Baby 'confiscation' case resolved
It was the happy ending that the poor couple, Yetriyana Lopes, 28, and Mulyono, 29, had hoped for.
Their four-month-old baby, Raditya Mulyana, has finally been returned to their arms after being "confiscated" by their midwife, Kurnianingsih, who kept the baby in her clinic when Mulyono could not afford the cost of delivery.
"I'm just so happy to see my Raditya again. I was worried he was gone forever, but now he's back with us and his twin brother," Yetriyana said, smiling as she breastfeed him while her husband carried Aditya, the twin brother, in his arms.
In the final chapter of the saga, Kurnianingsih returned the baby to their parents after the couple reported her to the police, accusing her of child trafficking.
This resolution was facilitated by the Bali Legal Aid and Human Rights Foundation (PBHI), who represented Mulyono and Yetriyana, and Kurnianingsih's lawyer, Made Suardana.
Kurnianingsih handed the baby to the couple herself at the PBHI office in Renon, Denpasar on Tuesday as both parties agreed not to pursue legal action any further.
"I'm happy as long as I have my son back," Mulyono said.
It was only a few days ago that Mulyono decided to report Kurnianingsih to the police for child trafficking, an offense which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and Rp 60 million ($US5600) in fines.
Mulyono alleged that Kurnianingsih "confiscated" one of his newborn twins by forcing him to sign an agreement to hand his baby over to Kurnianingsih in order to erase the Rp 6 million delivery bill debt.
Kurnianingsih vehemently denied Mulyono's accusations, saying she charged him only Rp 2.5 million, which he failed to pay, and that Mulyono himself offered the baby in exchange for the erasure of the debt.
On Tuesday, the midwife declined to give a statement, directing reporters to her lawyer, who said that Kurnianingsih harbored no ill will towards her patient and that the agreement was made to resolve the monetary situation.
"This is all basically a misunderstanding. My client had no intention of stealing the boy. In fact she has the best of intentions and planned to take good care of him because his parents had said they could not afford to take care of the baby themselves," he said.
The misunderstanding, Suardana said escalated when an employee of Kurnianingsih's clinic made the false allegation that Raditya had been given to a family in Yogyakarta, Java.
"In fact he was being taken care of by our client. The employee said he was taken to Yogya because that person did not want the parents to go looking for him," he said.
Suardana said Kurnianingsih had planned to legally adopt Raditya at the Denpasar District Court, but canceled her plan when Mulyono complained to the police and the PBHI.
Ni Nyoman Sri Widhiyanti, head of PBHI and Mulyono's legal representative, said the deal was the best result possible.
"We have looked at this case from a humanitarian angle since the beginning. It's all about what's best for the boy and that is to return him to his parents," she said.
Widhiyanti further blamed the case on the poor understanding of child protection laws, which cover adoption.
"Many people in society remain oblivious to proper child adoption procedures and end up getting tangled in a legal mess," she said.
In a separate interview, deputy chief of the Bali Child Protection Commission, Luh Anggraeni, agreed to the need for more education on child protection laws, admitting that Kurnianingsih's methods may be commonly used by child traffickers.
"So far there has been a lot of education done on child trafficking, but people's awareness remains low. Balinese people are still oblivious to cases such as (Raditya's)," she said.
"Midwifes must also be educated more intensively. There could be more of these informal adoptions going on without people knowing that it's illegal."
Ni Komang Erviani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Thu, 01/08/2009 10:37 AM | Bali
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wireless Internet heats up in public places
Wireless Internet heats up in public places
Bali is fast becoming a wireless internet haven with the number of hotspots increasing significantly in recent years to meet the rising demand of tourists.
The sight of people sipping coffee, having their lunch and surfing the internet at the same time has became common in Denpasar and major tourist destinations such as Ubud and Kuta.
Internet cafes, where public computers are available at a fixed rate, are becoming old hat, as an increasing number of cafes and restaurants install Wi-Fi or WLAN connections, enabling users to enjoy wireless internet access using their own personal laptops, PDAs or smartphones.
Use of the internet in Bali has increased in recent years as new technologies make it easier to stay online anywhere, anytime.
"Since we lowered our prices a year ago, customers using the Speedy dedicated line have risen from 5,000 in 2007 to 14,000 in 2008," I Ketut Purwa, public relations secretary of the Bali branch of Telkom Indonesia said.
As many as 206 of the new customers have added wireless connections to their lines, mostly in public places such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and malls.
The telecommunication company has also installed Wi-Fi hotspots at Udayana University, the Bajra Sandi monument in Renon, a public park in Denpasar, Ngurah Rai international airport and along a 2 kilometer stretch of Kuta Beach.
"We are seeing a huge trend in the use of wireless internet, especially in Denpasar, as people want to be more flexible with the use of the internet," Purwa said.
Similar trends are being seen in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak.
In order to get online, hotspot users obtain a username and password by purchasing a prepaid hot spot card, which enables connection for between 30 minutes and four hours.
Another internet service provider, Global Xtreme, is experiencing a similar upsurge. Since its launch three years ago, 600 customers have subscribed to the service.
"Most of our customers are villa owners. But currently more and more providers are appearing on the market which makes it hard to expand," Dia Ayu Widiastuti, head of Global Xtreme's customer service, said.
In the Kuta area its almost become essential for tourism establishments to provide patrons with wireless internet access; it is certainly a wise business decision.
"Since we installed the hotspot a few months ago, we have observed a huge rise in customers, and of course revenue, all day long, although we don't charge for use of the Wi-Fi," Agung Mahendra Wijaya, a staffer at the Bestest Caf* in Seminyak, said.
One of the first cafes on the island to offer the service, caf* Seminyak, in front of the Bintang supermarket, has demanding clientele as well.
"People drinking coffee want to make use of good, working, fast internet to email to their relatives or do business," Henny Zaffini, owner of the caf*, said.
At Warung Kopi Renon, Denpasar, the first hour is free when having a meal, the second hour costs Rp 4,000.
"I prefer to go out of the house to surf the internet, I come to this place every time I have a day off and go on working a little but I also do private stuff on my laptop while having drinks and food," Bonaventura Fajar Putranto, a patron of the caf* said.
Telkom Indonesia has planned to extend the number of hotspots to 300 this year and is currently developing a new product that will enable customers to use Speedy wireless internet without having to install a dedicated phone line first.
Claudia Sardi , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Thu, 01/08/2009 10:37 AM | Bali
Bali is fast becoming a wireless internet haven with the number of hotspots increasing significantly in recent years to meet the rising demand of tourists.
The sight of people sipping coffee, having their lunch and surfing the internet at the same time has became common in Denpasar and major tourist destinations such as Ubud and Kuta.
