Ozone 'preserves food for longer'

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A local scientist has invented a cheap and simple food preservation technology that works by coating food in ozonated water.

"Vegetables, fruit and even fish can stay fresh longer if they are soaked with ozonated water, which is produced by a special machine," said Anto Tri Sugiharto, an engineer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), on Friday.

Anto has already patented the ozone water reactor.

"It's a safe method as long as the products are not processed products, such as dried fish or meatballs," Anto said in a press conference here.

The simple technology could replace the use of preservative formaldehyde, which is widely used despite its health effects, Anto said.

Ozonated water is better than formaldehyde, says Anto, because ozone dries into oxygen so there are no chemicals left on the food.

Other methods of preservation, such as high temperatures, require the tools to be sterilized with alcohol.

Preserving food by utilizing high temperatures is also more expensive than ozonated water, which sterilizes the washing tools and food containers.

"Ozonated water is useful for farmers or food retailers. However, it is intended to be used by many farmers instead of individuals," said Anto, who has spent more than a decade studying and researching in Japan.

After food is washed in ozonated water, it is vacuum-wrapped.

The ozonated water also removes bacteria and pesticides from the product, although over use can result in discoloration and a reduction in the natural smell of the food.

LIPI has tested the reactor on tomatoes at the Agricultural Ministry research center in Lembang, West Java.

"The Agricultural Ministry had problem with its vegetables as they were contaminated with pesticides and quickly decayed," Anto said.

The inventor said that LIPI would collaborate with the Agricultural Ministry in order to produce and distribute the machine.

"The ministry can also subsidize the machines for farmers because farmers may not have enough money to make the purchase," he said of reactor, which costs about Rp 7 million (US$765) to assemble.

The machines are now being prepared to be distributed in West Java.

Indah Suksmaningsih, a senior executive from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, told The Jakarta Post that the usage of ozone might have a bad effect on the climate.

"If not used properly, the ozone might affect global warming," she said.

Lombok entrepreneur helps environment and turns a profit

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Hundreds of fishing boats bob in the waters off Ampenan Beach in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara. It is a classic sight, one little changed over the years. These boats also serve as a reminder of the relationship between fishermen and the forest; their dependence on the forest for the raw ingredients for the boats on which they depend to earn a living.

To produce a fishing boat measuring 10 meters in length and one meter in width, workers need trees that are at least 120 centimeters in diameter and 15 meters in length. The truth is, it takes a tree dozens of years, at the least, to reach such a size.

With old boats having to be replaced every several years, and with more and more boats being made as more people turn to fishing to earn a living, a lot of trees are being cut down for fishing boats.

Chaerudin, 52, from Ireng village, Gunungsari district in West Lombok, considered this problem and decided the best solution was to find some other material that could be used to make the boats, thus helping to preserve the country's forests.

Though Chaerudin comes from a fishing family, he was working for a furniture company in Ampenan in the 1980s when he hit upon his idea and began making his first boats from fiberglass.

"It's hard to find timber to make boats now because most of our forests have been over-logged. It is especially difficult to find the bae and suren trees that are most suitable for boats," he said.

Using the skills he picked up watching and helping his fisherman father over the years, Chaerudin being repairing fishing boats using fiberglass.

A wooden boat can only last four or five years before the hull starts to rot and spring leaks. Chaerudin repaired the leaks with fiberglass, but that was only a stopgap measure because more leaks would eventually pop up along the rotting hull.

"I thought then about what would become of fishing families if there were no more boats because there was no more timber to make them with. That was when I started experimenting, using a process of trial and error, with making boats from fiberglass," he said.

Chaerudin already had the boat making skills from his father, but what he needed was the capital to purchase the raw materials to get his business started.

With his savings from his job at the furniture company and his earnings from repairing boats, he managed to buy a mold and fiberglass materials.

A year later, in 1981, Chaerudin had made his first fiberglass boat.

"Even after completing the boat, I found it very hard to market it. The fishing community here is used to wooden boats, and I knew it would be very difficult to break the tradition," he said.

But Chaerudin was determined. So while he repaired wooden boats to earn extra money, he continued making his fiberglass boats, fine-tuning his design to perfection.

His efforts eventually bore fruit. A fiberglass boat which he left moored on Meninting River behind his house attracted someone's attention.

A foreign tourist, crossing Meninting Bridge toward the Senggigi resort area, happened to notice the boat. He approached Chaerudin and expressed his interest in the boat, which was enough encouragement for Chaerudin to continue pursuing his dream.

Chaerudin may now be considered established. He owns a fiberglass workshop, in which 20 employees build boats, from simple fishing boats to trawlers and express ferries.

"We were able to build an express ferry measuring 27 meters long and six meters wide in 2000, which is licensed to serve the Lombok-Bali route. But due to the drop in tourist arrivals, it is no longer in service," he said.

He also builds boats for pearl farmers in Lombok and tour agencies in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara. He also receives orders for fiberglass bathtubs and other household goods.

His efforts have allowed Chaerudin to provide for his family, including sending all seven of his children through school, with four of them currently at university. When the Post recently visited his workshop near Meninting Bridge, a number of employees were working on a boat ordered by a Dutch tourist.

