After Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces at the end of the World War II, on 17 August 1945, people of the former Dutch colony in South East Asia declared the independence of the Republic of Indonesia.
In spite of this fact, the Dutch Armed Forces wanted to re-conquer said former colony, for which purpose they tried every efforts, including mass murder of hundreds even thousands of Indonesian people.
One of the bloodiest massacre took place on 9 December 1947 in Rawagede (now called Balongsari) a village located between Karawang and Bekasi, West Java, where the Dutch killed 431 innocent people.
In the past I would think that the Rawagede Massacre would remain a mystery, and those responsible would not be touched by the laws, just like the Westerling Massacre in Sulawesi, or victims of Nazi massacre in Europe. Especially that the Indonesian government doesn't seem to support this action.
That's why I was pessimistic when I read that 10 widows of the victims of the Rawagede Massacre initiated legal action against the Netherlands on 10 September 2008.
But thank God, I was very happy when I read on The Jakarta Globe and the blog of Dutch blogger Colson that last Wednesday, 14 September, a Dutch Court has ruled that the Netherlands must pay compensation to seven of the widows (the other three widows died while waiting for the verdict).
I hope this success would inspire the families of victims of other mysterious killings, such as people who died after the 30 September 1965 tragedy, and/or Trisakti University students and others who were killed after the Reformasi on May 1998, and/or the killing of Munir, to initiate legal actions against anyone allegedly responsible for those killings.
Of course it would not be easy considering that it has been very long time, therefore witnesses and/or evidences might not be available anymore, but who knows ?
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Nuclear Reactors in Indonesia
Today I received some text messages from friends warning about the spread of radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan damaged by the recent earthquake and tsunami, that may be blown by the wind to other countries like the Philippines and Indonesia.
I was not fooled by this messages because I have been following the news about this matter since yesterday, therefore I understand that the main part of the Fukushima nuclear reactor is still safe.
But I can understand why people are very worried, because they still remember about the blast of the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Russia in 1986, in which tens of thousands of people were by radioactive materials leaked from the reactor.
Fear of such nuclear tragedy has cause pro and contra on the government's plan to build large nuclear power reactors in this country.
Actually, nuclear reactor is not something new for Indonesia, as a matter of fact according to Wikipedia Indonesia has built and operated Nuclear Research Reactors for many decades.
Today, the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) operates three nuclear research reactors at the following locations :
1) Serpong, Banten : 30 MW Multi-Purpose Reactor (1987)
2) Bandung, West Java : Triga Mark II (250 Kw in 1965, 2 MW in 1997)
3) Yogyakarta : Triga Mark II (100 Kw in 1979)
Indonesia is viable to build a nuclear reactor in every provinces due to there are ample stocks of materials and appropriate geological support. Various locations have been proposed for building nuclear reactors that will actually be taken into production for the purpose of generating electricity:
1) Muria, Central Java
2) Gorontalo, in the North of Sulawesi
3) Bangka Belitung province
4) Kalimantan.
As a legal basis for the development of nuclear power reactors, Indonesia has promulgated the Nuclear Power Law in 1997, which stipulated that Indonesia shall have a lot much bigger nuclear power reactor in 2019 that will provide much more electric power (at least 200 MW) for the country.
Considering that Indonesia will need lots of electric power for development of the country, and the source of electricity, i.e. coal, gas, petroleum, geothermal, is limited, I think we should keep an open mind on the possibility of building a nuclear power reactors that can provide much bigger electricity.
But in this case we must make sure that reactor would be located in a place that would not be affected by earthquake and/or other natural disasters, operated and maintained by people who are highly skilled and disciplined.
I was not fooled by this messages because I have been following the news about this matter since yesterday, therefore I understand that the main part of the Fukushima nuclear reactor is still safe.
But I can understand why people are very worried, because they still remember about the blast of the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Russia in 1986, in which tens of thousands of people were by radioactive materials leaked from the reactor.
Fear of such nuclear tragedy has cause pro and contra on the government's plan to build large nuclear power reactors in this country.
Actually, nuclear reactor is not something new for Indonesia, as a matter of fact according to Wikipedia Indonesia has built and operated Nuclear Research Reactors for many decades.
Today, the National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) operates three nuclear research reactors at the following locations :
1) Serpong, Banten : 30 MW Multi-Purpose Reactor (1987)
2) Bandung, West Java : Triga Mark II (250 Kw in 1965, 2 MW in 1997)
3) Yogyakarta : Triga Mark II (100 Kw in 1979)
Indonesia is viable to build a nuclear reactor in every provinces due to there are ample stocks of materials and appropriate geological support. Various locations have been proposed for building nuclear reactors that will actually be taken into production for the purpose of generating electricity:
1) Muria, Central Java
2) Gorontalo, in the North of Sulawesi
3) Bangka Belitung province
4) Kalimantan.