Internet cafes, where public computers are available at a fixed rate, are becoming old hat, as an increasing number of cafes and restaurants install Wi-Fi or WLAN connections, enabling users to enjoy wireless internet access using their own personal laptops, PDAs or smartphones.
Use of the internet in Bali has increased in recent years as new technologies make it easier to stay online anywhere, anytime.
"Since we lowered our prices a year ago, customers using the Speedy dedicated line have risen from 5,000 in 2007 to 14,000 in 2008," I Ketut Purwa, public relations secretary of the Bali branch of Telkom Indonesia said.
As many as 206 of the new customers have added wireless connections to their lines, mostly in public places such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and malls.
The telecommunication company has also installed Wi-Fi hotspots at Udayana University, the Bajra Sandi monument in Renon, a public park in Denpasar, Ngurah Rai international airport and along a 2 kilometer stretch of Kuta Beach.
"We are seeing a huge trend in the use of wireless internet, especially in Denpasar, as people want to be more flexible with the use of the internet," Purwa said.
Similar trends are being seen in Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak.
In order to get online, hotspot users obtain a username and password by purchasing a prepaid hot spot card, which enables connection for between 30 minutes and four hours.
Another internet service provider, Global Xtreme, is experiencing a similar upsurge. Since its launch three years ago, 600 customers have subscribed to the service.
"Most of our customers are villa owners. But currently more and more providers are appearing on the market which makes it hard to expand," Dia Ayu Widiastuti, head of Global Xtreme's customer service, said.
In the Kuta area its almost become essential for tourism establishments to provide patrons with wireless internet access; it is certainly a wise business decision.
"Since we installed the hotspot a few months ago, we have observed a huge rise in customers, and of course revenue, all day long, although we don't charge for use of the Wi-Fi," Agung Mahendra Wijaya, a staffer at the Bestest Caf* in Seminyak, said.
One of the first cafes on the island to offer the service, caf* Seminyak, in front of the Bintang supermarket, has demanding clientele as well.
"People drinking coffee want to make use of good, working, fast internet to email to their relatives or do business," Henny Zaffini, owner of the caf*, said.
At Warung Kopi Renon, Denpasar, the first hour is free when having a meal, the second hour costs Rp 4,000.
"I prefer to go out of the house to surf the internet, I come to this place every time I have a day off and go on working a little but I also do private stuff on my laptop while having drinks and food," Bonaventura Fajar Putranto, a patron of the caf* said.
Telkom Indonesia has planned to extend the number of hotspots to 300 this year and is currently developing a new product that will enable customers to use Speedy wireless internet without having to install a dedicated phone line first.
Claudia Sardi , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Thu, 01/08/2009 10:37 AM | Bali
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Religious ceremony could reduce poll turnout
Religious ceremony could reduce poll turnout
Election officials in Denpasar are scrambling for solutions to encourage voter turnout for the April 9 election, which coincides with a major Hindu ritual.
On April 9, Balinese Hindus will organize the Panca Wali Krama, a large, island-wide sacrificial ritual. The main ritual will be held at Besakih Mother Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Bali.
Panca Wali Krama is celebrated every 10 years.
Officials are keeping their expectations low for voter turnout, which some fear could hit an all time low, but discussions are ongoing as to how they can encourage voting without inconveniencing adherents.
I Ketut Sukawati Lanang Perbawa, head of the Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD), said officials were considering erecting a polling station at Pura Besakih temple, which is located on the slopes of Mt. Agung in Karangasem regency.
However, the move would be bound to attract criticism as Balinese have been traditionally opposed to opening their temples to nonreligious activities.
Besakih, which comprises 19 major temples and dozens of smaller ones, is a massively sprawling complex, and it would be difficult for the KPUD to redirect all adherents to one location on the day.
Perbawa said that despite the potential for problems, erecting a polling station at the temple was the only credible solution as such a large number of eligible voters would be on the scene that day.
"If we fail to build a voting booth there, then the turn-out could be amazingly low," he said.
However, he said it would be difficult for election supervisors to remain alert to possible vote-rigging given that the polling station would receive more than the maximum number of voters stipulated under elections rules.
"To make this work, we would have to really work extra hard to supervise the counting during the voting process," he said, adding that there were no regulations forbidding a polling station from being erected at a temple.
"Still, we'll ask the General Elections Commission if that is possible," Perbawa said Tuesday.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said he was behind the move to erect the poll station at the temple, but added he was not sure whether the station should be erected inside or just outside of the Besakih complex.
He said he had asked the Bali KPUD to pay serious attention to the threat of a low voter turnout out on April 9.
"I hope there will be an extra voting booth dedicated to those who will be praying at Besakih," he said.
A total of 4,924 legislative candidates from 36 political parties will contest the coming elections and up to 30 candidates will vie for seats at the Regional Representative Council. Bali is home to more than 2 million eligible voters.
The elections campaign season runs from March 16 to April 5.
Ni Komang Erviani, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:19 AM | Bali
Election officials in Denpasar are scrambling for solutions to encourage voter turnout for the April 9 election, which coincides with a major Hindu ritual.
On April 9, Balinese Hindus will organize the Panca Wali Krama, a large, island-wide sacrificial ritual. The main ritual will be held at Besakih Mother Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Bali.
Panca Wali Krama is celebrated every 10 years.
Officials are keeping their expectations low for voter turnout, which some fear could hit an all time low, but discussions are ongoing as to how they can encourage voting without inconveniencing adherents.
I Ketut Sukawati Lanang Perbawa, head of the Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD), said officials were considering erecting a polling station at Pura Besakih temple, which is located on the slopes of Mt. Agung in Karangasem regency.
However, the move would be bound to attract criticism as Balinese have been traditionally opposed to opening their temples to nonreligious activities.
Besakih, which comprises 19 major temples and dozens of smaller ones, is a massively sprawling complex, and it would be difficult for the KPUD to redirect all adherents to one location on the day.
Perbawa said that despite the potential for problems, erecting a polling station at the temple was the only credible solution as such a large number of eligible voters would be on the scene that day.
"If we fail to build a voting booth there, then the turn-out could be amazingly low," he said.
However, he said it would be difficult for election supervisors to remain alert to possible vote-rigging given that the polling station would receive more than the maximum number of voters stipulated under elections rules.
"To make this work, we would have to really work extra hard to supervise the counting during the voting process," he said, adding that there were no regulations forbidding a polling station from being erected at a temple.
"Still, we'll ask the General Elections Commission if that is possible," Perbawa said Tuesday.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said he was behind the move to erect the poll station at the temple, but added he was not sure whether the station should be erected inside or just outside of the Besakih complex.
