02 EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA BELGRADE - SERBIA

EQUATOR I N D O N E S I A N N E W S - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 , V O L . X I V/ 0 2 EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA BELGRADE - SERBIA 33rd Int...
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EQUATOR

I N D O N E S I A N N E W S - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 , V O L . X I V/ 0 2

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA BELGRADE - SERBIA

33rd International Fair of Tourism

24 - 27 February 2011 Belgrade’s Fair

Best spots for your aqua marine activities in

Indonesia www.visit-indonesia.com

AQUA MARINE TOURISM On 33rd International Fair of Tourism in Belgrade on the periode from February 24-27, 2011, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia for the first time will present the best of ‘Aqua Marine Tourism’ in Indonesia. This will be a good opportunity for diving lovers to enjoy the crystal clear sea with the most beautiful under sea world that can be seen only in Indonesia. Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago contains 10 - 15 percent of the world’s coral reefs, to some of the most idyllic islands, to the finest dive resorts available. Submerged, immaculate marine coliseums await the avid diver, the myriad fish and invertebrates that shelters among and encrust the rugged surface provided by the clumps, shelves and branches of coral are overwhelming in their numbers, shapes and colors, all are reminder of a time when all the life on earth existed in shallow, tropical seas will make you feel stepping into time machine. Indonesia consists more than 17,000 islands and becomes the largest archipelago in the world with at least 80,000 kilometers of coastline. The special conditions of this strategic zone are the reasons for the fish population to be extremely abundant here. About 4000 different species are found in the Indonesian waters (over 25% of the planet’s fish species), in comparison to the 1000 found in the Red or the 400 from the Caribbean. Apart from this, invertebrates proliferate throughout the hundreds of patch reefs, sheer walls and barriers reefs Colourful nudi branch, pipe fishes and seahorses roam amongst the chrynoids, gorgonias and soft corals, a whole rainbow hue covering the entire extension of the reef walls. Big fish pop up every now and then, offering superb sights of big tunas, shoal or barracudas, manta rays and sharks galore.

Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia - Information, Social & Culture Department 011/3635666, 3635633 [email protected], www.kemlu.go.id/belgrade

Ambassador’s Note

February 2011

Distinguished readers, It is my great pleasure to present you the Embassy’s new Bulletin of February edition which has been marked by number of important events. February is marked with the participation of Embassy at the 33rd International Fair of Tourism which was held on 24-27 February 2011. Nevertheless, prior to the events, we have been engaging to other important activities covering the preparation of interfaith dialog which is going to be held in Belgrade, 6-10 April 2011, the International Fair of Agriculture, my courtesy visit to the respected Ministers of Serbia and other important officials and diplomatic representatives, Serbia’s Statehood Day, and most importantly the visit of H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić to Jakarta at the end of February 2011. February is a month to promote Indonesia’s tourism destinations to the people of Serbia, and also the region. With the increasing participants at the 33rd International Fair of Tourism, we are positive that our promotion could target also travelers from outside Serbia to have its time and journey to our most exotic islands. This year, the Embassy promotes theme of Aquamarine tourism destinations and shows islands with its underwater beauty and remarkable beaches. Apart of this all, I would like to convey my congratulations to the people of Serbia for the Statehood Day which was remembered at 15th of February 2011. In this connection, we have published an article in Jakarta’s most renown newspaper “Kompas” of Serbia’s patriotism in the Balkans. Salute to Serbia! Happy Statehood Day!

Semuel Samson EDITORIAL BOARD

Highlights

RI promotes human rights, democracy inspires small countries President calls for respect for principles of law-based state Manado to host ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting Indonesia wishes Inalum to become world player Komodo remains in New7Wonder list RI celebrates World Interfaith Harmony Week

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Focus

RI evacuate citizens from Egypt RI’s ASEAN leadership style being teste Sail Morotai 2012 preparations being intensified

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Business

Indonesia’s best export products: Leather

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Travel

Wakatobi

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Embassy

Indonesia promotes tourism destinations at the 33rd IFT in Belgrade Meeting with Director General for Bilateral Cooperation Meeting with Professor Ljubodrag Dimic from Belgrade’s University Meeting with President of Serbian Chamber of Commerce Official visit of Minister Vuk Jeremic to Indonesia

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SUPERVISOR H.E. Semuel Samson EDITOR IN CHIEF Ance Maylany BOARD OF EDITORS Zamardi Eko Himawan Col. Agoes Joesni Indah Mekawati Arso Soemantri RESEARCHERS Eni Diponegoro Friedo Hubert LOGISTIC Prima Setiani Dono Legowo Published by: Social & Culture Section Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia Bulevar Kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevića 18 11040 Belgrade - Serbia Ph. 3674062, 3635666 Fax. 3672984, 3574239 [email protected] www.kemlu.go.id/belgrade

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PHOTO ON THE COVER: Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia - Wakatobi offers what many claim to be the “best diving in the world”. Wakatobi owns at least 100 Diamond Class Dive spots that are spread away in 90,000 ha of its coral reef.

EQUATOR is a compilation of news taken from National News Agency (ANTARA) and other news sources from Indonesia. The contents does not reflect particular policy or position of the Embassy of the Republic Indonesia and its beholders. The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia takes the privilege to sort out news material taken from the above mentioned sources and presented in accordance with the coverage of the materials (political & security, economy, social & culture and international relation issues).

Highlights

RI promotes human rights, democracy inspires small countries Jakarta - Cypriot Ambassador to Indonesia Nicos Panayi during his visit to ANTARA News Agency on January 16, 2011, expresses admiration of Indonesia`s role in promoting human rights and democracy to the world. “Indonesia`s support towards human rights, democracy, sovereignty and stability of the world may inspire small countries to do the same,” the Ambassador said. Panayi also expressed appreciation towards Indonesia which during the past

years had seemed to be more involved in universal matters while not forgetting to bring ASEAN flag with it. He took example of Indonesia`s effort to encourage peaceful solution towards Thailand-Cambodia`s border dispute recently. Asked about bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and Indonesia, the Ambassador who had stayed in Indonesia since last year said the relations had been going on very well though the trade value was still small amounting of 18 million euros in

2010. “I look forward to Indonesia and Cyprus to enhance bilateral relations in the future. Perhaps we can cooperate in other sectors too such as shipping, tourism or interfaith dialogs,” said the Ambassador. Ambassador Panayi is a career diplomat, who joined the foreign service in 1992. Before Jakarta, he was posted in Beijing, Moscow, Prague, New Delhi, and Beirut.

EU Parliamentary delegation visiting RI Jakarta - A 10-man delegation of the European Parliament`s Commission on Southeast Asia and ASEAN is visiting Jakarta and Yogyakarta to deepen political and trade relations between EU and Indonesia. “We will meet with ministers and representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss the development of trade between EU and Indonesia now valued at 19 billion euros or Rp228 trillion as extension of cooperation in various areas such as education, climate change, counter-terrorism and inter-faith dialogs,” chief delegate Werner Lengen said in a press statement received by ANTARA on

February 22, 2011. The visit is part of the implementation of the EU-Indonesia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) signed in 2009. He said the visit to Indonesia has a multidimensional significance. “We can translate into 3 D namely democracy, diversity and development,” he said. With regard to political relations the delegation during its visit from February 21 to 25 wishes to learn more about the country`s success in transforming itself from autocratic to democratic country with the world`s biggest population and a lot of diversities.

“It is very important with regard to globalization for us to find ways to share it more effectively,” he said. He said EU and Indonesia both have a special identity as the diversity hotspots. EU consists of 27 member countries while Indonesia has 33 provinces each having its unique identity. EU has 23 official languages while Indonesia has 700 languages used across the country. In terms of economy the partnership between Indonesia and EU as well as other countries would be very important with regard to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

ASEAN committed to protecting women and children Jakarta - The promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children in ASEAN have been concreted as the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) met for the first time here, on February 23, 2011. “The establishment of the ACWC was very much welcomed not only by governments of the ASEAN member states, but also by regional and international communities, including human rights defenders and democracy advocates worldwide,” said ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan when opening the meeting. Surin added that if ASEAN wished to become a sharing and caring community, 4 Equator - February 2011

then it had to take care of the women and children. “We have to open up the space so that they feel ownership of ASEAN community-building efforts,” Surin was quoted as saying in a press release of ASEAN Secretariat. The ACWC seeks to promote the wellbeing, development, empowerment and participation of women and children in the ASEAN Community building process. It would also promote public awareness and education of their rights. Agenda for the three-day meeting includes the development of ACWC`s rules of procedure; its five-year work plan, including priority areas and initial activities; and the election of the Commission`s Chair and Vice Chair.

The meeting will also discuss how to align the ACWC with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). The latter is the overarching institution responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN. Each of the 10 ASEAN member state has two representatives at the ACWC - one for women`s rights and one for children`s rights. The first-day meeting had decided the election of Kanda Vajrabhaya from Thailand and Ahmad Taufan Damanik from Indonesia as the Chair and ViceChair of the ACWC. In accordance with the Commission`s Terms of Reference, they will serve the Commission for three years.

Highlights

RI to host “Jakarta Int’l Defense Dialogue” next March Jakarta - The Defense Ministry is to host a Jakarta International Defense Dialogue next March 23-25, Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said here on February 25, 2011. According to the minister, the dialogue would be participated in by defense ministers and 1,300 delegates from 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Africa. He said the dialogue was designed to gather defense-related leaders, academics and policy makers around the world to discuss ways to maintain stability and security in the region. Meanwhile, the rector of the Indonesian Defense University. Syarifuddin Tippe, said the March dialogue would

promote cooperation among governments around the Asia Pacific region in facing security threats which could happen in the region or in the global world. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to open the meeting with Brunei Darussalam`s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pangeran Mohammed Bolkiah as the speaker. Among other leaders who will attend the meeting are Timor-Leste`s Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, Brazil`s Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim, Malaysia`s Defense Minister Dato` Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and United Kingdom`s Minister for International Security Strategy Gerald Howarth MP.

DPR to push for enactment of law on inter-religious harmony Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) will seek a law on inter-religious harmony to anticipate possible violence linked to inter-faith relations, legislator said. “The present SKB (the joint ministerial decree) is not yet strong enough as a legal basis for ensuring inter-religious harmony,” Abdul Kadir Karding, the chairman of DPR`s Commission VIII dealing with religious and social affairs said before attending a meeting between the commission and the minister of religious affairs and the national police chief at the parliament building here on February 9, 2011. Karding who is from the National Awakening Party (PKB) said the joint ministerial decree has weaknesses to assure inter-religious harmony. He said the second dictum of the decree states warning and order for Ahmadiyah Islamic sect followers to stop their activities which are not in line with the mainstream of Islam such as claiming that there is still a prophet after Prophet Muhammad SAW. “The dictum has weakness with regard to recognition on a religion,” he said. He said Commission VIII would seek to change the SKB into a law on inter-religious harmony. The discussion of the bill is the initiative

right of the DPR, he said. “If the bill later is endorsed it will provide a strong legal basis to accommodate inter-religious relations,” he said. Three people were killed during an attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Pandeglang, Banten, on Sunday. Kardin asked why the incident could happen. “Where is the state`s commitment to the implementation of principles of respect to differences in religions among the people,” he said.

He said persuasive approach needs to be taken to build peace with regard to dealing with the problem. “Violence may not happen for whatever reasons on every citizen. The state must protect the people regardless of their beliefs, religions or whatever,” he said. In the long term the state meanwhile has to evaluate its way of tackling violence. He said the people must be taught on tolerance and respect on differences through persuasive dialog.

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Highlights

Yudhoyono calls for respect for principles of law-based state Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on all parties not to damage the principles of law-based state by conducting violence and taking the law into their own hands. In his speech at the commemoration of the Lunar New Year held by the Supreme Council for Confucian Religion in Indonesia (Matakin) President Yudhoyono appealed to all parties to find the right solution, in case of meeting a religious conflict, by asking for advice from religious leaders concerned. “What is clear is let us prevent and avoid violence in settling the problem. If we are trapped into easily resorting to violence and taking the law into our own hands we are really denying and damage the values, norms and principles of a law-based state, democracy and the state that upholds multiculturalism and religious diversity,” he said. President Yudhoyono reminded all of the importance of settling all problems linked to inter-community and -religious relations well, peacefully in line with the constitution and other legal principles. Indonesia, he said, is a multi-religious and multi-cultural country that respects the law and democratic values and therefore people must develop their social life according to democratic and legal principles. In view of that he called on all citizens to always act wisely and respect each other and tolerance. “Let us keep learning and implement wisdom and values in our life such as

respecting each other and upholding tolerance,” he said. On the occasion he reiterated again the government`s commitment to stopping and eradicating policies considered discriminative towards the Confucian religious followers. He said the government would continue to improve its public service fairly and well to all religious followers including the Confucian followers. “We have achieved and done a lot and with regard to some technical and administrative problems that still remain in several regions I call for their immediately settlement,” he said. To the minister of religious affairs and heads of regions he appealed to settle

the remaining problems concerning with public service to Confucian followers by the end of next at the latest. President Yudhyono attended the event along with vice president Boediono. Before around 3,000 attendees he said he was sorry he was not accompanied by First Lady Any Yudhoyono because she was sick after accompanying him during a four day visit to East Nusa Tenggara last week. Several ministers attended the event including religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali and trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu. It was also attended by defense forces commander Admiral Suhartono and national police chief General Timur Pradopo.

Russian Embassy marks anniversary of ASEAN-Russia partnership Jakarta - The Russian Embassy on February 10, 2011, held a reception to mark the 15th anniversary of the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership and Diplomat`s Day in Russia. According to a Russian Embassy press release, the event was attended by ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, Director-General for ASEAN Cooperation at Indonesia`s Foreign Affairs Ministry Djauhari Oratmangun, Director General for American and European 6 Equator - February 2011

Affairs at same ministry Retno L.P. Marsudi, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Suryo B. Sulisto, permanent representatives and ambassadors of ASEAN members countries accredited in Jakarta, representatives of Indonesian ministries and agencies and business community. Rusian Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN Alexandre Ivanov, in his welcoming message stressed the active and fruitful character of the Russia-

ASEAN Partnership, and the continually expanding agenda of political, trade, economic, social and cultural cooperation. Surin Pitsuwan and Djauhari Oratmangun in their turn expressed satisfaction with the active dynamics of the cooperation between Russia and ASEAN, and warmly congratulated Russian diplomats on their professional day.

Highlights

RI to send observers to disputed Thai-Cambodia border area Jakarta - Indonesia will soon send observers to both sides of the disputed part of the Cambodian-Thai border near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said. The decision to send observers was made based on an invitation from both Cambodia and Thailand for the presence of observers from Indonesia in its capacity as the current ASEAN chair. “We will send the team within the few days or weeks. Their job will be to assist and support both Cambodia and Thailand in respecting their commitment to avoid further armed clashes in the border area. We will observe and make reports about the latest situation there including if there is any violation of the ceasefire commitment,” said the minister here on Tuesday at a press conference after meeting with his ASEAN counterparts. Marty said the observer team would then submit the report to both Cambodia and Thailand as well as to Indonesia as chair of ASEAN to be reviewed. Asked about the number of observers to be dispatched to both Cambodia and Thailand area, Marty said it was not yet being discussed. “What we are doing now is sending a small team to the conflicted area with purpose to give recommendation about the numbers of personnel that we shall send there,” he said adding that members of the observer team would primarily consist of unarmed military personnel with one or two diplomats from the Foreign Affairs Ministry in each side. Marty expressed appreciation towards the trust given by Thailand and Cambodia to Indonesia to engage with the peace process in the disputed area. Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict just a week after Cambodia`s Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. The conflict is due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple. The latest clashes on Feb. 4-7, unleashed a barrage of artillery shells on both sides of the border, had killed and wounded many soldiers and citizens of both sides, and caused tens of thousands of the two countries` villagers nearby the disputed areas fleeing for safe shelters.

Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to invite Indonesia as an observer in their efforts to find a peaceful settlement following a military clash between the two countries on February 4-7, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said. “In the ASEAN informal foreign ministerial meeting today it was agreed that Cambodia and Thailand should settle their problem peacefully and to invite Indonesia as an observer and engage it in talks later,” the Indonesian foreign minister said here on Tuesday. As an observer Marty said Indonesia would not take over their responsibility

Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to invite Indonesia as an observer in their efforts to find a peaceful settlement following a military clash between the two countries on February 4-7, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said in assuring a cease-fire but would support it and would accurately report its findings in the field. “Indonesia is not a peace enforcement body that enforces peace but an observer that makes a report about what happens and present it to the ASEAN chair and the two parties,” he said. When the observers to be sent and how many the would be has not yet been determined but he said it had better be done immediately. “The faster the better according to me,” he said adding “it is because the border disputed by the two countries is not very vast and therefore not many observers, which would consist of unarmed military and civilian personnel, would be needed.” Marty said the minister of defense and the commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) had been informed about it and would make their officers ready to be assigned as observers along with officials from the ministry of foreign affairs. “However we need to know first situation on the ground and therefore an advanced team would be sent first to decide the number (observers) and the needs in the field,” he said.

