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.

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*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/18:20/a014) 16-08-2010 18:21:

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*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/19:25/a014)14-08-2010 19:22:1

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*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/13:05/f001) 14-08-2010 13:06:5

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.       Hugua said that the yachts had entered Indonesia through NTT. But to continue their trips to Halmahera (Maluku province), the yachts were not able to face huge waves which could reach up to five meters high.          "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     It was earlier planned that the  Sail Banda participants would be in Wakatobi from August 13 to 20 to enjoy the underwater panoramic beauty and diving in Wakatobi waters.          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*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/A/S012) 08-08-2010 22:36:

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 not create unrest among BlackBerry users but increase the functions of its intelligence technology," he said.          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*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/21:00/H-YH)07-08-2010 21:07:

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.       Up to now the directorate general is still focusing on 10 main markets, among others Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.          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*** (T.A014/H-NG/f001  ) 07-08-2010 14:33: