SEA TOLL ROAD PROJECT EXPECTED TO EASE PRICE DISPARITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 30, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia has been developing a sea toll road project aimed at improving the country's economy and connectivity particularly between eastern and western Indonesian regions.          Sea toll roads are crucial for Indonesia, which 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.         Its coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second-longest after Canada.  The largest archipelagic nation in the world has some 17,480 islands.          The administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), which has an ambition to develop the country into a global maritime axis, has come up with the sea toll road concept that will improve ports and shipping in order to facilitate the transport of goods across the archipelago.          Several deep sea ports in Indonesia will be improved to support his sea toll road concept. They include Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Tanjung Perak in Surabaya, and East Java, in addition to Makassar in South Sulawesi, and in Papua.

INDONESIA HOPING TO LURE CHINESE TOURISTS DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 30, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia is hoping to lure more Chinese tourists to visit the country to celebrate their Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival, which is the grandest and the most important annual event for Chinese people.

       The festival, with its more than 4,000 years of history, is the longest public holiday in China. Most employees will have 7-12 days off and students will have a month long winter vacation.

         China had the world's largest number of outbound tourists in 2015, according to data from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

       About 120 million Chinese traveled overseas in 2015, up from 109 million the previous year, according to the CNTA.

GOLKAR PARTY READY TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENT, APPOINT NEW LEADER by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 28, 2016 (Antara) - The Golkar Party is entering a new chapter after its Chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, hinted that he plans to step down, and gave a green light for the party to support the current government.

        The Golkar Party, under the Chairmanship of Aburizal, is Indonesia's second-largest party leading the majority Red-and-White Coalition (KMP), a rival of the Great Indonesia Coalition supporting the current government.    
   When it marked 50 years in the country's politics on October 28, 2014, the Golkar Party wanted to create history by deciding to remain outside the executive branch.

        Over the last half a century, Golkar has always been either the top party or has come in second in the general elections, thus either always in command, or ruling as part of a coalition within the executive.

        "Now, for the first time, Golkar is outside the government. I think this is a new role for Golkar, which will act as a check and balancing force during the tenure of the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla administration," Aburizal said during the Golden Jubilee celebration over a year ago.

ESTABLISHMENT OF INDONESIA'S PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY LAUDED by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 27, 2016 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Nazir Foead, former conservation director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) on January 20.         The agency, which has been set up based on Presidential Regulation Number 1 of 2016, is chiefly tasked with preventing forest fires that particularly occur in peatlands and to restore such areas gutted by forest fires, particularly on Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands.          While announcing the establishment of the agency on January 13, Jokowi, who described Foead as a competent and experienced figure, assigned the body to immediately draft an action plan to demonstrate to the world that Indonesia is serious about handling the damage caused to peatland areas.       After graduating from the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Foead began his career at WWF in 1992 and has since then dedicated himself to forest conservation efforts.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE EXPECTED TO HELP ACHIEVE INDONESIA'S TOURISM TARGETS by Fardah

   Jakarta, Jan 27, 2016 (Antara)- Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Rizal Ramli on January 25 chaired a meeting to discuss preparations for organizing various cultural events to coincide with the Total Solar Eclipse (STE) occurrence on March 9 this year.
    This rare and spectacular natural phenomenon should serve as a momentum to boost Indonesia's tourism industry, according to Tourism Minister Arief Yahya who was present in the coordination meeting which was also attended by regional administration heads.

         The minister is optimistic that the TSE tours, cultural events, festivals and adventurous activities to be organized in many regions would help the government achieve its targets of receiving 12 million foreign tourists and 260 million domestic travelers this year.    

INDONESIAN TOURISM PROMOTED WIDELY AFTER WINNING REGIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AWARDS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 26, 2016 (Antara)- Indonesian tourism has been widely promoted across the world after bagging the ASEAN and UN tourism awards in the beginning of this year. 
  The country won prizes in several categories at the 12th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism in Madrid, Spain, on January 20 and in the ASEAN Tourism Awards (ASEANTA) 2016 in Manila, the Philippines, on January 22.

