He said the agency previously received 50,000 doses from the Health Ministry when the rabies scare broke out late last year. As many 35,184 vaccines have been used on 15,190 dogs found and reported in Badung, as well as 19,994 in Denpasar. Badung and Denpasar are the areas in Bali that have been officially declared contaminated with the rabies virus.

Alit said the vaccination program had yet to include all dogs in the two areas, but added there were no exact figures on the number of dogs in the areas. “I know there is still at least one district in Badung that has yet to be vaccinated, which is Petang district,” he said. “Otherwise, I’m just quoting the likelihood of there being dogs that have yet to be vaccinated.”

There are no official statistics for the island’s dog population, with most government agencies and animal rights organizations in Bali deeming such a census impossible, due to the tendency of many Balinese to let their dogs roam the streets. This has made it more difficult to conduct any rabies-handling program effectively.

Alit said his agency would continue to sweep Badung and Denpasar for unvaccinated dogs. “We hope all the dogs in Badung and Denpasar get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said. The agency’s vaccination program includes three vaccination steps within a one-year period.

The first step is currently underway as dogs are rounded up for vaccination. The second will take place three months later, while the third step is scheduled for about a year from now. “We urge those who have already vaccinated their dogs to return for the second and third steps of the program. This is important to help return Bali to its former rabies-free state,” Alit said.

Many dogs suspected of having the virus or already infected have been culled. The animal husbandry agency has culled 607 dogs in Badung regency and 36 in Denpasar municipality. “The culling was done at the public’s request. We do this extremely selectively, so don’t assume that there’s an animal slaughter going on,” Alit pointed out.

The agency has also kicked off education and culling programs in the island’s seven other regencies to prevent the virus from spreading there.

While this will help, CCTVs are not of great use in preventing crime. They can help to identify perpetrators, but in the case of bomb attacks like the 2005 Kuta Square and Jimbaran blasts, the attackers died along with the bombs they carried. This is not to criticize the motivation of the local figures pushing for better security. Shortly before his election as governor last year, former regional police chief Made Mangku Pastika, a leading figure in the 2002 Bali bombing investigation and Time Magazine’s Asian Newsmaker of the Year in 2003, admitted that Bali remained a tempting target.

Current Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein rammed the message home in comments at the end of last year. Bali’s reputation as a popular tourist destination made it high on the list of potential targets that any terrorist group would consider, he said. Protecting Bali is no easy task. There are dozens of small ports around its coast that are not monitored. It is believed that the explosives used in the 2005 attack came across the Lombok Strait from West Nusa Tenggara, home to radical communities that would be willing to provide a staging post for an attack.

Once on the island, the weight of traffic is such that finding a would-be attacker would be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Given the admission by the police chief at the end of last year, it was surprising that he felt it necessary to say only a few days later that a Mumbai-style attack could not happen in Bali.

Reading between the lines of reports on his comments at a press briefing, what he meant was that the police would not be as unprepared as the Indian police, although that apparently did not mean that an attack could not happen. Husein did say that it was impossible to smuggle weapons into Bali, a statement that does not necessarily stand to reason. He added that the public would immediately report seeing anyone carrying automatic weapons. That’s true, but by that time it might be far too late to stop attackers from using their weapons against the public.

Without being alarmist, Indonesia has been lucky over the past few years in maintaining security. The Web site that surfaced a few years back with detailed instructions on how to kill people made it clear that terrorist elements were considering direct attacks on people in their vehicles and the street. Such attacks haven’t happened, suggesting that the local terrorist movement doesn’t have the stomach for frontal killing. Still, that could change.

Just as important as CCTV and patrols on the streets is encouragement of the debate within the Muslim community about the meaning of jihad and the appropriateness of its use. Cutting the ideological ground from underneath those inclined to violence is an essential part of any counter-terrorism strategy.

Despite the continuing threat to Bali, Indonesians as a whole and the Balinese in particular might be glad to hear that they are not the world’s most popular island for terrorism. Britain takes the cake. Lord Stevens, former head of the Metropolitan Police, recently said that up to 4,000 terrorism suspects are active in the United Kingdom, a number that Indonesia would find hard to beat.

