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BALI UPDATE #520 - 28 August 2006
Air Paradise to Fly
Again?
Failed Bali Carrier
Reported to Have Sold 49% of its Shares to an
Unnamed Australian Carrier.
The Indonesian-language Bisnis Indonesia reports
that Air Paradise International (API) has sold
49% of its shares to a yet-to-be-named Australian
airline.
The Director of Civil Aviation at the Indonesian
Department of Transportation, Santoso Edi Wibowo,
told the press that the final composition of
the foreign share holding is currently being
sorted out at the Department of Justice. Indonesian
law limits foreign ownership of a national airline
to a maximum 49%.
Civil Aviation source have indicated that the
government will continue to lobby API to operate
on international routes, although local travel
pundits theorize the purchase of the now defunct
carrier it tied to plans by an Australian carrier
to gain a footing in Indonesian lucrative domestic
feeder routes.
Should the financial re-floating of API materialize,
it will rescue the airline from the process
now underway leading to final deregistration.
API commenced services in February 2003 from
Bali to Perth, Western Australia. Before its
sudden closure in November 2005, it was operating
flights to Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide
and Brisbane utilizing four Airbus aircraft
and employing an estimated 350 staff.
Does Deal Hang on Approval of Feeder
Services?
Government sources confirm that API is seeking
government permission to operate a feeder service
from Jakarta to Bali as part of its re-launch
strategy. Meanwhile, the Minister of Transportation,
M. Hatta Rajasa, announced his department is
looking at API's request for feeder routes against
the market demands for more seats over the Jakarta-Bali
sector.
Signaling possible trouble ahead for the resuscitation
plan for API, Minister Rajasa has said that
the Jakarta-Bali route is already served with
sufficient seat capacity and “not to expect”
an approval in the near future as the request
needs a thorough review from the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation. Against the Minister's
"go slow" attitude is the looming
deadline of December 31, 2006, by which time
API must recommence operations or risk permanently
losing its operational licenses.
Java to Bali Overland
by Bike
Bandung to Bali
by Bicycle - Tour d'Indonesia 2006 August 28 –
September 4, 2006
25 international and Indonesian national teams
have registered to participate in the grueling
1,352 kilometer long Tour d'Indonesia 2006 bike
race from Bandung (West Java) to Bali set for
August 28 – September 4, 2006.
Dji Sam Soe Tour d'Indonesia 2006
25 teams of 5 riders each representing 14 different
countries will start the race on Sunday, August
27, 2006 in Bandung and end nine days later
on Jalan Pantai Kuta along Bali's famous Kuta
Beach.
Strong competition is expected from professional
teams from Germany, Iran, Kazhakstan, Malaysia,
Hong Kong, Holland and Swiss. Among the Indonesian
competitors will be a team of riders from Bali
who have been training in the weeks prior to
the race in the hills of Kintamani.
US$100,000 in prizes are at stake with the
course broken into nine stages over a course
distance of 1,352 kilometers:
• Bandung – Cirebon (134.1 km)
• Cirebon-Purwokerto (187.5 km)
• Purwokerto-Solo (210 km)
• Solo-Madiun (104 km)
• Madiun-Malang (180 km)
• Malang-Jember (181 km)
• Jember-Banyuwangi (112 km)
• Gilimanuk-Kuta (Bali) (150 km)
In its 4th year, the Tour d'Indonesia 2006
is now an official part of the UCI series (Union
Cycliste International).
More information: Bali
Calendar
Waist Deep in the
Big Muddy!
Denpasar's Environment
Department Says the 3 Rivers Flowing Through
Bali’s Capital are Badly Polluted.
A front-page story in the Wednesday, August
23, 2006 edition of the Indonesian language
Bali Post reports that the three main rivers
flowing through Bali's capital - Tukad Badung,
Tukad Ayung and Tukad Mati are all badly contaminated
by human and chemical wastes, and the by-products
from the cloth-dyeing cottage industries operating
along the rivers' banks.
