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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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The European Union and the Japanese government have given grants amounting to US$10 million and US$5 million respectively for handling the bird flu virus in Indonesia.

The grants were announced during a meeting between the Indonesian government and the donor countries at the “ HPAI in Indonesia: Latest Situation and Future Steps to Control H5N1 Virus” as the theme, at the Gran Melia Hotel, Jakarta, today (13/6).

“The spread of bird flu virus in Indonesia is sporadic and doesn't show any certain pattern. The war against this virus must be applied in all directions, especially as regards animals as the source of infection,” said Bayu Krisnamurthi, Head of the National Team for Bird Flu Handling and Readiness to Face Pandemic Influenza (Komnas FBPI).

It is planned that the grants will be used for supporting activities such as vaccine quality, socialization of fowl vaccination, vaccination officer training, access to vaccine storage and vaccine procurement.

The grants will be divided, for the Agriculture Department US$9.56 million and the remainder for the Komnas FBPI for many activities.

The time to use the grants is between July, 2007 and July, 2009.

Many activities to handle bird flu on animals have been prepared.

However, Musny Suatmojo, Director of Animal Health at the Agriculture Department, refused to give the details.

“Now it's being discussed in the meeting. Tomorrow there'll be certainties as regards the activity details,” he said.

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The Attorney General's Office (AGO) will once again investigate the alleged corruption of the Coordination Body and Clove Marketing (BPPC) which involved Hutomo Mandala Putra a.k.a. Tommy Suharto. The investigation is the AGO's priority as it is considered as the case with the fastest verification process compared to the other Tommy's cases.

“The order to begin investigation was issued on May 7,” said Director of Criminal Act Investigation, Muhammad Salim, yesterday (21/5).

Salim explained that the indications of corruption in the BPPC case are strong. He said these include the requirement that BPPC did not carry out as regulated by the Presidential Instruction No. 1/1992. However, he did not explain it further.

Salim also stressed he will examine all sides related to BPPC, including the former Main Village Unit Cooperative Chairman, Nurdin Khalid. The AGO team, he said, is formulating the role of the main cooperative chairman.

AGO's Civil Director, Yoseph Suardi Sabda, said the alleged corruption in BPPC can be made as a means of disbursing Tommy Suharto's money in Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) Paribas of the Guernsey branch by the Indonesian government. If the investigation states Tommy's money must be seized, Yoseph believes that the money in Guernsey can be used to pay the compensation. The disbursement can be done through the civil and criminal procedure.

Tommy's lawyer, O.C. Kaligis, is of the opinion that AGO's measure is only a manipulation and seems to be forced. “The main purpose is only the verification of the Guernsey trial,” said Kaligis when contacted by Tempo.

A member of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) working body, Adnan Topan, is optimistic about the AGO's scenario. “The case hasn't expired. AGO can even name Tommy as a suspect,” he said.

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The Central Jakarta District Court granted some of the civil claims proposed by Suciwati, the widow of late Munir yesterday (3/5), against PT Garuda Indonesia. The judges' panel led by Andriani Nurdin, stated that the accused, PT Garuda Indonesia as the accused 1; former Garuda Managing Director Indra Setiawan (the accused 2) and Captain Pilot Pantun Matondang (the accused 9), have committed actions against the law.

Judge Andriani stated that the accused are guilty for being negligent about the cause of human rights activist Munir's death, , on September 2004 on the GA-974 flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam. According to the judge, when passengers are under emergency measures, pilots should consult doctors or nurses or senior flight attendant to cancel the flight and land at the nearest airport.

The judges' panel used Article 17 of the Warsaw Convention on international flights as consideration in deciding. The Article states that international flights should obey the Convention.

The judges’ panel also used Decree No. 15/1992 on Flights, which regulates the definition of an accident. According to an expert's statement during the trial, murder is not categorized as an accident so Garuda was thought to take responsibility.

However, the judges' panel widened the definition of an accident and regarded the event of Munir's death as an accident. “The principle of absolute responsibility was effective. Garuda must be responsible,” said the judge. The death of Munir, according to the judge, showed that Garuda violated the principles of caution and prudence.

In addition to being found to have broken the law, the judges also obliged Garuda and the other accused to pay compensation jointly amounting to Rp664,209,900.

In response to the verdict, Suciwati said the judges missed an important matter in the prosecution, that Garuda should have carried out an internal investigation into abuse and irregularity. “It's a form of responsibility to the public,” she said.

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tempo

Labels: Internet News, People

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