Private bliss at Panambungan Island

Makassar | Sun, 05/31/2009 9:54 AM |

Trinissa is the 5-year-old daughter of Erwin Aksa, the chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association and the president director of eastern Indonesia's well-known Bosowa Group of companies, owned by his father, Aksa Mahmud. Erwin's aunt is the wife of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

This intimate knowledge of the wealthy and well-connected is conveyed to me by Captain Nurdi Cahyo, head of the berthing section of the harbor master department at the Sixth Naval Base, Makassar.

Trinissa is also the name of Erwin's Rp 8 billion Bertram yacht, which he uses to entertain his VIP guests, and transport passengers from Hotel Imperial Aryaduta Makassar, a property owned by the Aksa Mahmud family, to Panambungan, a private island owned by the family.

Departing from the mainland at about 9 am and returning at 4 p.m., it is a 45-minute trip to the island on Trinissa. The trip costs Rp 400,000 per passenger and includes a lunch of fried rice, and if you are quick enough, some snorkeling gear. "We used to have 20 of them," the captain said, unable to explain why the rest had disappeared. I managed to get one after hours of waiting.

Panambungan is a small island about the size of two soccer fields and is one of the 18,110 islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago.

"If you really want, you can dive into the waters off the island, which is now the gravesite of many used cars *former Bosowa taxis*. There are no great diving sites," Nurdi said adding, "For diving, many people from Jakarta go further north to the Kapoposang National Marine Park. The trip from Makassar to Kapoposang is three times as long as the trip to Panambungan."

The water around the island is clean and it was delightful to spend a Saturday there swimming in the afternoon sun, snorkeling, treading on white sand, and admiring casuarinas and other types of pine trees. Big trees with cherry-like fruit that scattered autumnal colored leaves on the ground, and the sweet-smelling jasmine plants, added to the beauty.

Inter-tidal-like pools had formed along some parts of the island. Sprinkled with reefs and some debris, the clear light-blue water is too shallow for swimming. Snorkeling though, you are likely to spot small simple-colored fish, some silvery, swimming here and there around dull-looking coral and equally lackluster anemones.

However, lurking in the clear clean water, are tiny translucent jelly fish locally called "ice jelly fish", which cause severe itchiness if they make contact with the skin. There is also a sort of oval-shaped flat fish camouflaging itself to resemble a thin mound of sand. Perhaps it was a Sting Ray. It seemingly felt my presence and slithered away. Later, after exploring some other parts of the shallow water, I went back to that spot, but this unidentified underwater object had gone.

The structures built on the island are still very rudimentary, including the toilets and the bathrooms. That's why I decided to take a bath when I returned to my hotel in Makassar. Some people decided to stay at the rudimentary bungalows on the island, paying Rp 500,000 per night not including breakfast, according to Mery, the secretary of the hotel's sales department. Nurdi and Mery told me there is a two-year plan to turn the island into a properly built and managed resort with amenities similar to the cluster of resort islands just off Jakarta.

On the way back to Makassar I sat on the second story of the Trinissa in front of the steering wheel. The triangular transparent plastic window in front of me had been rolled up and the open sea before me was like a rhapsody in blue.

Holding the right and the left hand steel bars that make up the triangular window, I stood up. The strong wind and the pace of the yacht made me feel like I was flying. The flying sensation faded away when the contours of Makassar emerged on the horizon. Memories of the island suddenly flashed in my mind, prompting me to turn back.

Tulamben underwater paradise

The Jakarta Post , Tulamben, Bali | Sun, 05/10/2009 12:46 PM | Travel

When divers see calm waters on a sunny day, it is as if they are being called forth to heaven to enjoy the marine paradise below.

When we arrived at Tulamben, one of Bali's most frequented diving spots, the water was calm and there was a light breeze of refreshing wind.

Nature's beautiful welcome more than made up for our 2.5 hour drive from Sanur, where we had spent the night. Getting out of the car, there was a strong buzz of excitement among us.

Our diving guide from Bali Scuba, Chris, seemed to sense our mounting enthusiasm and tried to speed up preparations for our adventure. But he still needed to stick to the procedure. He explained the diving plan after the usual dos and don'ts briefing.

"We are going to dive at the following spots: the US Liberty Shipwreck, Coral Garden and the Drop Off," he said, pointing to the underwater map.

