Total E&P Indonesie and Inpex Corporation will run smoothly as his company already has experience in that field.

SAUDI GOVT SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED RI OF ITS EXECUTION PLAN

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 15 (Antara) - The Saudi Government should have informed Indonesia its plan to execute Indonesian death convict Siti Zaenab who was found guilty of murdering her Saudi employer.          International law professor at the University of Indonesia (UI) Hikmahanto Juwana said the Indonesian Government could do nothing about the execution of its citizen because it concerned the legal sovereignty of Saudi Arabia.          However, the Saudi Government has made a consular mistake by carrying out the execution without notifying any Indonesian representative about it, the international law professor noted on Wednesday.         According to Hikmahanto, in accordance with international affairs, a nation has the obligation to notify countries concerned before executing their citizens.        Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged its strong protest and summoned the Saudi ambassador seeking an explanation with regard to the matter.

AAC EXPECTED TO BOOST INDONESIA'S TOURISM

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 14 (Antara) - Besides fostering solidarity among Asian and African countries, the 60th anniversary events of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) in Jakarta and Bandung from April 19 to 24, 2015, is also expected to boost Indonesia's tourism.          Indonesia's tourism industry will gain from the meetings that will be held throughout the event as the country will be in the center of the world's attention.          Moreover, some 1,000 mass media representatives, including foreigners, will cover the events.          During the conference, Indonesia can also promote its tourism branding "Wonderful Indonesia" and its MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) programs.          Organizers have been asked to adorn the airport of Bandung, the provincial capital that hosted the first AAC in 1955, with flowers and make it more attractive.

INDONESIA TO LAUNCH ONE-MILLION HOUSE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 13 (Antara) -- The government must prioritize low-income people in its one million housing development program, which will be launched at the end of the month.          The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and state-owned housing developer PT Perumnas will team up to carry out the government program of building one million units of houses over the next five years.          Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that his ministry will start work this year to reduce the big backlog in the implementation of the housing program.      According to Hadimuljono, the government already set aside Rp13 trillion from the state budget and Rp500 million from the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS) for the program to build one million units of houses.          It has also allocated Rp220 billion in the revised State Budget 2015 for assistance in the down payment for housing credits. Those entitled to the financial assistance are buyers of modest houses who earn a maximum salary of Rp4 million per month and buyers of modest apartments who earn a salary of Rp7 million per month.          So far, low-income people have been forgotten in the development of public housing. Therefore, the Indonesian Property Watch has urged the government to give priority to this group of people.

CEPU BLOCK PROVIDES NEW HOPE FOR LOCALS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 12 (Antara) - Indonesia's Banyu Urip oil field in the Cepu Block in East and Central Java, which saw its maiden 550,000 barrel oil lifting on Sunday, provides new hopes for the locals and the nation.          With an expected 165,000 barrels of oil production per day by the end of 2015, the Cepu Block, which will contribute 25-30 percent to the national oil output, will bring greatest positive impacts on the local people around the operation areas.          "What is important is the social impact of this project where the local people in the operation areas will be happy because the project will function as a new economic driver from the oil and gas sector," Satya Widya, the deputy chairman of Commission VII on energy affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) said on Sunday.

MULTIPLE APPROACHES NEEDED TO FIGHT RADICALISM

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 11 (Antara) -- Radicalism in Indonesia cannot be handled with security measures and by blocking radical websites alone but requires multiple approaches.          These include instilling a spirit of anti-radicalism in youths and implementing balanced tactics by taking multiple aspects into account.          Early childhood education is a branch of education that can help to prevent the spread of radicalism. "Through early childhood education, they can learn about tolerance. It (the ideology) should be implanted in them from an early age," Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa stated here on Saturday.          "From an early age, they can develop an understanding of cultural diversity and pluralism, and through these efforts, tolerance and moderation can be ingrained in them," the minister affirmed.          A survey revealed that one out of 14 lower and upper secondary school students favored the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).          "If such conditions develop, efforts to prevent the spread of radicalism will become more difficult. However, we can prevent such thinking by instilling multiculturalism and pluralism in youths from an early age. Through this step, we can prevent radicalism from spreading and instill tolerance and moderation in youths from an early age," the minister explained.

INDONESIA SHOULD PROTECT ITS AGRICULTURE SECTOR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 9 (Antara) - With some 60-70 percent of its 240 million population hailing from the farming community, Indonesia needs to protect its agricultural sector to free itself from the influx of imported agricultural products and strengthen food resilience.          In an effort to advance Indonesia's agricultural sector, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the development of the country's agricultural and plantation sectors.          "The government is determined to improve the welfare of the people, particularly farmers, who work in the plantation and agricultural sectors," noted President Jokowi.          In the first six months of Jokowi's administration, the government claimed to have been able to successfully expand the country's rice fields by 700 hectares.          "We were evaluating our work during the October 2014-March 2015 period, and we found that we have been able to expand agricultural land by 700 hectares. God willing, it can produce an additional harvest of three million tons," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman revealed after attending the meeting with the president.

