ORANGUTANS NEED IMMEDIATE PROTECTION by Fardah

   Jakarta, Aug 30, 2015 (Antara) - The world celebrated International Orangutan Day on August 19 to recognize the great ape and to help encourage the public to take action in preserving the endangered species.  
      This year's theme of the day was "Come play a role in saving and conserving orangutans!". 
    Indeed, there was nothing to celebrate on that day because according to information on www.worldorangutanevents.org , the population of the Sumatran orangutan is considered to have declined by more than 50 percent during the period of 1992-2000.

         The population of  Bornean orangutans found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, fell nearly 43 percent in the past decade, from 35,000 in 1996 to 20,000 in 2006.

         Since these studies were done, deforestation rates have continued to climb which means the actual populations could be well below these.

         The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), however, in its press release recently said an estimated 55,000 Bornean orangutans remain in the wild, split into three distinct subspecies.

INDONESIA REITERATES SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE'S BID FOR INDEPENDENCE By Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 29, 2015 (Antara) -- Palestine is always mentioned in every state of the nation address delivered by Indonesia's President to commemorate Indonesia's Independence anniversary celebrated on August 17.

        In his state of the nation address delivered at the Parliament Building on August 14, President Joko Widodo reiterated the country's support for Palestine's independence.

        "Indonesia continues to support Palestinian independence from colonialism and injustice, and urges its Muslim brothers in the Middle East to make peace for the sake of the ukhuwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood)," the head of state noted.

        The support for Palestinian independence is in accordance with Indonesia's 1945 Constitution that mandates the nation to "contribute to the implementation of a world order based on freedom, lasting peace and social justice."
   The Preamble of the Indonesian Constitution among other things states, "Whereas independence is the inalienable right of all nations, and therefore, colonialism in the world must be abolished, because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice."

INDONESIA ENJOYS SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CHINESE TOURIST ARRIVALS by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 28 , 2015 (Antara)- The Indonesian Government has been intensifying tourism promotion, providing visa-free facilities, and easing permits in a bid to attract 10 million tourists in 2015, and achieve US$12.05 billion in foreign exchange earnings from tourism by the end of this year.

         The government has provided visa-free facility among others to the citizens of China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Australia, which are the main markets for Indonesian tourism.

         The increase in the number of visa-free countries is also needed to achieve the target of 20 million foreign visitors, or 450 thousand additional foreign tourists per year, by 2019.

         Indonesia has been particularly targeting China, the world's most populous country, as a potential market for its tourism industry.

INDONESIA SEEKS CHINA'S COOPERATION TO STOP DRUG TRAFFICKING By Fardah

 Jakarta, Aug 28, 2015 (Antara) - Indonesian authorities have been grappling with the recent influx of illicit drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy exported by illicit drug syndicates in Guangzhou, China, into Indonesia.  
   The Chief of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), Anang Iskandar, has confirmed that Indonesia has become an important route and market for international drug syndicates in Asia.     
   "One of the biggest illicit drug producers is Guangzhou, in the province of Guangdong, China," Iskandar stated.

        BNN has identified the routes of international drug syndicates covering China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Western Africa, he said.  

SEPTEMBER IS MONTH OF FESTIVALS IN EAST NUSA TENGGARA By Fardah

 Jakarta, Aug 22, 2015 (Antara) - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) will hold at least two festivals this September to attract domestic, as well as foreign tourists, to the province whose beautiful nature, particularly underwater wealth, remains hidden.

        The eastern Indonesian province will host the Alor Marine Festival from September 16 to 18, along with the Indonesian Adventure Festival on September 15-20, to publicize its tourist attractions, mainly promoting its nature and unique culture.  
     "Marine and adventure tourism attractions needs to be continuously promoted to make Indonesia a major tourist destination in the world. For that purpose, sustainable promotion that brings Indonesia to the world stage is necessary," Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said on Aug 20, 2015, when announcing plans to hold the festivals.

GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS MARITIME AS MAIN DEVELOPMENT SECTOR by Fardah

   Jakarta, Aug 21, 2015 (Antara)- Indonesia is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.