US Liberty shipwreck

While some people were still putting on their BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), Chris signaled to those who were ready to go with him. We walked some 100 meters along the sandy beach from the Paradise Resort, our base camp, to begin our adventure, diving to the entry point site.

Chris reminded us to walk carefully when we were approaching the edge of the beach, which was full of volcanic stones as big as adult's fist.

In a day at least 50 divers visit the diving site. They usually came in groups and the must-see spot was the shipwreck location.

"When holiday season comes the number (of divers) can double," Chris said.

The US Liberty shipwreck, which was torpedoed by the Japanese army during World War II, attracts divers to Tulamben. Those who prefer snorkeling can enjoy the ship stern for it is only located some 6 meters under the water surface with average visibility of 12 to 30 meters.

History has it the ship, which sunk in Lombok waters, was about to be towed to Singaraja port in North Bali but as Singaraja was already occupied by Japan army, the shipwreck was rerouted to Tulamben beach.

Mount Agung's powerful volcanic eruption in 1963 pulled the shipwreck deeper to the seabed - its present home -where it is heavily covered with anemone, gorgonian and coral.

When we reached the shipwreck, two schools of bright, silver trevally fish swam past us as if patrolling the site. They perfectly contrasted with the dark sand.

Hundreds of trevally moved in circles. They swam around the shipwreck and did not seem afraid of us. Locally known as kuwe, the trevally even approached some divers. Chris got an amazing welcome from surgeonfish that swarmed him as if performing their welcoming dance. Fishes in Tulamben are indeed friendly and recognize no fear - unlike in other less visited diving spots.

I remembered when I got a similar warm welcome from a school of small fishes in Bunaken, North Sulawesi. It was a priceless moment. The fishes not only "danced" around me but they also "kissed" my diving mask.

So when I saw what happened to Chris, I lifted my underwater camera and began pressing its shutter release to capture the precious moment and other beauties nearby.

If we observed carefully enough, we could spot ikan sebelah (flounders) and blue-spotted stingrays that hid beneath the sand, waiting for their lunch.

Not far from the shipwreck, I saw dozen of garden eels, eating floating planktons. Their bodies danced to the gentle sea currents that moved gently in this site. Many others rested with half of their bodies submerged in the seabed.

Our second destination was the Coral Garden, which was located right in front of the Paradise Resort. This garden is 2 to 15 meters depths, making it the perfect destination for snorkeling.

This spot has both soft and hard coral with light density. Yet, they were rich with marine life, including Napoleon fish, pipefish, parrotfish and clownfish. Even barracudas, which had sharp teeth, were seen swimming nearby when we got there. Chris said divers could come across blacktip sharks if they were lucky.

Columns between the soft and hard corals were the perfect hideout for shrimps. Local divers called them cleaner shrimps. One type was red and white but there was also one with combinations of red, white and green.

Fellow diver Emily Douglas from US was intrigued to find out if the shrimps were natural vacuum cleaners. She extended her hands to the shrimps, which immediately swarmed her hands and performed their famous duties.

Because of its average depth and generous light, this spot was also known as a perfect site for night-diving and heaven for hunting objects for macro-photography.

Our last destination was the Drop Off, located on the right side of Coral Garden. We walked to go to the side and had to go through the rocky beach.

The Drop Off site was formed naturally by a volcanic eruption. Our adventure began on a sandy slope, which was the starting point of the standard dive at Tulamben. At the end of the slope we could see the Drop Off's topography in the form of vertical walls whose depth could reach tens of meters.

The wall was heavily decorated with sponges and black coral. The marine life at this site is not very different to the Shipwreck site. There were butterflyfish, angelfish, Moorish idols and many other small fish with striking colors. Coral fish like groupers and anthias can also be seen at this site. Lucky divers can spot bigger fishes like whitetip and hammerhead sharks.

In general, Tulamben waters have relatively good visibility ranging between 12 and 30 meters. Its subtle currents make this place suitable for divers of any level.

Visiting Tulamben is a must for divers whenever they are in Bali. A growing number of diving operators are proof of the growing popularity of this recreational sport. Dive operators usually offer transport and accommodation, as well as alternatives to diving and snorkeling.