There were also three fiberglass fishing boats nearby, ordered by the West Nusa Tenggara Fisheries Office.

Chaerudin is proof that you can make a good living without tearing down the environment in the process.

Water contract may be revised in city's favor

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration is set to evaluate its water concession contracts with its two operators -- PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) -- this year.

Although it is a routine evaluation conducted every five years, it is hoped it will lead to a decision to revise the 1997 concession agreement and amendments, which were aimed at delivering better water services.

The evaluation talks are scheduled to begin after July.

"Indonesia has a steadier economy now, which puts the administration in a better bargaining position to revise the contract," said Wijanto Hadipuro, an economist with nonprofit group the Amrta Institute for Water Literacy, during a seminar on the city's water concession.

The water rate, currently Rp 6,525 per cubic meter, has long been an issue among activists.

Palyja's commissioner Bernard Lafrogne, however, said it was too early to say whether the contract would be amended.

"All of the stakeholders must sit together to determine the charges for water service," he said.

Antiprivatization groups have alleged the provision of water services is driven by profit, despite access to clean water being a basic human right. But private water companies insist the periodic rate increase is part of the agreed concession.

The companies, however, have other issues to contend with, such as the lack of support from the central and city administrations in improving infrastructure.

The 1997 contract awarded water concessions to the two private operators. Palyja operates in the western part of the city while TPJ operates in the eastern part.

As of this year, Palyja has 352,311 connections while TPJ has 372,000.

Both water operators underwent "internal reorganization" following the bonds sale two years ago.

Wijanto from Amrta pointed out that Palyja's move to sell bonds on the Surabaya Stock Exchange two years ago should eliminate currency risk as a factor in justifying water charges as they no longer calculated their cash flow in U.S. dollars.

According to Palyja's financial report in 2005, the company earned Rp 644.7 billion in fixed assets, whereas it obtained Rp 646.2 billion from the bonds sale to finance its investment.

"Palyja is financing its investment from the domestic capital market and using rupiah. The administration does not need to increase consumer charges for the reason of financing the currency risk of its foreign investment," Wijanto said.

The water contracts in 1997 with the two operators used currency risk as the basis for determining water rates since Indonesia was entering a financial crisis, during which the exchange rate dropped from Rp 2,000 to 17,000 against the U.S. dollar.

The two operators, which borrowed capital in their countries in dollars, proposed the option to avoid losing money due to the currency risk.

Now as the rupiah steadies and the inflation rate stands at 6.6 percent, Wijadi said there was no reason to factor the currency risk in when calculating the rate increase.

TPJ, which has new owners Singaporean Acuatico Ltd and Alberta Utilities Ltd, is facing a similar situation.

Acuatico, which was put to the test prior to taking over TPJ early this year, is owned mostly by Indonesian investment bank PT Recapital Advisors.

The administration may encourage TPJ to convert its investment into rupiah considering the presence of a local parent company.

Another clause in the contract that may be amended is the high rate of investment return at 22 percent.

Acuatico's agreement to adjust the rate of investment return during the acquisition process may cause the two operators to reconsider the rate during the contract evaluation.

Shark with webbed feet

The Star Online, Tan Sin Chow

Has anyone ever seen a baby shark with webbed feet? A worker of the Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) in Batu Maung, Penang, made this unusual find when she was given the 1.7kg fish by a fisherman at the jetty recently.

Mary Looi, 48, said she only realised the shark was different when she wanted to cook tomyam fish for lunch for her family.

"It was only when I was about to cut the shark the day after I received it that I found two webbed feet sticking out from the lower part of the body.

“The shark is one-metre long,” she said.

Looi said she dared not cook the fish after consulting her husband Gooi Man Kaw, 57, who told her that according to Chinese belief, eating fish with unusual features could bring disaster or ill luck.

“Immediately, I returned the fish to the fisherman that night at about 10pm.

“He threw it back into the sea,” said Looi.

Looi, who has been working at LKIM for 10 years, said this was the first time she had stumbled upon such an unusual find.

When contacted, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Muka Head marine research station head Prof Dr Zulfigar Yasin said this is the first time he had heard of fish with legs found in the Malaysian waters.

“There is a possibility that the fish could have swum from other waters into Malaysian waters.

“As far as I am concerned, fish species with legs or bony fins can only be discovered in the waters of North Sulawesi in Indonesia or South Africa,” he said.

President holds dialog with farmers, fishermen in NTT

West Maggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a dialog with East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) farmer and fisherman groups and provided them with working capital, equipment and seaweed seedlings here on Wednesday.

On arrival at West Manggarai District`s Labuan Bajo airport, the president and his party were welcomed by NTT Governor Piet A Tallo and regional government officials.

The head of state was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono, Maritime Affaris and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi, Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah, Health Minister Siti Fadila Supari and Presidential Spokesman Andi Mallarangeng.

Yudhoyono held the dialogs with the farmers and fishermen at the fish auction center of Labuan Bajo seaport.

In the afternoon the president would be briefed by Manggarai district head Christian Rotok on the handling of the recent landslides in Manggarai.

At least 41 people were killed and 34 others went missing in the landslides which took place in the district earlier this month.

