Antara,
18 March 2006
1. PRESIDENT DONATES TO EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS ON BURU
ISLAND
2. POLICE HQ DEPLOYS 15 INVESTIGATORS TO PAPUA
3. GOVT, BI EXPECT INFLATION TO REACH AROUND 8 PCT BY YEAR END
4. RI DECLINES TO JOIN PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE
5. RI TO RUN FOR MEMBERSHIP IN UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
6. U.S. COY IN INDONESIA SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
1. PRESIDENT DONATES TO EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS ON BURU ISLAND
Ambon, Maluku - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday made personal donation to victims of earthquake which hit six villages in Batabuak sub-district, Buru Island district, Maluku Province on Tuesday (March 14).
"I am not sure about the amount but the donation from the President personally was meant as an emergency aid," Maluku Vice Governor Memet Latuconsina said here on Friday.
The President, who was in Maluku, also instructed Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie to coordinate with other concerned minister in providing assistance in the quake-hit areas on Buru Island and other villages in Maluku which were hit by tidal wave in early March.
The vice governor said that the Head of State accepted proposals for the government's financial assistance amounting to over Rp5 billion for Buru Island and Rp124 billion for tidal wave-hit villages in Maluku.
The earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale, which was later followed by a minor tsunami, damaged around 116 houses in Pale village, and killed two persons in another village in Buru districts.
President Yudhoyono upon arrival on Buru Island on Friday afternoon immediately proceeded to Pale Village to meet with the victims, who were taking refuge in higher areas.
"Up to now, most of the victims are still traumatized with the quake and huge wave. Therefore, for temporary they decided to take refuge in mountainous area in Malobi and Kepala Pela, which are three and five kilometers away from Pela," said Pale Village Head Burhan Nuhuyaman.
Since the quake on Tuesday, Buru Island has been jolted by 74 minor tremors, which came almost every 30 minutes to one hour, he said.
"Following the quake on last Tuesday, the sea water dragged back as far as 300 meters away, and after a while later, a five-meter high wave came hitting houses in the coastal area of Pale," he said.
Despite relief aid coming from the local authorities and several other parties, the refugees, who include 115 under-five year babies, were still in need of food, baby's food, blankets, tents, emergency lamps and medicines, especially anti-malaria pills.
2. POLICE HQ DEPLOYS 15 INVESTIGATORS TO PAPUA
Jakarta - The police headquarters has deployed 15 investigators to Jayapura to help local police investigating the bloody clash in Abepura that killed four security personnel.
"This afternoon, the 15 investigators will depart to Jayapura led by deputy director of the police detective unit (Bareskrim) Senior Comm. Mathius Salempang," a spokesman, Anton Bahrul Alam, said here Friday.
The police headquarters decided to send its officers on consideration that the incident might involve a large number of suspects, although for now police had only detained five suspects.
"Of the total 57 people that we questioned, only five are being quizzed more intencively as there is strong indication that they were involved in the actions that killed three policemen and one personnel of the Indonesian Air Force. They are charged with violating Article 170 of the criminal code on physical acts that cause death to others," Anton said.
Among the five suspects is a leader of the protesters, Celvius Bobbi, who is head of the West Papua Liberation Front, while leaders of two other groups, namely Yan Manderas (a student at Cendrawasih University) and Cosmal Yual (head of Parliament of the Streets) are still at large.
Although the police had yet to reach a conclusion that the three were involved in the killing of the policemen and air force member, they had to be responsible for the incident.
The situation in Abepura has been under control.
Meanwhile, the body of first private Daud Sulaiman was flown from Jayapura to Jakarta and is expected to arrive at Soekarno Hatta airport at 16.20 pm.
"The body was flown aboard a Merpati cargo plane and will be brought to his residence in Duren Jaya Permai Blok EII/11, Aren Jaya subdistrict of Bekasi," Anton said.
The clash broke out when 200 people staged a protest in front of Cendrawasih University, demanding the closure of the US gold and copper mine PT Freeport Indonesia.
In further development, some 600 people joined the demonstration.
Riot police tried to break up the rally with tear gas and baton charges but the rock-hurling protesters refused to move.
Some of the demonstrators ran down three policemen and a soldier, bludgeoning them to death with rocks and knives.
3. GOVT, BI EXPECT INFLATION TO REACH AROUND 8 PCT BY YEAR END
Jakarta - The government and the central bank (BI) have agreed that the rate of inflation by the end of the 2006 fiscal year should not exceed eight percent.
"The government and BI have reached agreements on the inflation rate. On the 2006 inflation rate we agreed to stick to eight percent," National Development Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta said here on Friday after a coordinative meeting on economic stability.
This shows that there has been good coordination between fiscal and monetary sectors, he said.
Paskah said although further calculations still had yet to be made along with the BI the two sides had also agreed to set inflations rates in 2007 and 2008 close to that of 2006.
According to a press statement from the office of the coordinating minister for the economy inflation is expected to reach around six percent in 2007 and around five percent in 2008.
BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah meanwhile said he was convinced the economy would be more active in the second semester.
"Various policies in the investment sector have already been implemented. Improvements have also been made on regulations and there has also been room in the external side that could make BI able to adapt itself to the situation which is more neutral than the situation now which is more tight," he said.
He however reminded that expedited growth could cause problems on the payment account because imports would be more while exports were also expected to rise.
He said the government could not expect short-term funds as they were very volatile and the economy could not stand well with them.
"So it hopes there would be foreign direct investment or exports would increase in the second semester," he said.
Regarding economic growth Burhanuddin said BI would likely adjust its forecast which has so far been around five to 5.7 percent to close to the government's target of 6.2 percent.
It would do it after it observed the condition and developments in various sectors, he said.
4. RI DECLINES TO JOIN PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE
Jakarta - Indonesia has turned down a US request that it join the Proliferation Security Initiative, Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya told newsmen here on Friday.
"In the context of bilateral relations the US has asked Indonesia to join the PSI but our foreign minister has firmly rejected it," he said.US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice conveyed the request during her recent visit here.
Percaya said Indonesia had rejected it because it considered implementation of the PSI would disturb the country's sovereignty as under the PSI the US could conduct check on ships passing through the country's waters.
"The PSI would also be carried out not multilaterally but by a group of countries only," he said.
He said Indonesia also considered the PSI to be against the 1992 International Convention on the Law of Seas.
The PSI is an initiative to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction including biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
Percaya said Rice would still send a team of experts to Indonesia to present details of the PSI in an effort to persuade the country to participate in it.
"It is a diplomatic step but in principle we will not participate in the PSI and Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has firmly rejected it," he said.
He said it had not yet been confirmed when the team of the US experts would arrive.
During her visit on March 14 to 15 in Jakarta, Rice held a closed-door meeting for about an hour with Hassan Wirajuda.
In her speech at an Indonesian Council on World Affairs forum Rice expressed US readiness to help Asian countries especially Southeast Asian countries to secure their open waters.
"Our country is ready to help countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand to secure the Malacca Strait which is an important trading lane as one-fourth of the world's oil supply is distributed through the strait," Rice said
5. RI TO RUN FOR MEMBERSHIP IN UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Jakarta - Indonesia plans to run for membership in the UN Human Rights Council established on Wednesday to replace the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission.
"The Indonesian government hails the establishment of the Human Rights Council and hopes that it will improve the role and performance of the UN in efforts to protect human rights throughout the world. Regarding membership in the council, Indonesia has decided to run for a seat in the council," a spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Desra Percaya said here, Friday.
The 191-member UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution setting up a new and more effective human rights body, despite strong opposition from the United States.
The Geneva-based commission has seen its credibility undermined by the presence among its 53 members of notorious human rights abusers, such as China, Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
"The new Human Rights Council will have 47 member countries, not individuals, and the election will be held in May 9, 2006," Desra said.
The members would be selected by absolute majority of the 191-member General Assembly, instead of being designated by each regional grouping and considering geographical factor.
"Asia and Africa will get 13 seats respectively, East Europe six seats, Latin America and Carribia eight seats, and West Europe seven seats," Desra said.
Members of the council would serve the position for three years and they could not run for the same position in two consecutive period.
Desra said, different with the ambitious proposal of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to establish a Human Rights Council which is equal with the UN main organs, the General Assembly has finally agreed that the council would become a subsidiary board under the assembly and its status would be evaluated after five years.
The vote had been delayed for several weeks to try to bring on board the United States, which opposed the new council because of doubts about its effectiveness.
The United States, Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands were the only countries to vote against setting up the council, with 170 countries voting in favour and Iran, Venezuela and Belarus abstaining.
Six member countries - Chad, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Papua New Guinea and Seychelles -- were not allowed to take part in the vote because they had not been paying their annual membership dues.
6. U.S. COY IN INDONESIA SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda has called on the American multinational companies in the country to pay more attention to the social responsibility for the local people, Foreign Affairs Ministry_s spokesman Desra Percaya said here on Friday evening.
"Wirayuda reminded US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jakarta on Tuesday that the American multinational companies in Indonesia should pay more attention to community building and social responsibility for the local people," Desra said.
However, he added that Wirayuda did not specifically mention the names of the US companies, whether Freeport or ExxonMobil which ought to pay attention to the social responsibility for the local people.
"Rice did not respond Wirayuda with a clear statement but from her body language she understood what the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry meant," Desra said.
Meanwhile, surging tides of protests and clashes demanding the closure of gold and copper mining company PT Freeport in Papua ended up in the death of three policemen and an Air Force officer on Thursday.
The clashes broke out after an unruly mass of people from various public elements who called themselves Papua's People Defense Fighters blocked the main road to Abepura in front of Cendrawasih State University in Sentani.
PT Freeport Indonesia is part of US giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., the world_s largest gold and copper mining company.