Readwrotes Blog

 Associated Press, Jayapura | Thu, 07/21/2011 6:47 PM An army officer says unidentified gunmen have ambushed Indonesia soldiers and killed one of them in the easternmost province of Papua. The chief army officer in Papua says soldiers are still searching for the gunmen. Maj. Gen. Erfi Triassunu said the ambush Thursday morning happened outside a village in the hilly district of Puncak Jaya. Triassunu said the victim was a first private killed by a shot to his head. No information was available on the other soldiers. The attack occurred one day after a military tribunal indicted three low-ranking soldiers for killing a civilian in Puncak Jaya last year. Papua is a former Dutch colony incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot. A small, poorly armed separatist movement has battled for independence ever since.

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Thu, 07/21/2011 6:42 PM As part of the South Tangerang municipal administration’s campaign for literacy, Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany launched on Thursday an initiative known as Gema to encourage mothers to read to their children. “We hope that with Gema, South Tangerang residents, from kids to the elderly, will love reading,” Airin said. She quoted English historian Thomas Babington Macaulay’s saying: “I choose to be a poor person living in a hut which is full with books rather than being a king who has no desires to read.” According to Airin, reading is a fun activity that is also enlightening and therefore it should be a habit in every family because it helps people broaden their minds and knowledge. “Reading as a habit should be started in each family, starting with mothers who read to their children, because it will be very useful for all of us,” she said. The mayor described various other benefits from reading, such ...

Activists stage a protest outside Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday. The National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (Jala PRT) on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his aides and the House of Representatives, for their alleged failure to protect domestic workers in Indonesia and abroad (JP/Ardi Wardhana)

Deputy Minister for Agriculture Bayu Krishnamurthi (right) examines a simple non-toxic device called Hypotan, used to capture pests on a coffee tree at the research center for coffee and cacao in Kaliwining, East Java, on Wednesday. ( Antara/Seno S. )

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 06/15/2011 9:45 PM The Judicial Commission plans to send investigators to question former Corruption Eradication Commission chief Antasari Azhar regarding his belief that the panel of judges made mistakes during his trial. “We want to hear and collect evidence from his side, if there is any, about the judges during his trial,” Suparman Marzuki, the commission’s supervisory division chief, said Wednesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. The Judicial Commission is in the middle of gathering evidence in response to an allegation by Antasari’s lawyer that the panel of judges took into consideration the wrong evidence during his trial. The South Jakarta District Court panel found Antasari guilty of murder and he is currently detained at Tangerang Penitentiary.

   Massive Pendet: Around 1,650 dancers of Balinese Pendet from kindergartens to senior high schools perform during an opening ceremony of the 23rd National Science Week for University Students at Ngurah Rai stadium in Denpasar on Wednesday. About 113 universities nationwide take part in the event, which will last until Saturday. The massive Pendet dancing managed to break a national record (MURI). JP/Stanny Angga

Tifatul Sembiring Information and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring said in Jakarta on Thursday that his ministry would block all local and foreign porn sites and the target for the completion of the blockage will before Ramadhan fasting month (next month). “Insya Allah [God willing] we will finish the job before Ramadhan so as not to affect [Muslims] from executing their religious obligation,” Tifatul told reporters before attending a plenary Cabinet meeting at the Presidential office in Jakarta. The minister further said that one of the mandates of the pornography law said that the state was obliged to protect its people from any negative impacts of pornography. The former president of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) also reminded of the prison sentences that range from 6 to 12 years for those found guilty of distributing pornographic material. “Be careful, because there are legal implementations. Also be mindful in the distribution of pornographic se...

The United States announced Thursday it will resume cooperation with Indonesia's special forces after ties were severed more than a decade ago over human rights abuses allegedly committed by the commando unit. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the announcement after meeting with Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday in the capital Jakarta. Indonesia had said it wanted the United States to reconsider resuming joint training. The decision will be seen as a victory for the Indonesian military, which has said it made great strides in improving its human rights record. Indonesia's special forces were accused of major abuses in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in the late 1990s. East Timor has since become independent. "I was pleased to be able to tell the president that as a result of Indonesian military reform over the past decade ... and recent actions taken by the Ministry of Defense to address human rights issu...