Human waste and chemical dyes found in samples
drawn from the rivers have reached levels that
concern local officials, according to the Head
of Bali's Environmental Care Department, Ir.
I Ketut Suandi.
Also, according to Suandi, his department receive
numerous complaints from resident along the
river regarding the foul smells caused by chemical
dyes flushed raw into the river.
Claiming that enforcement against polluters
is difficult, the head of the pollution control
department for Denpasar, Nengah Sugamia, blames
the mobility of dyeing operations that quickly
move their locations when closed down by his
officers. Sugamina appealed for help from local
village chiefs and the community to report whenever
they discover companies or individuals disposing
of raw sewage and chemicals into one of Denpasar's
3 river systems.
Another local pollution control official stated
that all three of the City’s rivers are
badly contaminated, with the Ayung River less
severely affected that its two sister rivers.
The estimated 208 companies involved in dyeing
textiles in Denpasar are largely unlicensed
and unregistered, making moves by the government
to regulate them as a source of pollution even
more problematic.
Protecting Kids
Indonesian Tourism
Steps Up the War to Combat the Sexual Exploitation
of Children.
As part of Indonesia's growing commitment
to join an ASEAN-wide war against the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in tourist
destinations, the Department for Culture and
Tourism launched a campaign in August 2006 to
step-up measures already in place to stop the
sexual predation of children as an evil byproduct
of international travel.
ASEAN'S RESOLVE
As reported by Ibu Wuryastuti Sunario in the
authoritative Indonesia Digest, ASEAN's resolve
is growing to fight against CSEC. In 2004, Heads
of Governments of the 10 ASEAN nations signed
an agreement mentioning ASEAN's resolve to combat
all forms of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
as well as the Trafficking of Women and Children.
This Agreement was followed up at the Davao
ASEAN Tourism Ministers' meeting in 2006. The
outcome of that gathering saw the ASEAN Ministers
resolve to jointly campaign to combat the Trafficking
and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children,
especially among the tourism networks within
ASEAN tourist destinations.
With total tourism arrivals among ASEAN countries
nearing 50 million in 2004, of which approximately
10% (5,321,165) landed in Indonesia, tourism
is assuming a growing importance in local economies.
Unfortunately, as tourism grows in the ASEAN
region so do the negative effects that accompany
it.
In this connection, ASEAN Secretary General,
Mr Ong Keng Yong, stated that ASEAN authorities
have become more 'goal-oriented' in combating
the problem of trafficking of Women and Children.
"There is also greater recognition that
they must cooperate to prevent the trafficking
of women and children and the movement of known
sex offenders across borders. Much of the region
is heavily dependent on tourism revenue, which
could suffer from the negative association,"
he said.
To implement this resolve, ASEAN Tourism Ministers
appointed ChildWise in Tourism of Australia
to assist in the Campaign to Combat Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in the
ASEAN region. This campaign is supported by
AUSAID.
The Increasing Sexual Exploitation
of Children
According to UNICEF data, 30% of female prostitutes
in Indonesia are children below 18 years of
age, with a number of sex workers reported to
as young as 10 years. Some 40.000 – 70.000
Indonesian children are estimated to have become
victims of CSEC. Children forced into the sex
trade represents a growing problem with numbers
increasing in the local sex industry and those
children being trafficked overseas.
Child Sexual Exploitation in Bali and
Lombok
According to research conducted by UNICEF,
Bali and Lombok have become tourism destinations
where a high number of crimes in CSEC in Indonesia
were found. CSEC occurs primarily in prostitution
centers, recreation centers, karaoke bars, massage
parlors, and malls. The same study concluded
that the majority of predators are locals or
domestic visitors.
