Readwrotes Blog

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 07/15/2009 11:23 AM | Headlines As a capital city with a population of around 12 million, Jakarta is the melting pot of Indonesia's more than 500 ethnic groups. Far from home, most of Jakarta's ethnic population regroup and get involved in various social activities. One such group gathers members from Sarik village in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. "The street markets in Menteng have been dominated by Sarik folk since the 1960s," said Masrihal Jamaris, a souvenir vendor. The Sarik vendors have long been known for selling their wares along Jl. Surabaya, popularly known for a row of small kiosks selling antiques and souvenirs. The one way street has been a haven for collectors looking for rare items such as brasswares. Later, the Sarik community emerged in the 1970s in Ciputat, South Jakarta, Mashirhal said. Currently, there are more than 200 Sarik traders in Menteng and Ciputat, he said. ...

Dicky Christanto and Irawaty Wardany , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 07/15/2009 11:35 AM | Headlines The National Police and the Army have deployed officers to investigate a recent series of attacks in the vicinity of PT Freeport Indnonesia's Grasberg gold and copper mine in Papua. National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the Police and Army have started to comb the area around the site of the attacks. "We are working on the crime scene to collect more evidence and are pursuing the insurgents," he said. A total of 60 additional personnel - including officers from the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob), the Densus 88 antiterrorism unit and the forensic laboratory - have been sent to Papua. However, Bambang did not elaborate on the number of extra Army personnel deployed to the area. He said forensic investigators were still examining fragments of bullets used in the attacks, which app...

Wed, 07/15/2009 11:40 AM | Headlines Over the past month, the Makassar District Court has sentenced three people for littering in the first cases of their kind in Indonesia. The court ordered local residents Raharjo and Asrianti to pay fines of Rp 150,000 (US$15) each or serve seven-day prison sentences for dropping trash in public. Then, last week, local resident Suwandy was sentenced to a one-month prison sentence with a two-month probationary period for his violation of Municipal Bylaw No 14/1999 on City Cleanliness. Asked why it took 10 years for the municipal administration to enforce the bylaw, Mayor Ilham Arief Siradjuddin admitted it had never before been implemented consistently. This perhaps explains why littering in the city has run rampant. "It's because the related municipal administration agencies had not consistently implemented the bylaw," Ilham said. The past inconsistency could be attributed to the fact that the...

Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 07/14/2009 11:09 AM | Headlines Water under the bridge: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (left) shakes hands with Vice President Jusuf Kalla prior to a Cabinet meeting to discuss the government’s corruption eradication program at the Presidential office in Jakarta on Monday. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama In a bid to continue his anti-graft campaign, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to end their rivalries and co-operate in the handling of the country's graft cases. Speaking at the Presidential Office on Monday during a coordinating meeting on the fight against corruption, Yudhoyono said the KPK was having "friction" with the police, after previous rifts with the Supreme Court and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). "This is the reality. I let it come to light as part of our transparency. "Riv...

By David Gollust State Department 15 July 2009 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, 15 Jul 2009 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday the Obama administration still seeks dialogue with Iran despite what she called the Tehran government's deplorable and unacceptable use of violence to quell election protests. In a foreign policy speech, Clinton also left open the prospect of talks with moderate elements of Afghanistan's Taliban movement. Clinton said the crackdown on those protesting the announced results of last months presidential election puts a new complexion on the Iranian government in the way it is perceived internationally. But, she nonetheless said the United States should engage directly with Tehran authorities on issues like Iran's nuclear program and support for terrorism to determine if it wants to...

By Luis Ramirez Jerusalem 15 July 2009 In this 10 Jan 2009 file photo, Palestinians react after hearing news that their mother had been killed in Israeli shelling in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip About 30 Israelis who served in Israel's offensive on militants in Gaza six months ago say the army pushed them to use reckless force against Palestinian civilians. Israeli defense officials rebuffed the accounts, saying the army operated according to the highest moral code. Avihai Stollar is part of the non-governmental organization in Jerusalem called "Breaking the Silence," made up of former soldiers who advocate moral behavior in the Israeli military. Stollar interviewed a number of the soldiers who took part in Operation Cast Lead, Israel's 22-day offensive on Islamist militants in Gaza earlier this year. All those interviewed are unidentified. He tells VOA the soldiers' testimonies are ...

By Edward Yeranian Cairo 15 July 2009 Iranian workers search site where Russian-made passenger plane crashed near Qazvin, about 75 miles west of Tehran, 15 Jul 2009 An Iranian passenger jet flying from Tehran to the Armenian capital Yerevan crashed in a field near the city of Qazvin, killing all 168 people on board. The plane was a Russian-made Tupolev model that is not allowed to fly over Western Europe. The plane, which belonged to Iran's Caspian Airlines, was headed from Tehran to the Armenian capital Yerevan. Iran's civil aviation authority spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh told English-language Press TV the plane crashed 16 minutes after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport. The Iranian News Network indicated the plane was carrying Iran's national judo team, and a spokesman for the team said he feared that its athletes, who were due to compete in Armenia, were all lost. The international ...

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 15 July 2009 Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington before the Senate Judiciary Committee, 15 Jul 2009 Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor is spending a third day answering questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers continued to ask Sotomayor about her past rulings as a federal judge, and statements she has made, as they consider her nomination for the nation's highest court. For the past two days, Sotomayor has fielded difficult questions posed by members of the committee, focusing on key rulings over the course of her 17 years in federal courts, and the judicial philosophy she would bring to the nation's highest court. Democrats and Republicans on the committee differ on how successful she has been in providing a picture of how she would approach her work if she is confirmed for the court. Republican John Cor...

By Brian Wagner Miami 15 July 2009 Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, 15 July 2009 Space shuttle Endeavour has launched on a mission to finish construction of a new science lab at the International Space Station. The seven astronauts aboard Endeavour began their journey Wednesday evening to deliver the third and final segment of the Japanese Kibo science laboratory. NASA commentator Mike Curie counted down to the liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "We have main engine start, and four, three, two, one. Booster ignition and liftoff of Endeavour , completing Kibo and fulfilling Japan's hope for an out-of-this-world space laboratory," he said. The Endeavour was supposed to launch last month, but a hydrogen leak forced officials to postpone while technicians fixed the problem. A series of thunderstorms caused further delays this w...