        At the UNWTO Awards, the Banyuwangi district administration, with its "Re-inventing the Government in Tourism" project, was the winner in the Innovation in Public Policy and Governance category.

        The Banyuwangi project has involved civil servants in promoting tourism events such as the Banyuwangi Festival, which has significantly boosted the tourism industry in the district located on the eastern coast of East Java Province.

           Garuda Indonesia's Bali Beach Clean-Up Campaign has emerged as the first runner-up in the Innovation in Enterprises category at the UNWTO Awards.

INDONESIA CONSIDERING EXCLUSIVE PRISON FOR TERRORISTS, PRE-EMPTIVE DETENTION POWERS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 24 (Antara)- The Indonesian government is preparing to effect a revision in Law No. 15 Year 2003 on counter-terrorism, following a terror attack in the heart of Jakarta, not too far from the Presidential Palace, on January 14.    
     Eight people, including one Canadian and four perpetrators died, and 25 others, including five police officers, one Dutch national, one Austrian, one German and one Algerian national were injured in the attack carried out by a radical group led by Bahrun Naim, allegedly linked to the ISIS.

        Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo Indonesia said the country is currently in a state of "emergency" against terrorism and called on every party to seriously work towards preventing radicalism, lest it leads to terrorism, at an early stage.

        "This (country) could fail if it is not tackled. Shooting and bombing occurred at a distance of one kilometer from the State Palace. No one thought this could happen. Who would have thought that the ISIS could be in Indonesia so soon?" Minister Kumolo said, addressing a number of governors, district heads and mayors in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, on Jan. 22.

INDONESIA STILL STUDYING DIVESTMENT SHARE PRICE OFFERED BY FREEPORT by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 23, 2016 (Antara) -  PT Freeport Indonesia (FI), one of the world's largest copper and gold mines, has set the price for 10.64 percent stake it is to divest this year at US$1.7 billion (Rp23 trillion).          It has been considered overpriced by some Indonesian officials and experts.        The mining company is required to divest its 30 percent share by 2019 under the Indonesian Government Regulation No. 77 of 2014 on the Implementation of Mineral and Coal Enterprises.          In 2016, the subsidiary of the U.S. mining giant Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold has to release 20 percent of its shares, and another 10 percent in 2019.          As the government has already obtained 9.36 percent shares, this year the divestment will be 10.64 percent.          State Enterprises (BUMN) Minister Rini Soemarno is one of those who commented that the price was too high especially as the prices of the commodities produced by the U.S. company are on the decline.        The price offered by Freeport did not reflect the real condition of the market of commodities produced by the U.S. company, Rini said.

INDONESIA BRACES FOR LA NINA-INDUCED HEAVY RAINY SEASON by Fardah

  Jakarta, Jan 21, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia was hit hard by the El Nino weather phenomenon last year and has been described by experts as one of the worst ever to be experienced in history.

        El Nino triggered a prolonged drought, caused crop failures, and led to forest, peatland, and plantation fires, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, in 2015.

        The fires ravaged over 2.6 million hectares of forest and peatland areas and produced toxic haze.  
   The environmental disaster impacted the health, education and livelihoods of millions of people on the two major islands of Indonesia as well as neighboring countries particularly Singapore and Malaysia.

        Early estimates of the total economic costs of the fires in 2015 in Indonesia alone exceed US$16 billion, according to the World Bank, which is helping to assess the costs of the fires and haze in a variety of sectors.

        Approximately 5 million students were impacted by school closures in 2015, a feature story entitled "Indonesia's Fires and Haze Crisis" posted on the World Bank website in November 2015 said.

INDONESIA MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR MARCH 9 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 20, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia is set to welcome tourists and scientists keen on witnessing the spectacular total solar eclipse, with the path of its shadow crossing Indonesia on the morning of March 9, 2016.