He said he had asked the Bali KPUD to pay serious attention to the threat of a low voter turnout out on April 9.
"I hope there will be an extra voting booth dedicated to those who will be praying at Besakih," he said.
A total of 4,924 legislative candidates from 36 political parties will contest the coming elections and up to 30 candidates will vie for seats at the Regional Representative Council. Bali is home to more than 2 million eligible voters.
The elections campaign season runs from March 16 to April 5.
Ni Komang Erviani, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:19 AM | Bali
Old Islamic ritual held in Bali
Old Islamic ritual held in Bali
Emansyur, 68, stood near the entrance of the Assyuhada Mosque, the only one in the Bugis village of the Serangan sub-district, in the late afternoon on Tuesday.
In front of him, a number of people laid down a brown box on a short table. From within he pulled out a dilapidated Koran, its pages jutting out. A relic from the 17th century, according to a scholar from Udayana University, he said, the same age as the mosque he was standing in.
Emansyur, along with dozens of other villagers, was about to do the Magalici Koran (Buginese, which literally translates as "carrying the Koran around") ritual, during which they parade the Koran around the village while chanting prayers, stopping at the four corners of the village to sound the call for prayer, or Adzan.
"The point of this ritual is to protect this village from any harm, because I remember when this village stopped performing this ritual a number of decades ago, a smallpox plague fell upon us, killing people and destroying lives," Emansyur said Tuesday.
"But since we began doing the ritual again, no harm has befallen this village. In fact, it has prospered."
There are no records of such an outbreak in the Bugis village, but in Bali, where ancient Indonesian mystical roots have a firm grasp, age-old Islamic beliefs, rituals and artifacts, it seems, maintain a place in the hearts and minds of Muslims.
Emansyur began to call on all the villagers using a megaphone, asking them to join him in carrying the Koran around the village.
Men and their children joined, chanting prayers together as women and Hindus, who were obviously familiar with the annual ritual, watched from their homes.
The Magalici Koran is celebrated every Muharram 9 on the Islamic calendar, the day before Shia and Sunni Muslims recognized the death of Muhammad's grandson, Husain Bin Ali, during the war of Karbala in 680 A.D.
Also known as the day of Asyura, it is celebrated in Shia dominated countries as a day of mourning. In Iran, it is notably celebrated with a parade of self-flagellating Muslims.
The carrying of the Koran is unique to this Bugis village, a small hamlet within the Serangan island that is dominated by Muslims of the Bugis ethnicity, one of the largest ethnic groups of South Sulawesi.
Emansyur himself was born in Bali, and could not recall when his ancestors first immigrated to Bali, nor could he recall when the 17th century Koran was brought over.
However, he is one of the few elders in the village who continues to preserve the ritual.
"This Koran is very important to us, and we've learned that it is important to continue performing our ancestors' ritual," Emansyur said.
That feeling has seemed to pass on, Loh Ali, 32, another native of Bugis village, said.
"I've been doing this since I was born. Whenever we have the Magalici Koran I join because I believe that it is important to maintain peace," he said.
But the age of modernity and progress has forced even this small hamlet to change its age-old rituals.
The entourage walked around the village three times, stopping four times on the village's corners to sound the Adzan on each lap, a change from about 30 years ago, Loh Ali said, when the entourage would walk around the village while carrying the Koran once a day for three days.
"It was changed because, apparently, they felt like people were too busy to spend three days for a religious ritual," he said.
The surrounding villages in Serangan have asked Emansyur, who is a noted elder in the village, to expand the ritual to surround the island.
When asked whether the request was made to make the island more attractive to tourists, Emansyur said that, "it probably just means they approve of our ritual."
Andra Wisnu, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:18 AM | Bali
Emansyur, 68, stood near the entrance of the Assyuhada Mosque, the only one in the Bugis village of the Serangan sub-district, in the late afternoon on Tuesday.
In front of him, a number of people laid down a brown box on a short table. From within he pulled out a dilapidated Koran, its pages jutting out. A relic from the 17th century, according to a scholar from Udayana University, he said, the same age as the mosque he was standing in.
Emansyur, along with dozens of other villagers, was about to do the Magalici Koran (Buginese, which literally translates as "carrying the Koran around") ritual, during which they parade the Koran around the village while chanting prayers, stopping at the four corners of the village to sound the call for prayer, or Adzan.
"The point of this ritual is to protect this village from any harm, because I remember when this village stopped performing this ritual a number of decades ago, a smallpox plague fell upon us, killing people and destroying lives," Emansyur said Tuesday.
"But since we began doing the ritual again, no harm has befallen this village. In fact, it has prospered."
There are no records of such an outbreak in the Bugis village, but in Bali, where ancient Indonesian mystical roots have a firm grasp, age-old Islamic beliefs, rituals and artifacts, it seems, maintain a place in the hearts and minds of Muslims.
Emansyur began to call on all the villagers using a megaphone, asking them to join him in carrying the Koran around the village.
Men and their children joined, chanting prayers together as women and Hindus, who were obviously familiar with the annual ritual, watched from their homes.
The Magalici Koran is celebrated every Muharram 9 on the Islamic calendar, the day before Shia and Sunni Muslims recognized the death of Muhammad's grandson, Husain Bin Ali, during the war of Karbala in 680 A.D.
Also known as the day of Asyura, it is celebrated in Shia dominated countries as a day of mourning. In Iran, it is notably celebrated with a parade of self-flagellating Muslims.
The carrying of the Koran is unique to this Bugis village, a small hamlet within the Serangan island that is dominated by Muslims of the Bugis ethnicity, one of the largest ethnic groups of South Sulawesi.
Emansyur himself was born in Bali, and could not recall when his ancestors first immigrated to Bali, nor could he recall when the 17th century Koran was brought over.
However, he is one of the few elders in the village who continues to preserve the ritual.
"This Koran is very important to us, and we've learned that it is important to continue performing our ancestors' ritual," Emansyur said.
That feeling has seemed to pass on, Loh Ali, 32, another native of Bugis village, said.
"I've been doing this since I was born. Whenever we have the Magalici Koran I join because I believe that it is important to maintain peace," he said.
But the age of modernity and progress has forced even this small hamlet to change its age-old rituals.
The entourage walked around the village three times, stopping four times on the village's corners to sound the Adzan on each lap, a change from about 30 years ago, Loh Ali said, when the entourage would walk around the village while carrying the Koran once a day for three days.
"It was changed because, apparently, they felt like people were too busy to spend three days for a religious ritual," he said.
The surrounding villages in Serangan have asked Emansyur, who is a noted elder in the village, to expand the ritual to surround the island.
