Irawaty Wardany , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/18/2009 1:42 PM | National
A businessman testified in court on Monday that he had initially sought to be introduced to lawmaker Jhonny Allen Marbu, but was instead directed to Abdul Hadi Djamal instead.
Hontjo Kurniawan confirmed that he had asked Transportation Ministry official Darmawati Dareho to mediate between the two parties.
"Hontjo Kurniawan, as a commissioner of PT Kurnia Jaya Wirabhakti, told Darmawati Dareho that he expected to be appointed as developer for the ministry's stimulus program and asked her to introduce him to a budgetary committee member Jhonny Allen Marbun," prosecutor Edy Hartoyo said in his indictment at the Corruption Court on Monday.
The committee was discussing a Rp 100 billion (US$9.6 million) budget for infrastructure in Eastern Indonesia.
Edy went on to say Dareho had introduced the defendant to Abdul Hadi Djamal by phone instead and they agreed to meet on Feb. 23.
"On Feb. 23 Hontjo and Abdul met at Hotel Mulia at around 18 p.m. He asked Abdul to approve a budget proposal for the project and Hontjo told Abdul that he would provide Rp 3 billion to smooth the approval," he said.
The payment was made through Darmawati in three installments.
The first was made on Feb. 26 at Beautika Restaurant, where Hontjo gave Darmawati US$80,000 and Rp 32 million to be given to Abdul.
The second installment, amounting to $70,000, was paid later that day at the Sate Senayan Restaurant.
The last payment was made on March 2, when the defendant asked his staffer Taty Suhartaty to hand over $90,000 and Rp 54.5 million to Darmawati at a salon in Central Jakarta.
"At 7 p.m. Darmawati handed over the money to Abdul in his car," prosecutor Edy read on.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials later arrested the defendant in the Sudirman area on March 3.
Hontjo and Darmawati were each charged with violating article 5 on bribery of the 1999 Anti-Corruption Law, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.
Monday 18 May 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009 5:11 PM Be a member & get the benefits! Register or login Businessman claims he first sought lawmaker in graft scandal
Pontianak sees five new female councilors
Mon, 05/18/2009 1:42 PM | National
JAKARTA: Pontianak General Elections Committee chairman Viryan Aziz said Sunday that five women have officially secured seats at the Pontianak regional legislative council (DPRD) for the 2009 - 2014 period.
Aziz told kompas.com that the five female legislators were Uray Henny Novita from the Hanura Party, Dominica from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Mardiana from the Regional Unity Party (PPD), Syarifah Yuliana from the United Development Party and Khoum Khiok Miang from the Democratic Party (PD).
He said the PD had secured 8 seats, Golkar 6 and PDI-P 5, while the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), PPP and PAN won 4 seats respectively in the Pontianak regional representative council. -JP
SBY, Boediono complete medical check-up
Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 05/18/2009 4:24 PM | National
Presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono completed their seven-hour medical check-up on Monday afternoon as part of requirement to contest the July 8 presidential election.
The pair is thus the last candidate couple having their health screened at RSPAD Gatot Subroto army hospital after Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto and Megawati Soekarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto had theirs earlier on Sunday.
"I consider this as a quite heavy test. We undergo almost seven hours of detailed and in-depth check-up, including on our mental health. We are now waiting for the result and hope we can pass the test," Yudhoyono told reporters after completing his medical check-up.
Indonesian Medical Doctors Association (IDI) chairman Fahmi Idris said the medical check-up consisted of 10 tests -- one mental and nine physical health tests, including neurology, eyes, heart and circulation system, digestive system, and urinology tests.
He said the doctors team conducting the tests consisted of 43 doctors; 29 from the IDI and 14 from the army hospital.
General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Syamsul Bahri said that the KPU was expecting to receive the results of the test on Tuesday.
In the meantime on Monday evening the commision plans to hold a plenary session to review the completion of requirements of all the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Saturday 11 April 2009
David Tennant to make film version of hit Hamlet production
9 APRIL 2009
Dr Who actor David Tennant, whose portrayal of Hamlet proved a major draw when he appeared in a stage production as the tortured Danish prince at Stratford-upon-Avon last year, is to recreate the role on the silver screen.
Having been prevented by a back problem from completing the Royal Shakespeare Company run at the Novello Theatre – which cost him an Laurence Olivier nod as he didn't appear in enough performances to qualify – the 37-year-old is to join the rest of the RSC cast in recording the production for posterity.
Hamlet co-star Oliver Ford Davies, who played Polonius, reveals: "It won't be a full feature film as there isn't time, but it will certainly be more than just the filming of the stage."
In order to be able to able to participate in the theatre work David was given time off by the BBC from his Timelord role, having committed to four specials rather than a complete series.
He later underwent surgery for a prolapsed disc.
(taken from: hello magazine)
RI wants Manado meeting to target carbon trading
Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Sat, 04/11/2009 10:26 AM | National
A month out from the World Ocean Conference, the terms of the Manado Ocean Declaration remain unclear with Indonesia hoping to “trade” millions of tons of carbon stored within the country’s marine environment.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi said Indonesia hopes the Manado meeting will discuss carbon trading because the marine environment has contributed a lot to global warming.