       A total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely covered by the Moon that passes between the Earth and Sun at a point in its elliptical orbit when it is relatively close to the Earth, according to information on http://moonblink.info.

       The moon casts a shadow when it passes between the Earth and Sun. The umbral part of the shadow (the umbra) is an area where the Sun is totally obscured by the Moon. During a total eclipse, the Moon is very close to the Earth, thus part of the umbra falls upon the Earth.

       In technical terms, its magnitude is greater than or equal to 1.000. People in those parts of the Earth, within the umbra, are able to witness the Sun's face completely hidden by the Moon, resulting in a total eclipse of the Sun, according to information on the moonblink website.

       This rare and spectacular event will be visible from a path of totality up to 155 kilometers (km), or 96.3 miles wide, creating a dramatic spectacle for millions of people present on the path of totality in Indonesia, who will see the sun totally eclipsed for as much as three minutes.

INDONESIA CAPABLE OF MANUFACTURING SOPHISTICATED WARSHIPS by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 19, 2016 (Antara) -  President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has an ambition to make Indonesia, in which two-third of its territories are water, a maritime axis and a major ship builder.

         "Ordering (ships) abroad will no longer be allowed. Why should we order abroad, while we are already able to build them?" he asked during a dialog with shipbuilding industrialists at PT Anggrek Hitam shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands, in June 2015.

         The head of state has urged related parties to support the development of the nation's shipbuilding industry by placing orders with them.

         Indonesia has some 250 shipbuilding industries, including over 100 shipbuilding companies in Batam that are able of constructing large-scale ships with a capacity of 17,500 deadweight tonnage, the same as those of cargo ships, tankers, and commercial vessels.

         The country's major shipbuilding manufacturer, however, is state-owned PT PAL Indonesia, which is located at Ujung, Tanjung Perak area in Surabaya, East Java Province.

          The re-engineering ability of PT PAL INDONESIA (Persero) is now available on the world market and its quality is renowned throughout the world.

INDONESIA STEPS UP SECURITY MEASURES FOLLOWING JAKARTA TERROR ATTACK by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 18, 2016 (Antara)- The terror attack in the heart of Jakarta on January 14 has prompted Indonesian authorities to step up security measures across the country, particularly at public facilities, such as airports and seaports.

        Eight people, including one Canadian and four perpetrators were killed, and 24 others injured, comprising five police officers, one Dutch national, one Austrian, one German and one Algerian, in the attack by a radical group led by Bahrun Naim, allegedly linked to ISIS.

        Upon receiving the attack report, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)  expressed his condemnation and ordered the police to arrest the perpetrators.

        "I have ordered the National Police chief and the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs minister to chase down and arrest the suspects, both those on the scene and other members of the networks," President Jokowi told the press.

WORLD APPRECIATES INDONESIA FOR SWIFT HANDLING OF ATTACK, OFFERS SUPPORT by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 15, 2016 (Antara) - The terror attack in the heart of Jakarta on January 14, 2016 shocked Indonesia as well as many other countries which later offered support and expressed sympathy with the Indonesian government and people.        Two civilians, including a Canadian, and five attackers, all Indonesians, were killed in the attack that also left 15 civilians and five police officers injured.         The wounded civilians included four foreigners, one each from the Netherlands, Germany, Algeria and Austria.          Chief of Jakarta's Metro Jaya Police Inspector General Tito Karnavian confirmed that the perpetrators of the Jakarta terror attack have been identified.         The attackers belonged to an ISIS-linked group led by Bahrunnaim, an Indonesian national, an aspirant for the leadership of the ISIS group in Southeast Asia, he stated.

PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY ESTABLISHED TO PREVENT FOREST FIRES by Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 14, 2916 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), under Presidential Regulation No. 1 of 2016, dated January 6, 2016, has established a Peatland Restoration Agency to prevent forest fires, particularly affecting peatlands, and to restore areas destroyed by fires.