When asked whether the request was made to make the island more attractive to tourists, Emansyur said that, "it probably just means they approve of our ritual."
Andra Wisnu, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:18 AM | Bali
Bali launches free health campaign
Bali launches free health campaign
The Bali administration launched Tuesday a free health service campaign targeting villages in seven of the province's eight regencies and the municipality of Denpasar.
The island's westernmost regency, Jembrana, declined to participate in the campaign, claiming it has carried out a similar program for years.
On the first day of the campaign, physicians, dentists, internists and health workers conducted free medical examinations and dispensed medication in Pegayaman village (Buleleng), Pemecutan (Denpasar), Bona (Gianyar), Pecatu( Badung), Nongan (Karangasem), Tamanbali (Bangli), Sudimara (Tabanan) and Gelgel (Klungkung).
"In 2009, the campaign will target a total of 500 villages and comprise of 6,000 free medical examinations and medication events," Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said.
"We hope this campaign will improve the health status of village residents across the island," he added.
The administration financed the campaign by allocating special funds from the province's annual budget.
Jembrana regency has for several years offered free health care through the community health insurance program.
Mangku Pastika praised the regency's initiative and urged others to follow suit and thus lighten the burden on the provincial administration's public health sector.
"The campaign will target 36 villages in Jembrana. Yet, since the regency refused to participate, we will distribute these slots among the eight other regencies and Denpasar," Pastika said.
Komorang Candra Dewi, a resident of Denpasar, welcomed the campaign, calling it a good initiative. However, he reminded the administration to ensure that health services provided during the campaign were of a high quality.
Pastika stressed that the campaign would be carried out on a regular basis since improving public health services was one of his main priorities.
A similar campaign will be carried out in 2009 with 4,000 events.
Ni Komang Erviani, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:18 AM | Bali
Serangan-Gili shipwreck cuts Trawangan transport route
Serangan-Gili shipwreck cuts Trawangan transport route
Tourists wishing to travel by boat from Serangan Island, Bali, to Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, will have to wait for a replacement vessel because Lian Sengigi, the only boat plying the route, sank Friday with 40 tourists onboard.
No one died in the accident.
Aria, an administration officer at PT Tajri Samudra, the owner of the sunken vessel, said the management was preparing another boat to serve the route, but refused to give a time for when the route would be reopened.
"We have the replacement boat here in Bali but we are still waiting for the engines. The boat will use three engines," she said Tuesday.
"We are very sorry we can not serve the route for the time being."
The boat sank with 40 tourists onboard, most of them foreign nationals, and four crew members, on a return trip to Serangan Island after being battered by large waves.
There were no casualties in the incident because the crew were quick to deploy two life rafts, a maritime police officer said.
With the help of the rafts, the tourists swam to Jumpai Beach in Klungkung, some 500 meters away from where the boat sunk, where they were picked up by local fishermen.
Police declared the incident an accident.
People seeking passage from Bali to Lombok can take the Blue Water Express boats, which departs from Bali International Marina in Benoa Harbor, Denpasar, and stops off at all three Gili islands.
They can also take the Gili Cat or the Eka Jaya boats, which serve the Bali-Gili Trawangan route from Padang Bai Harbor in Karangasem regency, some 70 kilometers east of Denpasar.
Indah Setiawati, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:18 AM | Bali
Tourists wishing to travel by boat from Serangan Island, Bali, to Gili Trawangan, West Nusa Tenggara, will have to wait for a replacement vessel because Lian Sengigi, the only boat plying the route, sank Friday with 40 tourists onboard.
No one died in the accident.
Aria, an administration officer at PT Tajri Samudra, the owner of the sunken vessel, said the management was preparing another boat to serve the route, but refused to give a time for when the route would be reopened.
"We have the replacement boat here in Bali but we are still waiting for the engines. The boat will use three engines," she said Tuesday.
"We are very sorry we can not serve the route for the time being."
The boat sank with 40 tourists onboard, most of them foreign nationals, and four crew members, on a return trip to Serangan Island after being battered by large waves.
There were no casualties in the incident because the crew were quick to deploy two life rafts, a maritime police officer said.
With the help of the rafts, the tourists swam to Jumpai Beach in Klungkung, some 500 meters away from where the boat sunk, where they were picked up by local fishermen.
Police declared the incident an accident.
People seeking passage from Bali to Lombok can take the Blue Water Express boats, which departs from Bali International Marina in Benoa Harbor, Denpasar, and stops off at all three Gili islands.
They can also take the Gili Cat or the Eka Jaya boats, which serve the Bali-Gili Trawangan route from Padang Bai Harbor in Karangasem regency, some 70 kilometers east of Denpasar.
Indah Setiawati, , The Jakarta Post, , Denpasar | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:18 AM | Bali
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Bali secures $65 million for sewerage project
Bali secures $65 million for sewerage project
The Denpasar Sewerage Development Project (DSDP) task force has secured US$65 million (Rp 698.9 billion) in soft loans from the Japanese government and has begun planning phase two of the DSDP, an official says.
I Wayan Budiarsa, head of the DSDP task force, said the project would begin sometime in mid-2009, or in the fourth quarter at the latest.
"We have confirmed that we will get the funds so now we can concentrate on working on the second phase of the DSDP," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
The DSDP will see the construction of massive sewerage treatment infrastructure to cover Bali's capital of Denpasar and its tourist-heavy southern areas including Kuta and Seminyak by 2014.
The DSDP is a three-phase project, the first of which officially ended with the inauguration of Indonesia's largest sewerage processing unit in the Suwung sub-district in June 2008.
The Suwung unit can process up to 51,000 cubic meters of waste per day, but currently works at 60 percent capacity.
Costing a total Rp 600 billion (then US$64.5 million), the first phase was funded by the Central Government, the Bali provincial Administration, the Denpasar City Administration and loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBC).
The JBIC will fully fund the second phase of the project, which will expand the treatment facility to cover eastern Denpasar all the way to the Sanur area and will further including several areas in Central and Northern Denpasar, Budiarsa said.
He added that the 130 kilometers of piping built during the first phase covered 9,000 homes and that the next phase would increase the number of pipe-home-connections by 8,000.
Meanwhile, the DSDP task force, the Denpasar Municipal Legislative Council, the Badung Legislative Council and the Bali Provincial Legislative Council have been deliberating a bylaw that will set applicable tariffs for sewerage treatment.
Budiarsa said there were currently three tariff categories: household, social and commercial.
Tariffs for homes will depend on the proximity of the house to the main road where the main piping lies. Homes located closer to main roads will be charged higher fees.
The social category will include places of worships, city centers, cooperative stores and other public buildings.