The minister said the achievement was a form of Indonesian leadership in the ASEAN and was not only because of its position as an ASEAN chair because Indonesia had directly entered into the conflicting countries. “This will be the first for a country to be invited to become an observer by two conflicting parties which will not be stationed in a buffer zone but in Cambodia as well as Thailand. This shows the trust of the two parties and ASEAN in Indonesia,” he said. Initially, Marty said, Thailand and Cambodia had different views with one of them wishing Indonesia to become the chairman of the peace talks while the other did not want to involve a third party. “However after negotiations an agreement was reached to involve Indonesia in the two parties as ASEAN chair which is supposed to be the place for conflicting parties to convey their complaints and it is hoped the next negotiations would be done in Indonesia,” he said. He said that Thailand and Cambodia actually had the same wish to make peace and would not want to clash and so the challenge for Indonesia would be how to overcome the communication problems between them. Marty also said he would report the results of the meeting on Tuesday and the assignment of the monitoring team to the UN Security Council. The recent military clash between Thailand and Cambodian happened in the border area near the Preah Vihear Temple which has been declared by the International Court in 1962 as belonging to Cambodia but the area around it is still disputed by the two countries. Minister Marty Natalegawa on February 7-8 met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piramya to ask the two sides to exercise restraint and to allow ASEAN to help them reduce their tension. On February 15, he attended the UN Security Council`s meeting that responded to the request of Cambodia to discuss the problem and the result was the UN Security Council to support ASEAN to help settle the conflict. ASEAN consists of ten countries including Brunei Darrusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Equator - February 2011 7

Highlights

Garuda optimistic stocks to be sold out Jakarta - PT Garuda Indonesia is optimistic the market would absorb its stock at the initial public offering opened on February 2, 2011. Its financial director, Elisa Lumbantoruan, said “I have to be optimistic because there is no reason for being not optimistic,” she said. At the outlet at Mandiri Tower Lobby, Plaza Bapindo, investors` interest in buying the Garuda stocks seemed not to be very strong on the first day of offering compared to that at the offering of PT Krakatau Steel shares. Elisa said the quiet market occurred because people had gone on leave for the Lunar New Year holiday. She said the offering was not only done in Jakarta but also in Aceh, Medan (North Sumatra), Palembang (South Sumatra), Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java), Denpasar (Bali), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan) and Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi). “It is still quiet perhaps because some were taking a long leave for the holiday, after which I believe it will be busy. I predict people will buy at the end of the offering day,” she said. The offering is scheduled to be made on February 2, 4, 7 and 8 from 9am to 4pm. A domestic investor mean-

while said the short queue happened because many local investors were waiting for the secondary market. He said they were also not very interested because foreign investors were seen not too enthusiastic to buy Garuda shares. “I came here just to take a look to see whether there are a lot of buyers or not. More investors are waiting for a secondary market because they think

the price will be lower,” he said. Another local investor, Iwan, said Garuda is the only airline company with a class in Indonesia. He believed it was good to invest in the company shares because the company is also government owned. “I predict the price of the shares will be good because Garuda belongs to the government which will certainly strive to maintain its stability,” he said.

Manado to host ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting Manado, North Sulawesi - Manado will host the ASEAN Economic Ministers and Related Meetings from August 9 to 13, 2011. “The ASEAN economic activity will be attended by 11 ASEAN member countries and 10 ASEAN partner countries to finalize the blueprint toward a new era, ASEAN Economy Community in 2015,” Director General of International Trade Cooperation of the Ministry of Trade Gusmardi Bustami said on February 10, 2011. Gusmardi said there will be 120 policies already approved by the ASEAN economic ministers, including 90 already ratified and implemented toward an ASEAN economic new era in, and the rest will be discussed at the meeting in Manado in August. 8 Equator - February 2011

At the meeting, Gusmardi said, the ASEAN economic ministers will also discuss further steps to be made after 2015, including cooperation with the partner countries. Gusmardi said the target of the ASEAN economic community in 2015 is a single market and regional production basis, highly competitive area, an area with an even economic development level, integrated with the world economy. The ASEAN economic ministers meeting, Gusmardi said, are series of meetings ordinarily held twice in a year by the trade ministers of the area, to discuss commitments, and what else we need to do to reach an ASEAN Economy Community in 2015. Besides the economic ministers

meeting, a business meeting will also be held between business players in ASEAN for mutually beneficial trade cooperation. Gusmardi said some of the partner countries taking part at the meeting in Manado include the United States, Australia, Japan, and some other advanced countries with close economic relations with ASEAN. North Sulawesi Deputy Governor Djauhari Kansil said the ASEAN Economic Ministers will have a positive effect on North Sulawesi, especially tourism, for which the regency/city administrations had been asked to prepare the infrastructure well, maintain cleanliness and beauty, so that the international agenda would leave a good impression on the guests from many countries.

Highlights

Indonesia wishes Inalum to become world player Jakarta - The Indonesian government wishes to see PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) become one of the world`s biggest aluminum producers. “We wish that Inalum could become a world-class company, to be one the fifth or tenth biggest company in the world,” the Director of international industrial cooperation of the Ministry of Industry, Agus Tjahajana, said after a first formal meeting with the Japanese side on the future of aluminium smelter here on February 18, 2011.

PT Inalum is a joint venture company between Indonesia and NAA with an investment of around US$2 billion in 1987 which has been operating since 1982. Indonesia holds 41.12 percent shares while NAA 58.88 percent shares He said right now the world`s aluminum production was recorded at around 40 million tons a year and China has been one of the big producers with its production reaching around 15 million tons a year. “So it is indeed still far away for us to be able to reach that level. We are aware in order to reach that level there must be an increase (of production). How it will be done is still being discussed now,” he said. Until now the Indonesian government and the Japanese side are still conducting talks on the continuation of the Inalum project whose contract would expire in 2013. The formal negotiation has just been started and the two sides have just presented their stand points. The Indonesian negotiating team in the first formal meeting consists of the secretary general of the coordinating ministry for economic affairs, Eddy Abdurrahman, the director general of state assset management of the ministry of finance, Arif Baharudin, the secretary general of the industry ministry, Anshari Bukhari, the director general of international industrial cooperation, Agus Tjahajana, the director of basic metal industry of the ministry of indus-

try, IG Putu Suryawirawan, and head of the Asahan Authority, Effendi Sirait. Agus said at the meeting the Indonesian government again conveyed its decision to end the cooperation and takeover the management of Inalum in 2013. Japan meanwhile again conveyed its wish to be able to continue the cooperation project and to invest to increase the production capacity of Inalum. In the meeting Japan was represented by Takuma Yamaguchi, Kitama Naritoshi and Katsuhiko Murayama from the ministry of economy, trade and industry and the president of Nippon Asahan Aluminum Co. Ltd. (NAA) Motohiro Matsumoto and NAA`s representative director executive-vice president Moriaki Tanabe. Also present were General Manager of Aluminum Division at Sumitomo Chemical, Yukio Mizuno, and General Manager of Planning and Coordinating Office on Basic Chemical Sector of Sumitomo Chemical, Jun Yamamoto and a representative from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). “The conclusion is the two parties have now known each other`s position. This is still an initial negotiation. Later they certainly have to conduct consolidation,” he said. Agus said the Indonesian government plans to re-order the whole operations of Inalum including its smelter plant and the Asahan II hydropower plant after the cooperation contract with Japan expires in 2013.

“The whole operations in existence now after 2013 must be re-ordered. In view of that a team will be set up for it,” he said. The government, he said, right now has not yet finished conducting the final discussion on the concept of Inalum management after 2013 which will later be presented to Japan. He said the government also planned to manage the company well by considering the economic development, the direction of aluminum industry and the impact on regional development. “This is not a small problem and therefore we must be very careful and the team thiks for 2013 and beyond the position must be planned well. We will present it to Japan. If they agree please join us,” he said. PT Inalum is a joint venture company between Indonesia and NAA with an investment of around US$2 billion in 1987 which has been operating since 1982. Indonesia holds 41.12 percent shares while NAA 58.88 percent shares. PT Inalum`s facilities include an aluminum smelter plant in Kuala Tanjung, Batubara District and a hydro-power plant in Paritohan, Toba Samosir District. Agus said Inalum at present has an installed production capacity of 250,000 tons of aluminum slabs a year and 40 percent of its production is marketed at home.

