OBSERVATORY WITH LARGEST TELESCOPE IN SE ASIA BEING BUILT IN KUPANG by Fardah

Jakarta, July 11, 2018 (Antara) - Lying on the equator and having a tropical climate, Indonesia has several observatories mostly located in the western part of the country and is now planning to build another one in the eastern region.

   
       The country's Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) is building an observatory to be equipped with a telescope, believed to be the largest in Southeast Asia, in the Mount Timau area, Central Amfoang Sub-district, Kupang District, East Nusa Tenggara Province.

   
       The construction of the observatory, expected to cost some Rp400 billion, began on July 9, Jasyanto, spokesman of Lapan, noted recently.

          
"Indonesia is entering a new chapter in aeronautics to be marked by construction of the largest national observatory facility in Southeast Asia, to be located in Timau mountainous area," he said.

         Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Prof Mohamad Nasir officially designated Mt Timau area as a national observatory site and as a national dark sky park. He has also officially named the facility as Timau Observatory.

        LAPAN builds the observatory with the cooperation of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the University of Nusa Cendana (Undana) in Kupang, and the Kupang district administration.

        The observatory will be equipped with a telescope having a diameter of 3.8 meters, believed to be the largest and modern telescope in the Southeast Asian region.

UN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY URGED TO INVESTIGATE ISRAELI ATROCITIES by Fardah

Jakarta, July 6, 2018 (Antara) - Health officials in Gaza said Israeli forces have killed at least 135 Palestinians and wounded over 15 thousand, including over 180 journalists, since the Great March of Return began March 30.

         The Great March of Return rallies culminated on May 15 to mark what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or Catastrophe -- a reference to the forced removal of 750 thousand Palestinians from their homes and villages to clear the way for colonial Israel's establishment in 1948.

         Until now, Israel's atrocities and genocidal tendencies have continued to satisfy its lust for more Palestinian land.

         Under the protection of its main ally, the United States, Israel has been committing blatant violations of international laws leading to the ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people, while the United Nations and the international community stand by helplessly.   
    The latest violence has seen Israeli forces viciously attacking and beating up residents, including women, in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the West Bank, which has been targeted for years.

         Israel has tried to demolish the Palestinian village for the expansion of its illegal settlements, but the villagers in Khan al-Ahmar have been determined to fight the demolition. Unarmed Bedouin women and men have held protests, preventing the demolition from being carried out by heavily armed Israeli forces.

         Israel has arrogantly breached many international laws and ignored UN resolutions against the colonist's atrocities in Palestinian land.

         The occupying power continues to target civilians, impose sieges, carry out land theft, attack religious places, and destroy infrastructure.

         It has also continued to practice apartheid and adopt racist laws, which has resulted in over 6,000 Palestinians, including members of parliament, being detained by Israel.

         All Israeli violations were documented in the report of the High Commissioner, as well as the report of the Secretary General.

         The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council on July 2 held a general debate on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories.

         Most members of the Council, including Indonesia, condemned the Israeli atrocities and demanded that Israel stop its human rights violations against Palestinians.

         They also urged the Commission of Inquiry to investigate the latest atrocities.

         In the ensuing debate, speakers condemned the disproportionate use of force by Israeli forces against Palestinian protesters. 
    Delegations urged the Human Rights Council to keep agenda item 7, which focuses on the ongoing Israeli atrocities against Palestinians, as a standing item, saying that ignoring the discussion would only serve to embolden Israel.

         Speaking in the debate, Hasan Kleib, Indonesia's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, expressed serious concern over the continued violation of the human rights of Palestinians. 
    Violations became particularly evident earlier this year when peaceful Palestinian protesters were killed, Kleib said.

         He also said persistent Israeli attacks violated United Nations resolutions, making agenda item 7 a constant reminder of the needs of Palestine.

         Lauding the creation of the Commission of Inquiry to probe human rights violations, Indonesia has urged the UN to speed up the appointment of a team of international war crime investigators to probe reports of human rights violations by Israeli forces.

         "Israel's policies on illegal settlements, building a separation wall, and limiting the rights of Palestinians cannot be tolerated," Hasan said. "They are obstacles to the realization of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
    Israel's policies are blatant violations of international human rights law and a series of UN resolutions, he added.

         "Indonesia will continue to condemn Israel's policies and actions, not only because they are wrong and illegal, but also because they are dangerous," Hasan stated.

         Meanwhile, the United States recently withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform, a move activists warned would make it even more difficult to advance human rights globally.

         US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley claimed that the "disproportionate focus and unending hostility toward Israel is clear proof that the council is motivated by political bias and not by human rights." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US decision.

         The Human Rights Council, which was founded in 2006 to oversee and investigate rights abuses, has never seen a serving member drop out voluntarily. The US boycotted the council for three years under George W. Bush, but joined again in 2009 under the Obama administration. ***2***
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(T.SYS/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 06-07-2018

POLICE GENERAL'S APPOINTMENT AS ACTING WEST JAVA GOVERNOR STIRS CONTROVERSY by Fardah

Jakarta, June 21, 2018 (Antara) - Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo's decision to install Commissioner General of Police M. Iriawan as West Java acting governor has courted controversy despite the minister's assurance that Iriawan's appointment is in line with existing regulations.

