EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA BELGRADE - SERBIA

I N D O N E S I A N N E W S - M A R C H 2 0 1 2 , V O L . X V / 0 3

E Q U A T O R

E M B A S S Y O F T H E R E P U B L I C O F I N D O N E S I AB E L G R A D E - S E R B I A

Embassy of the Republic of IndonesiaBelgrade - Serbiawww.kemlu.go.id/belgrade

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Deep Indonesia 2012

Deep Indonesia 2012 is the leading trade event for diving, adventure travel & water sports sector, in Indonesia. The 6th edition of the event intends to promote marine tourism with support of diving, water sports and adventure travel as well as persuade people to admire the ocean and its resources. The 5th International Diving, Adventure Travel & Water Sports Exhibition will provide the complete overview of marine industry, from equipments to manufacturers to tourism agencies. The exhibitors will display a vast range of latest products and services. The visitors will get a chance to explore, test and buy the best products according to their prerequisite as well as interact face-to-face with industry professionals and share their views on these products and services. Deep Indonesia 2012 will share its platform with another event Extreme Indonesia 2012, which help forward Indonesia’s huge and growing market of diving, water sports, eco tourism and adventure travel industries at international platform.

March 29 – April 1, 2012

Jakarta Convention Center

Ambassador’s Note March 2012EQUATOR

EDITORIAL BOARD

SUPERVISORH.E. Semuel Samson

EDITOR IN CHIEFAriana Yulianti

BOARD OF EDITORSWidya Parsaoran GultomEko HimawanCol. Agoes JoesniIndah MekawatiYudi Tetra Mulya

RESEARCHERS Eni DiponegoroFriedo Hubert

LOGISTIC & DISTRIBUTIONPrima SetianiDono Legowo

Published by:Social & Culture SectionEmbassy of the Republic of IndonesiaBulevar kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevića 1811040 Belgrade - SerbiaPh. 3674062, 3635666Fax. 3672984, [email protected]/belgrade

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UN Secretary General visited RI peacekeeping mission in SentulMarty: Indonesia, Australia key to regional stability RI, Singapore signed education, bureauctic reform cooperation agreementPresident RI received honorary doctorate from Chinese UniversityIndonesia, South Korea to increase trade to US$ 50 billion by 2015Garuda Indonesia named world’s best airlineUGM holds “Dream 2012”

RI, China ties based on three GsIndonesia potential for international cargo port investment Indonesia fashion aims for global appeal

Travel

Distinguished readers,

“Whereas independence is the inalienable right of all nations and therefore, colonialism in the world must be abolished, because it is not in accordance with humanity and justice” - as it is written in the openning part of the Constitution of Indonesia 1945, which describes the basis of the Indonesian Government’s policy regarding the world’s peace, in line with that, we have more challenging goal to become one of the 10 countries in the world in contributing up to 10.000 peacekeeping forces in many countries which started since 1957 by sending its first batch of soldiers to join a UN peacekeeping mission. In

Semuel Samson

Highlights

Focus

Business

Embassy

Woodcrafting

Ubud

Receiving the delegation of Humanitarian Foundation “Hadzi Nadzija Karabegovic”Indonesian Embassy received “Most Green” award from Savski Venac municipality Indonesian Ambassador hosted farewell dinner for Ambassador of PortugalWorking meeting of Indonesian Embassy in Kopaonik

aiming this goal, we are very proud that Indonesia has built the new Indonesian Military (TNI) Peacekeeping Mission Education and Training Facility at the Indonesia Peace and Security Center (IPSC) in Sentul, West Jawa.

Since the independence until now, Indonesian foreign relations adhered to a “free and active” foreign policy, seeking to always have friendly cooperations with all countries in the world in many fields, economy, politics, cultural, education and security which also have marked the month of March 2012 through several friendly and close relations with China, Denmark, Australia, Russia, German, Singapore, Great Britain and Malaysia. In the field of education, we use this opportunity to extend the highest congratulations to the President of the Republic of Indonesia on receiving the tittle of doctorate honoris causa from Tsinghua University for the achievments and successful leading our beloved Indonesia into becoming a major developing country in the world.

This spirit of success, is what our Embassy is building in Serbia. The spirit that will bring the better cooperation between Serbia and Indonesia. In this regard, thanks to the General Director and owner of MK Group, Mr. Miodrag Kostic, we have organized the sucessful “working meeting” with all our staff in Kopaonik where we have discussed and prepared the details of our Embassy’s targets for the year 2012 and 2013. As Kopaonik is the pearl of tourism in Serbia, in this edition we introduce Bali as one of the pearls of tourism in Indonesia.

EQUATOR is a compilation of news taken from National News Agency (ANTARA) and other news sources from Indonesia. The contents does not reflect particular policy or position of the Embassy of the Republic Indonesia and its beholders. The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia takes the privilege to sort out news material taken from the above mentioned sources and presented in accordance with the coverage of the materials (political & security, economy, social & culture and international relation issues).

Cover Photo:In Bali you can experience the endless series of offerings, purification, processions, dances, and dozens of other religious rites that Balinese devote their lives to.

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4 Equator - March 2012

Highlights

UN Secretary General visited RI peacekeeping mission in Sentul

Jakarta - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has visited the new Indone-sian Military (TNI) Peacekeeping Mission Education and Training Facility inau-gurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Indonesia Peace and Security Center (IPSC) in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, on 20 March 2012.

Head of the Defense Ministry Pub-lic Communication Center Brig Gen Hartind Asrin said in Jakarta on March 20, 2012, that the UN Secretary General flanked by his wife Ban Soon Taek and a number of UN officials visited the TNI Peace Keeping Mission Education and Training Facility (Fasdiklat PMPP TNI) on the sidelines of his 3-day visit to Indone-sia from March 19 to 21, 2012.

He will also deliver a general lecture on “United Nations Peace Keeping Chal-lenge and Opportunities”.

The visit of Ban Ki Moon and entou-rage at the biggest education and training center in South East Asia was personally welcomed by President Susilo Bambang

Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and the relevant Cabinet ministers includ-ing Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgianto at the Holding Auditorium of PMPP TNI.

Besides making preparations on world peace forces, Ban Ki Moon also planted a tree with the Indonesian Head of State at the Peace Keeping Center.

Hartin said Ban Ki Moon also at-tended the opening and deliver a key-note address at the Jakarta International

Defense Dialog II on March 21, at the Ja-karta Convention Center (JCC).

He said the presence of the UN Secre-tary and entourage at the Pasdiklat PMPP TNI will provide direct information on the latest development of UN Peacekeeping Operations and witness the Indonesian government`s preparations in boosting

the quality of the peacekeepers. Earlier, the relations between Indo-

nesia and the UN had also been touched including efforts at increasing Indonesian forces in the UN peacekeeping mission.

According to data of January 2012 collected by the Indonesian Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, the Indonesian peacekeeping forces to-taled 1,972 military and police person-nel, including 19 female members.

Nearly 2,000 members of the Indone-sian forces have been spread and grouped in six UN peacekeeping missions, namely 1,455 in UNIFIL (in Lebanon), 192 in MO-NUSCO (Democratic Republic of Congo), 170 in MINUSTAH (Haiti), 146 in UNAMID (Darfur), 8 in UNMIS (South Sudan) and one in UNMIL (Liberia).

Nearly 2,000 members of the Indonesian forces have been spread and grouped in six UN peacekeeping missions, namely 1,455 in Lebanon, 192 in Congo, 170 in in Haiti, 146 in Darfur, 8 in South Sudan and one in Liberia

Bogor, West Java - Indonesia intends to send up to 10 thousand personnel to join UN peacekeeping missions, becom-ing one of the 10 largest contributors of peacekeeping forces, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

“We now have a more challenging goal to become one of the 10 countries in the world to contribute up to 10,000 peacekeeping forces,” he said in his in-troductory speech prior to visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon deliv-ered his speech on “UN Peacekeeping, Challenges and Opportunities for Indo-nesia” on 20 March 2012.

To meet the target, President Yud-

hoyono said Indonesia is developing a peacekeeping mission center on a 261.712 thousand-hectare plot of land in Citeureup, Sentul, Bogor, West Java.

He noted that the project, which has been underway since 2010, is expected to be completed in the 2014 fiscal year.

Besides being a peacekeeping mis-sion center, the location will also be used as a training center for swift-mov-ing forces, anti-terror units, language training and natural disaster mitigation, and will include a defense university and military sports centers.

The center, which was dedicated on December 19, 2011, is expected to func-

tion as a training center for peacekeep-ing forces that will be sent abroad.

President Yudhoyono said peace-keeping forces must not only have mili-tary skills, but also the skills to under-stand the local culture and language of the places where they are assigned.

“They have to be able to work with military forces from various countries, have anti-terror skills and know about peacekeeping. They also must have knowledge of the culture and language of the people (resident in the locations) to which they have been assigned,” he affirmed.

Indonesia to send up to 10,000 for UN peacekeeping mission

Equator - March 2012 5

Highlights

Yudhoyono congratulated Putin on election victory

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, on behalf of Indonesia and its people, congratulated Vladimir Putin on his election as the next Russian Presi-dent and said he hoped for increased co-operation between the two countries.

Presidential special aide for inter-national affairs Teuku Faizasyah told newsmen on 12 March 2012 that Presi-dent Yudhoyono had phoned Putin to express his congratulations.

“The President just called President Putin to congratulate him on his elec-tion as Russian president, and on behalf

of the people and the government sent his regards, while underlining the size of the vote, which reflects the people`s great confidence in President Putin and for that, emphasized readiness for the two countries to develop and increase cooperation in the future,” he said.

Faizasyah said President Yudhoyono also expressed his commitment to at-tend the Asia Pacific Economic Coop-eration (APEC) meeting scheduled in Vladivostok, Russia, this year.

“The President reiterated that he would come to the APEC meeting in

Vladivostok and hoped in 2013 that Pu-tin could attend when the APEC meet-ing is held in Indonesia,” he said.

President Vladimir Putin, mean-while, said that Indonesia is very sig-nificant for Russia regarding coopera-tion in various fields.

“President Putin underlined Indonesia`s significance for Russia in the context of trade, military as well as other trade, and reiterated his commitment to use the Vladivostok meeting for increas-ing bilateral relations,” he said.

Marty: Indonesia, Australia key to regional stability

Jakarta - Indonesia`s Foreign Min-ister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia and Australia are key to stability in the region, in view of their significant roles at various international forums.

“Stability and security at global or regional level are very important with regard to our development efforts for the welfare of the people,” he said in a press statement on 15 March 2012.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and Defense Minister Purnomo Yus-giantoro met with the Australian For-eign Minister and Defense Minister in Canberra, to discuss regional as well as global security and defense issues.

The 2+2 format meeting was a fol-low-up to the agreement made by the leaders of the two countries when Indo-nesian President Susilo Bambang Yud-hoyono visited Australia in 2010.