Tulamben has been included among spots recommended by nearly all diving operators, and is one of the best places to begin your underwater adventures.

Rising sea temperatures bad news for seaweed farmers

THE JAKARTA POST , SANUR | Wed, 10/28/2009 1:30 PM | Headlines

Seaweed farmers in Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan islands, Bali, are suffering from changing sea conditions as a result of climate change.

Community development group Kalimajari, which assists seaweed farmers in Nusa Penida, said sea temperatures had increased by between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius in the last two years, causing the outbreak of a disease locally known as ice-ice, a condition that causes seaweed to decay.

"Farmers have been complaining about sea temperatures getting hotter, and have found the outbreak occurs every planting cycle," I Gusti Agung Ayu Widiastuti, from Kalimajari, told a seminar on adaptation to climate change in coastal areas, in Sanur, Bali, on Tuesday.

She said the extreme changes in sea conditions had depleted stocks of Euchema seaweed, previously the most profitable species for farmers.

Seaweed production decreased from 500 tons in 2007 to 200 tons in 2008.

Seaweed farming is the main livelihood of people on the two islands. Normally, they earn between Rp 1.5 million and 2 million each harvest period, but now they struggle to make ends meet.

Armi Susandi from the National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) predicted that by 2100, 115 out of 18,000 islands in Indonesia would be submerged, rendering 800,000 homeless.

The DNPI also forecasted that 287 out of 5,345 square kilometers of Bali would be submerged by 2020. The total submerged area would double to 557 square kilometers by 2080.

"This will cause changes to fishery and agricultural patterns, and will badly influence the tourist sector," Armi said.

The DNPI is the country's focal point on climate change issues, it was set up under a Presidential decree and was tasked to coordinate policies and efforts to deal with climate change.

As the DNPI's executive chairman is no longer Rachmat Witoelar, many expressed doubt about the effectiveness of the council to tackle climate issues.

Rachmat, however brushed away the doubts saying there would be no changes in the council's role in dealing with climate change.

SBY to visit Malaysia to discuss migrant worker issues

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will soon visit Malaysia for talks on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers employed in the neighboring country.

While the fixed date for the trip has not been set, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Wednesday that issues surrounding the condition and fate of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia would be among the topics of discussion between leaders of the two countries.

The plan comes on the heel of the death of Indonesian domestic worker Muntik, 47, due to alleged abuse.

According to Dino, the President was “very concerned” about the death of Muntik and asked that justice would be upheld.

“Whatever her status, this [alleged abuse] is a crime. Her status is another problem. We hope the Malaysian government will take action against the perpetrators and bring them to justice in accordance with Malaysian law,” Dino said.

Muntik, from the East Java town of Jember, died at Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Selangor on Monday. She was allegedly abused by her employers. Antara reported that Muntik had been shaved bald, beaten with steel, and told to sleep inside a toilet.

The Malaysian police raided the house of Muntik’s employers and admitted her to the hospital following a report from an Indian-Malaysian lawyer.

In a press statement sent to The Jakarta Post, the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Malaysian government expressed its “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the family of Muntik and to Indonesians in general, and promised to take legal measures against the perpetrators.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to stress that the Government of Malaysia strongly condemns all forms of abuse against any workers, regardless of nationality or sector of employment.”

Greenpeace asks EU to help RI protect forests

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 10/28/2009 10:12 PM | National

From its “climate defender camp” in Riau, Greenpeace Indonesia has called on world leaders to help Indonesia protect its forest and to cut emissions in its fight against climate change.

The Greenpeace activists placed two large banners with portraits of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy in a peatland area in Riau ahead of the European Union leaders’ summit scheduled for Thursday in Brussels.

“The EU has accumulated a historical carbon debt by fuelling deforestation and forest degradation abroad. It is now the responsibility of European leaders to commit to substantial public funding to stop the last remaining tropical forests from going up in smoke,” Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace South East Asia forest campaigner, said in a statement.

Indonesia hosts the world’s third largest forested area with about 120 million hectares of rainforest. But the country also has the highest deforestation rate in the world with about 1.08 million hectares lost to widespread illegal logging, forest fires and farmland conversion.

Indonesia has promised to cut its emissions from the forestry sector by 26 percent by 2020.

“President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s words [on emissions reduction target of 26 percent] are a sign of hope for the millions of people who are already suffering the impacts of climate change,” Shailendra Yashwant, campaign director for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said.