Equator - February 2011 9

Highlights

Twenty-two investors to build shoe, footwear plants in RI Jakarta - As many as 22 foreign investors intend to build shoe and footwear manufacturing plants in Indonesia, with each of them expected to employ about 10,000 workers, an official said. “The only problem is the limited number of skilled workers,” Secretary General of the Industry Ministry Anshari Bukhari said here on February 8, 2011. He said the number of job training centers for shoe and footwear factory workers was currently small. The ministry had such a job training center in Sidoarjo, East Java, which had the capacity to train 700 people. “To cope with the shortage of skilled workers, we have trained shoe factory workers to give training to would-be shoe factory workers,” he said. In addition, he said the ministry also had asked shoe industries to give training to local residents. He said a shoe manufacturer in Purwakarta, West Java, had so far provided a production line to give training to new recruiters.

It took one-and-a-half months to train the new recruiters to be able to work, he said. The investors came among others from China, Taiwan and South Korea, he said.

“Shoe exports have shown an upward trend. Last year shoe exports hit an all time high of more than US$2 billion. And we must take advantage of this momentum,” he said.

Garuda Director receives Orient Aviation Award Hong Kong - Garuda Indonesia President Emirsyah Satar has received an Orient Aviation Person of The Year 2010 award for his success in enabling the national flag carrier to make profit in the past three years. “This is a form of appreciation to Garuda`s working team under the leadership of Emirsyah, from Orient Aviation, an official magazine of AAPA (Association of Asia Pacific Airlines) comprising 17 large airlines in the region,” Garuda Communication Head Pujobroto said prior to a conferment ceremony here on February 15, 2011. He said Garuda posted a net profit of Rp600 billion in 2007. The figure rose to Rp811 billion in 2008 and further moved up to Rp1 trillion in 2009. Garuda is currently operating 87 planes to serve 38 domestic destinations and 19 international destinations. 10 Equator - February 2011

Highlights

Indonesia applies green economic concept Cairo, Egypt - Indonesian Environment Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said his country has applied the concept of “green economy” in its sustainable development. According to a media release from Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, which was made available to Antara here on Friday, Gusti Muhammad Hatta made the statement at the 26th Global Environment Ministers Meeting in Nairobi from February 21-24, 2011. “Indonesia has applied green economic concept in its sustainable development and poverty alleviation efforts,” the environment minister was quoted by the RI Embassy media release as saying. The Global Environment Ministers Meeting, organized by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), was participated in by 52 environment ministers and representatives from more than 140 countries. “Indonesia applies the green economic concept to support pro-job opportunity, pro-development, and proenvironment national development,” Gusti said.

Themed “Green Economy and International Environmental Governance,” the meeting was officially opened by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on February 21, 2011. According to the media release, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner on the occasion admired Indonesian initiative in green economic program to reach the target of 7 percent sustain-

able development and the reduction 26 to 40 percent carbon emission in 2020. Meanwhile, spokesman of Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, Yohpy Wardana said that while other countries were still talking about transition toward green economy, Indonesia has become an international example in its national program of environmentally-friendly development.

France interested to expand investment in aircraft components in Indonesia Jakarta - France has expressed interest to expand investment and technology transfer to among others aircraft component manufacturing in Indonesia. “The business delegation from France is interested in among others expanding investment in aircraft industry especially aircraft components,” the director general of high technologybased prime industries of the ministry of industry, Budi Darmadi, said following the visit of 60 members of French business delegation to the office. He said the Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) aircraft component manufacturer and Thalles from France had expressed their interest in opening a two-way communication with the country`s aircraft industry. That way the continuity of compo-

nent manufacturing could be maintained, he said. “We need to develop our aircraft industry for air connectivity in the country and improving our Domestic Component Level in the component industry,” he said. The French delegation led by the Minister of economic affairs, finance and industry Christine Lagarde and state minister of transportation Thierry Mariani has also expressed its interest to expand machinery and manufacturing equipment business. “They will conduct more technology transfer to Indonesia,” he said. Some of the investment that would be expanded include that for food processing, piping and oil and gas. He said France has been determined to increase training activities for human resources in Indonesia to produce more

better skilled workers. The French business delegation has also looked at power projects in the country. Christine Lagarde meanwhile said she came to Indonesia along with 60 prominent business community members. “Some of them are ready to invest in Jakarta and in essence we are committed to developing and increasing cooperation and partnership between the two countries,” she said. She said among the program to be carried out are technology transfer and developing strategic partnership to increase “value” in Indonesia. “We need to do a lot of things to open more employment in Indonesia with more than 100 French companies already investing here,” she said. Equator - February 2011 11

Highlights

Gadjah Mada University ranks seventh in Southeast Asia Yogyakarta - Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta ranks seventh in the list of the 100 best universities in Southeast Asia, according to Webometrics` January 2011 edition, a spokesman for UGM, Suryo Baskoro, said. “The position increases compared to that of last year which ranked eighth,” he said. According to him, at the Asian level, UGM, which is the oldest state university in Indonesia, ranked 69th, and it is in the 593rd position at the world level. “In Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University ranks first and in the past three years it was also in the top position. This year, the university again won the title as the best university in Indonesia of Webometrics version,” Suryo noted. According to Webometrics`records in 2010, 2009 and 2008, UGM was also in

Indonesia`s top position, he said. “Webometrics is an institution affiliated with the Spanish National Research Council, which issues a list of rankings twice a year, namely January and July,” Suryo explained. He said Webometrics` ranking calculation is based on the advantage in electronic publication (e-publication) which is contained in the web domain of each college. The assessment is measured by four indicators, namely “size” (the number of pages contained in the electronic publications of the college`s website and “visibility” (other pages that list the number of the URL domain of colleges which are assessed). Other indicators are the “rich files” namely the relevance of electronic resources and academic activities as well

as the college publication, and “scholar” including the number of publications and quality citations in the domain of the higher learning institution. “These data are collected, processed and used to rank around 12,000 colleges and universities around the world,” Suryo said. He noted the achievements that have been achieved by UGM prove the electronic publications in the domain ugm. ac.id rated as the most comprehensive and the richest ones in the Indonesia. “It is something on which we have to be grateful. However, the rating is not the purpose of UGM. Efforts are made by UGM to improve the quality of all aspects of the campus life in accordance with its vision which is a dedication for the interests and prosperity of the nation,” Suryo said.

Komodo remains in New7Wonder list Jakarta - Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik has said he would continue promoting the Komodo as a candidate for inclusion in the list of the World`s Seven New Wonders. “We will go on, we will follow the process after this,” Minister Jero Wacik said on February 8, 2011. Following the decision of the New7Wonders Foundation not to drop Komodo National Park from the list, the Komodo will remain to be the 28th finalist and struggle to reach one of the top seven positions on November 11, 2011 to be recognized as a new wonder of the world. Minister Wacik would attend the ceremony of the N7W final in whichever country willing to host the event after Indonesia canceled its plan to organize the event. New7Wonders on its official website Monday (Feb. 7) announced important decisions concerning the participation of Komodo in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign. “Voting for Komodo continues as an authorized Finalist in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign,” it said. New7Wonders, however, removed 12 Equator - February 2011

the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from its status as Official Supporting Committee for Komodo in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Outlining these decisions, Bernard Weber, President and Founder of New7Wonders, says: “Every action by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism last week strengthened the case for us to withdraw from Indonesia completely. If we depended on the Ministry, then today we would be forced to announce a complete pull-out.” “Fortunately, in the past days we

have received many encouraging and supporting requests from the public and leading individuals to allow Komodo to continue as a Finalist in the Official New7Wonders of Nature,” says Weber, adding: “As New7Wonders is the world`s first and largest global voting platform, these voices are important to us.” He emphasized that “The main news today is this: with the removal of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism from its official role in the campaign, voting for Komodo can continue.”

Highlights

President kicks off integrated tourist zone project in Bintan Bintang, Riau Islands - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on February 26, 2011, inaugurated the construction of the first-phase of an integrated tourist zone at Teluk Sebong, Sebong Lagoi village, Bintan District, Riau Islands Province. The head of state named the new integrated tourist zone “Pesona Lagoi Bintang” (Lagoi Bintang Charm). Yudhoyono in his speech hoped that the tourist area could become like Singapore or even better. “Let`s develop this area to become an integrated economic zone,” the president, who was accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, said. Among those present at the inauguration ceremony were Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, Riau Islands Governor Muhammad Sani, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono, Minister/State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, and Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro. In the first phase of its development process, “Pesona Lagoi Bintang” will be built on a plot of land measuring 338 hectares. The project is being implemented by a consortium consisting of several companies including Malaysia-based

Landmarks lifestyle company. The developers will construct a water city resort in the area bought by Landmarks Berhad in 2006. The integrated tourist zone will also include an international ferry terminal, a marine terminal, a marine aircraft terminal, a cruise ship area, and integrated immigration service office. There will also be a water recreational area, shopping centers, hotels, amuse-

ment parks, villas, housing complexes, apartments, meeting halls, universities and hospitals. The construction works of the project`s first phase is expected to be complected in 2015 and it will connect with other isles in Riau Islands Province. Only a short ferry ride of about onehour from Singapore, the Riau Islands represent an ideal and easily accessible destination for holiday makers.