Laws Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children
in Indonesia include Law No. 23 of 2002 providing
for sentences of up to 15 years in prison. This
law was used to convict Australian Tony Brown
who committed suicide in a Karangasem jail one
day after receiving in Sentence. [See: Convicted
Pedophile William Brown Commits Suicide]
Two Presidential decrees passed in 2002 provided
for an action plan to combat the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children, appointing
the Minister for Public Welfare as the General
Chairman and the Minister for the Empowerment
of Women as the Executing Chairperson to a special
task force.
Cooperating to Stop the Sexual Predation
of Children
In addition to being on the lookout for middlemen
who lure children into "the trade"
and sell them for gains Tourist Stakeholders
need to ensure that they are not acting as middlemen
in their capacities as guides, a taxi drivers,
security personnel, or as the front office personnel
of hotels. Under the Indonesian Criminal Code,
middlemen are also liable for jail terms.
In order to combat CSEC, Indonesia's tourism
stakeholders must take the following actions:
• Each Tourism Stakeholders must be aware
of his and her responsibilities within their
scope of authority and duties.
• Tourism Stakeholders must report to
their management and police authorities when
offenses against the Law on the Protection of
Women and Children are observed.
• Actively support the campaign to combat
CSEC by informing all concerned of their responsibility
to join the battle.
• Tourism Stakeholders must rigorously
not involve themselves in CSEC offences or in
CSEC violators' networks.
Widening the Battle Against CSEC
Other suggestions to turn the tide in the battle
against the sexual predation of children, include:
• The placement of Billboards at international
airports, popular beach resorts, streets locations
popular with international and local visitors,
in villages from which children are sourced.
• Posters placed in hotel areas, and
information printed on other tourism media such
as info sheets, tourist maps, tent cards, magazine
ads, and drink coasters.
• Stickers on airline tickets issued
by Airlines, Travel Agents, on Tourist Buses
and taxis.
• Tourist Associations to form Working
Groups to socialize procedures to staff and
communities, including filing reports that will
lead to the arrest of offenders.
• Mass Media support to the campaign's
socialization and dissemination of news on the
combat against CSEC in Tourism.
• Regional governments at the provincial,
district and city levels to inform those in
charge of entertainment and nightlife businesses,
massage parlors and beauty parlors in the combat
against CSEC.
• Cooperate with the farmers’ network
to socialize the campaign to remote rural areas.
• Regions to issue bylaws and regulations
to combat and prevent the commercial sexual
exploitation of children, from source areas
to receiving areas.
• Communities and the General Public
to watch and prevent the commercial sexual exploitation
of children.
Remember these Numbers
Please retain the following hotline numbers
for use in reporting cases of suspected sexual
exploitation of children:
• Jakarta - 112-523400
• Bandung, West Java - (022) 108-4205012
• Yogyakarta - (0274) 108-884444
• Semarang, Central Java - (024)108-6710863,
or 6719205
• Surabaya, East Java - (031) 108- 199
– 8290084
• Denpasar, Bali - (0361) 226783 Ext.
127
• Mataram, Lombok - (0370) 108-632213
• Batam, Riau - (0778) 108-457212 (Nagoya)
• Medan, North Sumatra (061) 108-4520971
• Manado, North Sulawesi - (0431) 108-862219,
860460
• Makassar, South Sulawesi - (0411)108-316122,
or 319271
• Entikong, West Kalimantan (0561) 108-883126
• Pontianak, West Kalimantan - (0561)
08-737060, or 744466
• Merauke, Papua - (0971) 108-321706
Children are Gifts Granted by God
Culture and Tourism Minister, Jero Wacik recently
issued a statement enshrined in Law No. 23 of
2002 underlining the proper role of children
in Indonesian society, stating : "Children
are Gifts granted and entrusted to us by God
Almighty. For, within themselves children already
carry the dignity and rights intrinsic to the
total human being."
Later, the Minister added, "for this reason,
the duty to protect and guide children, is a
duty that is that is entrusted to all, including
to us who are Stakeholders in developing Indonesia's
Tourism. This responsibility is given not only
to parents of children, but also to communities,
including to the Tourism industry, and the Government,
at both national and regional levels."