The landslides and flash floods that occurred in Manggarai district from March 1 to 3, 2007, forced some 5,231 people to evacuate to safer places.

The disaster also damaged 67 houses, school buildings and farming areas. "Downpours and fog covering the area have hampered rescue efforts. I am pessimistic about the possibility of evacuating them as the bad weather continues," Manggarai District Head Christian Rotok said.

U.S. lawmakers bid to keep out ill-gotten timber

Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:19PM EDT

By Missy Ryan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday pushed for new rules to stop American companies from buying illegally logged timber plundered from fragile forests around the world.

Illegal logging is not only is a death knell for forest preserves and rich ecosystems, according to Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, but it also cost the U.S. timber industry $1 billion a year in lost sales.

Up to 30 percent of hardwood lumber and plywood traded around the world may now come from world forest preserves or other fragile areas in the Peruvian Amazon or Indonesia, Blumenauer and other lawmakers say.

Read More ....

Three earthquakes rattle eastern Indonesia, no report of damage

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): Meteorology and Geophysics (BMG) Tuesday reported three earthquakes measuring between 5.3 to 5.6 at the Richter Scale in different places in eastern Indonesia.

There is no immediate report of casualty or property damage.

The first quake occurred at 8.03 a.m. western Indonesian time measuring 5.3 at the Richter Scale with epicenter some 199 kilometers from North Maluku's city of Ternate.

A similar scale quake occurred at 12.50 p.m. western Indonesian time with epicenter at the sea some 396 kilometers east of Bitung sea.

Meanwhile, the 5.6 magnitude quake occurred at 4.05 p.m., which was centered in the land some 55 kilometers from Sumbawa sea.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that battered much of the Indian Ocean coastline and killed more than 230,000 people - 131,000 of themin Indonesia's Aceh province alone.

A tsunami off Java island last year killed nearly 5,000.

Cocoa 'could beat the Big Four'

Manchester Evening News, 12/ 3/2007

A COMPOUND found in cocoa could reduce the risk from killer diseases such as cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart failure.

Norman Hollenberg, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the compound epicatechin had been shown to have huge health benefits.

He has spent years studying the benefits of cocoa-drinking on the Kuna people in Panama, central America, Chemistry and Industry magazine reported.

He found the risk of the four diseases was less than 10 per cent there. The people drink up to 40 cups a week of cocoa which has high levels of epicatechin.

Prof Hollenberg said: "We all agree that penicillin and anaesthesia are enormously important. But epicatechin could potentially get rid of four of the five most common diseases in the western world.

"How important does that make epicatechin? I would say very important."

7 Indonesian students die while hiking up volcano

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (AP): Seven Indonesian hikers died in bad weather as they attempted to climb a towering volcano in the far east of the country, police said Monday.

A porter who helped to recover the bodies from Mount Rinjani on Lombok island on Sunday told Antara news agency they may have died from exposure or starvation.

"In their rucksacks we found cooking equipment but no food, so we think they ran out of food in very cold weather," the agency quoted Martadin as saying. Martadin was identified by a single name.

Police Sgt. Eko told The Associated Press the exact cause of death had not been established, but that bad weather had wracked the 3,726 meter peak in recent days. Eko asked to be identified by a single name.

The group was reported missing on Saturday, but it was unclear when the students left for the peak.Mount Rinjani is classified as an active volcano, although it last erupted in 2004.

Indonesia has more than 150 active volcanoes, more than any other country. When they are quiet, walking up them is a popular pastime.

It takes at least three days to hike to the crater of Mount Rinjani, which is the country's third highest volcano.

Indonesia to rehabilitate Soeharto`s peatland project

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government is planning to rehabilitate a sprawling peatland in Central Kalimantan which was converted to agriculture during the reign of former president Suharto causing widespread environmental damage, an official said Sunday.

"We have approval, in principle, from the president to rehabilitate the 'One Million Hectare Peatland' but we still are awaiting the necessary presidential decree to start," Central Kalimantan governor Agustin Teras Narang told AFP.

He said the gradual rehabilitation of some 1.3 million hectares of peatland -- cleared as part of the Mega Rice Project launched by Suharto in 1995 to turn the peat bog into a rice-producing area -- will take three years and cost about nine trillion rupiah (983.6 million dollars.)

"The One Million Hectare Peatland Project had devastating consequences for the environment, and some of the most serious fires last year were in the peatland area," Narang said.

He was referring annual land-clearing fires for the new planting seasons started by small- and large-scale farmers and plantations.

The peat, which can reach several metres deep, as well as coal layers are difficult to extinguish and can burn for years under the surface.

The One Million Hectare Peatland Project, launched in 1995, cleared thousands of hectares of peat swamp and forests before it was brought to an early close in 1998, following a series of difficulties.

The acidic, nutrient-deficient peat soils failed to produce rice as planned.

The clearing of the peatland and the building of irrigation channels criss-crossing the area, also partially dried the peat and made the land more susceptible to fires.

Narang said the rehabilitation program aimed to return the peatland "to its initial function," and turn it into a conservation area, while maintaining part of the area for agriculture.