RI to conduct international tourism promotion in 74 events Jakarta - Indonesia will be promoting its tourism abroad at 74 international events in 2011. Deputy Director for Promotion of the ASEAN region Chrismiastutie said that 74 tourist events abroad will be prepared with some of them already implemented to attract more foreign tourists to Indonesia this year. “The 74 events are mostly in the ASEAN region as the main contributor of foreign tourists,” she said. She said the tourist promotion in the ASEAN region will be covered by 17 events besides 18 events in Asia, 15 in the United States and the Pacific, 13 in

Europe, and 12 in the Middle East. “The events will cover participation in the tourism bourse, sales missions, and support to Indonesian festivals abroad,” she said. Chrismiastutie said the number of the events this year had significantly increased compared to the 58 events in 2009. She said the number was actually still far from enough to attract more tourists to Indonesia. “Our budget is still very limited compared to those of some of our neighboring countries and therefore need to be allocated effectively and efficiently,”

she said. This year she has projected 7.7 million foreign tourists until the end of 2011. Of the projection, Chrismiastutie will try to attract more than 3.2 million foreign tourists from ASEAN to Indonesia. “This year we will try to net 3.2 million foreign tourists from ASEAN to Indonesia” she said. She added that ASEAN had always been the biggest contributor of tourists to Indonesia and in 2010 of the 7 million foreign tourists to Indonesia 2.5 came from ASEAN. Equator - February 2011 13

Highlights

Garuda exploring cooperation with Maluku culinary entrepreneurs Ambon, Maluku - National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is exploring the possibility of cooperating with Maluku culinary entrepreneurs capable supplying local foods to be served on Garuda flights. “We are currently exploring the possibility of cooperation with culinary entrepreneurs who can produce traditional Maluku dishes for Garuda passengers,” Garuda Ambon branch manager Hendra Sumarno said. Hendra said since Garuda resumed its Jakarta-Ambon route on July 3, 2010, he had been thinking about a concept of serving regional typical foods to passengers of the national flag carrier during its flights. “For several domestic and overseas destinations we serve passengers with some regional typical foods, and for Jakarta-Amsterdam flights we serve them with Javanese typical food namely `nasi tumpeng` or rice cone,” Hendra said.

While for Jakarta-Ambon flights, he said the Garuda passengers were served with Makassar typical food so they wanted to replace it with special cuisine from Maluku. “We are at present incessantly doing business transformation to eastern Indonesian regions with special service and presentation of regional typical foods,” he added. Hendra admitted that a team of selectors from Jakarta would go to Ambon for surveying which culinary entrepreneurs were eligible to serve their typical foods to Garuda passengers. “If we find eligible culinary entrepreneurs who can meet the standard of Garuda to serve the passengers with Maluku typical foods, we will cooperate with them,” Hendra said. He added that reasonable service and foods with regional characteristics would make Garuda passengers enjoy a comfortable flight.

“In addition, Garuda also promotes Ambon city tourism potential in its cabin magazine,” Hendra said. According to the Garuda Ambon branch manager, the Garuda cabin magazine contained photos and data about tourism in the island city of Ambon.

Jakarta - Hundreds of adherents of different faiths all over the country celebrated World Interfaith Harmony Week at the Senayan indoor stadium here on February 6, 2011. “The event is the formal agenda of the UN aimed at campaigning for the importance of harmonious life among adherents of different faiths,” Chairman of the Presidium of the Inter-Religious Council (IRC) for Indonesia Prof Dr Din Syamsuddin said in his address to the event. Din said the event also served as a means to gather interfaith figures to address a myriad of social problems facing the nation. The UN has called on all religious adherents worldwide to celebrate the World Interfaith Harmony Week every the first week of February as of 2011. Also present at the event were Chairman of the People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Taufik Kiemas, Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Marzuki Alie, Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD)

Irman Gusman and Secretary General of New York-based Religions for Peace William F. Vendley. “May this event give a message to all the people in Indonesia. As a pluralistic nation, let us preserve our unity and cohesion as a large nation,” Din said. He said the event was designed to put an end to longstanding inter-religious dispute and violence so that religious adherents all over the world could lead a fair and peaceful

life without war and violence. It was Jordanian King Abdullah II and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad that initiated the event during the Annual Meeting of the UN General Assembly in September 2010. “In supporting the UN program, the IRC Indonesia as a forum of interfaith figures organized the event in the country,” Din said. Meanwhile, William F. Vendley welcomed the event and hoped all parties in Indonesia would work hand in hand to create peace.

RI celebrates World Interfaith Harmony Week

14 Equator - February 2011

Highlights

Visit Bogor 2011 to increase number of tourists visit Bogor, West Java - Various preparations have been made for Visit Bogor 2011 in a bid to increase the number of tourists visit this year. Bogor district culture and tourism office spokesman Baehaki said that the district administration has designed a budget of Rp7.4 billions for the implementation of Visit Bogor 2011. “But we are still discussing the amount of budget because it is predicted to be about tens of billions of rupiah for the program,” Baehaki said. He explained that the budget would be used for promotion and other activities related to the implementation of Visit Bogor 2011 which is to be launched later this

month to increase to number of tourists visiting Bogor district this year. Baehaki said the number of tourists visiting Bogor in the previous years rose only by 5 percent and therefore with the Visit Bogor 2011 the number was expected to increase by 15 until 20 percent. “With such a program we hope the number of tourists visit to Bogor will increase by 15 to 20 percent this year,” Baehaki said, adding that the Visit Bogor 2011 would be officially launched on February 26 in conjunction with Dongdang cultural festival. Meanwhile, Dongdang cultural festival committee chairman Erwin Suryana said the participants this year were expected

to rise from 1000 last year to 2,000 people. “Bogor district head will officially launch Visit Bogor 2011 in conjunction with Dongdang cultural festival on February 26,” Erwin Suryana said.

Bandung, West Java - A Batik-painted train carriage standing in Bandung`s Train Musuem has set a record as the first-ever batik-painted carriage in Indonesia, a fact immediately acknowledged by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI). The batik-painted train carriage was recorded as the recipients of the 4,742nd MURI record award, MURI Manager Jusuf Nadri said on February 15, 2011. According to him, the record could well be also an international one because no batik-painted train carriage existed outside Indonesia. The batik-painting on the carriage`s body was made by five painters who had graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), assisted by ten people. The batik painting for the carriage was a combination of Cirebon Batik, Pekalongan Batik, and Pacitan Batik designs. There was a painting of Bima, a hero of the Indian epic of Mahabharata and a shadow puppet which represented power and honesty at the end part of the carriage. The Commercial Director of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (State Railway Company),

S Wimbo Hardjito said, the effort to set a new record of batik-painted carriage was one of the company`s programs to preserve batik as one of the world`s heritages. “The most important thing is to introduce batik as a world heritage from Indonesia to the society,” Hardjito said.

According to Hardjito, the company would have batik as the interior and exterior designs of the train and carriage in the future. The officers and employees of the company would be obliged to wear batik dress in certain occasion, Hardjito said.

Batik-painted train carriage sets national record

Equator - February 2011 15

Focus

RI evacuate citizens from Egypt by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta - The Indonesian government has finally decided to evacuate its citizens and deploy commercial and military airplanes to fly home over 6,000 Indonesians from Egypt which is now being plagued by political tension. The decision to evacuate Indonesian citizens from Egypt was made in a cabinet meeting on February 7, 2011, following the worsening of political tension and social unrest in Egypt where demonstrators demanded that President Hosni Mubarak step down. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a cabinet meeting on Monday ordered the evacuation of Indonesian citizens and the formation of an evacuation task force.