Balidiscovery.com thanks Ibu Wuryastuti Sunario
of Indonesian Digest for her invaluable assistance
in providing material for this report.
Bali Buleleng Fly-In
2006
Local and International
Aviators Will Land at North Bali's Letkol Wisnu
Airport for 4 Days of Flying Demos and Joy Flights.
The Buleleng Federation of Air Sports (FASIDA
Buleleng) and the National Federation of Air
Sports (FASI) will host the Bali Buleleng Fly-In
2006 at the Letkol Wisnu Air strip in North
Bali, September 1-4, 2006.
More than 24 aviators and their planes from
across Indonesia and abroad are expected to
attend.
Schedule of Events
Friday, September 1, 2006
• 08.00-17.00 Aviators arrival at the
Letkol Wisnu Airstrip.
• 19.00-23.00 Welcome dinner hosted by
the Regional Government of Buleleng.
Saturday, September 2, 2006
• 09.00-11.00 Opening Ceremony including
traditional dances and a fly-by parade.
• 11.00-13.00 Aviation demonstrations
including aerobatics, paragliding, aero modeling,
parachuting and a fly by of an F-16 by the Indonesian
Air Force.
• 13.00-15.00 Luncheon accompanied by
local cultural presentation.
• 15.00-17.30 Joy and Fun Flights for
local top scholars and local community.
• 19.30-23.00 Dinner and Kecak Dance
in Lovina.
Sunday, September 3, 2006
• 08.00-12.00 Aerobatic dan aero sport
demonstrations
• 12.00-13.00 Lunch and cultural presentation.
• 13.00-19.00 Tour for aviators to local
tourist sites.
Monday, September 3, 2006
• 07.00-10.00 Mini Air Rally of the Buleleng
area.
• 10.00-12.00 Flight demonstrations.
• 12.00-14.00 Lunch and more cultural
presentations.
• 19.00-23.00 Award dinner and party
at the Banyualit Lovina Hotel.
For More Information:
Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata
Jl. Veteran No. 23
Singaraja, Bali 81118
Telp. ++62-(0)362-25141
Contact Person: IB Puja Erawan - Chairman.
More information: BaliCalendar.com
Pianist Christopher
Norton in Bali
Leading Composer,
Producer, Arranger and Musical Educationalist
in 2-Days of Piano Workshops at the Mercure
Accor Hotel Resort – Sanur.
Originally from New Zealand, leading contemporary
pianist Christopher Norton has sold more than
1 million recordings in his decades as a composer,
producer, arranger and educationalist and has
written stage musicals, ballet scores, piano
music, popular songs and orchestral music as
well as jingles and signature tunes for TV and
radio. He has lectured all over the world on
aspects of his work and likes to integrate traditional
teaching methods with aspects of modern technology.
In cooperation with Vita Piano Studio and Rhythm
Music Publisher (Malaysia). Christopher Norton
will conduct a piano festival and recital in
Bali September 9-10, 2006.
Sharing both his talent and tremendous musical
knowledge, Christopher Norton is returning to
Bali for the second time to share his deep appreciation
of music, techniques of music education, and
perform in a recital.
A pioneer in Micro Jazz, Norton has published
a series of music education demonstrating the
use of simple chords for the left hand in concert
with the right hand playing the melody. Starting
from this base he has also show his legion of
students an effective and easy means for musical
improvisation.
Only Two Days in Bali
Christopher Norton's two-day visit
to Bali will follow a busy schedule :
Saturday, September 9, 2006
• 09:30-12:00. A workshop for piano and
keyboard teachers sharing his contemporary teaching
methods.
• 14:00-Finsh. A Piano Festival divided
into 4 categories: a) Junior Grade (Grade 1-2
for 5-9 year olds); b) Intermediate Grade (Grade
3-4 for 10-12 year olds); c) Late Intermediate
(Grade 5-6 for 13-16 year olds); d) Duet (Unrestricted).
