Two Drown Off Seminyak: Bali

October 27th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Two foreigners trying to cool off after a rugby match drowned while swimming in the sea off Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. A police official told Reuters that one man was Dutch, with the family name Byssemaker, while the other was Belgian, with the family name Deygrev. Both were aged 30, he said. Another police official said the two men had drowned on Friday afternoon off Seminyak beach due to strong currents. A local lifeguard, who declined to be identified by name, said a group of eight friends had gone for a swim after playing rugby and two of them got into trouble in the currents.

Mount Soputan Spewing Hot lava: Sulawesi

October 27th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

An erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island began spewing hot lava Friday, a day after shooting ash some 1,500 metres into the air, an official said, although nearby villages were still not being ordered to evacuate. Mount Soputan volcano, which lies in North Sulawesi province, was producing a small lava flow, but authorities were unable to spot it because the crater remained covered by clouds, said Agus Budianto, chief of volcano monitoring for Indonesia’s state-run volcanology centre. Soputan has been at a Level 3 alert since its last eruption in December 2006 due to its “short duration activity” — meaning it only experiences tremors for short periods before erupting, as was the case Thursday morning, Budianto said.

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No Mining in Conservation Zone: North Sulawesi

October 27th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Environmentalists in North Sulawesi warn traditional gold mining activities pose a threat to the Bogani Nani Wartabone conservation zone. They say the conservation zone, in Bolaang Mangondow regency, North Sulawesi, is the largest repository in the province of local floral and fauna.

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Mandi Balimau Ritual: Pekanbaru, Riau, Sumatra

October 27th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

In Indonesia, Muslims celebrate Ramadhan in various ways. In Riau, they take part in the mandi balimau, or lime purification ritual. Usually occurring the last day before Ramadhan, the tradition of greeting the fast by cleaning oneself with limes in the river has been handed down from the royal Islamic kingdoms. But while it was traditionally a celebration of restraint, outings to local rivers to celebrate the last day before fasting begins is so popular today that mandi balimau has become a mass picnic attracting tourists.

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Simmering Volcanoes in Indonesia

October 26th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. The archipelago nation is home to 129 active volcanoes, including 21 on Java. Now, scientists in Indonesia are closely monitoring three simmering volcanoes across the disaster-prone nation, including the offspring of infamous Krakatau off Sumatra island. Ash has been spewing some 200 metres (yards) into the air since Tuesday at Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatau, the volcano left behind after Krakatau blew in 1883 and killed some 36,000 people, scientist Agus Budianto told AFP. Anak Krakatau forms part of a popular international tourist destination about 40 kilometres off Sumatra island. Visitors typically tour the waters around the volcano by boat.

Fight Against Deforestation: Papua

October 26th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

The central government, investors in palm oil plantations and timber companies need to know that deforestation is and will be rejected by indigenous Papuans from 252 different tribes living in the western half of the island of New Guinea.

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Ampel Mosque: Surabaya, East Java

October 26th, 2007 | By Barrie | 1 Comment »

Ampel Mosque is believed to be the oldest in the country. Its founder, Sunan Ampel (otherwise known as Raden Ahmad Rachmatulloh), was one of nine figures who played a leading role in spreading Islam across Java. Sunan Ampel was born in 1401 in Champa, Cambodia. He is a descendant of Ibrahim Asmarakandi, or Maulana Malik Ibrahim, a Champa ruler. When he was 20 years old, Sunan Ampel moved to Surabaya in East Java, which was then ruled by Raja Brawijaya, a Majapahit king.

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Shopping in Bandung: West Java

October 26th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

The epithets given to the West Java city of Bandung can be numerous and varied: such as, for its art deco buildings, it is called “the Paris of the East”; for its floral surroundings, “the Flower City”, and for its parks and gardens “the Garden City”. But it might also be awarded the title of “the Shoppers’ City”. With its numerous factory outlets, which now seem to be in practically every corner of the city, its famous — if not infamous — Jl. Cihampelas, the “shoe street” of Jl. Cibaduyut and the arrival of bigger and better malls, Bandung is maintaining its position as something of a shopper’s paradise.

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Chic and Creative South Jakarta: West Java

October 25th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

In colonial times, the southern part of Batavia was a no-man’s-land, visited only by crooks on the run. Several hundred years on, it is now one of the most bustling areas of Jakarta, with chic and creative people flocking to its suburbs to live or for recreation. Businesses in the area do not just sell goods. They also promote a certain type of lifestyle - one that caters to people with particular tastes.

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Eco-Labelling Timber

October 25th, 2007 | By Barrie | No Comments »

The Indonesian Eco-labeling Institute (LEI) is striving to help farmers who are involved in community-based forest management financially gain from their efforts so they can continue to protect the environment in their areas. The LEI, which is in charge of the labeling system for environmentally friendly products, has established a wood workshop in Wonogiri, Central Java, as well as a marketing network for wood products derived from sustainably managed forests as the report in the Jakarta Post explains.

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