“He needs financial assistance from developed countries to turn his commitments into action. The EU leaders must show leadership as he has and put their money where their mouth is.”

The tolerant Tengger tribe

A tale of two religions: The Yandnya Kasada ceremony is celebrated not only by the Hindus, but also the Muslims living in and around the Bromo mountain. (JP/Indra Harsaputra)

At the foot of Mount Bromo, the sound of the dawn drums rose from several mosques in the middle of the Hindu Tengger settlements, as Hindus prepared for their annual Yadnya Kasada ceremony.

At the mosque, people prayed as another day of fasting began; in the Luhur Potent Temple, the shaman priests — the religious leaders of the Hindu Tenggerese — prayed too. Whatever their beliefs, all prayed devoutly, none disrupting the others.

The time of Yadnya Kasada is special for the Tenggerese because it is held every full moon in the month of kasodo (the tenth month). In this year, this festival fell on Sept. 5 and 6, coinciding with Ramadan.

But it causes no conflict in the community.

Although they have converted to Islam, Achmad Zaini, 35, a Ngadisari villager from Sukapura subdistrict, Probolinggo regency, and Satugia, 30, an Argosari villager from Senduro Lumajang subdistrict, still take part in Hindu rituals.

“Although I’ve now converted to Islam we still celebrate Kasada as our traditional ceremony,” Achmad says.

“It’s the same for any Tenggerese who are Christian. And there are plenty of Tenggerese Muslims who throw chickens, goats and flowers into the crater of Mount Bromo.”

Satugia also packed several kilograms of vegetables from his garden into sacks to be taken to the top of Mount Bromo. After performing dawn prayers, Satugia and several others got into a big truck for the hour-long drive to the famous mountain.

Early offering: A resident of Ngadisari village who is member of the East Javanese Tengger tribe takes an on foot journey to the Bromo crater for the Kasada ceremony.(JP/Indra Harsaputra)

“Before we had access to a vehicle, we used to walk from our village to the Bromo area, which took more than four hours. Now we’re too lazy to walk, because I might break my fast because of fatigue,” Satugia said.

According to tradition, offerings are thrown into the crater of Mount Bromo to recall the sacrifices of the ancestors, and to make offerings to the Almighty in return for blessings of fertility and security.

The Tenggerese believe that the Kusuma god, the son of Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger, who was sacrificed to the spirit of Mount Bromo, is their ancestor.

Sutomo, one of the elders of Argosari village in Lumajang said that most of the Tenggerese, who live in 19 villages and four regencies –Probolinggo, Lumajang, Pasuruan and Malang – are Hindu.

However, since the 1950s, many have converted to other religions, especially Islam and Christianity.

“Islam, and the other immigrant religions, entered in a peaceful manner and without any confrontation,” he said. “There are no conflicts in our society even though people have different beliefs.”

Sutomo is among the first generation of the Tenggerese-Lumajang who has embraced Islam. His father, Imam Supii, joined the Islamic Union Party.

Although his father was sympathetic with Islam, he did not convert. Sutomo joined the Islamic Youth Organization in 1962, although at that time he was a Tenggerese Hindu.

“In 1948, many scholars came to the Tenggerese settlement. I converted to Islam in 1971. Since then every year there have always been Tenggerese who have converted to Islam, whether because of marriage or because of personal awareness,” he said.

According to data from the Argosari village office, of the region’s 3,468 residents, 1,380 are Muslim.
Sutomo said Tenggerese who had embraced Islam had similar lives to Indonesia’s other Muslims, and many have joined Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah.

What all the villagers have in common is their piety, whatever their faith.

“Like Bali, the Bromo area is visited by many tourists and all sorts of liquor are available. However, no villagers dare violate the customary rules that prohibit gambling, adultery, theft and drinking liquor. All the liquor is just for the tourists,” he said.

This piety, however, does not translate to fanaticism.

“There is no group such as the Islamic Defenders’ Front [FPI] or hard-line Islamic group here. And there are no raids or appeals in the fasting month for shops that sell liquor to close down for the fasting month. We also do not prohibit people to eat and drink in front of us when we are fasting,” he said.