• 20:00-21:00 Christopher Norton Piano
Recital
Sunday, September 10, 2006
• 10:00 - finish. Piano Festival
• 19:00 Christopher Norton Piano Recital
For more information email gm[at]mercureresortsanur.com
More information: BaliCalendar.com
Indonesia Losing
the Tourism Promotion Battle
Minister Wacik Says
Lackluster Arrivals in Indonesia Due to Being
Outspent by Competing Destinations in the Region.
Indonesia's Minister of Culture and Tourism,
Jero Wacik, has complained that Indonesia is
at a competitive disadvantage with neighboring
competing destinations, such as Malaysia, which
substantially outspends his country in promoting
tourism.
Malaysia Outspending Indonesia by a
Factor of 6
Quoted in the Indonesian language BisnisBali,
Minister Wacik said, "our promotion funds
total only US$10 million, while Malaysia spends
US60 million. Speaking at the finals for the
"Miss Indonesia" contest held in Jakarta
several days before, explained that the relative
lack of spending by Indonesia largely explains
Malaysia’s greater popularity as a tourism
destination.
Claiming that he has tried to persuade the
President and the Parliament of the importance
of promoting Indonesia internationally, Minister
Wacik said that the Executive and lawmakers
were not unsympathetic but were strapped for
funds in the current economic circumstances
of Indonesia.
The State Budget for 2007 allocates between
Rp. 1-1.5 trillion (approximately US$100-150
million) for the Department of Culture and Tourism
– a total twice the current spending.
The Minister insists that this amount remains
inadequate to meet Indonesia's promotion requirements
necessitating the need for cooperative promotional
efforts between the private and public sectors.
According to Wacik: "if members of the
tourism industry do not want to cooperate with
government in promotion, they will suffer most.
Tourist will not come and tourism players will
suffer losses as incomes from hotels, restaurants
and golf courses emanate from tourists."
Bali Nines Australian
Football Championship
Aussie Rules in the
Tropics! Bali Geckos Footbal Club 5th Annual Football
Championship Returns to Bali on Saturday, October
7, 2006.
This event provides a great opportunity to
enjoy Australian "footy" in Bali -
a great attraction for end-of-season club trips
or for Australian rules enthusiasts to travel
to Bali and create a team.
Entries Now Being Accepted
Entry is now open for teams for the Championships
set for Saturday, October 7, 2006.
With substantial interest shown in this year’s
event, organizers are compelled to accept applications
on a first in first served basis. Interested
teams should register immediatey!
The event will form part of commemorative activities
honoring the memory of those lost in the Bali
bombings with a percentage of money raised to
be donated to a local charities that supports
those affected by attacks.
More Information
For more information visit the website or or
email captain[at]baligeckos.com.
More information: Bali
Nines Website
Actor Jeremy Thomas
to be Sanur's Ambassador
Sanur Village Festival
Names Well-Known Indonesian TV Actor Jeremy Thomas
as its Cultural Ambassador.
As part of the opening ceremony for the Sanur
Village Festival on Friday, August 25, 2006, Indonesian
television star Jeremy Thomas was officially crowned
as Sanur Village's Cultural Ambassador.
The 36 year-old actor freely admits that Sanur
is the preferred holiday destination of his
family who regularly escape to Bali from the
busy life of filming commercials and television
serials in Jakarta. Jeremy says that Sanur's
special attraction is its traditional village
setting and the very warm welcome extended by
the people of Sanur for both domestic and international
visitors.
Married to actress Ina Indayanti and the father
or two children, Axel (9) and Valerie (7), Jeremy
holds a degree in business administration.
Speaking at a ceremony in which he was official
installed at Sanur's Cultural Ambassador by
Denpasar's Mayor, said he will proudly use his
new titled to spread the good word on Sanur
to his friends and acquaintances around the
world.