Written by Keith Loveard
Published on The Jakarta Globe – thejakartaglobe.com

With the new regulation, students would not be required to pay special fees for school buildings, school text books and other activities, Wija said. He added that the provincial administration would also consider providing scholarship for under privileged and high-achieving students. “Schools, however, are still permitted to collect a reasonable amount of money from students in their attempt to improve the quality of their schools, such as to meet international curriculum standards,” Wija added.

School operation costs increased from Rp 254,000 (US$23.09) per elementary school student in 2008, to Rp 397,000 per student in rural areas and Rp 400,000 per student in urban areas per year in 2009. For a junior high school student it costs Rp 570,000 per rural student and Rp 575,000 per city student per year. “The new regulation is applicable to both state operated and private schools,” said Wija.

In 2008, Bali provincial government received Rp 162.15 billion for regular school operational costs and Rp 6.87 billion for the procurement of school text books. The total number of elementary and junior high school students on the island reached 573,196 students. Wija has called on regency and mayoralty administrations to abide by this new regulation. “We will impose strict sanction against those who violate this regulation,” threatened Wija.

The regulation is in line with the central government’s pledge to allocate 20 percent of its State Budget to the education sector. So far, Badung and Gianyar regencies have pledged to implement this new regulation and have provided additional funds to support the state funds. To improve the quality of our students, he said, the government was actually required to set aside Rp 800,000 for each elementary student and Rp 1.2 million annually to fund a junior high school student.

News written by Wasti Atmodjo
Published on The Jakarta Post

Gilimanuk ferry crossing, at the western tip of the island, is the main entry point for migrant workers from Java. Benoa Port, which is used for fishing and trade, lies in southern Denpasar. He said the CCTVs would also be installed in the island’s traditional fishing ports such as Pengambengan in Jembrana and Kedonganan in Badung. “In Bali there are many traditional ports that do not yet have proper security supervision and are prone to infiltration,” Denayasa said.

He said more CCTVs would be installed in strategic areas that are popular with tourists, such as Kuta and Seminyak, to prevent any security problems including the smuggling of bomb-making materials. The island’s coastal areas, which host a large number of traditional ports, have been identified by the intelligence authorities as Bali’s main weakness in preventing terrorism.

He said the installment of CCTVs was part of the Bali administration’s efforts to create a security system that adheres to international standards. This security system, which is scheduled to launch in August, will cost Rp 16 billion (US$1.45 million).

The Bali Police have installed 28 CCTVs throughout Bali, including Sanur, Ngurah Rai International Airport and the Gilimanuk ferry crossing. “The CCTVs that have been installed are limited in number and are low-tech compared to international standards, therefore the present security system has not reached its potential yet,” Denayasa said.

Bali Police Operation Division chief Sr. Comr. Satriya Hari said the police had requested an additional 72 CCTVs from the Bali administration. “It is extremely important to have more CCTVs to monitor floods and traffic,” he said Thursday. “On last Saturday’s flood, all we could monitor was Jl. Legian.”

Flash floods inundated roads and homes on Jl. Legian in Seminyak and Kuta, while several houses in Denpasar had to be evacuated after floodwater, of up to a meter in height, entered homes in Sidakarya.

Article written by Ni Komang Erviani
Published by The Jakarta Post

Petra, who calls herself an ex-foreigner, gained Indonesian citizenship in 1992, after marrying her former husband, an Indonesian, and leaving her home country Germany to live in Indonesia ever since. “It’s a time of big change in Indonesia, and by staying seated nothing changes. That’s why I decided to get politically active,” Petra says.

The PDP was established in December 2005 when senior leaders of the nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) split, after a group led by Laksamana Sukardi lost a bitter fight to reform the party at its national congress. The party, which has a leadership council rather than a single leader, has become the 14th new party to register since the 2004 elections.