Minister Marty said that there is still scope for increasing cooperation be-tween the two countries especially in the fields of economy, trade and investment.

“The relations between Indonesia and Australia are strong, solid and com-prehensive. The consultation mecha-nism has also been comprehensive in-volving not only the government but also community elements,” he said.

At bilateral levels, he said, the focus was on increasing cooperation between the two countries in overcoming cross-border crimes.

In the field of defense, the two coun-tries are focusing on efforts to increase non-combat military operations coop-eration especially in the field of disaster handling.

Regarding regional level issues, offi-cials of the two countries discussed the increasing cases of human trafficking in the region that led to an agreement to overcoming the problem through the Bali Process. They also discussed strate-gic issues such as the South China Sea problem, the positive development of

democracy in Myanmar and coopera-tion under the ASEAN context.

In the short visit, the Indonesian For-eign Minister also paid a courtesy call to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and was a speaker at a general lecture held by the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) at the Australian National University.

The meeting was held in prepara-tion for the planned visit of Indonesian President Yudhoyono to Australia for the `Indonesia-Australia Annual Lead-ers Meeting` in Darwin in May.


Highlights

RI, Singapore signed education, bureaucratic reform coop agreement

Bogor, West Java - Indonesia and Sin-gapore have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the fields of education and bureaucratic reform.

The MOU was signed following a meeting between the two countries governments at the presidential place on 13 March 2012 in Bogor.

The MOU for education cooperation was signed by Indonesia s Minister of Edu-cation Muhammad Nuh and Singapore`s Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam.

Indonesia`s Minister of Administra-tive Reform Azwar Abubakar, mean-while, signed the MOU for bureaucratic reform cooperation with Singapore`s Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Singapore`s Prime Min-ister Lee Hsien Loong.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with President Yudhoyono for a meet-ing to review the two countries cooper-ation. The first such meeting had earlier been held in Singapore.

The meetings began with a private meeting between the two leaders and was followed by a bilateral meeting of the two countries delegations, which concluded with the signing of the MOUs followed by lunch.

In his introductory speech, President Yudhoyono said the current level of eco-nomic cooperation between the two countries could be increased. “I hope this will be the bridge for increasing co-operation between the two countries in the future,” he said.

He added “we have discussed vari-ous issues and, in principle, progress has been made to assure more success in the future. Economic cooperation has been stronger in the fields of trade and investment. Indonesia hopes progress in the two countries could be used for improved cooperation.”

President Yudhoyono noted how Bogor Palace has witnessed a number of important events in the past, includ-ing the development of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) and, in view of that, he hoped the con-sultation meeting could promote coop-eration between the two countries and carry the same spirit as previous impor-

tant meetings held at the palace.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lee Hsien

Loong expressed appreciation for the In-donesian government s efforts and shared the view that the two countries economic cooperation was very important.

Before the bilateral meeting be-tween the two countries delegations, President Yudhoyono and Prime Min-ister Lee Hsien Loong met in private to discuss bilateral cooperative develop-ment, as well as regional and global conditions.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was accompanied by several ministers and high ranking officials, including Trade Minister Lim Hng Kiang, Defense Minis-ter Ng Eng hen, Foreign Minister K. Shan-mugam, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, Development Minister Chan Chung Sing and State Minister for Information, Com-munication and Arts cum Environment and Water Resource Grace Fu.

Additionally, President Yudhoyono was flanked by Coordinating Minister for political, security and legal affairs Djoko Suyanto, Coordinating Minister for economic affairs Hatta Rajasa, For-eign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Indus-try Minister MS Hidayat, Defense Forces Commander Agus Suhartono, National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo, and other high ranking officials.

The MOU for education coopera-tion was signed by Indonesia s Minister of Education Muhammad Nuh and Singapore`s Foreign Min-ister K. Shanmugam


Highlights

President RI received honorary doctorate from Chinese University

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a doctorate hono-ris causa from Tsinghua University on his visit to China from March 22-24.

According to the Chinese Ambassa-dor in Indonesia, Liu Jianchao, President Yudhoyono received the title on March 24 at Tsinghua University in Haidian Dis-trict, Beijing.

“President Yudhoyono is extremely worthy of this title considering his suc-cess in leading Indonesia into becoming a major developing country,” said Liu at a press briefing at the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.

Liu further noted that President Yudhoyono, who is highly respected by Chinese youngsters, delivered a speech to the students of Tsinghua University. According to Liu, compared to the first time he visited Indonesia in 1991 the country has become more developed and advanced.

Liu also remarked that President Yudhoyono succeeded in bringing Indo-nesia out of two crises, the tsunami trag-edy of 2006 in Aceh and the economic disaster of 2008. “Considering these achievements, President Yudhoyono is indeed worthy of receiving this doctor-ate honoris causa title,” Liu said.

Tsinghua University is the oldest university in China, built in 1911, and this is its 101st anniversary. President Yudhoyono`s visit to China is expected, by the government and people of China, to enhance the relationship between the two countries, Liu added.

During the three-day visit to China, President Yudhoyono was scheduled to attend a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and the signing of several important Memorandums of Un-derstanding (MoU) in the fields of drug eradication, statistics, maritime research, infrastructure, and manufacturing.

The First Lady Ani Yudhoyono was also scheduled to inaugurate the Study Center of Bahasa Indonesia in Beijing at the For-eign Language Studies University.

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, at his office on 9 March 2012, received the Danish Parliament Chairman, Mogens Lykketoft.

On the occasion, the President ex-pressed hope that strong bilateral rela-tions between Indonesia and Denmark would strengthen the ties between the European Union and ASEAN.

“Our strong bilateral relations should also strengthen the ties between the European Union and ASEAN,” President Yudhoyono told Lykketoft.

This year, Denmark holds the posi-tion of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Under the leadership of Denmark, President Yudhoyono is optimistic that the European Union will play a role in improv-ing the global economic conditions.

During the meeting with President Yudhoyono, the Danish Parliament Chairman was accompanied by his staffers Bertel Haarder, Soren Espersen, Marianne Jelved, Holger K. Nielsen, and Carsten U. Larsen, while the Indonesian head of state was accompanied by For-

eign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam.

President Yudhoyono also expressed hope that bilateral relations between In-donesia and Denmark would be strength-

ened and improved in various fields.Meanwhile, Mogens Lykketoft re-

sponded positively and agreed that strong relations between the two coun-tries could also strengthen the ties be-tween the European Union and ASEAN.

President Yudhoyono received Danish Parliament Chairman


Highlights

Beijing - Indonesia and China agree to boost strategic partnership in various sectors, Indonesian President Susilo Bam-bang Yudhoyono said during a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on 23 March 2012 in Beijing.

“Both countries have the spirit to in-crease strategic cooperation in various sectors,” said President Yudhoyono.

Meanwhile, President Hu Jintao in his speech during the bilateral meeting stressed that Indonesia and China in-creasing cooperation is a necessity.

Earlier, at a meeting with Chinese and Indonesian business leaders in Bei-jing, President Yudhoyono said Indone-sia is a country with a strong economic foundation, so Chinese investors should not hesitate to invest in the country.

He added that Indonesia is a prospec-tive country for foreign investors because the country has enormous natural re-sources, good economic growth and an improved people s purchasing power.

President Yudhoyono is scheduled to be in China from March 22-24. A number of cooperative agreements be-tween Indonesia and China are expect-ed to be signed during this visit.

Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Liu Jian Chao, recently said several draft agreements that focus on the fight against narcotics distribution, as well as trade and maritime concerns, maritime research, infrastructure development

and manufacturing are expected to be signed during President Yudhoyono`s visit to China.

“We are still discussing the agree-ments through diplomatic channels, and we are convinced that they will be completed before the leaders of the two countries meet,” he said.

Chao said President Yudhoyono`s visit to China would be significant for increasing the cooperation between the two countries. Indonesia is a large country with strong economic growth and plays an important role in Asia.

“Indonesia and China have had a long relationship. Despite the crisis it once faced, Indonesia has been able to rise up to become one of the develop-ing countries with significant economic growth,” he remarked.

With its rich natural and human re-sources, he added, Indonesia would be able to play a positive role at the re-gional, as well as international levels.

“Indonesia is capable of playing a significant role in maintaining security and peace not only in the ASEAN region, but also internationally,” he noted.

President: RI, China agreed to boost strategic partnership

Jakarta - Indonesia has received two awards from the Hong Kong-based Fi-nance Asia magazine for its success in issuing US dollar-denominated state bonds in May 2011 and November 2011.

The awards called `Best Sovereign Bond-Republic Indonesia $2,5 Billion 10 Year Bond` and Borrower of the Year 2011` were received respectively in De-cember 2011 and January 2012, Head of the Communication and Information Service Bureau at the Finance Ministry Yudi Pramadi said on 8 March 2012.

Finance Asia representative Stu-art Wadsworth symbolically gave the

awards to Deputy Finance Minister Mahendra Siregar in Jakarta the day before.

Indonesia won the two awards for its achievement in issuing 10-year, US dollar-denominated global bonds worth US$2.5 billion in May 2011 and 7-year, US dollar-denominated global sharia state bonds worth US$1 billion in November 2011.

According to the magazine, the issu-ance of the US$2.5 billion global bonds showed impressive performance be-cause it could attract total subscrip-tions of US$6.9 billion.

It said the bonds offered competitive yields, and had low costs of issuance.

Likewise the issuance of global sharia state bonds worth US1 billion was also quite impressive because it received subscriptions worth US$6.5 billion.

Indonesia was also seen as a profes-sional and experienced bond issuer in Asia. The evaluation was based on a survey made by FinanceAsia on respon-dents including investors, bankers, and other market players.

RI received two Finance Asia awards


Highlights

Indonesia, South Korea to increase trade to US$50 billion by 2015

Seoul - Indonesia and South Korea have agreed to increase trade between the two countries to US$50 billion by 2015.

The agreement was announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the final day of his state visit to South Korea on 29 March 2012.

“Indonesia has huge potential, but not all of it has been exploited. Indo-nesia certainly needs resources and partnerships to develop its economy,” he noted.

President Yudhoyono said this potential had been used as the foun-dation for the strategic partnership between Indonesia and South Korea, making it possible to reach the US$50 billion trade target by 2015.

“The strategic partnership has devel-oped well so far. For example, trade in 2009 reached around US$10 billion and rose to US$30 billion in 2011,” he added.

President Yudhoyono reiterated that the Indonesian government would assure that all forms of cooperation with other countries would also be im-plemented.

Referring to the recent meeting be-tween the Indonesian and South Ko-rean teams, following the launch of the Master Plan for Indonesian Economic Development and Expansion (MP3EI) to specially discuss possible coopera-tion to promote the program, the Presi-dent said, “I hope the investment in the MP3EI increases trade and Indonesia benefits from it.”