Your offering, my treat: Lasmi Buwono, a Muslim resident of Sunogiri village near Bromo crater, goes home with a goat which was an offering from the Hindu Tengger tribe during Kasada ritual. (JP/Indra Harsaputra)

“Our customs and religious beliefs run in harmony here. We’re always open to religious differences, such as the rule of polygamy. Although Islam does not prohibit polygamy, all the Tenggerese have rejected polygamy,” he said.

Punishments apply to those who break social rules. According to Kartono Noto Raharjo, village head of Ngadas subdistrict in Sukapura Regency, any married man caught having an affair is fined 50 bags of cement, as is his co-offender; if the affair results in pregnancy, the couple is fined 100 bags of cement and expelled from the village in shame.

“This rule also applies to Tenggerese teenagers. If they are caught having sex before marriage they will be fined 50 bags of cement and made to marry.”

With one bag of cement priced at Rp 50,000 (US$5), the fines — up to Rp 5 million — are onerous, given the average monthly income of the Tenggerese is less than Rp 2 million.

Martiam, the village head of Argosari in Senduro subdistrict, Lumajang, also said there was no conflict or ill-feelings between Muslims and Tenggerese Hindu beliefs or those of other faiths.

“The Muslims here do not question their neighbors who follow different religions and look after dogs and sell food made from pork. We are used to dealing with stray dogs and occasionally they lick our feet,” he said.

During Idul Fitri, citizens embrace non-Muslims and offer hospitality, he said. And vice versa: During the Karo holidays or the Tenggerese holiday and Yadnya Kasada, Muslim citizens also celebrate.

“Whatever the religion, we believe that we are still Tenggerese and have a responsibility to maintain our heritage and traditions of our ancestors,” Martiam said.

“Although we follow different religions, we are still working in the rice fields together and we built a mosque by working together.”

Ayu Sutarto, a Jember scholar who has lived on the slopes of Bromo with the Tenggerese for five years, said that the Tenggerese community was like a miniature version of the Indonesian people who hold firmly to the values of Pancasila.

Despite their different beliefs, the Tenggerese society is friendly and open.

“Although they hold onto their traditions strongly, they are very tolerant about the differences,”
he said.

“There are never any conflicts related to religion there. There is no exclusion of Tenggerese people who choose to embrace another faith, whether Muslim or Christian.”

Benowo residents advised not to drink `polluted' well water

Residents living near the Benowo dump site in Surabaya have been warned against consuming ground water from their wells, which the local environment agency said have been polluted by waste from the landfill.

"We have conducted several research projects on the residents' wells and found that their wells contained poisonous substances, which could endanger their health," East Java environment agency head Dewi Putriani said recently.

Speaking in Surabaya, East Java, she said water from the wells around the landfill site could not be consumed, as it could potentially cause brain cancer.

Dewi said the pollution was produced by alkali-tainted water from the garbage infiltrating the soil and then streaming into the river when it rained. "As well as polluting wells and rivers, the alkali can be absorbed by plant roots. It will be dangerous if alkali is absorbed by - for example - spinach, which is then consumed by people," she said.

"It will endanger their health, just as if they consume water from wells around the landfill," she added.

The pollution was actually detected in 2004, when fish in ponds around the landfill site were found dead. People around Benowo had previously protested against the moving of the garbage dump from Keputih to Benowo, but their demands went unheeded. Dewi said the condition of the Benowo landfill was getting worse as it had to hold all the garbage produced by some 3.7 million households in Surabaya.

The existence of the Benowo landfill is vital for city residents after the Keputih dump site in Surabaya was closed in 2001. Since then, all household garbage has been dumped at the Benowo landfill. The city's households produce 2,500 tons of garbage per day; however, Benowo can only accommodate 1,400 tons per day.

Dewi said this inability to manage the waste properly had caused residents' wells to become polluted by dangerous materials or liquids.

The Surabaya municipal administration has built waste processing installations and introduced several programs to alleviate the problem, including encouraging residents in the city to separate wet and dry garbage. However, the programs are not yet effective enough to overcome the city's waste disposal problem, as the volume of garbage continues to increase in line with the increasing number of local residents.

Surabaya waste and sanitation management head Aditya Wasita said, with its daily capacity of 1,400 tons of garbage, the 37,000-hectare Benowo landfill site was expected to be full within the next four or five years.