“I joined the PDP because of its collective system; everyone there has equal say. Also, 42 percent of the members are women. In Bali, even with the official requirement of a 30 percent quota for women, we have four women as legislative candidates and four men,” Petra says. Petra has already experienced her share of the murky reality of the country’s politics.

She tells of the time she went to a factory and the workers asked her how much she would pay them for their votes, rather than ask about her political views and how they would benefit the people. “This showed me once more that I need to try to wake people up, especially the young, to engage in politics, because I believe a nation rises and falls with its politics,” she says.

Last year, Rusty Ambo Dalle, one of the PDP’s national leaders, asked Petra to run for the party. But Petra says she was unsure at the time about what kind of reform the people wanted and how the change would happen. However, three months ago, she gathered all the required documents and put herself in the running as a legislative candidate. “The strong, pluralistic direction of our party made me ask Petra to join our party. As an Indonesian citizen with foreign roots, she fits well into our party,” Ambo Dalle says.

“I’m well aware my skin color and my origin are used as marketing gimmicks, but I want to transform this energy into power to contribute to a democracy that everybody, regardless of their financial background, has access to,” she says. The 41-year-old, with no former political background, is ranked fifth out of eight on the PDP’s list of candidates running for seats at the Bali Legislative Council.

“I know what my chances are in the legislative elections, and even if I’m not elected, I will try to work in the background as an assistant for my party colleagues,” she said. Campaigning in Bali will run from March 16 to April 5, 2009, when Petra Odebrecht will get the first feedback on how well the Balinese can receive a foreign-born candidate.

News written by Claudia Sardi
Published on The Jakarta Post

The Australian Ambassador for Indonesia, Bill Farmer, former Tourism Post and Telecommunication Minister, Joop Ave, and number of functionaries in KODAM IX/Udayana and Bali police department attended the high level security session. The Bali DPRD Secretary, AA Made Sunendra adimtted that high security level held on the council’s building surrounding during the inauguration. “This level of security was intended to anticipate any unwanted possibility might occur,” he said.

The parking lot in the council’s building is limited for 200 cars only, the rest are placed at Renon office area, Denpasar,” Sunendra said. Due to the distance from the parking lot to the council`s “house”, few invitees had to get there on foot. Meanwhile, the situation outside the building was steadily in control and the weather in Bali was bright and clear.

Mangku Pastika/Puspayoga which suppported by the Struggling Indonesian Democracy Party (PDIP) elected as Bali Governor and deputy after defeating their two pairs of rival candidates struggled in the election. Tjokorda Budi Suryawan-Nyoman Gede Suweta (Golongan Karya Party/Golkar)and Prof Dr Gede Winasa-I Gusti Bagus Alit Putra (Bali resurrection coalition-KKB) were their rivals candidates.

In the DPRD special session led by the House chairman, the elected Mangku Pastika/Puspayoga took over from Drs Dewa Beratha/I GN Kesuma Kelakan which led Bali in the last five years.

News by Antara – antara.co.id

The arrests on Sumatra also highlighted the lingering threat in Indonesia, which has been hit by a string of suicide bombings in recent years, including the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks that thrust the world’s most populous Muslim nation onto the front lines in the war on terrorism.

Many of the 240 people killed in those blasts, blamed on regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah, were foreign tourists. “The fact that we have uncovered terrorist activities and that we did not experience any terrorist incidents in the past two years means our security is working very well,” Wirayuda said. “We have uncovered various terrorist cells … meaning they are within our reach.” It is unclear whether the terrorist movement has been “crippled, but the fact is they are on the run,” he said. “We are encouraged and feel more secure.”

Indonesia has rounded up and tried hundreds of suspects since the Bali strikes — an action that has been widely praised by Washington and other allies in the fight against Islamic extremism.

Indonesian police arrested the suspects, including a Singaporean, last week and seized a cache of powerful bombs, many packed with bullets to maximize the impact of a planned attack on Western tourists at a cafe on Sumatra Island, police said. The attack was later abandoned amid concerns that too many Muslims would be killed and the group instead planned to choose a target in the capital, Jakarta, police said earlier.

