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The Indonesian government has received a guarantee that the 15 bird flu virus (H5N1) samples that have been sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) were only to be examined for risk assessment, as to whether the virus is resistant to oseltamivir or not.

“Before the virus was sent, we already had the risk assessment guarantee letter,” said Siti Fadilah Supari, Health Minister, at her residence, Jalan Denpasar, Kuningan, Jakarta, two days ago (1/3).

According to Minister Siti, the bird flu virus samples were sent along with the material transfer agreement (MTA) that the government proposed be signed by the WHO.

If the WHO is willing to sign it, then the government will send more virus samples.

“Otherwise, the government will struggle again,” said Minister Siti.
According to her, the dispatch was a test as to whether the WHO will approve the MTA or not.

In December 2006, the government stopped sending bird flu virus samples.

This policy was taken to prevent multinational companies from using Indonesian virus samples to develop vaccines with a high sales price.

Minister Siti said that with the MTA, the bird flu virus sample dispatch mechanism is more transparent and fair in terms of responsibility towards the virus sending country.

The government's desire to change the mechanism, according to her, is not only useful for bird flu cases but also other diseases.

Under the old mechanism, virus samples were prone to be misused and
could therefore spread again in Indonesia and cause a new cases.

This is because the bird flu virus spread in Indonesia is inappropriate with epidemiology.

“This needs a great deal of attention,” said Minister Siti.

With the new mechanism, she said, the government has tried to overcome the large number of bird flu case in Indonesia.

“With transparency, what ever the virus is used for can be known,” said Minister Siti.

C.A. Nidom, Head of the Avian Influenza Tropical Disease Center Laboratory at Airlangga University, supported the government's measure to start sending bird flu virus samples.

According to him, the government needs to prioritize the bird flu handling in the country instead of fighting for the right in the MTA process at the WHO.

“What we're facing are human lives and the world's community,” said Nidom when contacted yesterday (2/3).

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source :
Margahayu Land
http://margahayuland.blogspot.com/2008/03/indonesian-government-asks-for-virus.html

Labels: Government, Health, Indonesia, News, People, WHO

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Abu Dujana, the defendant in the alleged terrorism case, admitted keeping weapons and explosives. According to him, the weapons were the remains of the conflict in Ambon, Maluku. “There was an M-16 and a few broken pistols,” said Abu Dujana, answering Wahjono, the chairman of the panel of judges at the South Jakarta District Court, yesterday (3/3).

Despite admitting possessing weapons, none were bought by him. The agenda of the trial yesterday was hearing defendant Abu Dujana's statement.

Abu Dujana was charged by terrorism as possessing, keeping and distributing firearms and explosives. Abu, arrested on June 9, 2007 in Banyumas, Central Java, was charged with Article 9 of the Anti-terrorism Decree. In addition, he was charged with Article 17 of the Anti-terrorism Decree regarding his involvement in terrorism cooperation.

At the trial Abu Dujana a.k.a. Ainul Bahri, denied some of the investigation results in the deposition. According to Abu, his health at that time very much affected his statement he gave to the investigators. A gunshot wound in his left thigh, he said, made him so that he could not concentrate. “The wound on my leg made me tired, dizzy and nauseous,” he said.

Abu also recounted having participated in war training between 1999-2000 in the Philippines, then in Afganistan in 1989. He also acknowledged being acquainted with Noor Din M. Top, the most wanted terrorist fugitive. However, he said, how he knew Noor Din was not like what is written in the deposition, as if they were solidly cooperating in a terror

After hearing the defendant's statement, the trial was resumed by the agenda by reading the charge. The panel of judges' chairman, Wahjono, asked the prosecutor to prepare the charge against Abu Dujana in the trial in the next two weeks.

After the trial, the public prosecutor Narendra Jatna, said Abu Dujana's explanation in the trial this time was his right as a defendant. According to Narendra, the defendant also has the right of objection. However, Narendra believed Abu Dujana only denied certain matters that did not influence his charge of terrorism . “For instance, admitting to keeping firearms and explosives and meeting Noor Din M. Top,” said Narendra.

Asludin Hatjani, a member of Abu Dujana's legal team, did not comment much. She said she would just wait for the charge announcement.



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source :
Margahayu Land
http://margahayuland.blogspot.com/2008/03/abu-dujana-admits-keeping-weapons.html

Labels: Indonesia, News, People, Terrorist

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Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, has said that corporate social responsibility (CSR) should not only be the obligation of natural resources companies.

“CSR should be implemented by all companies without exception,” he said after the launching of the Biofuel Expedition Vehicles Road Show to the Manado-Jakarta route, in Jakarta, on Monday (23/7).

Purnomo stressed that CSR was a company’s activities to build the community’s support around projects.

“Any project,” he said.

According to him, companies in the oil, gas and mining sectors have already applied CSR prior to the Company Decree being passed last week.

“Even without the decree, we have already applied this,” he said.

The State Decree regarding Limited Companies states in article 74 a company is obliged to carry out CSR, or else sanctions will be imposed in accordance with the law.

Companies that must apply CSR are those whose business is related to natural resources.

As regards companies that are not involved in natural resources at all may apply CSR voluntarily.

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tempo

Labels: Economy, Indonesia, Internet News, Money

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The House of representatives (DPR) has been asked to form a special team to investigate the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sales contract from Tangguh gas field in Papua.

The price of Tangguh gas overseas is regarded as cheaper compared to that of domestic gas sales.

Effendi Situmorang, an oil industry observer, said that the team was aimed at researching and probing the contract and sales price of Tangguh gas.

The special team, he said, comprises DPR members, government officials and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

“The purpose of forming the team is to take responsibility as regards whether the 20-year gas sales contract will result in benefit or loss for the state,” he told Tempo yesterday (13/6).