         The president ordered the body to draft an action plan to immediately demonstrate to the world that Indonesia is serious about handling the destruction caused to peatland areas.   
    Jokowi announced the appointment of Nazir Foead as chief of the new agency on January 13, 2016, describing him to be a competent and experienced figure.    
    The agency is a non-structural body under the president and is answerable to him.

        Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar explained that the agency is tasked with restoring the landscape of the peatland ecology with regard to saving and protecting them as well as preventing them from fires or being burnt down.

THREE-HOUR INVESTMENT LICENSING SERVICE BREAKTHROUGH TO BOOST INVESTMENT by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 12, 2016 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has given investors a New Year's gift in the form of a new investment licensing service that could cut the processing period for licensing applications from 23 days to just three hours.

         The swift service was officially launched by Vice President M Jusuf Kalla at the headquarters of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in Jakarta, on January 11, 2016.

         BKPM Chairman Franky Sibarani said the service was in accordance with the Indonesian government's economic policy package II, issued in September 2015, he added.

         Since its trial launch on October 26, 2015, seven companies have used the service to obtain investment licenses for a total investment of Rp17.85 trillion.

        These companies were engaged in manufacturing, real estate, power plants, ports, and livestock farming, Sibarani stated.

HARD TRUTH DIFFICULT TO SWALLOW FOR ISRAEL By Fardah

 Jakarta, Jan 7, 2016 (Antara) - Israel has detained a total of 5,934 Palestinian children over the last five years, the Palestinian Studies and Documentation unit has revealed.

        The committee said that from 2000 to 2010, Israel detained an average of 700 Palestinian children per year, but given the recent detention spike, the annual average has jumped to 1,200, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported recently.

        The total number of Palestinian children detained by Israeli occupiers in 2015 increased by 72.1 percent and by over 134 percent from the number of children detained in 2014 and 2013, respectively.

        WAFA also noted that the total number of detainees in 2015 increased by 147.3 percent and 221.9 percent in comparison with the total number of children detained in 2012 and 2011 respectively.

        In the occupied West Bank alone, 134 Palestinians, including 26 children, have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2015, Al Jazeera reported on December 24, 2015.

NEW LEADERS, NEW OFFICE AND NEW HOPE FOR ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 2, 2015 (Antara) - Indonesia has entered the new year of 2016 with new hope of its dream to become a corruption-free nation as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) with a new five-member panel.         It also has a new 16-storey office building located in the heart of the city.         The new KPK leaders who will work for the next four years, were installed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on December 22, 2015 after they had passed the fit-and-proper tests by the House of Representatives (DPR).          Agus Rahardjo is the new head of the KPK, and his four deputies are Alexander Marwata, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode Muhammad Syarif and Saut Situmorang.          A week later, on December 29, Jokowi inaugurated KPK¿s new building, expressing his hope that the building would mark the continuation of the agency's struggle.          The new office is built on an 8,663-square-meter plot of land using the concept of "secure", "smart", and "green."     The construction of the 16-story building, with a total space of 39,629 square meters, began on November 29, 2013.

STUNNING RAJA AMPAT TO BE PROPOSED AS TOURISTIC PROVINCE by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 1, 2016 (Antara)- The stunning natural beauty of Raja Ampat isles located in the northwestern tip of the Indonesian province of West Papua, has started to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

       Lured by this beauty of Raja Ampat, President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana spent the last day of 2015 and the first day of 2016 there.

        They preferred to spend their time in the lap of nature, free from the cacophony of the city and pollution as they welcomed the new year.  
  On the New Year's Eve, Jokowi, as the president is popularly called, accompanied by Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, Head of the Presidential Office Staff Teten Masduki and West Papua Governor Abraham Octavianus Atururi, was on the Waisai beach, Raja Ampat District.

       The next morning, Jokowi and Iriana visited Pianemu Bay in the same district to enjoy the amazing natural scenery that combines crystal-clear sea waters and hundreds of isles as well as hills covered by green vegetation and virgin forests.