There are about 5,000 Indonesian citizens in Egypt, about 4,000 of whom are students who mostly stay in big cities such as Cairo The task force consisted of personnel from Health Ministry and Transportation Ministry and is led by former Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda who is also a member of the Presidential Advisory Board. President Yudhoyono said the evacuation would be carried out using commercial and other planes possible for use for it. The planes will depart from the country. “If necessary they will start leaving to Cairo tonight,” he said. According to Hassan Wirajuda, the team that will be assigned to evacuate Indonesian citizens in Egypt is leaving for that country on Monday night. “We will send an advance team tonight,” Wirajuda said at the Presidential Office. He said that the team was expected to leave for Egypt at 3.0 a.m at the latest. The advance team would arrange everything needed in the first phase of evacuation where priorities would be given to evacuating about 1,200 women and children. He said that the government had made three airplanes available for the first phase of the evacuation. The three planes will come from Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air. They will also be used to transport various kinds of logistic supplies to meet the daily 16 Equator -February 2011

need of the Indonesians still staying in Egypt. In the meantime, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) is preparing a heavy transport plane C-130 Hercules to help evacuate Indonesian citizens who are trapped in the Egyptian political unrest. Air Force Spokesman Air Commodore Bambang Samoedro said here on Monday that his side had not yet decided how many Hercules planes would be deployed. “The number of planes will largely depend on the situation and condition in Egypt,” he said. As regards, the Air Force will send its Deputy Chief Vice Marshal Soekirno, Military Police Commandant Air Commodore Soedipo and Flight Col. Yuyu Sutisna as an advance team to Egypt. “They will be leaving tonight,” Bambang Samoedro said. The government has named Nasr City as the meeting point before evacuation is carried out. This city is near the place where Indonesians are gathering. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said that the planes were now ready to fly to Egypt to carry out air evacuation. However, the Indonesian government still needed to coordinate with the Egyptian government to obtain license for the planes to land in that country. Marty said that the Indonesian government`s decision to evacuate its citizens was based on consideration that the situation in Egypt was turning more and more dangerous. He said that effort to ensure security in Egypt were now in the hands of the military, no longer of the police. Even, a police station near the Indonesian embassy has reportedly been destroyed by demonstrators. The foreign ministry`s latest data indicated that Indonesian citizens staying in Egypt numbered 6,149, consisting of 4,297 students and 1,002 employees and their family members. They are now building communications in 20 command posts. Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Triyono Wibowo said the government is greatly concerned about the fate of over 6,000 Indonesians in Egypt where the situation is still very tense. “We hope the situation in Egypt

could be well under control, while actually we did not wish to middle in the situation in that country, and we are therefore deeply concerned about the fate of our 6,045 people there,” he said on Sunday. On the sidelines of a discussion on regional border at the University of Narotama (Unnar) in East Java, he said the government`s attention to its citizens in Egypt is seeing that Indonesians are free from suffering. “Some of our people in Egypt are students, workers, and many have other professions, but since the last couple of days (Jan 28) our government has issued an official notification in the website of the Indonesian mission in Egypt,” he said. The notification hoped Indonesians need to remain calm and stay home and avoid points of restlessness, and at any time may contact Indonesian representative mission there if they knew something bad had happened. “Up till now none of our people had been hurt, especially that in addition to the 6,045 Indonesians officially listed at Indonesian representative offices, some had yet to be registered,” he said. On Sunday, Indonesian Ambassador to Egypt A.M. Sachir said his side had asked the Egyptian military authorities to protect Indonesian citizens following the current tension in that country. “We have asked the military which is taking over the handling of security affairs to protect Indonesian citizens,” the Ambassador said. He said that up to now all Indonesian citizens in Egypt were secured although demonstrations were still taking place in a number of regions there. The ambassador said there are about 5,000 Indonesian citizens in Egypt, about 4,000 of whom are students who mostly stay in big cities such as Cairo. “Resettlement centers where Indonesian citizens are staying are far away from locations of demonstrations, which are mostly organized in big cities and strategic areas,” the Ambassador said. Yet, the Indonesian embassy in Cairo has provided directions for Indonesian citizens asking them to stay alert over the developing situation in Egypt.

Focus

RI’s ASEAN leadership style being tested Jakarta - Indonesia has been holding the ASEAN leadership two months now, and the ongoing Cambodia-Thailand conflict is putting the nation`s leadership skills to the test. On February 22, 2011, ASEAN Foreign Ministers held an informal meeting in Jakarta to discuss the armed clash between Cambodia and neighboring Thailand. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consists of ten countries Brunei Darrusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In the urgent meeting of ASEAN ministers, Indonesia, the current ASEAN Chair, was requested to send observers to monitor a ceasefire in the affected areas of both sides` border. In early February 2011, Cambodia and Thailand had traded heavy weapons fire in an area around the 900-year-old Hindu Preah Vihear Temple located in the disputed border area. The two neighbors maintained a heavy military presence on either side of the border in the clashes that killed at least three Thais and eight Cambodians and wounded dozens of troops and civilians on either side, according to transnational news agencies. Ties between the neighbors have been strained since the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2008. The previous border disputes between the two ASEAN member states had erupted into violence in October 2008 and April 2009, as troops from both nations exchanged fire over ownership the ancient temple and the surrounding land. The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear itself belonged to Cambodia, although its main entrance lies in Thailand and the 4.6-square-kilometer (1.8-squaremile) area around the temple is claimed by both sides. Following the Feb. 4-7 clashes, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as the current chairman of ASEAN, decided to send Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa to Cambodia (On Feb. 7) and Thailand (on Feb. 8) to meet his counterparts. “This year Indonesia as the chairman of ASEAN has a moral responsibility to become part of the solution (of the CambodiaThailand conflict),” President Yudhoyono said at his office in Jakarta on February 7. The United Nations Security Council

(UNSC) has also taken on the issue as an urgent matter. The UNSC invited the ASEAN Chair alongside Cambodia and Thailand at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on February 14. The UN Security Council president, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil, called in the meeting for a “permanent ceasefire”, AFP reported. Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan in a press statement said the UNSC`s open and official support for conciliation efforts to the ASEAN Chair was a sign that the United Nations had faith in ASEAN to help its Member States find amicable regional solutions to bilateral problems.

Cambodia and Thailand reported to the informal meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Jakarta recently (Feb. 22) that they had mutually achieved an agreement to avoid further violence along their common border in the area of the Hindu Temple of Preah Vihear. They also pledged to resume their bilateral negotiations “In the spirit of the ASEAN Charter, calling for closer and more effective consultations on political and security matters, ASEAN is seeing its Chair personally engaged in offering good offices for the first time in its history,” he said. Both Cambodia and Thailand welcomed Minister Marty to help in their search for an amicable and peaceful solution to their differences, as ASEAN continued to strengthen its dispute settlement mechanism, in line with the ASEAN Charter, Dr. Surin added. Cambodia and Thailand reported to the informal meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Jakarta recently (Feb. 22) that they had mutually achieved an agreement to avoid further violence along their common border in the area of the Hindu Temple of Preah Vihear. They also pledged to resume their bilateral negotiations. Their positive commitment towards peaceful settlement was endorsed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in the Jakarta Meeting. “ASEAN members welcome and support Cambodia`s and Thailand`s strong

commitment to the principles contained in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN Charter about the settlement of dispute by peaceful means and renunciation of the threat or use of force,” Marty said after the meeting. The ministers also expressed their appreciation to Indonesia for agreeing to send observers to the affected areas of both sides of the border as requested. Dr Surin Pitsuwan in his press statement said “The Meeting called upon Indonesia to engage appropriately to support the two countries` efforts to resolve the tense situation. The positive outcome of the Meeting came after long and arduous efforts on all parties especially Minister Hor Namhong (of Cambodia), Minister Kasit Piromya (of Thailand) and Minister Marty Natalegawa.” Explaining the would-be set up observer team, Minister Marty said on a separate occasion recently that the observer team which would be dispatched within days to weeks ahead, would comprise civilians and military personnel from the foreign affairs ministry, the defense ministry and the National Defense Forces (TNI). “Their number might not be over 20,” the minister said, adding that they would be divided into two groups and would be posted in Thailand and Cambodia each. He explained that the border disputed by the two countries was not very vast and therefore needed not many observers. “Indonesia is not a peace enforcement body that enforces peace but an observer that makes a report about what happens and present it to the ASEAN chair and the two parties,” the minister said adding that the Indonesian government would first send an advanced team to assess the situation on the ground. The terms of reference for the observers will be based on Indonesia`s experiences in welcoming similar missions from ASEAN Member States in Timor-Leste in 1999 and Aceh in 2003-2005, and Indonesia`s own mission to Southern Philippines. The ASEAN Chair is expected to promptly propose a model for the two countries` consideration. “This will be the first for our country to be invited to become an observer by two conflicting parties which will not be stationed in a buffer zone but in Cambodia as well as Thailand. This shows the trust of the two parties and ASEAN in Indonesia,” Minister Marty said. Equator - February 2011 17