Take Time to Be Kind
– Run for Someone Else’s Life
6th Annual 5Km 'Rock
‘' Run" Race Sponsored by Hard Rock
Hotel – September 17, 2006.
There's refreshments, free t-shirts, prizes and
that warm fuzzy feeling you get from helping your
fellow human being – all waiting when you
sign up to participate in the 5 kilometer Rock
n' Run: High 5 event scheduled to be held on the
morning of Sunday, September 17, 2006 at Hard
Rock Hotel Bali.
Take Time to Be Kind
To join the fun and the estimated 500 runners
expected to participate depart from the front
of the Hard Rock Hotel at 7:30 a.m., all you
have to do is donate Rp. 70,000 (approximately
US$7.60) to get your number and a special limited-edition
Hard Rock T-shirt.
How to Register
Registration counters are now open from 9:00
a.m. until 5:00 p.m. daily in front of the Megastore,
Hard Rock Hotel. Final on-site registration
is also possible starting from 6:30 a.m. on
race morning in front of the Hotel.
For more information telephone ++62-(0)361-761869
(extension 8164 or 8163).
More information: Bali
Calendar
Delivering Hope,
Mobility and Freedom
Philanthropist Kenneth
Behring Visits Bali and Indonesia Donating 250
Wheelchairs Along the Way.
Kenneth E. Behring, the Founder of the U.S.-based
nonprofit organization The Wheelchair Foundation
recently traveled to Bali to donated 30 wheelchairs
to needy recipients on the Island.
Facilitated through Bali's Senang Hati Foundation
and accompanied by Cherie Nursalim of United
in Diversitry, the 30 chairs for Bali were among
some 250 similar chairs distributed by the Foundation
to those in need in Yogyakarta, Jakarta and
other areas of Indonesia.
The Wheelchair Foundation
Behring, a successful American businessman
and philanthropist, also founded the Blackhawk
Museum and the Behring-Hofmann Educational Institute
in Blackhawk, California. In 1997, he pledged
$20 million to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural
History and in 2000 he pledged an additional
$80 million to rebuild the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History.
In 1990 Behring donated shipments of wheelchairs
to relief organizations in Eastern Europe and
Africa. Seeing the tremendous joy these donations
created for their recipients, he embarked upon
a world-wide crusade donating wheelchairs in
every country he visited. On June 13, 2000 (His
birthday) the Wheelchair Foundation was established
at a ceremony in Washington, DC. and has successfully
donated over 500,000 wheelchairs since its inception.
Delivering Hope, Mobility and Freedom
The Bali donation of wheelchairs was jointly
organized by the Unity in Diversity Organization,
Senang Hati Foundation and the Rotary Club of
Bali Unud.
To learn more about this remarkable man and
the Foundation he inspires, visit the link provided.
More information: The
Wheelchair Foundation
Bali's Coral Reef
Under Threat
Only 8.74% of Bali's
Surrounding Reef Considered in Excellent Condition.
Bali's natural beauty is under threat, both above
and below sea level.
According to page-one report in the Indonesian
language Bali Post, 23/19% of Bali's natural
reef has been destroyed.
According to the report, of an estimated 61.13
square kilometers of remaining natural reef
surrounding the Island only 50.05 kilometers
remain. Moreover, of the remaining reef 69.81%
(34.93 square kilometers) is in poor condition;
21.45% (10.73 square kilometers) is in satisfactory
condition and only 8.74% (4.37 square kilometers
can be termed in excellent shape.
Local tourism figure and award-winning reef
preservation activist, Gusti Agung Prana, has
termed the need for rehabilitation of Bali’s
reefs "absolute." To that end, Prana
in cooperation with two leading European experts
in reef revitalization have launched a bio rock
coral reef growing project in Pemuteran, North
Bali.
While scientists perform miracle below water
growing new reefs, local community members in
the pacalang laut supervise fishing and pollution
to make sure the new reefs remain strong and
healthy.
More information: North
Bali Reef Project – A Real Winner!
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