As a legal basis for the development of nuclear power reactors, Indonesia has promulgated the Nuclear Power Law in 1997, which stipulated that Indonesia shall have a lot much bigger nuclear power reactor in 2019 that will provide much more electric power (at least 200 MW) for the country.
Considering that Indonesia will need lots of electric power for development of the country, and the source of electricity, i.e. coal, gas, petroleum, geothermal, is limited, I think we should keep an open mind on the possibility of building a nuclear power reactors that can provide much bigger electricity.
But in this case we must make sure that reactor would be located in a place that would not be affected by earthquake and/or other natural disasters, operated and maintained by people who are highly skilled and disciplined.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
A powerful earthquake with magnitude of 8.9 on Richter Scale struck the north eastern coast of Japan on Friday unleashing Tsunami with more than 7 meters high waves that swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.
According to The Jakarta Globe, the earthquake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 2,100-kilometer stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached Tokyo, located hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter.
BBC quoted local officials as saying that more than 1,000 people are thought to have died.and many others missing. Hundreds of bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.
Electricity and Communications have been badly affected by the earthquake and tsunami until noon today.
This afternoon, a magnitude 6 earthquake has caused a large explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan, close to the epicentre of Friday's earthquake. Officials fear a meltdown at one of the plant's reactors. Tens of thousands of people in the surrounding area have been urged to evacuate
Noriyuki Shikata, deputy cabinet secretary for the Japanese prime minister tweets: " Blast was caused by accumulated hydrogen combined with oxygen in the space between container and outer structure. No damage to container."
Officials of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo told TV-One that there are around 20.000 Indonesian citizens living in Japan at the moment, and in order to know their condition the Embassy in Tokyo and Consulate General in Osaka have opened a hot line phone connection.
The Tsunami has triggered alert in countries located south of Japan like Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, but no casualty was reported. And region in the Province of Papua was affected. While in Bitung, North Sulawesi the height of sea waves increase only 10 Centimeter above normal.
President SBY has expressed sympathy and condolence and offered assistance, while countries Australia and New Zealand have sent their rescue team.
In this connection I would like to express my condolence and deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.
According to The Jakarta Globe, the earthquake was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 2,100-kilometer stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached Tokyo, located hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter.
BBC quoted local officials as saying that more than 1,000 people are thought to have died.and many others missing. Hundreds of bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.
Electricity and Communications have been badly affected by the earthquake and tsunami until noon today.
This afternoon, a magnitude 6 earthquake has caused a large explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan, close to the epicentre of Friday's earthquake. Officials fear a meltdown at one of the plant's reactors. Tens of thousands of people in the surrounding area have been urged to evacuate
Noriyuki Shikata, deputy cabinet secretary for the Japanese prime minister tweets: " Blast was caused by accumulated hydrogen combined with oxygen in the space between container and outer structure. No damage to container."
Officials of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo told TV-One that there are around 20.000 Indonesian citizens living in Japan at the moment, and in order to know their condition the Embassy in Tokyo and Consulate General in Osaka have opened a hot line phone connection.
The Tsunami has triggered alert in countries located south of Japan like Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, but no casualty was reported. And region in the Province of Papua was affected. While in Bitung, North Sulawesi the height of sea waves increase only 10 Centimeter above normal.
President SBY has expressed sympathy and condolence and offered assistance, while countries Australia and New Zealand have sent their rescue team.
In this connection I would like to express my condolence and deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Lessons from Japan Airlines
According to Kompas, there are several reasons i.e. JAL cannot pay its debts which totals US$ 25 Billion, tough competition, as flag carrier it should fly unprofitable routes, low passenger occupancy and mismanagement.
This report is very surprising considering that as a flag carrier, JAL obviously can always rely on the fullest support from the Japanese government which is one of the most economically powerful countries in the world.
But the effect financial crisis that plagued the world few years ago seems to be still going on, and the Japanese government has not other choice but to let JAL bankrupted.
At a time when free fight business competition is the rule of the game, I hope that what happened to JAL would make the management of our national flag carrier Garuda to be very careful in managing the company's finance, and make best efforts to improve quality of services so that customers would always love them and other people would want to do the same. Otherwise, other airlines would come and take them away.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Easy way to get Indonesian Visa
Japanese travelers can now obtain Indonesian Visa on board a plane if they fly on Garuda. Here is an article quoted from The Jakarta Post.
Garuda launches new services to net more Japanese travelers
State airline company PT Garuda Indonesia, in cooperation with the immigration office, has launched an onboard visa application service on inbound flights from Japan.
The introduction of the service coincides with the launch of a premium tour and travel operation in Japan, managed by Garuda’s local partner and subsidiary.
The maiden flight of the “visa on board” service began Thursday, carrying approximately 180 tourists from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
Each tourist is required, after checking in their baggage at the airport, to pay US$10 for a seven-day visa or $25 for a 30-day visa at a designated counter.
The latter is extendable for another 30 days without extra charge.
Two immigration officers are stationed in all Garuda flights from Japan to process the tourist visa applications.