According to Effendi, the Tangguh gas sales price, US$3.5 per mmBtu on average, is the lowest price in the history of Indonesia's LNG sales.

“LNG price from Tangguh is lower than gas price in domestic market, which is above US$4 per mmBtu on average,” said the former Pertamina's Director of Production Sharing Management (now the Upstream Oil and Gas Executing Body or BPH Migas).

He explained that now the State Electricity Company's (PLN) power plants buy gas at prices above US$4 per mmBtu on average.

Moreover, Tangguh gas sales price can cause price discrimination in LNG from Arun gas field in Aceh and Badak gas field in East Kalimantan.

“Up to now Japan buys LNG from Indonesia at between US$7 and US$8 per mmBtu on average,” said Effendi.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister, disagreed that Tangguh gas sales price was too cheap.

His reason was that the US$3.5 per mmBtu price is the export price (free on board).

“When the goods reach the destination, the price can reach US$7 to US$9,” he told Nieke Indrietta from Tempo.

Purnomo went on to say that around 50 percent of Tangguh's LNG for Sempra is also transferred to other contract to gain a better price.

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At a meeting of the Bank Indonesia (BI) Governors Board on Thursday (7/6), it was decided to lower the BI rate once again, this time by 25 base points to 8.50 percent from the previous 8.75 percent.

Budi Mulya, BI's Director of Strategic Planning and Public Relations, said that the lowering of the BI rate was based on consideration of the prospects of this year's inflation target of six plus-minus one percent and next year's five plus-minus one percent.

“The decrease was also following our in depth study of the latest economic and financial developments,” he said in Jakarta.

He went on to say that in general, the economy will still continue with a more balanced pattern.

This is reflected in the economic growth target of 5.7 percent, higher than BI's initial projection.

In addition, the Rupiah exchange rate in May also strengthened from an average Rp9.093 against the US dollar in April to Rp8.838 against the US dollar in May, 2007.

“May's inflation was also still maintained.”

Core inflation was recorded at 5.62 percent year on year, the lowest rate in the last six years.

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Labels: Economy, Indonesia, Internet News, Money

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A number of Indonesian migrant workers activists have asked the government to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia signed in Bali in 2006.

The agreement is regarded as being detrimental to Indonesian citizens working as migrant labors.

Miftah, Chairperson of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Association, said that under the MoU, employers were allowed to seize employees’ passports.

This was despite passports being individual identities which cannot be held by anybody except police and immigration officers.

“But the government easily gives permission that passport is submitted to employers or agents in Malaysia,” Miftah told Tempo yesterday (27/5).

The policy that allows employers to hold passports, said Miftah, actually triggered the large number of trafficking cases.

It is not surprising therefore that the rights of Indonesian workers in that country are often violated.

For example, torture, unpaid salary, prohibition to marry at work place and impediments to meet family members.

“All are human rights violations,” said Miftah.
Anis Hidayah, Executive Director of Migrant Care, questioned the deportation policy carried out by Malaysia.

According to Anis, a lot of Indonesian workers are to be deported due to the wrong recruitment system in Indonesia.

“Indonesia should have been able to struggle to remove the deportation option, and fight for legalization. The documents are legalized because the laborers there actually already have jobs.”

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The World Health Assembly, during the 60th meeting in Geneva, Swiss, granted Indonesia's request for a more transparent mechanism as regards sending bird flu virus samples.

Because of this, developed countries will no longer be able to take advantage of poor countries attacked by bird flu.

“The resolution will bind all members of the World Health Organization (WHO),” wrote I Nyoman Kandun, Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Improvement at the Health Department, in a short message to Tempo yesterday (23/5).

Earlier, Indonesia refused to send H5N1 virus samples to the WHO's collaboration laboratory.

The reason for this is the virus, that must be given freely by infected countries, will later be used for research, including for producing bird flu vaccines.

The problem is, the vaccine made by developed countries will then be sold at an expensive price to the infected countries.

“Bird flu virus is provided free from developing countries, but medicinal companies take on a patent on the vaccines and sell it at an expensive price,” said Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari.

According to Kandun, in the future the resolution will be followed up with cooperation among governments and among divisions.

The cooperation is aimed at revising the term of reference and documents on virus shipping.

“Virus shipping must be done transparently, responsibly and beneficially for all sides in maintaining the world's health,” he said.

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Indonesian domestic product industries are losing the competition against China's imported goods in the domestic market.

The goods from China which enter Indonesia are export remainders.

Cyrillus Harinowo, BCA's Independent Commissioner, said most of China's goods in Indonesia are export goods remainders.

“So the prices are much cheaper,” he said during the “Dragons at Your Door: China's Position in the World Trade Course and How Indonesian Entrepreneurs Response China's Excellence” discussion yesterday (21/5).

Almost all of Chinese exports to Indonesia are export product remainders sold at a very low price.

It is estimated that Chinese products that enter Indonesia amount to 10 percent of China's total exports.

Cyrillus asked that domestic producers make goods which can compete with China-made products.

This is because tariff and non-tariff impediments for restraining the export goods remainders are also not effective.

“It's difficult to face such goods,” said Cyrillus.
Imposing a 100 percent import duty, he said, would not influence the abundance of Chinese products.

The reason for this is that Chinese products will still be cheaper than the normal prices on the international market.

Cyrillus suggested that producers group together to produce medium quality products in order to face the invasion of Chinese products.

This is because Indonesia can export more natural resources products especially energy source and agriculture products that China does not have.

The University of Indonesia's Chinese Study Center Head, Ignasius Wibowo, said that productivity of workers in China is very high, so China can produce cheap products.

“No bureaucracy impediments and production costs are much cheaper. China has managed to build industrial centers,” he said.

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Labels: Bank, Indonesia, Internet News, Market

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