Year-ender: INDONESIA TO HOLD SIMULTANEOUS REGIONAL HEAD ELECTIONS IN EARLY 2016 By Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 31 (Antara) -- Despite complaints regarding alleged irregularities and money politics in some regions, 2014 was a year of democracy for Indonesia with peacefully organized legislative elections in April followed by the presidential election in July.

         The parliamentary elections was the largest and most complicated single-day poll in the world, with more than 185.8 million voters spread across thousands of islands registered to vote in over than 545 thousand polling stations
    Three months later, Indonesia, the world's third largest democracy following India and the United States, held a presidential election, which turned out to be its first ever head-to-head presidential race that showed a countrywide divide.

      With the nation having successfully elected new legislators and its president, another major series of elections is now in the offing---the simultaneous elections of regional heads (pilkada) such as governors, district heads and mayors in more than 300 districts/cities and eight provinces throughout Indonesia.

Round-up: SAR TEAMS BRAVE BAD WEATHER TO SPEED UP SEARCH OPERATIONS By Fardah

    Jakarta, Dec 30, 2014 (Antara) -- Despite bad weather hindering search and rescue (SAR) operations, Indonesian authorities deployed their maritime and air forces to the best of their capabilities on Tuesday to find the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501.

        Their efforts paid off as they finally discovered debris of the airplane, which had 162 people on board and had gone missing on Sunday (December 28).

         Debris of the Singapore-bound aircraft and six bodies were spotted floating in Java Sea near Karimata Strait, which is located between Sumatra and the Kalimantan islands, around 95 nautical miles (Nm) from Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan province.

NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES OFFER HELP IN SEARCH FOR MISSING AIRASIA PLANE by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 28, 2014 (Antara) - As the year 2014 nearly ends, the world has been shocked by news reports on an AirAsia plane with 162 people aboard that has gone missing after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, to Singapore, Sunday morning (Dec. 28).

         Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 lost contact after the pilot asked to climb higher to avoid bad weather over sea area between Bangka Belitung (Sumatra) and West Kalimantan.

         There was bad weather over Belitung at the time and the aircraft had been flying at 32,000 feet before asking to fly at 38,000 feet to avoid clouds.

         The aircraft, an Airbus 320-200 carrying 155 passengers and seven crew, took off from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 5:36 a.m. local time, and lost contact with Jakarta air traffic control at 6:17 a.m. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 08:30 a.m. local time.  

Year-ender - TEN YEARS AFTER TSUNAMI, ACEH BUILDS BACK BETTER

  By Fardah
   Jakarta, Dec 26, 2014 (Antara) - Even after ten years since the deadly tsunami claimed over 200 thousand lives, its memories haunted survivors and yet they held fast and rebuilt their homes and carried on bravely.

          "Many things have changed, including the enthusiasm of the people, government facilities, and even buildings. The most noteworthy is that the public is in high spirits," Vice-President M Jusuf Kalla said in Banda Aceh, Aceh Darussalam Province, on Dec. 25, a day before the 10th commemoration of the tsunami tragedy and remembrance of its victims.   
      Kalla led the function held in Banda Aceh, on Friday (Dec. 26), to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the powerful tsunami that ravaged Aceh and Nias Island, North Sumatra, on Dec. 26, 2004.

Year-ender: ACEH GEARS UP FOR 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF DEADLY TSUNAMI by Fardah

    Jakarta, Dec 18, 2014 (Antara) - Although a decade has passed by, but Ricky Muzakir's near-death experience of almost being swallowed by the gigantic tsunami that struck Aceh on December 26, 2004, still remains fresh in his memory.

        "As I was at the bottom of the dirty water, I prayed to God. Please help me God, do not let me die this way. And suddenly, my body rose to the surface," Muzakir, a businessman from Aceh, recently told Antara while recounting his experience as one of the survivors of Aceh's deadly tsunami.

PAPUA EAGER TO HOST SAIL CENDERAWASIH BAY IN 2018 by Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 17, 2014 (Antara) - Indonesia has endless maritime beautiful scenery extending from Sabang in its western-most province of Aceh Darussalam to Merauke located in the eastern-most province of Papua, to offer to foreign as well as domestic tourists.

        Being one of the world`s largest maritime countries with about 5.8 million square kilometres of marine territory, Indonesia has some 92,000 km-long beach and coastal areas, the world's second largest after Canada.

        The country is the biggest archipelagic state in the world, with around 70 percent of its territory as water and it has 17,480 islands.      