        It's coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second-longest after Canada.

        The country is the largest archipelagic nation in the world, as around 70 percent of its total territory is water, and it has 17,480 islands.

        President Joko Widodo, who is determined to develop Indonesia as a global maritime axis, believes that the clusters of islands and vast waters in Indonesia could be used as one of the main axis for advancing the country.      
   The head of state also emphasized that the nation needs to promote its maritime identity and culture in line with its vision to become the global maritime axis.

JOKOWI OPTIMISTIC OF REALIZING RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS by Fardah

   Jakarta, Aug 21, 2015 (Antara)- The government will continue to encourage the development of new and renewable energy projects during the next five years, while trying to reduce the dependence on fossil-based fuels as their reserves are depleting.

        The development of renewable energy projects is crucial to supporting the government's target to build several power plants that will be able to produce 35 thousand megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2019. 
    Renewable energy would contribute 8,750 MW, or 25 percent to the total capacity. The contribution would come from geothermal power plants accounting for 1,751 MW, hydropower plants contributing 2,438 MW, and "bioenergy" power plants providing 1,156 MW.

         A combination of power generated by solar energy, wind energy, sea waves, and other sources of renewable energy would contribute around 3,405 MW.

GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS CONTINUED WAR AGAINST ILLEGAL FISHING by Fardah

   Jakarta, Aug 20, 2015 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed his deep concern over illegal fishing activities that have inflicted huge financial losses on Indonesia.

         "Illegal fishing and fish thefts have caused huge losses to the state," President Jokowi stated while delivering his State of the Nation Address during the Plenary Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on August 14, 2015.

        Therefore, he urged that the country's waters be saved from illegal fishing activities. In this regard, stern actions must be taken, such as sinking boats caught stealing fish from the Indonesian waters, among other measures, he noted.

         He earlier remarked that the country annually lost Rp300 trillion as a result of illegal fishing activities.

RI POLICE PLEDGE TO SECURE LOCAL ELECTIONS By Fardah

    Jakarta, Aug 18, 2015 (Antara) - Indonesia will hold its first ever simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada) that will draw over 800 candidates across the country on December 9.    
   Till August 9, the General Election Commission (KPU) will act as the executor of the elections, registering 852 pairs of candidates that will contest the regional head elections.

        Of the total tickets, 21 will be candidates for governors and deputies, 117 will be for mayors and deputies, and 714 will be contest elections for district heads and deputies.    
   The pilkada will be organized in 269 regions, including nine provinces, 224 districts and 36 cities, on December 9.

RI'S NAVY MARINE CORPS SUCCESSFULLY PLANT ONE MILLION CORAL REEFS By Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 18, 2015 (Antara) - The Indonesian Navy's Marine Corps successfully concluded the "Save Our Littoral Life" movement of planting one million coral reefs to mark the 70th anniversary of Indonesia's independence on August 17.

         "I very much endorse this program because it is in line with our strategic policy of transforming Indonesia into a global maritime axis," President Jokowi said, while officially launching the "Save Our Littoral Life" program during a teleconference from the State Palace in Jakarta on August 15.

         He said he believed that the coral reef planting campaign had helped support the government's maritime axis program.

         The video teleconference was broadcast live in three cities, notably Sabang (Aceh Province), to represent western Indonesia; Manado (North Sulawesi Province) for Central Indonesia; and in Ambon (Maluku Province) for eastern Indonesia.    

INDONESIA'S RED-AND-WHITE FLAGS HOISTED FROM MOUNTAIN TO UNDERWATER ON INDEPENDENCE DAY by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 17, 2015(Antara) - Indonesians celebrated the 70th anniversary of the country's Independence Day on August 17, through various events, such as flag hoisting ceremonies held on a mountain, underwater, on a train, and in the middle of the sea.    
    Indonesia's independence was proclaimed by Soekarno and M. Hatta, who later became the first Indonesian president and vice president, in Jakarta, on August 17, 1945.  Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch for 350 years and Japan for 3.5 years.

         To celebrate the nation's anniversary, thousands of mountain climbers from across the country joined a flag hoisting ceremony at three spots on Mount Semeru, which is 3,676 meters above sea level.