The commercial category will include hotels, restaurants and private companies and the larger the business, the higher the tariff.
Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, Head of the Bali provincial legislative council's Commission B overseeing development, said the tariff bylaw would be as "fair as possible".
"The tariffs are intended to cover the operational fees, which have been estimated to be as high as Rp 5 billion per year. It's not for profit," he said.
The bylaws are expected to go into effect in February.
Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
The Denpasar Sewerage Development Project (DSDP) task force has secured US$65 million (Rp 698.9 billion) in soft loans from the Japanese government and has begun planning phase two of the DSDP, an official says.
I Wayan Budiarsa, head of the DSDP task force, said the project would begin sometime in mid-2009, or in the fourth quarter at the latest.
"We have confirmed that we will get the funds so now we can concentrate on working on the second phase of the DSDP," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
The DSDP will see the construction of massive sewerage treatment infrastructure to cover Bali's capital of Denpasar and its tourist-heavy southern areas including Kuta and Seminyak by 2014.
The DSDP is a three-phase project, the first of which officially ended with the inauguration of Indonesia's largest sewerage processing unit in the Suwung sub-district in June 2008.
The Suwung unit can process up to 51,000 cubic meters of waste per day, but currently works at 60 percent capacity.
Costing a total Rp 600 billion (then US$64.5 million), the first phase was funded by the Central Government, the Bali provincial Administration, the Denpasar City Administration and loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBC).
The JBIC will fully fund the second phase of the project, which will expand the treatment facility to cover eastern Denpasar all the way to the Sanur area and will further including several areas in Central and Northern Denpasar, Budiarsa said.
He added that the 130 kilometers of piping built during the first phase covered 9,000 homes and that the next phase would increase the number of pipe-home-connections by 8,000.
Meanwhile, the DSDP task force, the Denpasar Municipal Legislative Council, the Badung Legislative Council and the Bali Provincial Legislative Council have been deliberating a bylaw that will set applicable tariffs for sewerage treatment.
Budiarsa said there were currently three tariff categories: household, social and commercial.
Tariffs for homes will depend on the proximity of the house to the main road where the main piping lies. Homes located closer to main roads will be charged higher fees.
The social category will include places of worships, city centers, cooperative stores and other public buildings.
The commercial category will include hotels, restaurants and private companies and the larger the business, the higher the tariff.
Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, Head of the Bali provincial legislative council's Commission B overseeing development, said the tariff bylaw would be as "fair as possible".
"The tariffs are intended to cover the operational fees, which have been estimated to be as high as Rp 5 billion per year. It's not for profit," he said.
The bylaws are expected to go into effect in February.
Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
No campaign activities on religious holidays : KPUD
No campaign activities on religious holidays : KPUD
Bali's regional Elections Commission (KPUD) has decided not to allow political parties and candidates to hold large public events on the Hindu holidays that fall during the campaign period in April.
The head of Bali's KPUD, Lanang Perbawa Sukawati, said Monday the decision was made after an informal meeting between the provincial and regency KPUDs from across the island.
"We have notified Bali's governor on this matter and an official letter will soon be sent to the national commission in Jakarta to tell them about our decision," he said.
In the next few weeks, he added, all KPUDs would be organizing a series of meetings with party leaders, legislative candidates and community leaders to update them about the decision.
"The decision was made to show our respect to observant Hindus who will certainly need a quiet atmosphere to observe their religious obligations," he said.
The national Elections Commission has announced the 21-day official campaign period for the upcoming April legislative elections will take place from March 16 to April 5.
During that period, Balinese Hindus will celebrate three major religious festivals: Galungan on March 18, Nyepi on March 26 and Kuningan on March 28.
Galungan and Kuningan are the most jubilant Balinese Hindu festivals, during which Balinese Hindus commemorate the victory of dharma (virtues) over adharma (vices).
Nyepi is the celebration of the Hindu new year based on the Saka calendar. It is also known as the Day of Silence because on this day worshippers refrain from venturing outside their homes, lighting fires, working or partaking in any leisure activities.
"Out of the 21 official campaign days, only eleven do not fall on ... Hindu religious days," head of Denpasar's KPUD Ray Misno said during a meeting with customary village heads, bendesa, from across the municipality.
Ray said there would be no mass rallies from March 17 to 19 to honor Galungan, from March 23 to 26 to honor Nyepi and from March 27 to 29 to honor Kuningan.
In the meeting several bendesa informed Ray that on March 30 all villages in Denpasar would hold the Pamedakan Agung religious ceremony.
"We agreed with the bendesa that there would be no campaigning on March 30 as well to honor that ceremony," Ray said.
The bendesa lauded the decision of the provincial and regency KPUDs, commending the commission for their culturally sensitive approach.
"We will assist the KPUDs to ensure the Balinese can celebrate their religious holidays and exercise their political rights in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere," the bendesa of Sanur, I.B. Anom, said.
On another issue, the bendesa from Padangsambian, A.A. Sudira, urged the political parties to organize down-to-earth, more intimate activities targeting neighborhoods and communities instead of holding large-scale public events in city soccer fields.
"Campaigning with this kind of intimate, personal approach will win more hearts as well as reduce the adverse effects traditionally associated with mass campaigns, such as traffic jams and violent clashes involving supporters of competing political parties," he said.
Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Bali's regional Elections Commission (KPUD) has decided not to allow political parties and candidates to hold large public events on the Hindu holidays that fall during the campaign period in April.
The head of Bali's KPUD, Lanang Perbawa Sukawati, said Monday the decision was made after an informal meeting between the provincial and regency KPUDs from across the island.
"We have notified Bali's governor on this matter and an official letter will soon be sent to the national commission in Jakarta to tell them about our decision," he said.
In the next few weeks, he added, all KPUDs would be organizing a series of meetings with party leaders, legislative candidates and community leaders to update them about the decision.
"The decision was made to show our respect to observant Hindus who will certainly need a quiet atmosphere to observe their religious obligations," he said.
The national Elections Commission has announced the 21-day official campaign period for the upcoming April legislative elections will take place from March 16 to April 5.
During that period, Balinese Hindus will celebrate three major religious festivals: Galungan on March 18, Nyepi on March 26 and Kuningan on March 28.
Galungan and Kuningan are the most jubilant Balinese Hindu festivals, during which Balinese Hindus commemorate the victory of dharma (virtues) over adharma (vices).
Nyepi is the celebration of the Hindu new year based on the Saka calendar. It is also known as the Day of Silence because on this day worshippers refrain from venturing outside their homes, lighting fires, working or partaking in any leisure activities.
"Out of the 21 official campaign days, only eleven do not fall on ... Hindu religious days," head of Denpasar's KPUD Ray Misno said during a meeting with customary village heads, bendesa, from across the municipality.