The suspects allegedly had ties with Southeast Asia’s most wanted man, Noordin Top, a Malaysian fugitive believed to head a violent breakaway faction of Jemaah Islamiyah that is committed to al-Qaida-style attacks on Western civilians. Wirayuda said authorities are investigating whether Noordin is still in Indonesia.

News by Associated Press (AP) – ap.google.com

Like most visitors to Bali, I had never been encouraged to stay in the capital — not by fellow travelers, guide books or my personal guide. It was really just a hunch that had me defy all the pundits and give myself four days in Denpasar.

It was perhaps fortunate for me that my stay corresponded with the time of the full moon (purnama), a phenomenon that inspires a feast of celebrations, with copious temple offerings and boundless goodwill. But ceremony aside, Denpasar clearly has one great asset to recommend it to the visitor.

As much as any city could be, it is definitively Balinese — in its temples, its buildings, its markets and in its friendly people. I got most of my enjoyment simply cruising the markets and the streets, popping in and out of shops and stopping off to eat.

I was given an inkling of how celebrities must feel. There were exuberant greetings from almost everyone I passed, invitations to sit and chat, offerings of food — yes, I was given a banana and a soft drink in a shoe shop!

t’s mandatory to do the walking tour. This takes in some splendid and evocative temples, the fabulously vibrant produce market (Pasar Badung), the handicraft market (Pasar Kumbasari), Kampung Arab with its quaint old fabric shops and the famous Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali. These are all within the vicinity of the main shopping street, Jalan Gajah Mada.

Pasar Badung requires a good few hours to absorb. The colors are fantastic, to say nothing of the fragrances and the aromas of the spices. Flowers abound, sold as handsome bunches or as mini sacred offerings (canang), exquisitely arranged.

The city’s most venerable temple is Pura Jagatnatha. Built in the 70s, it is dedicated to the godhead of the Hindu-Balinese pantheon, Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa.

A towering obelisk, or padmasana, serves as its centerpiece, with the godhead at its crown. The night of the full moon saw the temple compound thronging with the endless comings and goings of earnest devotees. The entire city, it seemed, had turned out in their finest.

A wayang kulit, or shadow puppet show, was also being staged. A simple oil lamp provided the back-lighting. A single puppeteer provided the voices, manipulated all the cast, played percussion with his foot and conducted the orchestra (gamelan). What a guy!

Next to Pura Jagatnatha is the museum. It was set up by the Dutch just a few years after they massacred 4,000 Balinese in what is now Puputan Square — the large park directly opposite the museum. The present day collection is reasonably impressive. But the five display pavilions are themselves the main attraction. They represent Balinese temple and palace architecture in different regional styles, and are set in exquisitely kept grounds.

The full moon ceremonies were certainly not limited to Pura Jagatnatha. Secluded little temples — even humble Seni Market near the losmen where I stayed — were lavishly festooned with rows of padmasana — those monumental pyramids of tropical fruits and flowers that Balinese ladies carry so demurely on their heads. I came across several padmasana processions. They all managed to stop the city traffic.

I also chanced upon a Balinese funeral. These are always monumental events. Several hundred women, all clad in matching purple tunics, marched in single file before and after the sarcophagus, which itself was a fantastically elaborate work of art, and huge enough to accommodate several family members under cover on its top. It too stopped the city traffic.

Yes, Denpasar is above all else definitively Balinese. Shrines are everywhere, archaic-looking monuments, all carved by highly-skilled artists who bring to their work the passion of the humble devotee. Such artistry extends to secular architecture too.

Many of the city’s major banks and “office blocks” are distinctly “Baliesque”. They resemble ancient palaces, with their temple-style split gates, highly decorative columns (like those that adorn Jalan Gajah Mada’s verandahs) and elaborate facades. You almost expect to see the rajah and his entourage parade out through those gates, instead of men in sober business suits.