Some 1,500 concrete balls have been dropped into mouth of mud volcano

The Jakarta Post

PORONG, East Java (AP): For nine months, a gaping hole in the ground has spit out a biblical-scale torrent of hot, black mud, swallowing thousands of homes outside Indonesia's second-largest city and attracting amazed geologists from around the world.

Most say the flow is unstoppable, but Indonesian experts refuse to listen and have recently begun carrying out a scheme straight from a Hollywood movie: dropping nearly 1,500 concrete balls into the mouth of the mud volcano.

"We know lots of people think this is a crazy idea," said Satria Bijaksana, one of three geologists behind the US$130 million (euro99 million) plan aimed at reducing the sludge spew by up to 70 percent. "But we think it will work."

Mud volcanoes are fairly common along volatile tectonic belts and in areas rich in oil and natural gas, like Indonesia.

But the eruption just outside the city of Surabaya is exceptional because of the sheer volume of mud surging from the hole each day - enough to fill 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Twelve villages and 20 factories have been swallowed, with mud-caked roofs and the lamppost tops the only reminders of what once was there.

Some scientists suggest the rupture was triggered by improper drilling at a nearby natural gas site. Other research points to a major earthquake two days before the mud first appeared in a rice field in May 2006.

The ball-dropping operation, which began last month, follows several failed attempts to contain or stop the mud.

Engineers tried building earthen dams to hold back the sludge, but they are about to overflow. The mud's viscosity hindered efforts to channel it into the sea. A plan to cap the volcano with concrete was abandoned almost immediately as ill-conceived.

Now, engineers are using a pulley system to hoist the beach ball-sized concrete spheres over the crater before dropping them from a height of about two stories. The balls, each weighing about 70 kilograms (150 pounds), are chained together in clusters of four.

So far, nearly 150 have been tossed into the abyss - too few to make a real impact.

The government has given the plan another five weeks to make a difference, or walk away and let the volcano run its course.

Experts warn of raised volcanic activity after powerful quake

The Jakarta Post

MOUNT TALANG, West Sumatra (AP): A powerful earthquake that rattled western Indonesia could heighten the activity of three nearby volcanoes in coming days, experts warned Friday, but alert levels have not been raised.

Up to 74 people were killed in Tuesday's temblor that flattened homes and buckled roads on Sumatra island's western side, and aid was slow to reach some survivors who complained they were running out of food.

As cleanup operations continued at crumbled homes, residents shaken by a series of strong aftershocks were warned of a new potential threat.

Geologists said sensors on the slopes of three volcanoes - Talang, Tandikat and Merapi - have detected above average activity since the 6.3 magnitude temblor, which was also lightly felt in Singapore and Malaysia.

"We usually need about a month to observe whether the earthquake could trigger an eruption," said Gede Suantika, an official from Indonesia's volcanology institute.

Residents living near the 2,800-meter (9,186-feet) Mount Talang - one of the country's most active mountains - were nervous. In 2005, a minor eruption forced the evacuation of more than 2,500 people.

"Every night I keep my eyes on the peak before I go to sleep," said Nur Hayati, adding that an official from the volcano's monitoring post had told her village to be alert.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Past earthquakes have led to eruptions. Scientists said they would continue to closely monitor activity, but no evacuations were being planned.

Ministry suggests 'recharging' groundwater supply

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The State Ministry for Research and Technology has proposed building what are known as "recharge ponds" at suitable locations in the city to maintain the level or flow of rivers in the dry season and prevent flooding in the rainy season.

State Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman met last week with city administration officials to discuss the plan to build structures to catch rainfall or storm runoff and slowly release it, either into surface streams or the aquifer.

He said researchers had identified 40 suitable locations for the ponds comprising 820 hectares of land in total.

They include the watersheds of Ciliwung River in Central and West Jakarta, Sunter and Angke rivers in North Jakarta, Cipinang and Buaran rivers in East Jakarta and Mampang, Krukut and Pesanggrahan rivers in South Jakarta.

"The ponds would slow down the flow of the water, forcing more to go into the aquifer," he said after meeting with city administration officials.

The aquifer is an underground layer of water-permeable rock or unconsolidated material such as gravel, sand, silt or clay, from which groundwater can be extracted.

Deputy to the minister Idwan Suhardi said many underground rivers had silted up, reducing their capacity to hold water.

He said the ministry was building a recharge pond at the University of Indonesia's Depok campus, which was estimated to cost Rp 2 billion (US$222,000)

Located on the campus' dam, the pond will channel water from the dam into the aquifer.

Idwan said the other recharge ponds would be less complicated to build than the one at the university.

"They will be built at the location of underground rivers that are so silted up they no longer flow. We have the technology to pinpoint the exact locations."

Governor Sutiyoso said the administration would adopt the plan, which complemented its flood control programs.

"We will present all of the projects to the House of Representatives later this month to get financial support."

The city water regulatory body had previously recommended the construction of underground reservoirs to replenish groundwater supplies and prevent flooding.

Sanyo, ITB develop water purification pump

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), in collaboration with Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., has successfully developed a pump equipped with ozone-based water purification technology, which it has dubbed Aquaoasis and plans to start mass producing in April.