President Yudhoyono added that Indonesia had specifically invited South Korea to invest in the steel and infrastructure industries.

Apart from discussing cooperation

opportunities in trade and investment, President Yudhoyono and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak also reviewed possible cooperation in the fields of de-fense, energy and manpower.

“We agreed to widen energy coop-eration to cover not only oil and coal, but also renewable energy resources,” he noted.

President Yudhoyono`s visit to South Korea was part of his eight-day state visit, which included China and Hong Kong, from March 22 to 29. In South Korea, the President also attend-ed a nuclear summit.

The strategic partnership has de-veloped well so far. For example, trade in 2009 reached around US$10 billion and rose to US$30 billion in 2011

Yudhoyono sees entrepreneurs as economic heroes

Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono considers entrepreneurs who are consistently creating business opportunities, as heroes in the business, economic and development fields.

“Entrepreneurs are those who are create opportunities, not those who just wait and look for opportunities created by other people,” the President said at a function to commemorate the first anni-versary of the National Entrepreneurship Movement (GKN) and a launch of the Street Vendors Empowerment Program.

In practice, Indonesian entrepre-

neurs often create jobs or business ventures that have not been done by others, he said. “They are independent people and are not afraid of facing any risks. They don`t have the mentality of finding an easy way out,” he said.

The keys to success are determina-tion and not being afraid of failure. He also emphasized the role of entrepre-neurship in reducing poverty and crime.

Meanwhile, Cooperatives and Small-Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) Minister Sjarifuddin Hasan said the ra-tio of Indonesia`s entrepreneurship has

increased from 0.24 percent to 1.56 percent over the past one year, follow-ing the implementation of the National Entrepreneurship Movement.

There are 3,744 million new entre-preneurs throughout the country.

The GKN activities include entrepre-neurship trainings, exhibitions, and fel-lowship programs.

The function held at the SME Tow-er Building, Jakarta, was attended by around 3,500 participants consisting of entrepreneurs and university students, among others.


Highlights

Jakarta - Indonesia`s domestic eco-nomic activities are still performing well in the midst of slow world economic growth, according to Bank Indonesia.

“The economy is estimated to grow 6.5 percent in the first quarter of 2012 and will continue growing in the second quarter al-though it would be slower,” the central bank spokesman, Difi A Johansyah, said quoting the conclusion of the bank s board of gover-nors meeting in Jakarta on 8 March 2012.

He added that domestic demand remained strong, especially household consumption and investment, while export growth is expected to be lower in line with the global economic slow-down and the drop in the price of non-energy global commodities.

The economic development in the first and second quarter still matches the eco-nomic growth projections between 6.3 and

6.7 percent for the whole of 2012.The weighted risks show a downward

trajectory due to the impact of the global economy and the government s planned energy policy. Efforts to stimulate the econ-omy need to be taken, especially in the fis-cal policy area, and not just in the monetary and banking sectors, Difi said.

Meanwhile, the balance of payment in the first quarter is estimated to record a smaller surplus consistent with the cur-rent account deficit in the first quarter of 2012, which is predicted to be bigger due to a decline in exports and high imports as a result of strong domestic economic activities and fuel oil consumption.

The surplus in capital and financial transactions is down due to a smaller in-flow of portfolio investment.

The country s foreign exchange re-serves until the end of February 2012 were recorded at US$112.2 billion, which is equal for imports for 6.3 months and the government s foreign debt payment.

The rupiah exchange rate mean-while has relatively remained stable despite little pressure. In February, the currency weakened point-to-point by

0.33 percent to Rp9,020 against the US dollar but averagely strengthened 0.69 percent to Rp8,998 per US dollar.

Several factors that have added pres-sure on the rupiah include adjustment in the foreign investor portfolio due to global sentiment and increasing imports following domestic economic activities.

To maintain the domestic market balance, Bank Indonesia keeps moni-toring the development and takes mea-sures to stabilize the rupiah through foreign exchange markets and state bond secondary markets.

Difi said the stability of the banking system was maintained by the improve-ment of intermediary functions, displayed by the capital adequacy ratio (CAR) that stands far above the minimum level of 8.0 percent and gross non-performing loan (NPL) at below 5.0 percent. Credits grew 23.7 percent year-on-year until the end of January, while investment credits grew 38.1 percent year-on-year and will hope-fully increase economic capacity.

Meanwhile, he said, working capital and consumer credits grew 20.2 and 20.3 percent respectively, year-on-year.

Indonesia’s economy grows 6.5 percent in Q1

The economic development in the first and second quarter still matches the economic growth projections between 6.3 and 6.7 percent for the whole of 2012

Jakarta - The Ministry of State Owned Enterprises plans to build a solar cell company in Karawang, West Java, in response to the growing suggestions that Indonesia should use more renew-able energy and reduce its dependency on fossil fuel, a Minister said.

“The company will produce a capac-ity of 60 megawatts per year, and the government has planned to invest Rp500 billion. The company is expected to start operations by November 2013,” Minister of State Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan said in Jakarta on 19 March 2012.

Earlier, Minister of Research and Technology Gusti Muhammad Hatta had said his ministry was continuously studying the pattern of geothermal en-ergy utilization in Indonesia as part of the efforts to ready existing renewable energy sources for tapping by 2025.

“My ministry is continuously study-

ing the utilization patterns since it has been planned that in 2025 new renew-able energy should be ready in large amounts,” he said.

Gusti added that the National Ener-gy Board (DEN) had predicted that the availability of petroleum would deplete by 2020 so the preparation of renewable energy on a large scale should be start-ed early. Oil may still be available off the coast but it is deep inside the ocean and will require the use of advance technol-ogy and high costs to obtain.

Therefore, the renewable energy de-rived from various sources such as ocean currents, wind and plants (bio-ethanol) must be reviewed for use, the minister ex-plained. “In fact, in the near future we will be working on geothermal energy because we (Indonesia, Red) has 44 percent of the world s geothermal potential,” he noted.

The DEN version guided by the blue

print of National Energy Management 2004 mentions that Indonesia s energy source of fossil fuel, which is oil, will be exhausted within 18 years, gas in 61 years, and coal in 147 years. Currently Indone-sia needs as much as 1.5 percent of the world s oil to reach 10.5 billion tons.

Jero noted that energy sources of oil will be exhausted but according to the data from the National Energy Board, renewable energy is currently only 5 percent of the total energy used.

So the government is working to-wards making sure that renewable en-ergy reaches a minimum of 25 percent of the total energy used in 2025.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, there are cur-rently around 28 sources of geothermal energy with a potential of about 7,000 megawatts that have been licensed for exploration by the Forestry Ministry.

Govt to build solar cell company in West Java


Highlights

Jakarta - The Indonesian pharmaceu-tical industry holds over 50 percent of the share of the Southeast Asian phar-maceutical market, an executive said.

Indonesia, with a population of more than 240 million, represents near-ly 50 percent of the Southeast Asian pharmaceutical market, Syamsul Arifin, the president director of publicly-listed pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma, said after signing a joint venture

agreement with Tianjin Pharmaceutical Group and PT Tigaka Distrindo Perkasa in Jakarta on 26 March 2012.

As the biggest market for pharma-ceutical products in Southeast Asia, Indonesia plays a decisive role in map-ping the market for pharmaceutical products in the region, he added.

Lu Yan Chang, chairman of the board of Tianjin Pharmaceutical Group Co.Ltd, said the company will soon be-gin its investment in Indonesia owing to its huge market.

“The (Indonesian) government`s in-vestment policy is very conducive (to investment inflows) and supports the investment climate,” he noted.

“We do not rule out the possibility

that we will cooperate with other Indo-nesian companies, state-owned com-panies in particular,” he said.

PT Kimia Farma is teaming up with Tianjin Pharmaceutical Group Co.Ltd and PT Tigaka Distrindo Perkasa (TDP) in build-ing a Rp250 billion pharmaceutical plant in Lippo Cikarang estate, West Java,

Syamsul Arifin said the plant built on 3 hectares of land will produce the `ko-rtikosteroid` drug in the form of injec-tions and hospital solution products.

The plant will be 50 percent owned by Kimia Farma, 4 percent by PT Tigaka Dis-trindo Perkasa, and 46 percent by Tianjin.

The construction of the plant is ex-pected to be completed by early 2013.

RI controls 50 % of South East Asian pharmaceutical market

Jakarta - Indonesia’s national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has been recognized as the Best International Airline for January 2012, according to a recent independent survey of major airlines across the world.

“The recognition of Garuda as the Best International Airline is based on a customer satisfaction survey conducted by Australia-based research company Roy Morgan,” VP Corporate Communi-cation PT Garuda Indonesia, Pujobroto, said in Jakarta on 7 March 2012.

He noted that Roy Morgan ranked Garuda Indonesia ahead of other lead-ing airline companies such as Singa-pore Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, and Air New Zealand, with a monthly satisfaction score of 91 per cent.

“A total of 3,943 respondents had been surveyed on how satisfied they were with the airline they used between February 2011 and January 2012,” Pujobroto said.

He pointed out that the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Award came after a string of accolades, including the four-star rating by Skytrax, the global bench-

mark for airline service standards in 2009.Pujobroto said Garuda Indonesia was

also named the World’s Most Improved Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in Hamburg, and Asia’s Leading Service Quality Airline by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) in 2010.

All awards recognize the success of Garuda Indonesia’s Qantum Leap pro-gram which includes the revitalization of its existing fleet and the introduction of The Garuda Indonesia Experience, the carrier’s service concept that offers a uniquely Indonesian level of service on the ground and in-flight.

He said Garuda Indonesia would

continue to invest in improving its ser-vice offerings in order to become a five-star carrier by 2015.

Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia Presi-dent Director Emirsyah Satar said recent-ly that the company would strengthen its fleet with 154 planes by 2015 as part of its Qantum Leap program.

“Through its Qantum Leap pro-gram, Garuda Indonesia will increase its fleet from 89 planes at present to 154 in 2015,” Emirsyah said while receiving the two new aircraft -- Boeing 737-800NG and an Airbus A330-200 - at Soekarno-Hatta international airport on February 24, 2012.

As the biggest market for pharma-ceutical products in Southeast Asia, Indonesia plays a decisive role in mapping the market for pharma-ceutical products in the region

Through its Qantum Leap pro-gram, Garuda Indonesia will in-crease its fleet from 89 planes at present to 154 in 2015

Garuda Indonesia named world’s best airline


Highlights

Interfaith dialogue closed with action plan determination

Semarang, Central Java - The last day of the 6th Regional Interfaith Dialogue has determined the action plan that was discussed on Wednesday night (14/03), an official said.

“There will not only be a commitment, but there will also be a joint action plan to build an inter-communal peaceful situ-ation,” said Director of Public Diplomacy Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kusuma Habir, in Semarang, on 14 March 2012.