Focus

SOEs’ role in economic development increasing by Andi Abdussalam Jakarta - State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), as one of the country`s economic pillars beside private companies and cooperatives, are playing an increasingly significant role in national economic development through their upward performance and financial contributions to the state. The increasing role of state-owned companies is reflected in their performance which has been improving steadily, as well in their financial contributions to the state which in 2010 stood at Rp132.6 trillion (in the form of dividends, taxes and privatization). Besides, state-owned firms in 2010 also made indirect contributions to national development in the form of capital expenditure worth Rp197 trillion and operational expenditure valued at Rp932 trillion. Therefore, to increase their contribution to national development, their capital expenditure would be further pushed up. The government through the Ministry of State Enterprises (BUMN) is ready to push state firm to increase their capital expenditure to the level of Rp380 trillion in the next four years. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa said the BUMNs` capital expenditure in 2011 would reach Rp380 trillion which would go to business expansion to meet the needs for an economic corridor development program. However state companies that are just conducting restructuring certainly would not be forced to increase their capital expenditure but those that have been healthy and have the potential to rise would be encouraged. Hatta Rajasa said he was optimistic there would be a leap in the growth of capital expenditure of the BUMNs in line with their increasing financial performance. “The potential to raise capital expenditure may be gained from reduction of operational costs,” he said. According to State Enterprise Minister Mustafa Abubakar, right now the operational expenditure of all SOEs is bigger than their capital expenditure. “The National Economic Committee thinks if the SOEs could increase their capital 18 Equator -February 2011

expenditure more new jobs would be created,” Mustafa said. In view of that he said he would conduct kind of elaboration on the budget and capital capacity of each SOE to invest. “The deputies are still recording the SOEs that are potential to increase their capital expenditure,” he said. Mustafa Abubakar said that Rp380 trillion was the consolidated amount and it was hoped it would come from 60 to 70 percent of SOEs that are in good financial conditions.

SOEs also provided indirect contribution to the national development in the form of capital expenditure of 142 state firms worth Rp197 trillion , operational expenditure Rp932 trillion, partnership and environment development scheme Rp2.7 trillion, Smallholders Credit Scheme (KUR) distribution Rp16.4 trillion and Public Service Obligation (PSO) 201.3 trillion He said in the 2011 corporate working budget plan (RKAP) the capital expenditure of all BUMNs was expected to reach Rp210 trillion, up from Rp196.91 trillion last year. Meanwhile, their operational expenditure was expected to reach Rp1,929.87 trillion, up from Rp932.15 trillion last year. According to the minister the performance of state-owned firms has continued to increase as evident in the increase in their contribution to the state. “In general the performance of stateowned enterprises is encouraging. This is regardless of the fact that improvements still have to be made, yet state enterprises are able to serve as the motor of national economic development,” the minister said in a recent reflection on state firms during a coffee morning of SOE Executive Club here recently. Mustafa told about 50 SOE directors and commissioners that the contribution of state firms to the state comprised of dividends worth Rp29.9 trillion, taxes Rp100.6 trillion and proceeds of privatization worth Rp2.1 trillion.

In the meantime, the state companies? contribution to the economy as a whole can include the market capitalization of 17 state firms in December 2010 which reached Rp819 trillion, or accounting for 26 percent of the whole capitalization in the Indonesian stock exchange. SOEs also provided indirect contribution to the national development in the form of capital expenditure of 142 state firms worth Rp197 trillion , operational expenditure Rp932 trillion, partnership and environment development scheme Rp2.7 trillion, smallholders credit scheme (KUR) distribution Rp16.4 trillion and public service obligation (PSO)201.3 trillion. “This contribution will still increase because not all of the SOEs, particularly those listed in the capital market, have published their financial reports,” the minister said. In 2010, state-owned firms total assets were projected to reach Rp2,382 trillion, which significantly increased from Rp2,234 trillion in 2009. At the same time, their net profits were estimated at Rp100 trillion which increased from Rp88.05 trillion in 2009. “After taking into account the performance of all publicly listed stateowned firms in the fourth quarter of 2010, the total of their income would reach Rp1,037 trillion, increasing from Rp987.37 trillion in 2009,” he said. As part of the efforts to increase their performance state-owned companies are also encouraged to go public. Chief Economic Minister Hata Rajasa said the government would not restrain stateowned companies from going public. “There will be no limitations for SOEs to conduct IPO,” he said. He said the government would encourage SOEs to go public because it would give a positive impact not only to the companies. “SOEs that go public will be encouraged to be healthy because they will be scrutinized by the public and their financial reports will be audited,” he said.

Focus

Sail Morotai 2012 preparations being intensified by Otniel Tamindael Jakarta - Indonesia`s southernmost island of Morotai in North Maluku Province is famous not only for its natural and marine beauty but also for its historical tourism. It is also renowned for the beauty of its various coral reefs and decorative fish and tempting diving sites which the North Maluku provincial government has now started to spruce up in preparation of “Sail Morotai 2012.” Broken bridges and roads in Morotai have been mended. Divers accommodations in the form of hostels and procurement of diving equipment have also been made available just to make the international marine event of Sail Morotai a success. This year the local government will also build three docks in Morotai district for the upcoming Sail Morotai 2012. “We will focus on the construction of three docks in Morotai because the new district is located in a border area where Sail Morotai will take place in 2012,” North Maluku provincial administration spokesman Umar Hasan said in Ternate over the weekend. According to him, the new district of Morotai got a special attention from central government. Umar said the construction of three docks in Morotai would receive funds amounting Rp2.1 billion from 2011 regional budget, and also from state budget, focused on supporting the public activity through sea transportation. The docks will be located at the shipping route of the participants of Sail Morotai from foreign countries. Other supporting infrastructures at Morotai district would be improved for the success of the international marine event. “Therefore the local government will build the three docks in Dodola, Posi-Posi, and BereBere,” Umar said, adding that the three locations were strategic and representative for the Sail Indonesian participants to visit Morotai. In addition, he said the docks would be used to support the international marine event of Sail Morotai and to step up the local community`s economy and welfare. Even North Maluku Governor Governor Thaib Armaiyn also discussed the preparation of Sail Morotai 2012 with Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad in September last year. At the time Fadel said he supported the North Maluku`s initiative to host the event.

During his visit to South Korea in September last year, Governor Thaib Armaiyn also promoted the international maritime and yachting event in the country. Acting Head of Morotai district, Sukemi Sahab, said the governor during his visit promoted Sail Morotai 2012 to South Korean community members. The North Maluku governor visited South Korea to join the Investment National Coordinating Board`s investment promotion mission, in addition to introducing Sail Morotai to South Koreans.

The comings of foreign tourists and sailors to the Sail Morotai events would introduce the greatness of North Maluku province`s tourism and investment potentials Sukemi Sahab said that for North Maluku, the Sail Morotai was a meaningful and strategic international event because it would put the province on to the world`s tourism and investment maps. The comings of foreign tourists and sailors to the Sail Morotai events would introduce the greatness of North Maluku province`s tourism and investment potentials, he said. “For the Morotai Island district, Sail Morotai will positively contribute to tourism, investment, and infrastructure construction,” he said. In making the Sail Morotai get success, the North Maluku provincial government had proposed a budget of about 200 billion rupiah to central government in Jakarta. The government`s funds would be used for preparing basic infrastructures such as roads, bridges, airport, and public facilities to support the Sail Morotai in a short time, he said. This international event was initially introduced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when officiating the move of North Maluku capital from Ternate to Sofifi. In 2010, the annual event of Sail Indonesia had a theme of “Sail Banda” in which the Maluku provincial government was the host. As part of the promotion strategies and ways to welcome the sailors, the host did not only organize communal festivities and cultural events but also provided their guests with tourism and investment booklets. Through this annual yacht event, Indone-

sia is expected to remain in the route map of international sailors as one of the secure marine tourism destinations. Over the past years, the Sail Indonesia`s participating international yachts start sailing to the Indonesian waters from Darwin, the capital of Australian state of Northern Territory. Among the participating skippers were from the United States of America, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. Inspired with the success Indonesia scored by organizing Sail Bunaken 2009 in North Sulawesi and Sail Banda 2010 in Maluku, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suggested that North Maluku stage another such event, namely Sail Morotai. President Yudhoyono made the suggestion when speaking at a ceremony in Ternate, North Maluku, marking the relocation of the province`s capital from Ternate to Sofifi on Halmahera island in August 2010. “We have just organized Sail Banda, and in reality it attracted so many participants from many countries and moved the economy in Maluku. Therefore, I hope we can organize a Sail Morotai in North Maluku,” the President said at the time. The head of state on the occasion also threw his weigh behind the North Maluku provincial administration`s wish to turn Morotai Island into a special economic zone. Therefore, the president asked the relevant parties to draw up a master plan for the development of the island into a new economic center. As an outlying island serving as a gateway into Indonesia through the Pacific Ocean, being close to East Asia, and situated in a main sea lane to Australia and New Zealand, Morotai could be part of the economic movement in the Asia Pacific region. “We should think strategically. Let`s do something in North Maluku, Morotai in particular, so it will be part of the economic movement in the Asia Pacific region,” said the president. The President said he had received a master plan from Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad to develop the island into a fishery, tourist, trade and services center. In light of this, President Yudhoyono expressed hope that North Maluku province would successfully host Sail Morotai as part of Sail Indonesia 2012. Equator - February 2011 19