Year-ender: INDONESIA INTENSIFIES FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL FISHING By Fardah

   Jakarta, Dec 17, 2014  (Antara) -- President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who vowed to revive the past maritime glory of Indonesia during his tenure as the head of state, is determined to eliminate illegal foreign fishing boats from Indonesian waters.            
   According to data, Indonesia suffered annual losses of some Rp300 trillion (US$24.27 billion) due to illegal fishing activities. Some 5.4 thousand fishing vessels reportedly operate illegally in Indonesian waters because the government did not take firm action against them.

         "We must stop them. We must chase them out as soon as they enter Indonesian waters. Sink them," Jokowi ordered recently.

13 pelukis perempuan Filipina pameran di Jakarta

oleh Fardah

Rabu, 10 Desember 2014 19:24 WIB | 2.404 Views

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Sebanyak 13 perempuan Filipina yang tinggal di Indonesia menggelar pameran lukisan bertajuk "The 10th Anniversary Exhibition: The Filipino Women for Art" di Duta Fine Arts Gallery, Kemang Utara, Jakarta Selatan, 9-16 Desember 2014.

"Tujuh lukisan saya ikut dipamerkan. Saya sudah menghasilkan lebih dari 150 lukisan," Noreen M. Flores, salah satu peserta pameran dan pendiri perkumpulan "Filipino Women for Art", mengatakan di Jakarta, Rabu.

Pameran itu memajang 50 lukisan karya Maria Lucia Sibuyo, Joy de Leon, Analyn Fumar, Maria Roselita Fernandez, Cean de Vries, Irish Carcia, Karina De Leon, Tess Pantoja, Tenette Peralta Racho, Joycelyn Armedi Enerio, Noreen M. Flores, Nonthe Ticoalu, dan Connie Nartates.

Painting Exhibition Organized By 13 Filipino Women in Jakarta

by Fardah

Jakarta (Antara) - Thirteen Filipino women residing in Indonesia are holding a painting exhibition titled, "The 10th Anniversary Exhibition: The Filipino Women for Art" at the Duta Fine Arts Gallery, Kemang Utara, South Jakarta, on December 9-16, 2014.

"Seven paintings of mine are on display. I have created over 150 paintings so far," Noreen M. Flores, one of the female painters and the founder of the Filipino Women for Art, stated here on Tuesday.

The exhibition displays some 50 paintings by Maria Lucia Sibuyo, Joy de Leon, Analyn Fumar, Maria Roselita Fernandez, Cean de Vries, Irish Carcia, Karina De Leon, Tess Pantoja, Tenette Peralta Racho, Joycelyn Armedi Enerio, Noreen M. Flores, Nonthe Ticoalu, and Connie Nartates.

JUSTICE MINISTER EXPECTED TO BE FAIR IN GOLKAR CASE By Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 9, 2014 (Antara) - As the Golkar Party's two rival camps seek legitimacy from the government, experts have cautioned Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly not to repeat his past "mistake" involving the United Development Party (PPP).

         The PPP had split into two camps following two separate leadership congresses in October 2014. Two chairmen were elected: Djan Faridz at the Jakarta Congress and Romahurmuziy at the Surabaya Congress.

         While one of the camps took the dispute to the State Administrative Court (PTUN), Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly went ahead and issued a decree recognizing Rohmahurmuziy's PPP.

WOMEN CIVIL SERVANTS WITH INFANTS MIGHT HAVE LESSER WORKING HOURS by Fardah

      Jakarta, Dec 8, 2014 (Antara) - The government is planning to reduce the working hours of women civil servants with infants to give them more time to tend to family matters.
    Currently, every Indonesian civil servant has to work eight hours a day, but if the government's plan is implemented, then female workers having infants will have to work only six hours a day.
   The reduction of working hours will only be applicable to female civil servants having children below six years of age.
   "Thus, this is not applicable to all (female civil servants)," Minister for State Apparatuses and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi recently stated.

JOKOWI'S POLICY TO SINK BOATS LAUDED AT HOME by Fardah

     Jakarta, Dec 5, 2014 (Antara) - Several sections, including fishermen, legislators, and politicians have lauded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's directive to sink foreign vessels caught fishing illegally in Indonesian waters.

         "We support Minister Susi's measures to sink boats that poach in Indonesian waters. We once burned a boat that was found fishing illegally by using a trawl, but that destroyed coral reefs and killed small fish," Rustam, a fisherman in Bengkulu, Sumatra, said on Nov. 25, 2014.

        The idea of sinking illegal foreign fishing boats was first raised by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. She later won the support of President Jokowi and several legislators.