Kusuma noted that the discussion of the event`s main theme began on the first day on how to increase inter-com-munity cooperation in creating world peace and security.

The second day saw a more in-depth discussion with working groups formed

to discuss different issues, still within the framework of the theme, Kusuma said.

The number of emerging action plans improves the relations between the youth and mass media, as the media also has an important role to play in building, she said.

The other action plan is to improve the role of community networks as well as to ease inter-faith and inter-commu-nity communication.

“If the discussion is not completed by Wednesday night, it will be resumed the next morning (March 15) before the closing ceremony,” she said.

The 16th Regional Interfaith Dialogue is being attended by 14 countries with 120 participants (including scholars, academ-ics and the media), and only Papua New Guinea and Fiji have not participated.

Dialogue participants have also been invited to visit several places of worship such as the Great Mosque of Central Java Mesjid Agung, Sam Poo Kong Temple, the Cathedral, the Blenduk Church, and Buddhagaya Watugong monastery.

“These visits are to introduce each other to different religious rituals and the atmosphere of places of worship. These activities also help to expand net-works,” she remarked.

Kusuma added that since not all the delegates are able to visit diverse places of worship in their countries of origin, the city of Semarang is a good example of Indonesia`s religious diversity.

Minister Mari Pangestu to lead RI delegation to ITB

Jakarta - Tourism and Creative Econ-omy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu is to head a large Indonesian delegation to the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin to promote the country`s tourism.

“I will be leading an Indonesian del-egation to the ITB in Berlin to promote our tourism,” Mari said in Jakarta on 5 March 2012.

The Berlin tourism bourse is the largest business to business and media to media event of its kind in the world which Indonesia could not pass up as an opportunity to make its tourism better known to the world.

In 2011, ITB was participated in by 11,163 exhibitors and had drawn 169,295 visitors consisting of 110,791 trade buy-

ers and 7,200 media organizations (1,800 from outside Germany).

“Participants from Indonesia were made up of 62 travel agencies and hotels, 9 regional governments, Garuda Indonesia and the Bali Village Consortium,” she said.

At this year`s ITB , Indonesia was hop-ing to make transactions worth at least the same amount as in 2011 , namely Rp1.7 trillion, the Minister said.

To Indonesia, this year`s ITB had a special significance as Indonesia would be an “official partner country” to the event in 2013.

By participating in this year`s ITB Indonesia could learn how to serve as next year`s official partner country suc-cessfully, she said.

“We plan to hold a dinner event, welcoming dinner, and at the same time introduce our culinary products. There will also be cultural performances and media promotions,” she said.

By serving as ITB`s official partner

country Indonesia would gain many advantages , including opportunities to promote its tourism at world level and encourage its tourism development.

For this year`s ITB, the event`s official partner county was Egypt and last year`s Poland.To Indonesia, this year s ITB had

a special significance as Indone-sia would be an “official partner country” to the event in 2013

The 16th Regional Interfaith Dia-logue is being attended by 14 countries with 120 participants (including scholars, academics and the media)


Highlights

Jakarta - An Indonesian delegation is participating in the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, from February 27 to March 9.

The Indonesian delegation is led by Women’s Empowerment and Children’s Protection Minister, Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar.

In a press statement to ANTARA News on 1 March 2012, Linda said the session was attended by delegates from 45 member states including interna-tional non-government organizations and observers.

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

It is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women.

Every year, representatives of mem-ber states gather at the UN Headquar-ters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and

women`s empowerment worldwide.Linda noted that a new commitment

was made at the session to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium De-velopment Goals 2015 (MDG 2015).

She also said she appreciated the delegate’s ability to speed up the imple-mentation of The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and MDG.

“Any new commitment that has the potential to help in the realization of gender equality and the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 2015 must be based on a balanced and com-

prehensive implementation,” she noted.The Minister also said that the roles

of women in sustainable development should continue to be at the center of at-tention at the next Rio+20 Conference.

The Commission also makes recom-mendations to the Council on urgent problems that require immediate atten-tion in the field of women`s rights.

Linda pointed out that at the session the delegation from Indonesia put for-ward two strategic issues, namely home-based industry and food security in the field of women`s empowerment.

Minister Linda noted that a new commitment was made at the session to accelerate the achieve-ment of the Millennium Develop-ment Goals 2015 (MDG 2015)

Indonesia participates in UN session on women

British envoy admires participation of RI women

Jakarta - The British Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN, Mark Canning, admires the role of Indonesian women, which is superior to how women partici-pate in other Southeast Asian countries.

In his statement at the commemora-tion of International Women`s Day here on Thursday night (08/03), Canning said, “I have visited many countries in South-east Asia and seen that only in Indonesia do women have a greater role in various fields.”

He noted that Indonesian women were also expected to play a greater

role in the future in the fields of educa-tion, politics, and the economy.

“It is important to give women the opportunity to play their role in the progress of economic development,” said the British ambassador.

Canning also expressed his hope that every country could protect wom-en against discrimination and violence.

Further, he said the empowerment of women was important for society to maintain.

Meanwhile, Luly Altruiswaty from the Office of the State Ministry for Women`s

Empowerment, said the government remains committed to the protection of women.

She noted that a bill on gender equal-ity and the protection of women is being considered by the House of Representa-tives (DPR) prior to becoming a law.

“Women`s empowerment, especially in economic fields, is actually a top gov-ernment priority because women can play their role in economic develop-ment,” she added.


Highlights

Yogyakarta - Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta will be holding an Inter-national Students Summer Program in Yogyakarta themed “Dream 2012” from July 1 to 4, 2012.

“Dream this year will have a theme `Alternative Education` in accordance with the dedication of the people of the vision of Gadjah Mada University (UGM),” UGM international affairs office chief Rio Rini Diah Moehkardi said in Yo-gyakarta on 26 March 2012.

She said alternative education has been practiced in many parts in Indo-

nesia and in other countries to comple-ment the shortcomings of conventional education which is usually based on community participation and environ-mental consciousness.

She also said that Dream 2012 will be held for two weeks, during which the participants will follow lectures, tutori-als, short internship, and community services.

“In the programs, artists cum natural school founder Kandank Jurank Doank, Dik Doank, will also become the speak-er,” she said.

She said the Dream participants will also be invited to learn in the field by short internships to several institutions and organizations in Yogyakarta like SD Mangunan, SD Tumbuh, Mualimin Islamic Schools, Yakkum, Sukunan Ber-semi Community, Cemara Community, and Kampung Halaman Foundation.

The participants will also be given the opportunity to get closer to local communities by following National Stu-dent Service Scheme (KKN) in Wukirsari village, Imogiri, Bantul, and Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY).

“To get closer to culture and tourism in Yogyakarta, the participants will also be invited to visit tourism objects and a cultural workshop like making “bakpia” (kind of cake) and batik,” she said.

She added the Dream program is fol-lowed by students, both local and inter-national strata one (S1) students. Regis-tration for the program will be closed on April 15, 2012, and the conditions for Dream 2012 participants can be seen at dream.ugm.ac.id or http://oia.ugm.ac.id/dream. Questions on the program could be made by contacting the com-mittee at [email protected],” she added.

Dream this year will have a theme Alternative Education` in accor-dance with the dedication of the people of the vision of Gadjah Mada University (UGM)

UGM holds “Dream 2012”


Highlights

Borobudur to host international poetry reading event

Magelang, Central Java - The renowned Borobudur Temple in Magelang District, Central Java, is expected to inspire interna-tional poets in early April, Head of Borobu-dur Tourism Park (TWCB) Pujo Suwarno said in Magelang, on 26 March 2012.

“We hope the ancient Buddhist temple will inspire the international poets who will read their poems at the Borobudur Temple here from April 1-3,” Pujo said.

He said a total of 27 poets from various countries, including Indonesia, would read out their poems at Lumbini Park around the Borobudur complex at the Interna-tional-Indonesia Poets Forum (FPII).

Pujo expressed hope that the poetry reading event by the international partic-ipants from Germany, the United States, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Australia, New Zea-land, South Africa, Macedonia, and In-donesia would serve as positive cultural momentum for the Borobudur Temple.

Therefore, he welcomed the upcom-ing international poetry reading event because it would have a positive impact on Borobudur s tourism in the future.

“We have to support it because it will be profitable for the future of Borobudur s tourism development,” Pujo noted.

Meanwhile, FPII Committee Chairper-son Dorothea Rosa Herliany said the in-ternational poetry reading event would be held in four Indonesian cities of Mage-lang in Central Java from April 1-3, Peka-

longan in Central Java from April 4-6, Malang in East Java from April 7-9, and Surabaya in East Java from April 10-12.

She added that the poetry reading event by the international poets was in-tended to improve the harmony, peace, and diversity through various programs of interstate literature cooperation.

Universiti Malaysia Perlis was rep-resented by Prof Dr Kamarudin Hussin, Rector, and Prof Dr Ali Yeon Md Shakaff, Chairman of Un-iMAP Professor Council and Sen-sor Technology Research Leader

Ubaya-Universiti Malaysia cooperate in green technology

Surabaya, East Java - Surabaya Uni-versity (Ubaya) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) have begun cooperating on research into green technology which, among other applications, will be benefi-cial for a variety of household needs.

Leaders of both universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Ubaya International Village building in Surabaya on 16 March 2012 to mark the official cooperation.

At the signing, University Malaysia Perlis was represented by Prof Dr Ka-

marudin Hussin, Rector, and Prof Dr Ali Yeon Md Shakaff, Chairman of UniMAP Professor Council and Sensor Technol-ogy Research Leader.

Other figures from the Malaysian university are Prof Che Mohd Ruzaidi Ghazali, Fellow Research of COE Geo-polymer and Green Technology, Prof Dr Hazry Desa, Dean of School of Business Innovation and Technopreneurship, and Shafiq Hizwari Md Hashim, Programme Chairperson Languages.

Ubaya was represented by Prof Jo-

niarto Parung, Rector, Dr Yoan Nursari Simanjuntak, Head of Research and Community Service, Dr Amelia, Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Yunus Fransiscus, Head of the environment study center, Elieser Tarigan, Head of Center for Re-newable Energy, and Adi Tedjakusuma, Director of International Relations.

“Such cooperation will enable Ubaya students to take part in joint research or student exchanges for a semester in UniMAP,” Adi Tedjakusuma said.


Focus

RI, China ties based on three GsJakarta - The Chinese Government

is gearing up to receive President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his state visit to Beijing, which is expected to add greater depth to the good bilateral rela-tions between Indonesia and China.

China considers Indonesia to be a good friend, good neighbor and good partner (3 Gs) that plays a strong role

in the region, said Fu Ying, China s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Indonesian journalists in Beijing on March 13, 2012.

“The state visit of President Yudhoyono is very important and will add a strong boost to bilateral relations between China and Indonesia,” stated Ying, who had been assigned as a diplomat at the Chinese Em-bassy in Jakarta from 1997 to 1999.