Ray said there would be no mass rallies from March 17 to 19 to honor Galungan, from March 23 to 26 to honor Nyepi and from March 27 to 29 to honor Kuningan.
In the meeting several bendesa informed Ray that on March 30 all villages in Denpasar would hold the Pamedakan Agung religious ceremony.
"We agreed with the bendesa that there would be no campaigning on March 30 as well to honor that ceremony," Ray said.
The bendesa lauded the decision of the provincial and regency KPUDs, commending the commission for their culturally sensitive approach.
"We will assist the KPUDs to ensure the Balinese can celebrate their religious holidays and exercise their political rights in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere," the bendesa of Sanur, I.B. Anom, said.
On another issue, the bendesa from Padangsambian, A.A. Sudira, urged the political parties to organize down-to-earth, more intimate activities targeting neighborhoods and communities instead of holding large-scale public events in city soccer fields.
"Campaigning with this kind of intimate, personal approach will win more hearts as well as reduce the adverse effects traditionally associated with mass campaigns, such as traffic jams and violent clashes involving supporters of competing political parties," he said.
Wasti Atmodjo , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Dead fisherman washes up in Kuta
Dead fisherman washes up in Kuta
A fisherman, who reportedly went missing when a boat he was boarding with three other men sank Sunday, was found dead at Kuta Beach, Badung, on Monday at 5:20 a.m.
On Monday morning, Kuta Marine Police chief Adj. First Insp. Wismara Putra said the fisherman's body, identified as Kasri, 50, was stranded next to the Bali Garden Hotel, in the northern part of the popular Discovery Mall.
He said a trash picker initially saw a dead body floating close to shore and reported it to a police officer, who later checked it together with the beach's security guard and a lifeguard from Balawista.
"They monitored the floating body and waited until it approached the beach. We didn't pick it up on the sea due to bad weather," Wismara said.
He said the fisherman's family had arrived at the scene to identify the body and confirmed that Kasri, who hailed from Muncar, Banyuwangi, East Java, was their family member. The body was brought to the Sanglah Hospital's morgue.
He said three boats sailed from Tanah Lot, Tabanan regency, to Jimbaran, Badung regency, at around 4 a.m., with Kasri and his three fellow fishermen boarding the same boat.
"The three survivors said rough waves hit them and cracked the boat in the German Beach to the north of the airport. They managed to save their lives but lost Kasri," he said.
The fishermen rushed to report the accident to the Kedonganan marine police officers who later informed Wismara's station in Kuta to stay alert for any signs of the missing fisherman.
Beaches in Badung, including Kuta Beach, usually see rough waves from June to August, where tourists flock during holidays. However, water-related accidents, a lifeguard warned, did not only take place during these three months.
According to the data from the Kuta Balawista, 15 people died in water-related accidents in Badung, while 299 survived accidents last year.
In 2007, the number of survivors was slightly lower with 277 people rescued and 17 losing their lives.
"Of the 15 victims last year, one committed suicide and the rest died because of accidents -- including fishermen whose boats sank due to big waves, those who surfed without proper swimming skills and people who fished on the cliff and were swept away by sudden waves," Nyoman Puja, a lifeguard with Kuta Balawista told The Jakarta Post.
He said the accidents usually occurred at sites that were far from the rescue team's monitoring areas.
"That is why we warn tourists to swim between the two red-and-yellow flags, which are placed at six points on the Kuta Beach, so we can monitor them," he said.
The Balawista team has 16 posts in Pecatu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Kuta, Seminyak, Kerobokan, Munggu and Cemagi beaches.
Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
A fisherman, who reportedly went missing when a boat he was boarding with three other men sank Sunday, was found dead at Kuta Beach, Badung, on Monday at 5:20 a.m.
On Monday morning, Kuta Marine Police chief Adj. First Insp. Wismara Putra said the fisherman's body, identified as Kasri, 50, was stranded next to the Bali Garden Hotel, in the northern part of the popular Discovery Mall.
He said a trash picker initially saw a dead body floating close to shore and reported it to a police officer, who later checked it together with the beach's security guard and a lifeguard from Balawista.
"They monitored the floating body and waited until it approached the beach. We didn't pick it up on the sea due to bad weather," Wismara said.
He said the fisherman's family had arrived at the scene to identify the body and confirmed that Kasri, who hailed from Muncar, Banyuwangi, East Java, was their family member. The body was brought to the Sanglah Hospital's morgue.
He said three boats sailed from Tanah Lot, Tabanan regency, to Jimbaran, Badung regency, at around 4 a.m., with Kasri and his three fellow fishermen boarding the same boat.
"The three survivors said rough waves hit them and cracked the boat in the German Beach to the north of the airport. They managed to save their lives but lost Kasri," he said.
The fishermen rushed to report the accident to the Kedonganan marine police officers who later informed Wismara's station in Kuta to stay alert for any signs of the missing fisherman.
Beaches in Badung, including Kuta Beach, usually see rough waves from June to August, where tourists flock during holidays. However, water-related accidents, a lifeguard warned, did not only take place during these three months.
According to the data from the Kuta Balawista, 15 people died in water-related accidents in Badung, while 299 survived accidents last year.
In 2007, the number of survivors was slightly lower with 277 people rescued and 17 losing their lives.
"Of the 15 victims last year, one committed suicide and the rest died because of accidents -- including fishermen whose boats sank due to big waves, those who surfed without proper swimming skills and people who fished on the cliff and were swept away by sudden waves," Nyoman Puja, a lifeguard with Kuta Balawista told The Jakarta Post.
He said the accidents usually occurred at sites that were far from the rescue team's monitoring areas.
"That is why we warn tourists to swim between the two red-and-yellow flags, which are placed at six points on the Kuta Beach, so we can monitor them," he said.
The Balawista team has 16 posts in Pecatu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua, Kuta, Seminyak, Kerobokan, Munggu and Cemagi beaches.
Indah Setiawati , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Worst still to come in garbage stink
Worst still to come in garbage stink
Hundreds of people, including beach masseurs, owners of surfboard rental, food and souvenir kiosks were got their hands dirty on Kuta Beach in Badung regency on Monday, to clean up seasonal garbage that swarms the beach every year (see picture).
Tons of rotten fish, timber, grass and plastics have washed down on the beach of the popular tourist destination since November 2008. Unfortunately, according to a local official, the worst had yet to come.
"The worst garbage will be in January and February," head of the beach's security task force, I Gusti Ngurah Trisna, said. He said beach vendors are prepared to work daily to clean up the beach until March.
"I guess this action -- cleaning up the beach -- will still continue until March. Usually the garbage stops coming in April," he added.