Garuda currently flies to Narita, Chubu International Airport in Nagoya, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
Non-Japanese travelers on these flights can also make use of the “visa on board” service.
Those granted visa clearance are given a pass card that allows them to go through immigration checkpoints at Indonesian airports without further inspection.
Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar dubbed the new service “the only one of its kind in the global airline industry”, adding it would also be introduced in the airline’s flights from South Korea and China.
Aboard the plane with Emirsyah to celebrate the maiden flight were Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Jusuf Anwar, Director General for Immigration Muhammad Indra, and Culture and Tourism Ministry Director for Marketing I Gde Pitana.
Indra said the new service was a step forward from the current visa-on-arrival, and a product of the office’s first 100-day program.
“This service is also a response to inconveniences that may occur in the visa-on-arrival procedures at airports,” he said.
He played down the possibility of security threats from the new visa clearance system, saying travelers from Japan posed a low security threat.
Pitana praised the new initiative, saying it would do a lot to detract from Indonesia’s oft-ridiculed airport-based immigration services.
“The tourism industry is really about keeping up an image, and the immigration service is the first thing travelers have to deal with,” he said.
He added he had high hopes for the new service to be able to help boost the number of Japanese travelers visiting Indonesia.
From January to November last year, the number of visitors to Indonesia from Japan reached 405,000, or a 17 percent drop from the same period in 2008.
Pitana said the fall was largely due to the impact of the global economic crisis on Japanese consumers.
To further develop the Japanese market, Garuda, in cooperation with its local partner Good Luck Tour Co., launched Wednesday its Japan operation of the Garuda Orient Holiday, a tour and travel package that offers wider alternatives for travel activities for premium travelers, provided by Garuda subsidiary Aerowisata.
Aerowisata’s Japan operation is the fourth of its kind after Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
Among destinations included in the Orient Holiday package are diving adventures in Bunaken and Raja Ampat, tours of historical sites such as Borobudur and Prambanan, ecotourism in Komodo Island and Bali, and cultural tours to the Saung Udjo Angklung Studio and batik producers in Surakarta.
“With the Orient Holiday operation now in Japan, we expect to boost visitor numbers to Indonesia using Garuda by at least 10 percent,” Emirsyah said.
Garuda launches new services to net more Japanese travelers
The introduction of the service coincides with the launch of a premium tour and travel operation in Japan, managed by Garuda’s local partner and subsidiary.
The maiden flight of the “visa on board” service began Thursday, carrying approximately 180 tourists from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.
Each tourist is required, after checking in their baggage at the airport, to pay US$10 for a seven-day visa or $25 for a 30-day visa at a designated counter.
The latter is extendable for another 30 days without extra charge.
Two immigration officers are stationed in all Garuda flights from Japan to process the tourist visa applications.
Garuda currently flies to Narita, Chubu International Airport in Nagoya, and Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
Non-Japanese travelers on these flights can also make use of the “visa on board” service.
Those granted visa clearance are given a pass card that allows them to go through immigration checkpoints at Indonesian airports without further inspection.
Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar dubbed the new service “the only one of its kind in the global airline industry”, adding it would also be introduced in the airline’s flights from South Korea and China.
Aboard the plane with Emirsyah to celebrate the maiden flight were Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Jusuf Anwar, Director General for Immigration Muhammad Indra, and Culture and Tourism Ministry Director for Marketing I Gde Pitana.
Indra said the new service was a step forward from the current visa-on-arrival, and a product of the office’s first 100-day program.
“This service is also a response to inconveniences that may occur in the visa-on-arrival procedures at airports,” he said.
He played down the possibility of security threats from the new visa clearance system, saying travelers from Japan posed a low security threat.
Pitana praised the new initiative, saying it would do a lot to detract from Indonesia’s oft-ridiculed airport-based immigration services.
“The tourism industry is really about keeping up an image, and the immigration service is the first thing travelers have to deal with,” he said.
He added he had high hopes for the new service to be able to help boost the number of Japanese travelers visiting Indonesia.
From January to November last year, the number of visitors to Indonesia from Japan reached 405,000, or a 17 percent drop from the same period in 2008.
Pitana said the fall was largely due to the impact of the global economic crisis on Japanese consumers.
To further develop the Japanese market, Garuda, in cooperation with its local partner Good Luck Tour Co., launched Wednesday its Japan operation of the Garuda Orient Holiday, a tour and travel package that offers wider alternatives for travel activities for premium travelers, provided by Garuda subsidiary Aerowisata.
Aerowisata’s Japan operation is the fourth of its kind after Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.
Among destinations included in the Orient Holiday package are diving adventures in Bunaken and Raja Ampat, tours of historical sites such as Borobudur and Prambanan, ecotourism in Komodo Island and Bali, and cultural tours to the Saung Udjo Angklung Studio and batik producers in Surakarta.
“With the Orient Holiday operation now in Japan, we expect to boost visitor numbers to Indonesia using Garuda by at least 10 percent,” Emirsyah said.
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