According to her, President Yud-

hoyono has visited China five times pre-viously, but the upcoming state visit will be his second in an official capacity.

China encourages its people to visit Indonesia as tourists and encourages its businessmen to invest in Indonesia, she added.

“Indonesia s economy is healthy. Some 50-60 percent of domestic con-sumption contributes to your economic growth, and Indonesia is attracting a handsome number of investments. Chi-na is very pleased with Indonesia s eco-nomic situation,” she stated.

According to Ying, Indonesia is an example of successful political and eco-nomic transitions.

“We would like to see a strong and prosperous Indonesia. The country plays a strong role in the region. China and In-donesia share many international issues. We feel very comfortable with our rela-tions with Indonesia,” she said, adding that the two nations have faced no seri-ous obstacles or ill sentiments so far.

A similar viewed was expressed by Indonesian Ambassador to China Imran Cotan, who acknowledged that Indonesia sees China, one of the world s most impor-tant economic locomotives, as an oppor-

tunity and not as a challenge.“Many countries see China as a beauti-

ful and rich lady, and therefore, every coun-try wants to have a special relationship with her. It s not surprising that not a day goes by in China without a visit from for-eign high-ranking officials,” Ambassador Cotan said when speaking to Indonesian journalists in Beijing on March 14, 2012.

He stated that the upcoming visit of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Beijing, March 22-24, 2012, is very timely since it reciprocates the visit of China s President Hu Jintao to Jakarta in 2005. Dur-ing a meeting with President Yudhoyono at that time, President Jintao had invited him to visit Beijing.

President Yudhoyono had the bilat-eral talks with the Chinese leaders. He and President Jintao compared notes on bilat-eral and international relations, reaffirm each others policies on bilateral relations and explore further cooperation.

They also issued a joint statement that will lay out a wide agenda for a fu-ture partnership, said Ying, adding that several important agreements will likely be signed during President Yudhoyono`s visit in Beijing.

China`s participation in the develop-

Wentao said that up until 2010, more than one thousand Chinese companies had invested a total of US$6 billion in Indonesia. The in-vestment value did not yet reflect the actual economic capacity of China whose outward direct in-vestment totaled US$60.1 billion

Focus


ment of six economic corridors in Indo-nesia will also be high on the agenda, she stated.

One of China s strong points is that it has plenty of experiences and skills in in-frastructure development, she added.

China is committed to assisting Indo-nesia with the development of its infra-structure by providing a preferential ex-port buyers credit amounting to US$2.8 billion, of which US$1.8 billion has been used by Indonesia, said Liang Wentao, Deputy Director-General for Asian Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, in Beijing to Indonesia s reporters recently.

The credits were used, among other things, to construct the Suramadu bridge that connects Surabaya (East Java prov-ince) with Madura Island; it is the biggest cross-ocean bridge in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia and China have enjoyed a rapid and significant trade increase since Yudhoyono and Jintao declared a strate-gic partnership in Jakarta in April 2005.

“The two countries reinforced the foundation of their relationship when they signed the Strategic Partnership s Plan of Action in 2010 and the Joint Communique in 2011 in Jakarta. The relationship will fur-ther be strengthened with Yudhoyono s planned visit to China later this month,” Ambassador Cotan said.

Trade between Indonesia and China reached US$60.5 billion, an increase of 42 percent in 2011 from US$42.7 billion in 2010. The two countries have set a two-way trade target worth US$80 bil-lion for 2015.

Presently, Indonesia is China`s fourth largest trade partner in the ASEAN after Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, stat-ed Wentao, adding that “Indonesia will one day become China`s number one trading partner in the ASEAN. It is my personal hope.”

Wentao said that up until 2010, more than one thousand Chinese companies had invested a total of US$6 billion in Indonesia.

China s investment in Indonesia was US$1 billion, according to Ambassador Cotan. He noted that the investment value did not yet reflect the actual economic capacity of China whose outward direct investment totaled US$60.1 billion.

Cotan said he was optimistic that China s investment in Indonesia would continue to increase due to the fact that Chinese investors had a high interest in Indonesia. Indonesia is a big market and is politically stable with rich natural and hu-

man resources, he stated.Wentao believes China attaches great

importance to Indonesia as a nation. Both countries are eager to develop mutually

beneficial and forward-looking economic ties and are witnessing a rapid growth in bi-lateral economic and trade relations. “Our trade is very healthy and almost balanced”, he said, adding that China has a deficit of some US$2 billion with Indonesia.

In the political field, Ying praised the Indonesian government`s important

mediating role with the South China Sea problem, which she noted was compli-cated because it involved neighboring countries, and therefore, it was impor-tant to find a peaceful solution.

China hopes Indonesia will continue playing positive and constructive roles in maintaining peace in the region, she said.

In the defense field, China supports Indonesia s military modernization by, among other things, establishing coop-eration within the defense industry.

“We fully understand that adequate military forces are needed to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the unitary Republic of Indonesia,” Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Liu Jian Chao said in Jakarta recently.

Indonesia s adequate military forces

can support security and stability not only in Indonesia as a sovereign state but also in the region, he stated.

Defense cooperation between the two nations has existed for a long time. It was not until 2006 that the two nations held the first joint consultation forum in Jakarta followed by a bilateral consultation forum in Beijing in 2007. The forums had assisted the two countries with enhancing their defense cooperation, as is evident from the signing of the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) in 2007.

Indonesia and China are looking into the possibility of jointly producing C-705 guided missiles for the Indonesian Navy`s warships.

Indonesia has so far equipped some of its warships with C-802 guided missiles.

On March 15, 2012, Indonesia opened a Consulate General office in Shanghai. “The opening of the Indonesian Consulate General (office) is a milestone that marks the progress of other bilateral relations be-tween the two countries and is expected to strengthen, expand and contribute sig-

nificantly to the achievement of the targets of these relations,” Ambassador Cotan said at the opening ceremony in Shanghai.

The accreditation area for the Indone-sian Consulate General office in Shanghai includes the city of Shanghai and the Ji-angsu and Zhejiang province. Apart from Shanghai, Indonesia has Consulate Gener-al offices in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

As stated recently in Beijing by Hong Liang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry s Deputy Director General for Asia Affairs, the two nations urgently need to further promote economic development to bring increased welfare to their citizens.

“Our policy is that we want to be-come a friend, partner and also brother to Indonesia,” Liang told Indonesian journalists last week.

Defense cooperation between the two nations has existed for a long time. It was not until 2006 that the two nations held the first joint con-sultation forum in Jakarta followed by a bilateral consultation forum in Beijing in 2007. The forums had assisted the two countries with enhancing their defense coopera-tion, as is evident from the signing of the Defense Cooperation Agree-ment (DCA) in 2007


Focus

Delft, The Netherlands - Indonesia`s strategic geographic position in the North Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean shipping lanes has the potential for port investment, especially freight sea ports, a researcher has said.

Ronald Apriliyanto Halim, a re-searcher at Defl University of Technol-ogy (TUD), the Netherlands, made the remark recently while giving a presen-tation at a colloquium organized by the Student Association of Indonesia (PPI) Delft on the strategic analysis towards the Indonesian sea port development with global spatial patterns of goods transportation.

“Indonesia`s geographical location makes the country a meeting point of sea transportation, especially for cargo ships,” said Ronald, who deals with trans-portation and logistics research and is also a doctorate candidate at TUD.

Indonesia, especially with some of the islands of Sumatra, near the territo-rial waters of the Malacca Strait, is a stra-tegic location for the ships that sail to and from countries located in the north-ern Pacific Ocean such as China, Japan and Korea.

Even the shipping lines that have been developed over thousands of years link the East and Southeast Asian countries with the ones located in the Indian Ocean waters to the Middle East, African, European and American conti-nental countries.

“Though narrow, the Malacca Strait is an efficient shipping route for the ships sailing from the east to the west or vice versa,” Ronald noted.

According to him, if ships do not sail passing through the point, the trip will take a while and even increase the cost.

“Of course, this is not desirable for any of the parties involved. Moreover, if the ships transport commodity trading are taken into account all aspects are re-lated to the cost,” Ronald added.

Indonesia`s opportunitiesThe Malacca Straits shipping lanes

are included in the territories of three countries; Indonesia, Malaysia and Sin-gapore.

“So far it is Singapore that has been successful in managing the potential geographic shipping lanes in the Malac-ca Strait,” noted Ronald, who is currently working on his doctoral research with the main topic of the development of cargo logistic/global charge model that can be used to analyze the impact of the world economic changes in the global spatial patterns of goods transport.

Currently, it is estimated that 90 thousand kTEU (kilo twenty-foot equiv-alent units) to be accommodated by the Port of Singapore (PSA). One TEU is equivalent to the capacity of the cargo container size 6.1 by 2.4 meters.

However, with the current capacity of 24 thousand seven hundred kTEU, the Port of Singapore will face serious chal-lenges in 2017 due to the country`s lim-ited area. Consequently, the space avail-able at the port will not be able to meet the shipping needs of sea transport. “Even for the existing port development, it is almost impossible,” Ronald said.

By 2030, it is estimated that 90 mil-lion TEU will pass through the Malacca Strait and will not easily be accommo-dated by PSA. This is an opportunity for Indonesia, including the government and investors, to develop the port to meet the demands for the cargo ships cruise market, he added.

Batu AmparRonald explained that Indonesia s port

near the Malacca Straits, which is now suf-ficiently developed, is Batu Ampar located in Batam Island, Riau Island province, 18 kilometers south of Singapore.

“The location of Batu Ampar port is strategic to the international shipping routes,” said Ronald, who specializes in transportation, infrastructure and logis-

tics (TIL) and modeling, simulation and gaming (MSG).

In contrast, Singapore`s total land area is only 710 square kilometers, and land is an important issue in the de-velopment of the port. Indonesia does not experience such a problem. Batam Island has an area of 715 square kilome-ters, while Indonesia has 1,919,440 mil-lion square kilometers.

“It is a great potential for Indonesia in addition to its strategic position in the Malacca Strait,” noted Ronald, who has completed his undergraduate program at the University of Pelita Harapan(UPH), Tangerang, Indonesia.

He explained that the value of ex-ports goods from Batam now reached US$5.89 billion from 611 foreign compa-nies coming to the Batu Ampar port. Un-til the end of 2007, the number of foreign companies using this port was 950.

The main sea port in Batam Island has a cargo capacity of 70 thousand TEU containers, while the actual demand in 2005 reached 200 thousand TEU.

The development of the Batu Ampar plan targets the cargo capacity improve-ment of 900 thousand TEU and 2 million container capacity with an investment of US$105 million.

“This investment includes the dredg-ing work, construction of container ports, reclamation and gantry,” Ronald said.