Ruslan, 81, a noodle vendor on the beach, said he had seen the annual garbage and rotten fish collect on the beach for the last 10 years but still could not figure it out where it came from.
Many people believed that fishermen are to be blamed for throwing the fish they do not manage to load on their boats overboard but others argue that there is a booming of poisonous algae in the sea that has killed the fish. (Indah Setiawati).
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Hundreds of people, including beach masseurs, owners of surfboard rental, food and souvenir kiosks were got their hands dirty on Kuta Beach in Badung regency on Monday, to clean up seasonal garbage that swarms the beach every year (see picture).
Tons of rotten fish, timber, grass and plastics have washed down on the beach of the popular tourist destination since November 2008. Unfortunately, according to a local official, the worst had yet to come.
"The worst garbage will be in January and February," head of the beach's security task force, I Gusti Ngurah Trisna, said. He said beach vendors are prepared to work daily to clean up the beach until March.
"I guess this action -- cleaning up the beach -- will still continue until March. Usually the garbage stops coming in April," he added.
Ruslan, 81, a noodle vendor on the beach, said he had seen the annual garbage and rotten fish collect on the beach for the last 10 years but still could not figure it out where it came from.
Many people believed that fishermen are to be blamed for throwing the fish they do not manage to load on their boats overboard but others argue that there is a booming of poisonous algae in the sea that has killed the fish. (Indah Setiawati).
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Inflation resisted crisis in 2008
Inflation resisted crisis in 2008
The global financial crisis did not spark severe price hikes in Denpasar last year as the city's inflation rate continued its tradition of remaining below the national rate, a report from the Bali Statistics Agency reveals.
According to the report, the city's inflation rate last year was 9.62 percent, lower than the national inflation rate of 11.06 percent.
"Historically, Bali never sees soaring inflation in November and December," head of the agency, Ida Komang Wisnu, said in a prior interview.
Many parts of Indonesia saw a rise in inflation at the end of the year due to increased spending during the Christmas and New Year holidays, though Denpasar appeared to be an exception to the rule.
Denpasar's inflation rate continued to resist the fallout from the global financial in December.
The city's inflation rate for December stood at 0.28 percent, lower than most economists' predictions.
The prices of foods used for ingredients rose the most of all commodities in the period, by 1.91 percent, while the secondary needs group of products, which includes clothing, was the second-highest climber with a rate of 1.73 percent.
The food products group, including ready-made meals, cigarettes and tobacco, was the third-largest contributor, with an inflation rate of 1.60 percent.
The housing and energy group saw an inflation rate of 1.19 percent, the health group 0.06 percent and the education and recreation group 0.13 percent.
The transportation, communications and financial services group experienced deflation at a rate of 3.51 percent.
"The commodity that really affected this group was the price of gasoline, which went well down last month," Wisnu said.
The report further showed that the prices of kerosene, drinking water, rice, cars, cigarettes and meat rose in December, while gasoline, baby milk, cell phone tariffs and cooking oil prices declined.
Of the 33 cities surveyed by the National Statistics Agency, Denpasar was ranked 27 in terms of inflation, where regions with high inflation are ranked lower. The city of Tarakan, East Kalimantan, ranked number one for December.
Andra Wisnu , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
The global financial crisis did not spark severe price hikes in Denpasar last year as the city's inflation rate continued its tradition of remaining below the national rate, a report from the Bali Statistics Agency reveals.
According to the report, the city's inflation rate last year was 9.62 percent, lower than the national inflation rate of 11.06 percent.
"Historically, Bali never sees soaring inflation in November and December," head of the agency, Ida Komang Wisnu, said in a prior interview.
Many parts of Indonesia saw a rise in inflation at the end of the year due to increased spending during the Christmas and New Year holidays, though Denpasar appeared to be an exception to the rule.
Denpasar's inflation rate continued to resist the fallout from the global financial in December.
The city's inflation rate for December stood at 0.28 percent, lower than most economists' predictions.
The prices of foods used for ingredients rose the most of all commodities in the period, by 1.91 percent, while the secondary needs group of products, which includes clothing, was the second-highest climber with a rate of 1.73 percent.
The food products group, including ready-made meals, cigarettes and tobacco, was the third-largest contributor, with an inflation rate of 1.60 percent.
The housing and energy group saw an inflation rate of 1.19 percent, the health group 0.06 percent and the education and recreation group 0.13 percent.
The transportation, communications and financial services group experienced deflation at a rate of 3.51 percent.
"The commodity that really affected this group was the price of gasoline, which went well down last month," Wisnu said.
The report further showed that the prices of kerosene, drinking water, rice, cars, cigarettes and meat rose in December, while gasoline, baby milk, cell phone tariffs and cooking oil prices declined.
Of the 33 cities surveyed by the National Statistics Agency, Denpasar was ranked 27 in terms of inflation, where regions with high inflation are ranked lower. The city of Tarakan, East Kalimantan, ranked number one for December.
Andra Wisnu , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Toddler dies from suspected rabies
Toddler dies from suspected rabies
A four-year-old boy, who was suspected of contracting rabies after a dog bit him six months ago, died in Sanglah Hospital last Tuesday.
The Badung health authority did not inform the press about the boy's death. The Jakarta Post learned about it from a source who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
The Post managed to get official confirmation of the death Monday.
The boy, whose initials were KT, was a resident of Kutuh village, South Kuta, which has been classified as a rabies-prone area.
It is not yet clear whether the boy had in fact died of rabies as hospital officials could not provide laboratory results yet, but observations indicated the boy had shown symptoms similar to rabies-infected patients prior to his death, including fear of water, uncontrollable convulsions and excessive drooling.
"Public testimonies and the physician in the South Kuta public health center said KT was exhibiting symptoms of rabies infection, but he died before the laboratory results had come back," said I Ketut Suiadnyana, head of Disease Observation and Prevention at the Badung Health Agency.
"We are currently working to gather the boy's medical history."
Kutuh village Chief I Wayan Litra confirmed KT was bitten by a dog six months ago and the dog that had bitten him died a week later.
"Soon after the boy came down with a high fever but was nursed back to health. Then last week he began convulsing uncontrollably so his parents took him to Sanglah Hospital where he died," Litra said.
Head of South Kuta's public health center, Sastrawan, said he planned to interview KT's parents to verify whether the boy had been bitten a second time and to gather other relevant medical information.
Four people are believed to have died from rabies in the past few months. The alleged victims were Putu Linda, Made Artana, Oktaf Rahmana and Made Wirata, all of whom died after being bitten by dogs.
Of the four, only Wirata showed clinical symptoms specific to rabies-infected patients.