“We want the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) alsoapplied to carbon stored in the ocean, not dissimilar to the forestry sector,” Freddy told a news conference Wednesday.
“With the oceans able to absorb around 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere, there is no reason to neglect the marine environment during climate talks.”
The CDM is one of several flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change that allow developing nations, including Indonesia, to carry out projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under the binding mechanism, developed nations provide financial incentives based on the total amount of carbon cut under CDM projects.
A ton of carbon is currently valued between US$5 and $10.
The Kyoto protocol, which ends in 2012, currently only recognizes carbon projects from the energy and forestry sectors.
Freddy said the Indonesian delegation would be pushing global nations to consider emission cuts from ocean environments at the Copenhagen meeting in Denmark at the end of this year.
The Copenhagen climate conference is expected to produce a new binding mechanism to substitute commitments made through the Kyoto protocol.
Freddy said he was inspired to promote carbon trading efforts for the marine sector following the success of the UN-sponsored climate change conference in Bali in 2007. There, the mechanism aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) were discussed as an alternative to cutting emissions from the forestry sector.
Indonesia possesses the third largest forest area in the world, with 120 million hectares of rainforests. If the REDD is agreed upon in Copenhagen, developed nations will pay Indonesia incentives to protect forests.
The People’s Coalition for Equal Fisheries (KIARA), a grouping of environmental and social groups, criticized the government for promoting carbon trading at the upcoming Manado conference.
“This is a fatal mistake. Carbon trading mechanisms will not fix the real problems facing the marine environment,” KIARA secretary-general M. Riza Damanik said.
Indonesia hopes that by hosting the WOC in Manado, North Sulawesi, they will be able to push for a commitment to the sustainable management of marine environments and assist the fight against climate change.
Around 10,000 delegates, including ministers and scientists from 121 countries, are expected to attend the forum, scheduled for May 11-15.
Augy Syahailatua, a scientist from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said no scientific evidence had proven whether carbon could be absorbed or released by the marine environment.
A blue print for a national plan of action on climate change launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the 2007 climate change conference in Bali, states that Indonesia’s marine biodiversity can absorb around 67 million tons of carbon, equal to 245 million tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), every year.
CO2 is the main contributor to climate change. Indonesia has around 5.8 million square kilometers of marine territory.
Papuan students run amok in Yogyakarta
Fri, 04/10/2009 1:39 PM | Election 2009
YOGAYAKARTA: The Yogyakarta provincial general elections commission (KPUD) has decided to rerun the legislative elections for hundreds of Papuan students who rioted after not being allowed to vote Thursday.
The protesters launched an attack onpolice stationed at the KPUD building and damaged several flower vases after failing to find polling stations where they could vote. Several staff at the building fled after protesters aimed their arrows at them.
KPUD chairwoman Any Rohyati said voting for the Papuan students was suspended until Friday morning, after getting approval from the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta.
The rioters dispersed after being informed that a special polling station would be set up at the KPUD compound to allow more than 520 Papuan students to vote. -JP
Be brave: Coaches encourage remaining Indonesian team before Sudirman Cup
gnes Winarti , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 04/09/2009 12:25 PM | Sports
With the departure of some top shuttlers from the training camp, the Indonesian badminton team has been left somewhat depleted, but its coaches are telling players not to lose hope.
"I'll keep telling them to *be brave'. After all, the opponents mostly eat rice too, just like us," coach Aryono told reporters recently at the national training camp in Cipayung, East Jakarta.
The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) hasannounced the 20 shuttlers it intends to send to the Sudirman Cup, which will run in Guangzhou, China from May 10 to 17.
The lineup misses 2004 Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and world's top mixed players Flandy Limpele/Vita Marissa, who decided to quit the national team for individual reasons.
Indonesia's chances in winning back the trophy it won in 1989 for the first and only time so far may be slim, but Aryono, mixed doubles coach Richard Mainaky and men's doubles coach Sigit Pamungkas have all told players not to lose hope.
"Without Flandy, Vita in the mixed doubles and Taufik in the men's singles, it is true that our squad is now weaker compared to the previous Sudirman Cup squad," Aryono said.
"However, if players are fit and play well, we may have a hope of get ting into the final," Richard said.
PBSI had initially mulled recruiting veteran men's doubles specialist Alvent Yulianto as a stand-in for world No. 1 pair Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan, in case Kido could not recover from his injury. But they seem to have relied on what is left of the team, half of whose members are debutantes.
"We have to prepare the younger generation for the next international events, like the Thomas Cup," Sigit said. "They deserve this *Sudirman Cup championship* opportunity because their performances are coming close to their seniors."
Indonesian squad
Men's singles: Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Simon Santoso, Tommy Sugiarto Women's singles: Maria Kristin, Adriyanti Firdasari Men's doubles: Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan, Bona Septano/Muhammad Ahsan, Rian Sukmawan/Yonatan Suryatama Women's doubles: Shendy Puspa Irawati/Meliana Jauhari, Greysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda Mixed doubles: Nova Widianto/Liliyana Natsir, Devin Lahardi/Lita Nurlita, Fran Kurniawan (reserve).