The city shops also hark back to the past — well, at least to the 50’s. There is little in their windows to tempt a casual visitor, unless you are in the market for a kain kamen (ceremonial wrap-around), a udeng (headcloth) or a kebaya (lady’s ceremonial tunic). But Jalan Gajah Mada contains several fine craft shops, and the handicrafts at Pasar Kumbasari draw plenty of eager patrons from the major tourist precincts.

And then there are the malls. Two of the most popular — Matahari and Robinson — are opposite each other on Jalan Teuku Umar, a couple of kilo meters south of central Denpasar. If you are not inclined to walk, you can jump into a taxi, a bemo (shared taxi) or a dokar. The latter are the brightly painted pony-carts that clip-clop their way anachronistically through town, defying both the traffic and the times. Matahari especially is a great place to up-date your wardrobe. A sucker for a bargain, I emerged from my shopping spree a totally new man.

Nightlife in Denpasar would seem not to exist. I hardly missed it. There was so much else to do. The shopping malls stay open till 10pm, and Pasar Badung is well and truly hopping still at dawn. There are also any number of warung — Balinese-style kiosks — that stay open very late. You can stop for a beer or coffee — great Balinese coffee — and a chat with whoever might be there. If language is a problem, content yourself with pleasantries and smiles.

I had no trouble filling in my days in Denpasar. I certainly never felt alone. Made to feel very much at home in my garden-shrouded losmen, I felt very much at home in the city as a whole.

Denpasar, I’m sure, would be a joy at any time. But a Balinese-style festival is a special bonus. So when you come to plan your visit, you might want to bear in mind the phases of the moon.

Written by Tom Cockrem
Published on The Star Online – thestar.com.my

The ruling was lifted on Friday because of “objective improvements made by Indonesia in its current security situation” according to US ambassador Cameron Hume.

Travel insurance will now be far easier to come by for Americans and Indonesia’s trade minister Mari Pangestu believes the move will make Indonesia more attractive to US investors, holidaymakers and companies looking for meeting venues.

Regarding travel to Indonesia the UK Foreign Office advice is as follows: “There remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. We believe that terrorists continue to plan attacks, which could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers. Terrorist attacks in Bali in October 2005 and October 2002 killed and injured a number of British nationals. You should take sensible precautions for your personal safety and avoid large crowds, political gatherings and demonstrations.”

Written by Rupert Murray
Published on TTG Live – ttglive.com

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, confirmed a new central bank governor. The Philippines delayed a plan to sell some government assets. The Bank of Thailand maintained its benchmark interest rate as inflation remained close to the fastest pace in 20 months.

The chart of the day looks at how exchange rates may affect tourism in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. It shows monthly changes in foreign visitors in each nation since January 2007. During that period, the rupiah was one of just two currencies to weaken against the U.S. dollar in Asia, while the baht and peso posted the strongest gains. That made visits to places such as Cebu, Phuket and Bangkok comparatively more expensive than Bali.

“Challenges come from the U.S. slowdown and the weak dollar,” Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president of the World Travel & Tourism Council, said in an annual report by the London-based trade group last month. “However, the continued strong expansion in emerging countries, both as tourism destinations and as an increasing source of international visitors, means that the industry’s prospects remain bright into the medium term.”

Tourist Arrivals Surge

Indonesia’s foreign tourists in 2007 rose 16.3 percent from a year earlier, based on monthly data from the Immigration Department. Foreign visitors to the Philippines rose 8.7 percent, its Tourism Bureau said. Thailand’s international tourists increased 4.6 percent, its Immigration Bureau said.

Arrivals to Indonesia in the first two months of this year rose 38.1 percent from a year earlier. They increased 9.7 percent in the Philippines. Thailand’s arrivals rose 12.5 percent in January to February, based on preliminary figures from the central bank.

Thailand still far outpaced its neighbors in overall arrivals, averaging 1.2 million foreign tourists a month last year. Indonesia averaged 442,000 and the Philippines about 285,000.

Written by Lee J. Miller in Bangkok at lmiller@bloomberg.net
Published on bloomberg.com