         "Some three thousand climbers held flag hoisting ceremonies at three locations - Ranupani, Ranu Kumbolo and Kalimati," the Head of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) Office, Ayu Dewi Utari, said.

GOVT TO ADDRESS CONSTRAINTS IMPEDING BUDGET ABSORPTION By Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 15, 2015 (Antara) -- Members of the parliament and some businessmen have expressed concern over the low absorption of the state budget by ministries in the first semester of 2015.   
  Till late June, budget absorption was only 26.2 percent, which is Rp208.5 trillion, far below the target, according to a report.

        However, other data showed that till July 31, spending by ministries/government institutions amounted to only Rp261 trillion, which is 32.8 percent of the allocation in the state budget of Rp795.5 trillion for 2015.

        According to information from the Finance Ministry, budget spending by a number of government agencies was less than 25 percent of the target till mid 2015.

INDONESIA VIEWED AS READY FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANT by Fardah

    Jakarta, Aug 15, 2015 (Antara) -  Having a population of some 250 million, Indonesia has always suffered shortages of power, forcing many cities to experience frequent power blackouts, while some remote villages still have no electricity.

         Of the country's 82,190 villages, 12,659 villages, or 15.40 percent of the total number, have no electricity, according to Suryamin, head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), as of February 2015.

          Since the quantity of fossil fuel is limited, Indonesia has long considered using nuclear energy to produce electricity.

         Indonesia expects to have an operational nuclear power plant (PLTN) by 2030, according to Abadi Poernomo, a member of the National Energy Council (DEN). Until 2030, the use of fossil energy from coal, gas, and oil will still be the dominant sources of energy.  

INDONESIAN MARINE TO LAUNCH "SAVE LITTORAL LIFE" TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY by Fardah

Jakarta,  Aug 15, 2015 (Antara) -  Indonesia remains the global center of marine biodiversity in the world, with the most diverse marine ecosystems that include more than 500 species of coral, and at least 3,000 species of fish.

       To conserve and help this natural wealth to thrive,  Indonesia has initiated the creation of The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)  that brings together Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.

        Known as the  "Amazon of the Seas", the Coral Triangle area covers 5.7 million square kilometers of ocean waters and is a massive region containing 75 percent of the world`s coral species, which are shared by the six countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific .    
   Coral reefs are crucial for the economic and food security of millions of Indonesian people, particularly those living in coastal areas.

TEAM ASSESSING HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY FEASIBILITY STUDIES PREPARED BY CHINA, JAPAN by Fardah

     Jakarta, Aug 12, 2015 (Antara) - A team of consultants set up by the Indonesian government to look into  the feasibility studies for the High-Speed Railway (HSR) project prepared by two bidders - Japan and China, are currently  reviewing the reports.

       The government will announce in two weeks the winner of the contract between China and Japan for the country's 150km-long high-speed link between Jakarta and Bandung.

       The contract is for the construction of tracks and high-speed train on the similar lines as the Shinkansen train network, the then Minister for the National Development Planning Andrinof Chaniago  stated after a meeting with a Chinese delegation of 11 senior officials led by Minister for National Development and Reform Commission Xu Shaoshi in Jakarta on August 11, 2015.

        "We will take into consideration all aspects including inputs from outside," Chaniago  said.

DREAM OF LIVING IN WORLD FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTINUES By Fardah

 Jakarta, Aug 12 , 2015(Antara) -- "May one cry rise up from every land---say 'no' to war and violence and 'yes' to dialog and peace," Pope Francis said on the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedy.

        "With war, one always loses. The only way to win a war is to never wage it," he added.

        On August 9, the Pope also told attendants at St. Peter's Square that humanity should simply reject war and most definitely "ban nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction."
   Earlier, the Pope had welcomed Iran's historic nuclear deal and viewed it as a positive sign.

        Under the new deal, the decades-old sanctions from the United States, European Union and the United Nations will eventually be lifted in exchange for Iran agreeing to restrict its nuclear program to peaceful purposes.