"This is a very important product for ITB because of the involvement of its researchers in the development process," ITB Rector Djoko Santoso said Wednesday in Jakarta.

He said he hoped the pump would help improve access to clean water around the country.

The government is currently striving to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of providing access to clean water to 80 percent of the country's population by 2015.

Currently, only 34 percent of the 215 million people have access to clean water.

Sanyo, which invested US$1 million in the development of the Aquaoasis pump, will produce and sell it, while the ITB will evaluate and analyze its benefits in Indonesia.

"We will invest US$3 million more and plan to produce 20,000 pumps in the first year," said Sanyo executive director Akira Kan.

He said Sanyo would manufacture the pumps at its plant in Cikarang, West Java, and sell them for $700 each. However, he said he expected the price could be reduced after production increased.

He stressed that the pumps would contain 70 percent local and 30 percent imported content, with the ozonizer being imported from Japan.

After one year of production and sale in Indonesia, the pumps would be exported to other developing countries, such as India, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said the planned exports of Aquaoasis pumps would hopefully help increase Indonesia's foreign exchange earnings from electronics exports to $9.5 billion in 2009 from $6.6 billion in 2005.

Quake survivors afraid to return

BBC News

Thousands of Indonesians are spending the night in the open after a powerful earthquake which destroyed many homes and left at least 70 people dead.

Many are afraid to return to their homes, while others have no home left.

The authorities fear the death toll may rise as search teams sift through the rubble, but hope some of those missing may be pulled out alive.

The 6.3 magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang in the west of Sumatra island on Tuesday morning.

Read More ....

Two killed in typhoon in East Java

SURABAYA (Antara): Two people were killed and many houses and buildings were damaged after a typhoon hit Mayangan and Kademangan in Probolinggo, East Java, at around 5 p.m. on Monday.

Probolinggo city police chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Topan Herinoto said the strong wind swept the area only around 10 minutes but the damages it had caused were quite huge.

The wind accompanied by quite heavy rain blew away many roofs, damaged buildings and uprooted trees, he said.

He said two people were killed in the disaster, one after being struck by lightning and another after a wall fell upon him.

He said he did not know yet how many had been wounded in the incident. "Police officers are still conducting evacuations," he said.

Two quakes kill at least 70 in Sumatra

By John Nedy, Tue Mar 6, 2007 9:18 AM GMT

PADANG, Indonesia (Reuters) - Two strong earthquakes hit Indonesia's Sumatra island on Tuesday, killing at least 70 people and sending emergency operations into full swing to deal with dozens of injured.

The tremors were felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore, where several buildings were evacuated.

The first quake of magnitude 6.3 was felt in the West Sumatra provincial capital of Padang at around 11 a.m., sparking panic among seaside residents who feared it might trigger a tsunami.

A second 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the same area two hours later, causing more panic.

However, there was no immediate tsunami warning after the quakes, which were on land.

Indonesia's cabinet secretary Sudi Silalahi said 70 people had been killed.

The United States Geological Survey said the first quake's epicentre was around 420 km (260 miles) from Singapore. The Indonesian national quake centre measured the quake at 5.8 on the Richter scale.

Some buildings collapsed and several homes and other buildings were badly damaged by the tremors that sent several people scrambling for safety, including 200-300 patients who ran out of a hospital in Padang, a Reuters witness said.

Citing reports from regencies the mayor of Padang, Fauzi Bahar, said 14 people had died in Solok town, 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Padang, 16 in Batusangkar and one in Payakumbuh.

"Many have calmed down and are returning home, but we can still see some traffic jams around the city," Bahar told Reuters.

"The numbers may increase, not every area provided the report."

The mayor of Solok said hospitals were overwhelmed with dozens of injured.

"Our priority is to handle the injured ones, including their families. We have set up six tents at a soccer field as emergency posts," Syamsu Rahim, the mayor of Solok, told Reuters.

Padang is one of the few Indonesian cities where a tsunami warning system is in place. A quake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra island in December 2004 and the tsunami it caused left about 170,000 people dead or missing in Indonesia's northern Aceh province.

PANIC

"It was really strong. I panicked, I ran out of the house just like the other neighbours," housewife Asmiarti, whose home is on the northern Padang shore, told Reuters by phone.

"When we got out, our bodies were still shaking and the trees were also shaking. We fear there would be a tsunami but there has been no announcement so far," she said.

Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the "Pacific Ring of Fire".

In March 2005, a powerful earthquake devastated Nias island, off the west coast of northern Sumatra, killing hundreds of people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

A Reuters witness said Padang residents tried to reach higher places and their vehicles crowded main streets, triggering congested traffic across the city.

Callers told a Jakarta-based radio station that residents in several West Sumatra towns ran out of their houses when the quake was first felt.

Tall buildings in Singapore's business district swayed slightly, occupants said, and the tremor was also felt in other parts of the island.

Traders said there was little or no impact on financial markets trading.

The tremor was also felt in west coast areas of Malaysia, the meteorological office in that country said.