         After studying the appointment, the State Secretariat reached a conclusion that it does not violate any laws, so President Joko Widodo issued a decree on the appointment of Iriawan, Jakarta's former police chief, according to Kumolo.

         The minister installed Iriawan as the acting governor of West Java Province in Bandung, West Java, on June 18, 2018.

         Iriawan, concurrently main secretary of the Indonesian Resilience Institute, succeeded Governor Ahmad Heryawan, whose term of office ended on June 13, 2018.

         His inauguration was based on Presidential Decree No 106/P of 2018 on the honorary dismissal of the governor and deputy governor of West Java for the 2013-2018 term of office and the appointment of acting governor of West Java.

         The appointment of the Police commissioner general was criticized by Luthfi Andi Mutty, a member of Parliament, who opined that the decision is a violation of the existing regulations.

         "Appointing an active police general as the acting governor is a violation of at least three regulations," Mutty noted in a statement.

        As per Law No. 3 of 2002 on Indonesian Police, a police officer can hold a position outside the police after resigning from his post.

         Law No. 10 of 2016 stipulates that to fill the gubernatorial seat, the government can appoint a civil servant.

TOURISM AS DRIVING FORCE FOR N SULAWESI'S ECONOMIC GROWTH by Fardah

Jakarta, June 12, 2018 (Antara)- North Sulawesi has set a target to attract 120 thousand foreign tourists in 2018 for which it has intensified tourism promotion and infrastructure development activities to support its ambition.

         Tourism industry has become a pillar of the province's economy, as it has contributed significantly to supporting the local economic growth in Manado.     
    North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey expressed belief that the tourism industry holds potential to boost the province's economic growth.

         "We will continue to develop the tourism industry, which is a driving force of the regional economy," he noted.

         According to the governor, the tourism sector had a positive impact on the economic growth of 6.32 percent in 2017, or above the national average of 5.07 percent.

         Nearly 100 thousand foreign tourists had visited North Sulawesi in 2017, while the number of domestic tourists reached 169,523.  
   In the first quarter of 2018, some 29,413 foreign tourists had visited North Sulawesi, up from 17,941 in the same period last year.   
   During the first four months of 2018, tourist arrivals in the city had increased by 500 thousand, Head of the Marketing Department of the Manado Tourism Office Abdiel Badjen remarked in Manado last May.

UNSC NON-PERMANENT MEMBER INDONESIA TO STRENGTHEN ROLE AS PEACEKEEPER by Fardah

 Jakarta, June 11, 2018 (Antara) - Indonesia is proud of being elected as the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) non-permanent member for the fourth time owing to its experiences and dedication to maintain world peace by joining various UN peacekeeping missions.

   
         President Joko Widodo lauded the election of Indonesia as a UNSC member, saying that it is a reflection of the international community's recognition of the country's track record.

   
         Indonesia, which will officially fill the seat as of January 1, 2019, beat Maldives by 144 votes to 46 after 190 UN member countries cast their votes at the UN Headquarters in New York on June 8, 2018.

   
         Indonesia had earlier been a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1973-1974, 1995-1996, and 2007-2008 terms.

   
         The Security Council has 15 members comprising five permanent members -- the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China -- and 10 non-permanent members serving for two years.

   
        Apart from Indonesia, four other countries were elected as non-permanent members of the UNSC: South Africa for Africa; the Dominican Republic for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Germany and Belgium for Western Europe and other countries.    

INDONESIAN INT'L ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY AS STUDY CENTER OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION by Fardah

  Jakarta, June 5,2018 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo's administration is determined to build an international Islamic university that can also serve as a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.

         Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President M Jusuf Kalla laid the first cornerstone for the construction of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) campus in Depok, West Java Province on June 5, 2018, to materialize the dream.

         Construction of the UIII campus had been planned since the past two years, according to Jokowi, who was on the occasion accompanied by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin; Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljno; Research, Technology, and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir; and Governor of West Java Province Ahmad Heryawan.

         The plan had been discussed for two years but finding the land was not easy, he noted.

         Jokowi said he was keen to allocate one thousand hectares of land for the UIII campus, but it was difficult to find land on Java Island.

         "I offered (land) outside Java, but all teams disagreed," he added.

         "In fact, we get 142 hectares of land, which is far from one thousand hectares. However, after I observed it on the field, I was surprised, as 142 hectares of land is already quite vast. Alhamdulillah (thank God). Imagine if we could have got one thousand hectares," Jokowi pointed out.

         The university is to come up on 143 hectares that belonged to Indonesia's state radio station on Pemancar street, Cisalak village, Sukmajaya sub-district, Depok Municipality. The buildings will be on 21 hectares and the rest of the land will be open spaces and greenery.

         The president revealed that the design of the UIII campus will be futuristic and expressed hope that the UIII would become a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.