CooperationCurrently, the state-owned com-

pany Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II is planning to establish a partnership with Compagnie Maritime D`affrtement-Compagnie Generale Maritime (CMA-CGM), a shipping and transport com-pany from France, to build and manage the terminal container of Batu Ampar.

According to Ronald, the Indone-sian government`s cooperation in this regard through the state-owned com-pany Pelindo II with a foreign investor is a step to accelerate the realization of the development of Batu Ampar as an international cargo port.

“The construction of Batu Ampar port will increase its capacity so it will be able to meet the demands of the world

Indonesia, especially with some of the islands of Sumatra, near the territorial waters of the Mal-acca Strait, is a strategic location for the ships that sail to and from countries located in the northern Pacific Ocean such as China, Ja-pan and Korea

Indonesia potential for international cargo port investmentby Libertina Widyamurti Ambari

Focus


cargo market that will rapidly grow in the coming days. Besides, this port can also strategically compete with Singa-

pore, which exploits the potential of the Malacca Straits shipping lanes but has constraints in terms of the expansion of the port areas,” he said.

However, with the cooperation in-volving foreign parties the government must always retain the ownership and management rights of the Batu Ampar port so that this investment remains profitable for Indonesia.

“All forms of contracts and coopera-tion between Indonesia and the stake-

holders, especially those from outside such as the World Bank and other for-eign companies should always be su-pervised and controlled so that we have nothing to lose,” he said.

The investment and cooperation between the Indonesian government and the local, national and international companies are vital for sustainable de-velopment and the growth of Batu Am-par and other ports in Indonesia.

The state-owned company Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) II is planning to establish a part-nership with Compagnie Mari-time D`affrtement-Compagnie Generale Maritime (CMA-CGM), a shipping and transport company from France


Focus

Indonesia fashion aims for global appeal

At the first annual Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) held February 24-26th at Ja-karta Convention Centre, local fabrics and traditional style merged with in-ternational flavours in a whirl of vibrant colour that brought the capital to life.

Designs by Indonesian Muslim-wear maven Dian Pelangi, shown here dur-ing Jakarta Fashion Week in November 2011, were also a hit this past weekend (February 23-26, 2012) at Indonesia Fash-ion Week 2012. Around 200 fashion de-signers and 400 brands showcased their collections at the event, which is a trade event featuring ready-to-wear fashion, shoes and accessories by local designers and small-to-medium enterprises.

Six government ministries collaborat-ed with the Indonesia Fashion Designers Association (APPMI), tabloid NOVA, and ACT, the event organiser unit of Kompas Gramedia, to put up the four-day show, which attracted a large number of visi-tors, designers, and entrepreneurs.

The event, at which 200 designers and 400 brands were present, was much more than just an haute couture fashion show. It was an attempt by the largest Muslim coun-try in the world to promote “the potential of Indonesia’s designers to create local con-tent with global appeal” through “creativity, collaboration and commerce.”

In addition to presentations by top designers, there were also seminars on entrepreneurship and branding, as well as a platform where designers and man-ufacturers could promote and sell their ready-to-wear styles.

Traditional hand-woven textiles Indo-nesian batik and tenun, were very popular in the ready-to-wear marketplace. One stall, at which housewives and weavers from largely Christian East Nusa Teng-gara province sold lotus fabric shawls and scarves, proved especially popular and was featured on multiple local websites.

Traditional textiles were also popular in the haute couture shows with many of the collections reflecting the current trend of blending traditional dress with international influences.

Reflecting the deep cultural and historic ties Indonesia has with its pre-dominant religion, the “Muslim wear” designer parade exhibited a range of styles from very traditional to modern.

Veteran Indonesian designer Hennie Noer, who opened the Muslim wear pa-rade with her collection “The Beauty of Tradition,” showcased classic floor-length Muslim gowns in a range of colours.

Her traditional style of brocade bodices combined with flowing skirts and sleeves was updated by her choice to feature bright chartreuse, one of the top colours Pantone predicted would dominate this year’s fashion shows and was a mainstay for DVF, Anna Sui, and others at New York Fashion Week from February 9-16th.

Later in the Muslim wear parade, new fashion designer Dian Pelangi broke away from tradition in almost every sense of the word with her collection “Trinidad Style.” Sporting a pair of ultra-high red heels, Pe-langi escorted her models down the cat-walk looking just as chic as they did.

Evocative of African influences in the Caribbean, Pelangi’s collection features cropped long-sleeved jackets in a mul-titude of colours paired with Indonesian sarongs and close-toed platform heels.

When asked what her inspiration was, Pelangi said “The theme of IFW 2012 was ‘sarong’…So I used sarong, but I drew inspiration from Palembang (South Sumatra) mixed with Africa.”

Dominant colours included mauve, tangerine, and goldenrod. Chartreuse even made an appearance, adding pop to one of Pelangi’s African-inspired head wraps.

Pelangi added that she believes the point of IFW is to promote Muslim fash-ion in Indonesia and other countries around the world. “I hope it can go in-ternational, too,” she said in a YouTube video linked to the IFW Twitter feed.

This theme of ‘going international’ featured prominently in non-Muslim-wear collections as well, including the closing show “Ethnic Eclectism” fea-turing designs by Ferry Sunarto, Musa Widyatmodjo and Anne Avantie.

Exhibiting more elaborate evening and wedding gowns in darker tones, the three designers’ collections evoked Chi-nese, Indian and Western sensibilities. Many bloggers and visitors in the social media sphere remarked on Avantie’s collection as particularly memorable.

Gash! Magazine staffers tweeted, “Great closing show by “anne avantie” one of us @ikeniken was even cried,” while Indonesian fashion blogger Cem-paka Kaulika (aka Legally Couture) tweet-ed “Standing applause for Anne Avantie on @IFW2012. I’m so proud that Indone-sia having a talented designer like you!”

Markedly longer than many of the other shows, Avantie’s diverse collec-tion was a great example of the “local content with global appeal” message of the event and featured four distinct looks – traditional Indonesian bodice/sarong pairings, highly intricate eggshell evening and wedding gowns, jewel-toned Chinese-inspired “qipao” gowns and über-modern street wear featuring plaid and--you guessed it--chartreuse.

The event, at which 200 design-ers and 400 brands were pres-ent, was much more than just an haute couture fashion show. It was an attempt by the larg-est Muslim country in the world to promote “the potential of In-donesia’s designers to create lo-cal content with global appeal” through “creativity, collaboration and commerce

Focus



Business

Indonesia is a country rich of art and cul-ture which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions. It is evident in the thou-sand cultures of each different ethnic inhab-iting this archipelago. Religion and belief has strong influence on the community and it is obvious from island to island. It is vividly seen in each piece of wooden craft that has its own story. These beautiful and elegant carvings of people and animals will grace any home. Deep colors of wood comprise an ideal me-dium for the portrayal of traditional patterns and carvings that have been passed down through the ages. Wood is crafted with loving care by people and community who have an affinity with the creatures they represent and the traditions they follow in doing so.

Woodworking has been practiced by many people in Indonesia for a long time, and the skills passed on from one generation to the next. This craft started from necessity and opportunity, as ancient people use the resources around them to make useful things for their society. The items produced can be in the form of utensils for kitchens in their home or statuettes for their religious ceremonies. Several production centers that are famous for its wooden crafts are also the most important tourism area, e.g. Bali, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Papua and Nusa Tenggara. The coexistence of craftsman-ship and tourism is not a coincidence. Those areas are home to some of the most unique and creative people in the country and also the location of some of the most scenic spots.

Today, this wooden craft industry is worth billions of dollar annually and employs work-ers in the hundreds of thousand. Most of the producers are small and medium-sized busi-nesses that are spread all over the country, but mostly in the rural areas. The goods are sold through retail and wholesale outlets in the cities and major tourism and travel spots. Though in the beginning craftsmen carved wood to make ancestral idols for worships, the craft has developed to become a fully ma-ture commercial industry. In addition to satis-fying local markets, the products have been exported to many countries in the value of millions of dollar annually, creating prosperity along the way.

Woods can be sorted into three basic types: hardwoods typified by tight grain and derived from broadleaf trees, softwoods from coniferous trees, and man-made materials

such as plywood and MDF. Most of wooden craft are made from the first two types.

TeakThe most important wood used in

woodcrafting in Indonesia is teak. Wood-working centers like Jepara and Bojonegoro in Java are famous for using this wood for their highly decorated furniture and home decorations. Indonesian teak wood has an excellent history in being used in the manu-facture of high quality and durable products. It is because teak wood is highly water-resis-tant that products manufactured or created from it can avoid the fragility to which many other woods are susceptible. It is for this rea-son that teak furniture and other teak prod-ucts, can be enjoyed putdoors, as well as indoors, being preserved in all seasons and in all weather. Indonesia, as the biggest teak supplier in the world, is very committed to preserving the teak tree through both prac-tical and visionary government programs.

KeruingKeruing is another commonly used

wood for ornaments in interior designs, such as framework, internal joinery and mouldings, lining, or panelling. Keruing is a hardwood and has straight grain, some-times shallow interlocked grain. Surface finishing is not particularly long-lasting for outdoor applications. Surface finish durability can be improved by treating the wood with a cellulose-based lacquer solution or acetone followed by pore filler. A thin preparation layer should be reap-plied over the pore filler before applying the varnish system.

EbonyIf there is medium to small wood

sculpture and ornament with expensive brown black hard wood, it must be made from ebony. Makassar Ebony (Diospyros celebica), is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its common name is derived from the main seaport on the island, Makassar. It is con-sidered a highly valuable wood for turn-ery, fine cabinet work and joinery, and is much sought for posts (tokobashira) in traditional Japanese houses.

SonokelingIn Indonesia, species Dalbergia latifolia

has been known as sonokeling/ sanakeling because of the color is dark or dark brown. This species is included as hardwood and has beautiful grain. There are several trad-ing name for Dalbergia latifolia such as In-dian rosewood, Bombay blackwood and Jave palisander. This type of wood often used for carving and wood sculpture be-cause its beauty and durability.

Coconut TreeNot to be forgotten is coconut tree

or cocos nucifera. Nearly all parts of the coconut palm are useful. People asso-ciate the coconut palm with relaxation and shade looking out over the sea to the horizon under coconut trees that grows 50-80 feet. It may take a year or so for coconut tree to mature. The wood can be used for home ware especially for kitchen and dining utensil. It can be found in many traditional markets as well as huge supermarkets. Coco-nut shells are used as bowls and in the manufacture of various crafts products. Dried half coconut shells can also be used as the bodies of musical instru-ments such as rebana.

MahoganyMahogany is also popular for wood-

en craft, especially in making huge wood sculpture. Large size of wood is available for Mahogany compared to other woods for sculpture and carving. Carving quality of this wood is the same with sonokeling. Mahogany has a gen-erally straight grain and is usually free of voids and pockets. It has a reddish-brown color, which darkens over time, and displays a beautiful reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent work-ability, and is very durable. These prop-erties make it a favorable wood for craft-ing furniture.