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Djoko Santoso has promoted 35 generals, consisting of 16 army generals, 11 navy admirals and 8 air force marshals. “It is expected that this time promotion will further enhance and improve the military performance so that we could give out the best output,” he said on Friday. Among those generals who receive the promotion is Rear Adm. Gunadi who is now posted as inspector general at the Defense Ministry, Maj. Gen. Langgeng Sulistyono, who is now posted as Diponegoro Military Commander and Rear Marshal Agus Dwi Putranto, who is installed as Abdulrahman Saleh Air Force Base Commander.

A magnitude-6 earthquake jolted North Sumatra on Saturday morning, but there were no damage or injuries reported. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency recorded the quake hit at 9:11 a.m. The agency located the quake's epicenter at 18 kilomters northeast of Panyabungan, North Sumatra, at 10 kilometers beneath the surface. News portal kompas.com reported that the quake was also felt in a number of areas in the neighboring province of Riau.

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/16/2009 5:42 PM | National Aftershock: Workers gather at the open space outside a high rise building on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Friday after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolted the western tip of Java. Antara/Andika Wahyu An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale was felt in Jakarta at about 5 p.m. on Friday. This was the second strong temblor in as many months to be felt in the capital. According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the epicenter of the quake was in the Sunda Strait, about 42 kilometers northwest of Ujung Kulon in Banten province, around 185 kilometers southwest of Jakarta, at a depth of 55 kilometers beneath the ocean floor. The tremor was also felt in Tanjung Karang in Lampung, and in Bandung. No immediate tsunami warnings were issued following the quake. The earthquake stirred a panic among people working in Jakarta’s high-rise buildings, who scrambled for fire st...

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/16/2009 10:42 AM | People Courtesy of Waspada Online The criticism she has received for “misrepresenting” her home province of Aceh has failed to discourage newly crowned Putri Indonesia 2009 Qory Sandioriva. Qory, the first woman representing the strongly Islamic region of Aceh to win the title, made no apology for publicly rejecting the jilbab or Muslim headscarf during the pageant’s final night in Jakarta, playing it down as a “misunderstanding”. “Perhaps it was a mistake to make such a statement, but honestly I have never worn a jilbab all my life,” the 18-year-old French literature student from the University of Indonesia told Waspada Online during a visit to Medan, North Sumatra, a few days after her win. Her responses to the judges’ questions have upset many people, particularly religious leaders in her home province. In the contest’s final stage, she was asked why she was not wearing a headscarf like previous contestan...

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/16/2009 10:52 PM | National Dozens of houses in the Banten regency of Pandeglang were damaged following a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that rattled the western tip of Java on Friday. “We are still collecting data of houses with moderate and severe damages,” Pandeglang police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Aminuddin told Antara. He said Sumur district was hit hardest by the quake, with a number of houses reportedly develop cracks. Field officers also reported a kitchen in a house in the district collapsed and roof tiles in some houses fell to the ground. Another police officer said two neighboring elementary school buildings and a number of houses in Cibaliung district were slightly damaged by the quake. Aminuddin said there were no reports of fatalities or injuries from the quake, whose epicented was located in Sunda Strait at a depth of 10 kilometers beneath the ocean floor.