(Additional reporting by Harry Suhartono, Mita Valina Liem and Achmad Sukarsono in Jakarta; Jamie Lee and Geert De Clercq in Singapore; and Jalil Hamid in Kuala Lumpur)

Aceh to declare moratorium on logging

Bener Meriah, Aceh (ANTARA News) - The Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) provincial administration will soon declare a moratorium on logging in an effort to preserve the province`s forest ecosystem, Governor Irwandi Yusuf said here on Saturday.

"We are going to declare a moratorium on logging as soon as possible because most of the land in this province was deforested in the past decade," Irwandi said in his address at the installation of Tagore and Sirwandi as Bener Meriah district head and deputy district head respectively.

The governor said the provincial administration was committed to stopping both legal and illegal logging activities in Aceh.

"Logging is not the only way to feed the 4.2 million people of Aceh," Irwandi said.

Irwandi had on various occasions repeatedly stated that the natural disasters that had hit Aceh many times in the recent past, especially the recent massive flash floods that swept through seven districts in January, were the result of uncontrolled logging.

Therefore, he pledged the provincial government would take serious action against whoever was engaged in illegal logging.

According to Irwandi, forest resources in Aceh, including Leuser National Park that covers the districts of Bener Meriah, Aceh Tengah, Aceh Tenggara, Gayo Lues, and Aceh Selatan, should be protected and preserved for the welfare of the Acehnese people.

He said the way to improve the local people`s economy was developing the potentials of the province`s natural resources.

Therefore, the governor called on the new Bener Meriah district head and deputy district head to invite investors to develop plantations, agriculture and tourism in the district.

Irwandi also expressed hope that Tagore and Sirwandi would be able to preserve and protect the forests in Bener Meriah from illegal loggers because they were part of Leuser National Park.

ASEAN agrees to Indonesian haze action plan

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to adopt Indonesia's plan to fight haze during its environmental ministerial meeting in Brunei Darussalam last week, an Indonesian minister said.

State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said that ASEAN had agreed that Indonesia's proposed action plan would be applied to the region's efforts to fight haze.

"ASEAN has accepted our plan of action, and each ASEAN country will assess what it can do to help us fight and prevent the haze," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

ASEAN environment ministers gathered in Brunei last Friday last week to formulate an action plan to combat the annual choking haze largely blamed on forest fires set in Indonesia to clear land for crops and palm oil plantations.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resource Conservation and Environmental Control Masnellyarti Hilman said that using Indonesia's action plan as an example, each ASEAN country would draft its own proposal that would be absorbed into a regional action plan.

"It is because most ASEAN countries have their own forest fires that contribute to the haze," she said.

Masnellyarti added that several ASEAN members had individually chosen a province in Indonesia to help directly, and what kind of assistance they would provide.

"For instance, Singapore has already committed itself to help fighting haze in Jambi. It could be in the form of financial aid, equipment or technical assistance. Malaysia has said that it would help after learning from Singapore's experience," she said.

Indonesia recently presented its detailed plan of action to fight haze to ASEAN. Driven by forecasts that this year's dry season will be longer because of the El Ni¤o weather pattern, the central government and local administration have come up with a massive program, and allocated some Rp 602 billion to prevent haze.

Rachmat said that the money will be spent on an education campaign to get people to abandon slash-and-burn cultivation, enhancing law enforcement and managing peatland areas.

"We have to change the way people at the local level open up land. They have to stop the slash-and-burn method. We will give (people) equipment to cut down trees and bushes as well as chemicals to create natural fertilizer out of the waste," Rachmat said.

He added that the funds were raised from state budgets through several ministries and local governments, as well donor countries, including from within the ASEAN.

As part of the effort, the Forestry Ministry has also organized groups of farmers into fire-fighting teams and provided them with equipment to prevent and extinguish fires.

At the industrial level, Rachmat said that the government would not hesitate to punish plantation companies that used slash-and-burn methods.

Central and local governments will conduct checks on companies to see if they have the required equipment and facilities to prevent and put out fires.

To help with enforcing the law, people from local universities will be trained to recognize when a company is violating the law.

Local governments and several ministries are expected to monitor remote areas.

On peatland management, Rachmat said the government was preparing special regulations to deal with 1.3 million hectares of peatland in Kalimantan.

Indonesia on the edge of an ecological disaster, says Walhi

The Indonesian ecosystem is at stake, with both the country's land and sea resources being dangerously exploited for business purposes, threatening all efforts to preserve them for future generations. Chalid Muhammad, national executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), recently spoke with The Jakarta Post's Agustina Wayansari about the issue.

Question: How would you portray environmental conditions in Indonesia? Answer: We are at the edge of ecological disaster because rapid environmental destruction is occurring everywhere in the country. Our forests have been exploited through destructive logging, industrial timber plantations and massive conversion of forest land into palm oil plantations, as well as through massive coal mining exploration. In coastal areas, the land has been converted into fishponds and shopping centers. Most of the rivers in places like Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Nusa Tenggara are in very critical condition, with a high level of pollution and decreasing volume of water because of the exploitation of water catchment areas.

Our sea is also facing a huge threat, with only 6 percent of the country's total of 60,000 square kilometers of coral reef in good condition. While only 30 percent of mangrove forests are in good condition. Coastal erosion, which is occurring in more than 60 locations throughout 17 provinces in Indonesia, is also a big problem.