Other WoodsIndonesia’s tropical oak or rain tree

or Samanea Saman or suar or trembesi has good quality carving as good as teak wood but it has lower price than teak, and therefore it can substitute teak wood in material for wood carving. Besides the

Indonesia’s best export products

Woodcrafting

Business


Jl. Gondosuli 4, Malang East JavaPhone : +62 341 498 369, +62 815 8401 3736Fax : +62 341 576 401Email : [email protected] : www.angelfire.com/biz/woodenCategory : Home accessories

GS4 Woodcraft

Pendem, Jarum, Bayat Klaten Central JavaPhone : +628156752544Email : [email protected] : http://www.indonesian-products.biz/ukm/adimasasihbatikkayuCategory : Wooden Batik Mask

Adi Mas Asih Batik Kayu

Komplek Ruko Megah Raya BLOK J-11Jl. Kalirungkut, No. 5. Surabaya 60923 East - JavaPhone : 62- 811305397Fax : 62-31- 8707557Email : [email protected] : www.giantchess.comCategory: Wooden game

Giant Chess

List of exporters

Jl. Syech Quro No. 9 Lemahabang Wadas, Karawang 41383, West Java, IndonesiaPhone : +62 888 20 11 088, +62 267 8621153Fax : +62 267 8621153Email : [email protected] : Wood & Bamboo Product

Handycraft Center Indonesia

Jl.Perum Delta Sari indah Blok AX no.17 Surabaya, 61256, East JavaPhone : +6231-70175617 ; +628133166007Email : [email protected] : www.indonesian-products.biz/ukm/dheahandycraftCategory : Instrument & Primitive Miniature

Dhea HandycraftJl. Jend. Basuk Rahmat 50 Cluring-Banyuwangi 68482 Jawa TimurPhone : +62 81336334 949, +62 333 397938Fax : +62 333 397938Email : [email protected]: Utencil

Genthong Genuk

Jalan Tukad Badung XXIII/27 RenonDenpasar 80226, Bali-IndonesiaPhone : +62 361 7426261, +62 361 7801706Fax : +62 361 7800536Website : www.visionbaliweb.comwww.visionbali.netCategory : Wooden Craft

PT Visionbali

Jl. A.H Nasution No.69 Bandung 40615 West JavaPhone : +62 22 7812446 ; +62 812 2145689Fax : +62 22 7800592Email : [email protected] : www.gentaguitar.comCategory : Guitar

Genta TrikaryaJl. Raya Ragunan No. P-5 Pasar Minggu Jakarta 12540Phone : +62 21 7814412, +62 856 91911962Fax : +62 21 71397097Email : [email protected] : www.indonesian-products.biz/ukm/ abacacraftCategory: Wall Decorative Lamp

Abaca Craft

rain tree, there are also Artocarpus heterophylla or jackfruit tree and Zanthoxylum rhetsa or crocodile tree which has same quality of carving as teak wood with much lower price. But the used of jackfruit tree is not so popular as rain tree or crocodile tree (Pangkal Buaya – Indonesian name).

Rain tree is easily recognized by its characteristic umbrella-shaped canopy. When grown in the open, the tree usually reach-es 15–25 m (50–80 ft) in height with a canopy diameter wider than the tree is tall. Rain tree is most important as a shade tree on small farms, along roads, in parks and pastures. The wood has limited use for carved bowls in local markets; it could be devel-oped more widely as a commercial wood. In Indonesia wooden craft made from rain tree wood can be found in Bali. The color of wood is a little brighter than teak but carving quality is about the same. Most of mass production of wood statues in Bali use rain tree. Not only the small size of product but also big size of wood statue made from rain tree is available with more reason-able price. Many of house ornament for interior design also can be made from this rain tree.

There is one type of wood that is different than the others in wooden craft. We are talking about the fragrance wood, wood that has special scent. In Indonesia there are two kinds of fragrance woods. First is cendana or sandal wood and the other one is gaharu or Aquilaria spp, both woods contain aromatic resin and only available in small sized wooden products. The prices of these fragrance wood is relatively high.

Varieties of Indonesian Woodworks Wood can be formed into many things: from the highly functional utensils and chests, to beautiful wall decorations and cal-

ligraphy; from a simple toy to the highly elaborate ship miniatures.For further understanding about various woodworks as wooden craft, it is much better to know the classification how the

product is being made. In general there are three classification: first is pure handmade product, second is manufactured by ma-chine, and the third is the combination between handmade and machine-made. All of them have a variety of shapes and sizes. Seen from the functional point of view, the products can be divided into two categories: pure art products and products with functional use (not pure art product). There are variety of woodwork that Indonesia is famous for. By definition, woodworks means things made of wood or work done in wood. However woodworks that discussed here are woodworks that goes to wooden craft as a pure art product and art product with functional use but not as furniture.


Travel

Ubud is a remarkable town in the middle of the island of Bali. For more than a century, it has been the island’s preeminent centre for fine arts, dance and music. While it once was a haven for scruffy backpackers, cosmic seekers, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now a hot spot for literati, glitterati, art collec-tors and connoisseurs. Famous names walk its busy sidewalks everyday. Ele-gant five star hotels and sprawling man-sions now stand on its outskirts, over-looking the most prized views in Bali.

While Ubud seems to outsiders like one small town, it is in fact fourteen vil-lages, each run by its own banjar (village committee). Ubud has grown rapidly, and some central parts are creaking under the strain of coping with the number of visi-tors. That said, most development is sym-pathetic to the zeitgeist, if not designed specifically in the local style. Growth con-tinues apace, but there are still terraced rice fields along the rivers, and away from the town centre, regular, quiet village life carries on relatively undisturbed.

Ubud has a known history back to the eighth century, when the Javanese Bud-dhist priest Rsi Marhandya came to Bali from Java, and meditated at the conflu-ence of the two Wos rivers at Campuan, just west of the modern day town centre. A shrine was established and later expanded by Nirartha, the Javanese priest who is regarded as the founder of Bali’s religious practices and rituals as we know them to-day. At this time the area was a centre of natural medicine and healing, and that is how the name Ubud originated: Ubad is ancient Balinese for medicine.

Ubud has a population of about

30,000 people, but it is becoming diffi-cult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that surround it.

The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud (Jalan Raya means main road), which runs east-west through the center of town. Two long roads, Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman, extend south from Jalan Raya Ubud. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey For-est and Raya Ubud roads. The home of Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (1910–1978), the last “king” of Ubud, it is now occupied by his descendants and dance performances are held in its courtyard. It was also one of Ubud’s first hotels, dating back to the 1930s.

The Ubud Monkey Forest is a sa-cred nature reserve located near the southern end of Jalan Monkey Forest. It

houses a temple and approximately 340 Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicu-laris) monkeys.

Ubud tourism focuses on culture, yoga and nature. In contrast to the main tourist area in southern Bali, the Ubud area has forests, rivers, cooler tempera-tures and less congestion although traf-fic has increased dramatically in the 21st century. A number of smaller “boutique”-style hotels are located in and around Ubud, which commonly offer spa treat-ments or treks up Ubud’s mountains.

The Moon of Pejeng, in nearby Pe-jeng, is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world, dating from circa 300BC. It is a popular destination for tourists interested in local culture, as is the 11th century Goa Gajah, or ‘El-ephant Cave’, temple complex.

Ubud highlightsUBUD WATER PALACE - TIRTAGANGGA

Ubud - the soul of Bali island

Tirta Gangga literally means water from the Ganges and it is a site of some reverance for the Hindu Balinese. The name refers to the water palace built here in 1946 by the King of Karangasem. It is though widely used to refer to the general area which includes the water palace and some particularly stunning rural areas around. According to the local believe that this wellspring functioning as a bath place for the God and also used as drinking water for the local community from the nearest village.

Travel


BALINESE PEOPLE CELEBRATE LIFE THROUGH CEREMONIES & DAILY RITUALS

It is said there is never a day in Bali with-out a ceremony of some kind and if you in-clude all the life cycle rites (baby ceremonies, puberty rites, weddings, cremations,Temple festivals), then this adage is probably true. There are definitely certain times that are “ceremony-heavy” such as the full moons in April and October and the high holy days of Galungan. Balinese religion (called Agama Hindu Dharma) consist of three primary elements: Hinduism based on what is prac-ticed in India but differing substantially from those traditions, animism (where every living thing has a soul) and ancestor worship (the Balinese deify their ancestors after a proscribed process of cleansing has been done).

Temple festivals are held on the an-niversary of when the temple in question was consecrated. An Odalan or temple ceremony usually lasts for three days, but larger ones (which occur every 5, 10, 30 or 100 years) can last for 11 days or longer. The gist of what is happening here is that the Balinese are honoring the deities that rule over the temple by giving them a myriad of offerings, performances of vocal music, dance and gamelan music.

The temple is dressed up in colorful golden clothes, the images of the deities are taken to the local holy spring to be bathed and dressed in their best, shrines are cleaned, performances are rehearsed, com-mittees are formed and then the big day ar-rives. Usually people take their offerings to the temple in the late afternoon, after the heat of the day has gone.

The offerings, consisting of fruits, rice cakes and flowers, are brought in on wom-en’s heads and placed at strategic points around the temple. These are blessed with holy water by the temple Pemangku or priest. The pilgrims then pray, are blessed with and drink holy water and then take the offerings home to share with their families. The Gods have taken the sari or essence of the offerings, leaving the “leftovers” for the humans to consume.

Since every village has at least three major temples (and often many more than that), there is always some kind of commu-nity religious activity going on. Aside from the village temple festivals, every household compound’s family temple (mrajan/sang-gah) also has its ceremony every 210 days.

Ubud highlights

UBUD MONKEY FOREST

ART GALLERIESUbud is liberally sprinkled with museums, and flooded with galleries of every size and description, with works of art to suit every taste and pocket, from serious collectors to souvenir hunters.

HOT SPRINGS TIRTA EMPULTirta Empul Temple or Tampak Siring Temple is a holy spring water temple located in Tampak Siring Village, Gianyar regency and it is about 39 km eastwards from Denpasar town.

SPIRITUAL LEASURE

The perfect way to unwind and release stress, improve concentration, while relaxing and refreshing both body and spirit

The Ubud Monkey Forest is a nature reserve and temple complex in Ubud, Bali. It houses approximately 340 Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys


Embassy News

Receiving the delegation of Humanitarian Foundation “Hadzi Nadzija Karabegovic Agusevic” from Novi Pazar

On March 22, 2012, the Embassy has welcomed the visit from the Hadji Nadzija Karabegovic Agusevic (NHKA) Foundation, led by Mr. Ruzdija Agusevic, accompanied by four students from Novi Pazar. On the occasion, Mr. Ruzdija explains the purpose of establishment of the NHKA foundation among others is to provide help and assistance for the people in need, especially in the Novi Pazar area. Currently, the NHKA is progressing through the project of humanitarian hospital in Novi Pazar. In the aim to expand social networks as well as to establish cooperation with Indonesia, NHKA has expressed their interest to establish cooperation with Indonesia especially in the humanitarian and social field. The proposal was presented based on the good relationship between Indonesia and Serbia that has lasted for more than 50 years since the era of Yugoslavia, and the fact that both residents in Novi Pazar and Indonesia are majority muslim.