INDUSTRIES COMPLAIN OF POWER TARIFF HIKES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 8 (Antara) -- Burdened by the depreciating value of the rupiah against the U. S. dollar, industries hope that the government does not raise the electricity tariffs anymore this year.          This is because power fares contribute some 30 percent to the production costs borne by industries.          "We hope the government does not raise the basic tariffs of electricity for industries this year because it will increase our production costs," Chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) for Central Java Frans Kongi said on Tuesday.          The industrial sector bears the burden of the weakening of the rupiah against the U. S. dollar because local industries still depend on imported raw materials.         According to calculations, raw materials constitute 50 percent and electricity, 30 percent, of the production cost. So if the basic electricity tariffs are raised for industries, it will have an impact on the sale prices of industrial products.          Kongi also hopes that if the government is resolved to increase the electricity tariffs, it should increase those for household consumers who make up the largest customer group of state-owned electricity company PLN.

GOVT EXPEDITES 35 THOUSAND MW POWER PLANT PROJECTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 8 (Antara) - The government is expediting the development of its power plant projects worth Rp1.2 thousand trillion to achieve the target of generating an additional 35 thousand megawatts of electricity during the next five years.          Thus, with the country's current capacity of 54 thousand megawatts, the completion of the development of power plants, with a targeted capacity of 35 thousand megawatts, will bring the country's total electricity generation capacity to 89 thousand megawatts by the end of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) government's term in 2019.          President Jokowi has therefore reminded the state-owned electricity firm PLN about the target to build power plants. He called for the accelerated construction of power plants in a bid to meet the electricity needs of the people and domestic industries.          "The target given to PLN was not small. Therefore, it should work (towards the end) as fast as possible," President Jokowi remarked during his visit to the PLN headquarters in South Jakarta on Tuesday.

FISHERMEN CALL FOR THOROUGH ELIMINATION OF POACHERS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 6 (Antara) - Indonesian fishermen on National Fishermen's Day on Monday called for the thorough elimination of illegal fishing, including those financing poachers, so that fishermen's welfare can be improved.          "National Fishermen's Day 2015 is observed across the country, especially in Banda Aceh, Buton, Manado, Semarang, and Jakarta," Secretary-General of the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara) Abdul Halim said on Monday.          Illegal fishing in Indonesian waters by large foreign vessels is one of the factors affecting traditional fishermen who are struggling to improve their prosperity.          Operations to eliminate illegal fishing from Indonesian waters should not be restricted to seizing illegal fishing boats. It should also take to court large companies providing financial backing for poachers.          Therefore, on the occasion of the fishermen's day, he noted, several activities are held in various regions focusing on ways to improve the welfare of fishermen who are still living in poverty.

GOVT URGED TO TAKE STERN ACTION AGAINST SLAVERY

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, April 5 (Antara) - The Indonesian government is expected to take stern measures against companies operating fishing ships which practice slavery in the fishery sector.          "The disclosure of the slavery practice in Benjina, Aru Island, Maluku, indicates that the upholding of the law in the fishery sector in the past five months has not yet created significant deterrent effects," Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association (KNTI) General Chairman M Riza Damanik said here on Sunday.          The KNTI called on related parties, including the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) to investigate the alleged report of slavery practices in the fishery sector.          "The slavery case of fishermen in Indonesian waters should thoroughly be investigated,"  M Riza Damanik has earlier said.          Several international media outlets such as the Associated Press of the US have reported the slavery of boat crews employed by the company that conducts fishing in Indonesia.

AUSTRALIAN TOURIST ARRIVALS IN BALI REMAIN HIGH

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 4 (Antara) - Australian tourists visiting Indonesia's tourist resort province of Bali have continued to increase, regardless of the impact of Australian nationals Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran being sentenced to death in 2006 on drug charges.         Indonesia's plan to carry out the execution of the Australian death convicts has strained relations between Canberra and Jakarta during the past few months. Yet it has not hurt the Australian tourist traffic coming to Bali.         The two Australian convicts have been lodged in a Bali prison since they received the death penalty in 2006. But they were recently moved to a prison on the Nusakambangan Island, Cilacap District, Central Java, to be executed.         Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were members of the 'Bali Nine' drug ring, a group of drug traffickers, who were arrested on April 17, 2005 in Bali while trying to smuggle out 8.3 kilograms of heroin worth Rp40 billion to Australia.

INDONESIA'S HERBAL MEDICINES TO GET PATENT RIGHTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, April 3 (Antara) - Rich in medicinal plants, Indonesia has been studying the healing properties of its medicinal herbs to provide them with scientific recognition and patent rights so that they can be developed commercially.          By studying their healing properties, Indonesia is now in the process of providing its 'jamu' products with scientific recognition and patent rights that can increase their competitiveness and allow doctors to prescribe them.      Since 2010, experts have been conducting researches on medicinal herbs to ascertain their medicinal properties that can help cure diseases and explore possibilities for including them in doctors' prescription.          The Health Ministry has since carried out a program to 'scientize' Indonesian medicinal herbs to make them as scientifically credible as modern drugs and internationally acceptable.          Now, the government will give patent rights to its herbal medicines, which have been scientifically recognized as having credible healing powers.