          The Indonesian government lauded the agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group, in Vienna on July 14. The group includes the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

RESEP MASAKAN IBU

1.Soto Ayam Surabaya, 2.Tahu Campur, 3.Rawon, 4.Krengsengan, 5.Tahu Telur, 6.Sop Cemplung, 7. Gule Kambing, 8. Tumis Buncis, 9. Bistek, 10. Lapis daging , 11. Pindang Daging. 12. Terek Tempe, 13. Semur daging ,14. Tumis terong, 15. Rica tongkol, 16. Osek daging merah, 17. Sambel goreng daging dan udang, 18. Kelo Tempe, 19. Gado-gado siram Surabaya, 20. Bali daging, 21.Nasi Kuning, 22. Tempe Orek, 23. Telor Balado . 24 sayur bening

CENTRAL SULAWESI GEARS UP TO WELCOME SAIL TOMINI'S GUESTS by Fardah

        Jakarta, Aug 7, 2015 (Antara)- The Central Sulawesi administration is gearing up to welcome international and domestic guests participating in the international maritime event Sail Tomini 2015 next month.

       The preparations for the implementation of Sail Tomini, which is this year's edition of the annual Sail Indonesia event, have reached more than 75 percent.

       All preparations, particularly concerning infrastructure, must be completed by August 31, Secretary of the national organizing committee of Sail Tomini Dedi Sutisna stated while chairing a meeting on the preparations of the event held in Parigi, Central Sulawesi, on August 5.

INDONESIA, TURKEY WORK HARMONIOUSLY IN BILATERAL, MULTILATERAL PLATFORMS by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 7, 2015 (Antara) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a three-day state visit to Indonesia from July 30 to August 1 to strengthen bilateral economic, social and political relations between the two Muslim-majority countries.         The visit also marked the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.         In fact, the Turkish-Indonesian relations can be traced back to the 12th century when Turkish Islamic scholars had visited Indonesia to spread Islamic teachings.      The state visit to Indonesia was Erdogan's first ever as Turkey's president, but he had visited the nation three times in his previous capacity as prime minister.          Speaking about his country's foreign policy during a conference held at the Indonesian Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) on July 31, President Erdogan said that Turkey and Indonesia have worked in harmony in both bilateral and multilateral platforms.

GOVT LAUNCHES ALL-OUT EFFORTS TO MITIGATE IMPACTS OF EL NINO-INDUCED DROUGHT by Fardah

     Jakarta, Aug 6 , 2015 (Antara) - Since last year, the government has anticipated the development of the natural phenomenon El Nino that usually delays the monsoon and triggers a drought in Indonesia.   
  At the start, Indonesia expected weak to moderate El Nino, but now, there is an indication that a strong El Nino similar to that experienced in 1997-98 is developing. 
  In 1997-98, extremely dry El Nino conditions in Indonesia kicked off a wave of large-scale uncontrolled fires, destroying about five million hectares of tropical forests, or equivalent to seven million football fields, according to http://theconversation.com in an article titled "Indonesia at risk from huge fires because of El Nino" published in June 2015.

        Some 198 thousand hectares of land across Indonesia are prone to face drought every year.  Currently, drought has hit 102 districts in 16 of the country's 34 provinces

INDONESIANS SHOULD STORE WATER WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE IN ABUNDANCE by Fardah

  Jakarta, Aug 1, 2015 (Antara) - Indonesia is prone to hydro-meteorological natural disasters, as many parts of the country are often flooded during the rainy season, but in the dry season drought has struck a number of districts, as is happening currently. 
   El Nino-induced drought has begun to hit Indonesia since May, but the impacts have been felt as rivers and dams are drying, harvest failures were reported in some parts of the country, and forest fires hit Sumatra and Kalimantan.

        Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned the nation that drought is forecast to affect regions south of the equator, such as parts of Sumatra, Java Island, Kalimantan, Bali Island, East Nusa Tenggara, and Papua, until November or December this year.

        El Nino significantly reduces precipitation and leads to a decline in water reserves and drought. Therefore, agricultural land and forests are the most likely to feel its impacts, Head of the BMKG Andi Eka Sakya said on July 30, 2015.