The discovery of a rabid canine on Nov. 26 last year, and the number of deaths, has prompted Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika to declare south Kuta a rabies-prone area.
The province conducted a mass culling and vaccination program in the area, which was recently expanded to include south Denpasar, the area adjacent to south Kuta.
The program is called Lirikan Indah, literally meaning a beautiful glance. It stands for kenali (identify), hindari (avoid), laporkan (report), vaksin (vaccinate) and rumahkan (leash).
Banners and billboards have been put up in the area to warn people against transporting dogs, cats, or primates into and out of Bali until the rabies situation is under control.
Also, 503 wild dogs have been culled from south Kuta since the outbreak.
I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, a veterinarian and rabies management team member, said rabies was 100 percent preventable if an infected person was immediately vaccinated and the bite wound immediately cleaned with soap.
"The most important thing is not to let dogs roam wild, outside the house. One infected dog can transmit the disease to 10 other dogs within a week," he said.
Luh De Suryani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
A four-year-old boy, who was suspected of contracting rabies after a dog bit him six months ago, died in Sanglah Hospital last Tuesday.
The Badung health authority did not inform the press about the boy's death. The Jakarta Post learned about it from a source who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.
The Post managed to get official confirmation of the death Monday.
The boy, whose initials were KT, was a resident of Kutuh village, South Kuta, which has been classified as a rabies-prone area.
It is not yet clear whether the boy had in fact died of rabies as hospital officials could not provide laboratory results yet, but observations indicated the boy had shown symptoms similar to rabies-infected patients prior to his death, including fear of water, uncontrollable convulsions and excessive drooling.
"Public testimonies and the physician in the South Kuta public health center said KT was exhibiting symptoms of rabies infection, but he died before the laboratory results had come back," said I Ketut Suiadnyana, head of Disease Observation and Prevention at the Badung Health Agency.
"We are currently working to gather the boy's medical history."
Kutuh village Chief I Wayan Litra confirmed KT was bitten by a dog six months ago and the dog that had bitten him died a week later.
"Soon after the boy came down with a high fever but was nursed back to health. Then last week he began convulsing uncontrollably so his parents took him to Sanglah Hospital where he died," Litra said.
Head of South Kuta's public health center, Sastrawan, said he planned to interview KT's parents to verify whether the boy had been bitten a second time and to gather other relevant medical information.
Four people are believed to have died from rabies in the past few months. The alleged victims were Putu Linda, Made Artana, Oktaf Rahmana and Made Wirata, all of whom died after being bitten by dogs.
Of the four, only Wirata showed clinical symptoms specific to rabies-infected patients.
The discovery of a rabid canine on Nov. 26 last year, and the number of deaths, has prompted Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika to declare south Kuta a rabies-prone area.
The province conducted a mass culling and vaccination program in the area, which was recently expanded to include south Denpasar, the area adjacent to south Kuta.
The program is called Lirikan Indah, literally meaning a beautiful glance. It stands for kenali (identify), hindari (avoid), laporkan (report), vaksin (vaccinate) and rumahkan (leash).
Banners and billboards have been put up in the area to warn people against transporting dogs, cats, or primates into and out of Bali until the rabies situation is under control.
Also, 503 wild dogs have been culled from south Kuta since the outbreak.
I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, a veterinarian and rabies management team member, said rabies was 100 percent preventable if an infected person was immediately vaccinated and the bite wound immediately cleaned with soap.
"The most important thing is not to let dogs roam wild, outside the house. One infected dog can transmit the disease to 10 other dogs within a week," he said.
Luh De Suryani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Bali's craft export to remain stable
Bali's craft export to remain stable
DENPASAR: The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) forecasts that the export value of Bali's handicrafts and souvenirs to Europe and America will remain steady in the first quarter of the year.
"Because we will still be fulfilling the orders we received in September," head of the Apindo chapter Panudiana Kuhn said Monday as quoted by beritabali.com
Panudiana said the export value would begin to decline in April, adding that Bali producers should expect a greater number of small orders and a lower number of bulk orders.
"Maybe there will be no more orders in April. We will start to feel the impact of the ongoing global economic crisis," he said, adding that the export growth would decrease by 10 percent.
Apindo data shows Bali exports on average a total of US$500 million in products per year. -- JP
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
DENPASAR: The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) forecasts that the export value of Bali's handicrafts and souvenirs to Europe and America will remain steady in the first quarter of the year.
"Because we will still be fulfilling the orders we received in September," head of the Apindo chapter Panudiana Kuhn said Monday as quoted by beritabali.com
Panudiana said the export value would begin to decline in April, adding that Bali producers should expect a greater number of small orders and a lower number of bulk orders.
"Maybe there will be no more orders in April. We will start to feel the impact of the ongoing global economic crisis," he said, adding that the export growth would decrease by 10 percent.
Apindo data shows Bali exports on average a total of US$500 million in products per year. -- JP
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
Traffic accident declines slightly
Traffic accident declines slightly
DENPASAR: Although the traffic accidents in Bali slightly declined in 2008 compared to 2007, traffic violations remained high, according to data from Bali Police.
The number of traffic accidents declined by 5 percent from 1,418 in 2007 to 1,348 in 2008 while the number of traffic violations rose 3.6 percent from 79,700 in 2007 to 82,600 in 2008.
The busy streets of Denpasar still topped the chart as the area with the most traffic accidents with 346 accidents last year, followed by Gianyar with 247 and Jembrana with 151.
A total of 490 people died in accidents on the island during 2008 or at least 40 people every month, with 23 percent of fatalities taking place in Denpasar, 16 percent in Jembrana and 13 percent in Buleleng.
The number of severely injured victims decreased from 899 in 2007 to 865 while the number of victims with minor injuries was down from 1,153 to 1,080. -- JP
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
DENPASAR: Although the traffic accidents in Bali slightly declined in 2008 compared to 2007, traffic violations remained high, according to data from Bali Police.
The number of traffic accidents declined by 5 percent from 1,418 in 2007 to 1,348 in 2008 while the number of traffic violations rose 3.6 percent from 79,700 in 2007 to 82,600 in 2008.
The busy streets of Denpasar still topped the chart as the area with the most traffic accidents with 346 accidents last year, followed by Gianyar with 247 and Jembrana with 151.
A total of 490 people died in accidents on the island during 2008 or at least 40 people every month, with 23 percent of fatalities taking place in Denpasar, 16 percent in Jembrana and 13 percent in Buleleng.
The number of severely injured victims decreased from 899 in 2007 to 865 while the number of victims with minor injuries was down from 1,153 to 1,080. -- JP
Tue, 01/06/2009 11:11 AM | Bali
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