Antara | Thu, 10/15/2009 2:34 PM | National Students wash their hands with soap in an event held to obeserve the Global Handwashing Day at SD Sawahan 2 Elementary School in Surakarta, Central Java, on Thursday. Unicef says using soap to wash hands, particularly after contact with excreta, can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% and respiratory infections by 30%. Antara/Arief Priyono source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/09/2009 4:59 PM | National Against Miyabi: Dozens of Islam Defender Front (FPI) members stage a protest in front of the Maxima office at Mangga Dua, North Jakarta, on Friday afternoon to protest the visit of Japanese porn star, Miyabi, to Indonesia. Maxima plans to produce Menculik Miyabi (Kidnapping Miyabi). JP/Indah Setiawati

Rizal Sukma , Jakarta | Tue, 08/11/2009 12:33 PM | Headlines The Temanggung saga, which ended with the death of a terrorist suspect believed to be Noordin M. Top, has shown once again the increasing ability of Indonesia's police force to combat terrorism. Combined with the shooting and capture of several other terrorist suspects in Jati Asih, Bekasi, it is clear the Indonesian police, especially the counterterror unit Detachment 88 (D88), deserve two thumbs up for its effort to eradicate threats. The police should not be deterred by pessimistic or cynical views in some circles among the elite and wider society. Since the Bali bombing in October 2002, the Indonesian Police have come a long way and today D88 is one of the most capable counterterrorism units in the world. Much has been achieved in the last seven years. Hundreds of suspected and convicted terrorists have been arrested and jailed in that period. We should not forget that one of the ...

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 08/14/2009 11:17 PM | National One of the country’s mainstream Islamic organizations, Muhammadiyah, has called on Muslims to consider the upcoming Ramadan fasting month as a momentum of national reconciliation. Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said the recent legislative and presidential elections had broken the hearts of many, leading to much conflict between groups and individuals, as well having dissected the nation by political affiliations. “People were divided by difference in political aspirations and they might be involved in conflicts. Now the time has come to rebuild the brotherhood,” Din told a media conference. He said Muhammadiyah encouraged Muslims and the whole nation to maintain solidarity and good relationships. To keep national unity intact the nation needs to promote tolerance, mutual help and cooperation, he added. Muhammadiyah also calls on preachers and clerics to underline the need f...

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 08/14/2009 11:12 PM | National The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Imparsial, said the lack of recognition and protection was endangering human rights defenders in Indonesia. “Everyone in the legislative, executive, and judicial bodies have said over and over that they want to protect human rights,” said Poengky Indarti, Imparsial’s External Relations Director. “If that is true then they should first protect human rights defenders who have the same purpose as them.” Poengky said Indonesia has already ratified the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which pronounces that the state would do its best to protect human rights and defenders of rights. The country has also shown improvement in human rights protection at the normative level, she added. “In the past five years the country has ratified many international human rights agreements,” Pongky said. (mrs)

Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 08/14/2009 11:06 PM | National Police have released Mohzahri from detention after failing to prove that he is involved in terrorist activities. Mohzahri is the owner of the house raided by the police counterterror squad in Temanggung, Central Java, last Friday and Saturday. “From our questioning we found that Mohzahri did not know the true identity of the person brought to his house by his nephews, Aris and Hendra,” National Police deputy chief spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistyo Ishak told journalists Friday. “Thus we no longer have reason to detain him.” When asked whether the police would repair the damage they had caused to Mohzahri’s house during the raid, Sulistyo said they would consider it. Mohzahri’s isolated house in Beji village, Temanggung, is marked by bullet holes from the 17-hour siege.

By Kate Moody Mount Rainier, Maryland 22 July 2009 Since Michael Jackson's death in June, tributes to the pop singer have been coming in all shapes and forms. And his signature "Thriller" dance act has experienced a spike in popularity, with hundreds of fans signing up for the "Thrill The World" event this fall, a simultaneous performance of the dance by groups around the world. VOA visited Joe's Movement Emporium near Washington DC, where dozens of Jackson devotees attended a "Thriller" class to practice for the event. Dance students learn Michael Jackson's steps from the 'Thriller' video Michael Jackson's 1983 "Thriller" has been described as the most successful music video of all time. A quarter of a century after its release, the song, and its dance routine, still speak to music lovers worldwide. So when a student at Joe's Movement Empori...