Is it the legal system or the law enforcement that is contributing to the environmental destruction in Indonesia?

I believe that the current exploitative policy has contributed to the damage. We also haven't seen any political will from the government, especially from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to enforce environmental restoration programs, which I believe can reduce the number of ecological disasters in the country. In 2006, we had 135 ecological disasters such as flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes, forest fires and harvest failures. The disasters have taken more than 10,000 lives, and left more than one million people homeless. The total loss reaches tens or even hundreds of trillions rupiah.

Our law enforcement is also very weak. The authorities still haven't charged any of the key people in the top management levels of offending companies or organizations, but are just targeting the operational level. Even worse, courts have set illegal loggers free in more than 70 percent of total cases.

I think the government needs to carry out fundamental corrections in its forestry policy in order to eradicate illegal logging. Currently, there is a huge gap between supply and demand. While our forest capacity to supply industrial needs is very limited, there is a high demand from the industry. Illegal loggers will exploit the weak legal system and court mafia in order to take the opportunity to supply industrial needs.

In this situation, the government needs to reduce demand and restructure the forestry sector. It should start with recalculating the total real need for wood in the country. Then stop exporting wood. Our domestic needs should be fulfilled from the remaining industrial plantations, and from imports if needed. Then carry out a logging moratorium in the forests for about 15-20 years. A moratorium would allow the forests a chance to grow back. I understand it would be a shock at first, but learning from China's experience, the shock will not last long. The moratorium would bring many benefits in the long run, including reducing the number of ecological disasters and the amount of state budget needed to overcome the disasters.

How about the involvement of the authorities in illegal logging? In some places, illegal loggers are those holding political authority and power, including the state apparatus and military officers. Political pressure sometimes occurs during the process, making it hard for law enforcers to eradicate these practices.

Is it possible to apply a moratorium here? How about its economic impact?

I believe there won't be any major impact if the government has an integrated plan. If the domestic supply isn't enough for the forestry industry, many companies will be closed down and their employees will lose their jobs. But jobs can then be allocated in ecological restoration projects, which I think will need many people.

The budget should not be a problem as currently we have trillions of rupiah for reforestation programs.

How much forest area do we still have? How much of it is damaged?

I couldn't say exactly. But the most important thing is that the level of forest destruction in this country has reached 3.4 million hectares per year since 2002. This year, it is predicted to decrease to 2.8 million hectares. It's not because the awareness among government officials or illegal loggers is improving, but simply because the forest area we still have is decreasing.

Illegal logging has cost the country around Rp 60 trillion, which does not include illegal fishing and illegal mining. That figure is far higher than our state budget.

Why do you think it is hard for the government to settle the environmental problems?

It is hard to answer this question. My hypothesis is that if the government imposes a breakthrough policy, it will have to deal with a "political power base" that has made natural resources their major source of income, either through their companies or "fees" they get from companies.

Also, industrialized countries have major control over Indonesia because many multinational corporations and transnational companies come from these countries depend on Indonesia's natural resources.

Government officials also lack awareness of environmental issues.

Could you explain the potential of our marine resources? What has the government done to manage the marine potential, or to prevent pollution?

So far, we have benefited from 60 percent of our fishery potential. Our sea is the center for the world's biodiversity, with more than 30 percent of the total mangrove and coal reefs existing here. Most of them are in very critical condition though and we have more than five million people living in poverty in coastal areas. Our sea is currently threatened by waste from industrial pollution, as mining companies seem to target the sea to dispose their waste.

We have seen the conversion of coastal areas into fish hatcheries, mostly owned by big companies, which have the potential to destroy the environment and raise conflicts among the people. We are also facing destructive fishing practices, some of which are believed to have backing from political authorities at both the local and national levels. Yet, we still have a chance if the government takes immediate action and enforces the law. And we are pleased that finally the government has banned the export of sand to Singapore.

The environment is also a global problem. How do you see the international role in Indonesia's case?

Indonesia has contributed a lot to carbon emission pollution in the world, particularly from forest fires. ASEAN countries have complained about the forest fires, but many of them are not fair to Indonesia. Malaysia and Singapore, for example, protest a lot about forest fires, but they say nothing when several islands in Indonesia sink due to the exporting of the sand to Singapore.

I think Indonesia should improve its foreign diplomacy to enforce an agreement on environmental issues. Indonesia, indeed, needs to fix something internally, but those countries benefiting from Indonesia's resources should also take part, such as by refusing to benefit from Indonesia's environmental destruction. Like Malaysia, some of the wood they get from Indonesia is the result of illegal logging, which also contributes to forest fires.

Tiger and orangutan babies, enemies in jungle, playmates at Indonesia zoo

Niniek Karmini. Canadian Press

Saturday, March 03, 2007

CISARUA, Indonesia (AP) - Call them the odd couples.

A pair of month-old Sumatran tigers has become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rain forests.

The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma and cubs Dema and Manis has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo, where they share a room in the nursery.

After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddle up for a shared nap when they are worn out.

"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," zoo keeper Sri Suwarni said Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play."

The four have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said.