Embassy News

Indonesian Embassy recieved “Most Green” award from the Savski Venac municipality

Since its establishment in 1982, Indonesian Embassy has continuously preserved the living environment in the Embassy premises as well as its surrounding neighborhood. Efforts done by the Embassy in preserving the living environment, has again, for the second time, gained recognition from the Savski Venac Municipality, marked by bestowal of “Most Green 2011” Award on March 16, 2012, from the Municipality of Savski Venac, Belgrade.

The “Most Green 2011” award was given to citizens, institutions and Embassies in the Savski Venac area that are considered to have successfully in preserving the living environment in their houses and surrounding area. On the occasion, the President of Savski Venac municipality Mr. Dusan Dincic conveyed their complement to the Ambassador of the beauty and well preserved living environment in the Indonesian Embassy and greatly appreciated endless efforts done by the Embassy for preserving the living environment in the area.

Indonesian Ambassador hosted farewell dinner for Ambassador of Portugal

On March 15, 2012, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia has hosted the farewell dinner for Ambassador of Portugal, H.E. Mr. Louis Sampaio and spouse who has completed the mission in Serbia.


Embassy News

Working meeting of Indonesian Embassy in Kopaonik

On 3–5 March 2012, the Indonesian Embassy has held working meeting mountain recreation resort in Kopaonik, Serbia. The meeting was held in order to discuss the Embassy achievements during the year 2011 and to discuss Embassy activity plans dur-ing the year 2012. The meeting was led by Ambassador and the whole Embassy staff in order to establish good coordination and cooperation between the Embassy staff as a basis of Embassy work report to Indonesia. In the meeting, each section present and explain their work on 2011, achievements made as well as obstacles during the implementation of the working program, and solutions made to overcome the obstacles. Following the presentation of program made in 2011, presented also working plan for the year 2012, encompass background of the program, implementation methods, possibility of obstacles, financial plan-ning and obstacles that might occur during the planning and implementation process.

Among others, some achievements made by the Embassy are the implementation of Inter-religion discussion between Indo-nesia and Serbia religious leaders, signing of agreement on double tax exemption, agreement in education between university in Indonesia and Serbia, etc. With the achievements made in 2011, Embassy and its staff are encouraged to achieve the same and even more for the year 2012. In opening the year 2012, Indonesian Embassy has participated in the 34th International Fair of Tourism in Sajam Belgrade. The participation at the fair was only the beginning of many Embassy work and activity planned in the year 2012. The activities are hold with purpose to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and Serbia that has been well-established since the Yugoslavia era until the present days of modern Serbia.

The meeting itself plays an important role in the planning and execution of various activities of the Embassy for the year 2012, in order to be on target and correctly planned.

The working meeting as well as the acommodation of all Embassy staff and their family was in MK Mountain Resort situated at Kopaonik and it is the most prestigious ski resort in Serbia, 290 km from the capital of Belgrade and located in the very heart of the tourist center and the National park of Kopaonik, at 1770 m.

Kopaonik is one of the larger mountain ranges of Serbia. It is located in the central part of Serbia, while a small portion ex-tendeds to North Kosovo. Its highest point, Pančić’s Peak, is 2,017 m above sea level. Kopaonik is the major ski resort of Serbia, with total of 25 ski lifts with capacity of 32.000 skiers per hour. A national park spread over 118.1 km2 of the central part of the Kopaonik plateau was established in 1981.


Embassy News


Embassy NewsFarewell party f or Mrs. Prima Setiani & family, welcoming Mr. Widya Parsaoran Gultom & family,and Ms. Christy Yupiratu at the Indonesian Embassy in Belgrad e


Embassy News

Belgrad e, March 17, 2012


Media

Belgrade: A City Caught Between Past and PresentContrary to my presumptions about the Serbian capital, I found Belgrade to be a city full of soul.

While it has a dark history that it is still trying to come to terms with, I was overwhelmed by how embracing, charming and tourist-friendly Belgrade is. It only took a few hours before I changed my mind about the city, as I sat and feasted with an old friend by the Sava River.

This was among the first pleasant surprises about Belgrade. All the fresh food made it feel like we were dining somewhere in Italy, only for far cheaper. Belgrade also offers a myriad of fine cafes serving outstanding coffee, not to mention one of my favorite restaurants, Lorenzo & Kakalamba, a fancy eatery with a unique interior design.

Jakarta Globe27 March 2012


Media

But don’t talk too much about food with Serbs. They can be very proud of their cuisine, and the fact that most foods are still organic and locally produced.Sated, I walked through the parks and around the sprawling Kalemegdan fortress, and felt the aura of a young city with an old body.The view of new Belgrade is best enjoyed from the public observatory section of the fortress, where the Statue of the Victor stands. Other small parks around the city offer little oases of green.Walking in front of the old assembly of Yugoslavia, which now is the National Assembly of Serbia, will evoke memories of the past, of Belgrade in 1961 when Josip Tito, Sukarno, Nehru, Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah and others organized the first Non-Aligned Movement conference.It was a time when Belgrade became an international hub, as it was flooded with men and the women from the Far East and Africa proclaiming their non-alliance with any political blocs during the cold war.The United States, however, would say that this so called non-alliance was ade facto pact with the Soviets.Sukarno must have enjoyed the conference, and all the pretty Balkan girls. The first Indonesian president was among the stars of the event, and was told by Tito that he could choose any plot of land in Belgrade to build an embassy. He selected a plot not far from the future grave of the great Yugoslavian leader. Perhaps Sukarno was clairvoyant.Belgrade is a relatively visitor-friendly city. I was lucky to have a friend living there to show me around, but you could easily do without — it is easy to connect to both the city and the people.Belgrade’s key problem is its past. The city, like Serbia as a whole, is constantly questioning itself about how to confront its history: Tito’s communism, Milosevic and, of course, the Balkan wars.On one hand, it is a city that wants to bury its part in these events and move on to the future as soon as possible. But Belgrade is constantly dragged back into that era by the persistently unfavorable image of the country held by foreigners, and even by its own people.Coincidentally, the National Museum of Serbia was closed during my visit because they were preparing an exhibition on the history of weapons, adding to the city’s constant contrasts. But a bravura violin and piano concert at the theater was able to dispel my disappointment.At the old Museum of Yugoslav History, I learned more about the Holocaust in Serbia than about the history of Yugoslavia as a whole — a logical narrative, I suppose, given where I was. In fact, the museum is most notable for being the final resting place of Tito. The marshal’s grave is maintained, but is deep underground and paved over, as if to send the message, “Don’t wake up, we’ve had enough of you.” The museum was little more than a display of gifts given to the late leader.It is a tragedy, if not an insult to a man whose funeral was attended by the representatives of 128 countries, the biggest such ceremony of its time.But the funeral marked the beginning of the end for Yugoslavia. To be fair, Tito is a controversial figure because his country’s existence as a cohesive state coincided mostly with his lifetime.Belgrade and Serbia have moved on. This month, the country celebrates the acceptance of Serbia as a formal candidate for European Union membership. It will be a long process for Serbia before it can become part of the EU, but the city of Belgrade is ready to be something else.For young Europeans, it is already a mecca of affordable nightlife. New trams and buses are replacing old ones, with big posters proclaiming “I love Belgrade.”The few remaining buildings that were not destroyed by the US bombing campaigns are surrounded by fencing to hide the damage, as if to say: “Please come to Belgrade, but don’t look over the fence, into the past.”

Nagrade za akciju „naj-zeleno” U svečanoj sali opštine Savski venac danas su uručene nagrade najuspešnijim učesnicima ekološke akcije „Naj-zeleno” za 2011. godinu. Nagrade su dodeljene za prva tri osvojena mesta u sedam kategorija: najlepše uređeno dvorište oko stambenog objekta, dvorište oko poslovnog objekta, dvorište oko škole i vrtića, najlepši balkon, najlepša krovna (dvorišna) terasa, najlepši park, kao i najlepše dvorište ambasade. Dobitnicima je nagrade uručio Dušan Dinčić, načelnik Uprave opštine Savski venac, a prisustvovao je i Semjuel Samson, ambasador Republike Indonezije.

BEOINFOPetak, 16. mart 2012


Photo News

AMBASSADOR’S ACTIVITIES

Diplomatic lunch with Ambassador of Algeria H.E. Mr. Abdelkader Mesdoua

Indonesian Ambassador hosted the farewell dinner for Ambassador of Portugal, H.E. Mr. Louis Sampaio and spouse

Dinner hosted by Ambassador of Albania, H.E. Mr. Shpëtim Çaushi

Dinner hosted by Ambassador of Belgium, H.E. Mr. Alain Paul Francis Kundycki

Dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Turkey, H.E. Mr. Ali Riza Çolak


Photo News

Reception on the ocassion of National Day of Bulgaria

Reception on the ocassion of the 1st Commemoration of the Great East Japan Earthquake Concert “KIZUNA” hosted by the Ambassy of Japan

Annual reception of Belgrade’s Chamber of Commerce

Reception on the ocassion of National Day of Tunisia

Meeting with the religious leaders of Serbia, the Phillipines and USA, accompanied by the Honorary Consul of the Phillipines

Meeting with the General Director of Holding TIGAR AD, Mr. Dragan Nikolic, in Pirot

Meeting with the leaders of regional municipality and business people in Pirot


Photo News

AMBASSADOR’S ACTIVITIES

Ambassador of Indonesia received the “Most Green Award” from the Municipality of Savski Venac

Receiving the new tresurer of the Embassy, Ms. Christy Yupiratu Staff meeting at the Embassy

The handover between old and new tresurer of the EmbassyMeeting with the President of Friendship Association of Serbia

and Indonesia NUSANTARA, Dr Aleksandar Rakovic


Photo News

Meeting with Director of Belgrade Fashion Week and Studio Click, Mr. Nenad Radujevic At the 31st Belgrade’s Fashion Week with Mr. Nenad Radujevic

Meeting with the members of board of EXIT Festival 2012 At the Embassies Shooting Tournament 2012 in club Partizan

Last farwell to one of the diplomatic staff of Indonesian Embassy, Mrs. Prima Setiani and her family

Balinese traditional naive paintingat art galleries in Ubud, Bali wonderful

Indonesia

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA BELGRADE - SERBIA

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