The exceptional friendship will likely be short lived, because as the animals grow up their natural survival instincts will kick in, veterinarian Retno Sudarwati said.

"When the time comes, they will have to be separated," she said. "It's sad, but we can't change their natural behaviour. Tigers start eating meat when they are three months old."

Sumatran tigers and orangutans are endangered species, threatened by rapidly shrinking habitats.

Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 700 Sumatran tigers still alive, while fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild.

Around 90 per cent of their jungle habitat has been destroyed by illegal logging, poaching and cut-and-burn farming practices on Borneo and Sumatra islands, conservationists estimate.

Powerful Quake Hits Indonesia, No Tsunami Reported

March 4, 2007 7:38 a.m. EST

Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Correspondent

Jakarta, Indonesia (AHN) - A powerful undersea earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude on the Rossi-Forrel scale struck Moluccas Island in Indonesia on Saturday. Authorities said they had not received any reports of casualties or damage to properties.

Indonesia's meteorological agency said the epicenter of the quake was located 72 miles southwest of Ternate at a depth of 29 miles. The tremor was recorded at 2008 GMT, the agency said.

The quake was felt strongly in Ternate and Labuha a few miles from the south. The agency dismissed any danger a tsunami might be triggered by the tremor.

Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes caused by frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet.

In December 2004, over 168,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province were killed in the worst earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami.

27 killed, 65 missing in East Nusa Tenggara's landslide

JAKARTA (Antara) : At least 27 people were killed and 65 others went missing when a landslide occurred in Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara provinces, an official says.

Head of Health Ministry's Crisis Center Rustam S Pakaya said that the missing people may be buried under the landslide in Riung village, Cibal district.

"Today, we send our staffs to help the victims," he was quoted as saying Saturday.

Previously, Antara news agency reported from East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang that the incident in Manggarai killed at least 34, buried 12 others.

The incident, sparked by heavy rains pouring the region since Thursday, buried at least 11 houses in Riung village, Cibal district.

Confirming the incident, provincial Governor Piet Alexander Tallo said that rescuers were still digging other bodies, who were still buried by the landslide.

Manggarai Regent Christian Rotok also reported other landslides in a number of villages including Goreng Medi, Tengku Leda, Poco Ranaka, Compang Wuvis, Buar and Dimpong.

Researchers discover 20 new shark, ray species in Indonesia

The Jakarta Post

BANGKOK (AP): Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia during a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said Wednesday.

The survey by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, or CSIRO, represents the first in-depth look at Indonesia's sharks and rays since Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker described more than 1,100 fish species from 1842-1860.

Researchers said six of their discoveries have been described in peer review journals, including the Bali Catshark and Jimbaran Shovelnose Ray, found only in Bali, and the Hortle's Whipray, found only in West Papua.

Papers on the remaining 14 are being prepared.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world, with reported landings of more than 100,000 tons a year," said William White, a co-author of the study. "Before this survey, however, there were vast gaps in our knowledge of sharks and rays in this region."

Based on the survey's findings, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has published a 330-page, full-color, field guide titled: "Economically Important Sharks and Rays of Indonesia."

From 2001 to 2006, researchers photographed and sampled more than 130 species on 22 survey trips to 11 ports across Indonesia.

More than 800 specimens were lodged in reference collections at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense at Cibinong, Java, and the Australian National Fish Collection at Hobart.

The survey was part of a broader project working toward improved management of sharks and rays in Indonesia and Australia, researchers said.

"Good taxonomic information is critical to managing shark and ray species, which reproduce relatively slowly and are extremely vulnerable to overfishing," White said in a statement. "It provides the foundation for estimating population sizes, assessing the effects of fishing and developing plans for fisheries management and conservation."

Dozens of wild elephants destroy 30 huts in plantation areas

JAMBI, Jambi Province (Antara) : Dozens of wild elephants recently destroyed at least 30 huts and agricultural fields in a village near Sumatran jungle, Jambi province, official says.

Spokesman of Kerinci regental administration Amirsyam said Tuesday the incident occurred in Sipurak village, Batang Merangin district, near the Kerinci Seblat National Park, some 380 kilometers away from Jambi city.

He did not mention the exact date of the incident, which was believed caused by the narrowing habitats of the wild animals in the area due to continuing conversions of forest lands into housings, plantations and agricultural fields.

Residents living near Sumatran jungles were often bothered by the coming of wild animals like elephants and tigers, which killed a number of villagers as well as their livestock.

Amirsyam said there was no casualty in the last incident, but it sparked anger of villagers, who expressed their wish to hunt those wild animals.

RI, Netherlands conduct joint research on 'Solanaceae'

BOGOR, W Java (Antara): Indonesia and the Netherlands will continue a joint research to develop the family of egg-plant locally known as Solanaceae (Indosol), a spokesperson of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) said on Thursday.

"The research will last until 2011," said Henny Windarti, quoting the coordinator of the Indosol Program from Wageningen University and Research Centre, Prof. Richard Visser, who visited the IPB campus two weeks ago.

The family of solanaceae, mainly tomato, was chosen out of some families proposed as the main focus of the joint research, she said.

She added the family of solanaceae was also one of the high-valued agricultural produces in the two countries.