Focus

Ternate to promote its own style of batik by Otniel Tamindael Jakarta - Characterized by motifs of deep symbolic meaning, batik can truly be regarded as being representative of Indonesian culture as the art of making the cloth is not the monopoly of a certain region in the country. While batik originated in Java, several other regions in Indonesia, including Ternate in North Maluku, also have their own style of batik. Therefore, the typical Batik Ternate fabrics in North Maluku will start to be promoted at a Batik Expo 2011 in a bid to introduce the characteristics of the region. In the past, Indonesians, mostly adults, wear batik only at formal events but nowadays it has become increasingly popular even among the younger generation with batik factories starting to manufacture more wearer-friendly and fashionable batik outfits. Even many office workers now wear batik on a daily basis, while local designers compete to produce more attractive designs. “That is why it is part of our efforts to introduce various potentials that we have through the Batik Expo 2011,” fair organizer Ruhani Malik said in Ternate. He said the promotion of typical Batik Ternate fabrics through the Batik Expo 2011 would take place this week at Jatiland Mall in the city of Ternate. Batik is a wax-resistant dyeing technique used on textiles. Due to modern advances in the textile industry, the term is also used for fabrics incorporating traditional batik patterns that are not necessarily produced using traditional batik techniques. With a variety of art exhibitions, Ruhani said the batik fair in Ternate was expected to inspire various parties of the development of various characteristics possessed by the region. Besides, the Batik Expo 2011 is also expected to be a special attraction for all elements of the public in the region to love local typical products being developed nowadays. “Frankly speaking, this expo is rarely organized by business makers here, and therefore the local people this time are expected to get familiar with the local typical batik that we are going to pro20 Equator -February 2011

mote,” Ruhani said. He said the prices of the high quality batik were affordable because it would range from Rp50,000 to Rp200,000 per piece. The Expo 2011 in Ternate will introduce typical Batik Ternate in addition to Batik Surakarta and Batik Yogyakarta. Javanese traditional batik, especially from Surakarta and Yogyakarta, has notable meanings rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colours include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahma,

In the past, Indonesians, mostly adults, wear batik only at formal events but nowadays it has become increasingly popular even among the younger generation with batik factories starting to manufacture more wearer-friendly and fashionable batik outfits Visnu, and Uiva), related to the fact that natural dyes are most commonly available in indigo and brown. Meanwhile, Ternate city administration spokesman Yusuf Sunya said the local government positively welcome the expo, to be organized by various public elements to promote local cultural wealth. “We are going to develop the local Ternate typical batik by asking the local civil servants to wear it for work on Thursdays,” Yusuf Sunya said. As it becomes more and more popular, batik is now being developed in various regions across the country. In Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the so-called unique “Sasambo” batik products are seen as having the potential of making a significant impact on the growth of the local economy. This is why the NTB provincial government will continue to multiply Sasambo batik production centers as they yield one of the region`s premier handicraft products. So far there are eight Sasambo batik production centers on Lombok and Sumbawa islands but the local government will make every effort to increase the number.

“We will certainly continue to multiply these typical Sasambo batik production centers and improve their quality in a bid to sell them at both national and international markets,” NTB Vice Governor Badrul Munir said in the provincial city of Mataram recently. The leader of NTB Provincial Poverty Management Team admitted that he would continue to encourage the development of handicraft industry in the province in order that the real sector could contribute significantly to poverty reduction effort. Badrul said that since the development of unique Sambo batik in 2009, 1.2 million meters of textile material with Rp20,000 per meter have been used for batik industry with a turnover of around Rp240 billion. According to him, the textile materials were then labeled by the batik makers with various motives which characterized three tribes in the province namely Sasak, Samawa, and Mbojo (Sasambo). For all parties in West Nusa Tenggara province to develop and support the Sasambo batik production, Badrul said the provincial government since January 2010 has already required the local civil servants to wear batik once a week on Thursdays. The idea was proposed to add more value after Batik was recognized as an Indonesian heritage by the United Nations. Badrul said every effort should be made to revive NTB local batik after woven cloth industries could not compete anymore. Head of Mataram Industrial Cooperatives and Trade Office Marzuki Sahas once said that the Mataram Industrial Cooperatives and Trade Office would start to cooperate with vocational schools to establish a design clinic to hone creativity. Therefore, several schools in NTB province have tried to promote the batik spirit through the creative designs of the students, complete with typical Sasak motives. Doing batik work is an obligatory lesson for them, while the responsibility to find the marketing opportunity is en-

Focus

Batik is a wax-resistant dyeing technique used on textiles. Due to modern advances in the textile industry, the term is also used for fabrics incorporating traditional batik patterns that are not necessarily produced using traditional batik techniques

trusted to the teachers. In those schools the students are instructed to find the motive and design, to determine the batik material, and to cut the cloth, and to skillfully make special patterns for hand writing batik. In October 2009 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially recog-

nized batik as an Indonesian cultural treasure. Following UNESCO`s decision to add the traditional dyeing technique to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Indonesian community were since then asked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to wear batik.

Equator - February 2011 21

Business

Indonesia’s best export products

Leather

Leather People have known and used animal skins to make leather products since ancient times. And today, leather is used to make a wide variety of products, from personal goods and accessories such as wallets, belts and bags, to leather products used in industries such as machine belts and engine gaskets. Recent tanning industries are capable to process raw hides and skins into various types and qualities of leather, from soft to hard and tough ones. The tougher hides are used in producing durable leather for soles of shoes, machine belts, and engine gaskets, while lighter and finer grained skins are used for making fine grade leather for shoe uppers, gloves, jackets, and other apparel accessories. Indonesia has produce leather products since the 18th century. With the development of the leather industry, Indonesian leather and leather products have been known around the world for their high and distinctive quality. Quality tanned cow hides from Java have long been known in Europe as “Java Box”, used for shoe upper leather. It has specific characteristics that can not be found in products from other countries. Likewise other livestock hides and skins such as goats and sheep, they also have compact and full tissue structure as well as finer grain. Exports However, despite the declining number of Indonesian tanning industries, exports of Indonesian raw hides, skins andleather in the last five-year period, 2003-2007, had increased by an average of 27.53% annually, from US$ 71.9 million in 2003 to US$ 183.9 million in 2007. And in the first two months of 2008 (January-February 2008) the export value already reached US$ 32.6 million, or increased by 33.03% compared to the same period in 2007 valued at US$ 24.5 million. The products exported included: shoe upper leather, shoe lining leather, embossed leather, golf glove leather, batting glove leather, dressing glove leather, baseball glove leather, softball glove leather, working glove leather, garment leather, car seat 22 Equator -February 2011

leather, upholstery leather, bag leather, handbag leather, and vegetable tanned leather. Those products have been exported to about 85 countries around the world. The major markets in 2007 were China (US$ 37.6 million); Hong Kong (US$ 32.2 million); Malaysia (US$ 27.8 million; India (US$ 12.8 million; Thailand (US$ 12.7 million); and Italy (US$ 10.6 million). Other main importing countries included Vietnam, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, France, and Australia. Meanwhile, exports of articles of leather from Indonesia in the last five-year period, 2003-2007, had increased by 5.07% annually, from US$ 144.5 million in 2003 to US$ 178.8 million in 2007. In the first two months of 2008 (January-February 2008) the export value already reached US$ 32.4 million, or increased by 8.86% compared to the same period in 2007 valued at US$ 29.7 million. Articles of leather include: saddler and harness, travel goods, handbags and similar containers of leather, wallets, belts, jackets, accessories of leather, and articles of animal gut. Those articles have been exported to nearly 200 countries around the world.

The major markets in 2007 were: United States (US$ 91.7 million); Japan (US$ 16.4 million); Singapore (US$ 10.6 million); Italy (US$ 10 million); Netherlands (US$ 8.1 million); Belgium (US$ 6 million); South Korea (US$ 5.1 million); Germany (US$ 4 million); United Kingdom (US$ 3.6 million); Canada (US$ 3.1 million); United Arab Emirates (US$ 2.9 million); Australia (US$ 2.9 million); Hong Kong (US$ 2.5 million); Spain (US$ 1,8 million); and China (US$ 1.6 million). Unique Distinctive Unique or limited production leather products are usually manually manufactured or hand-made. These products cannot be mass-produced because they have special ornamental designs, usually depicting regional art and culture. Leather products having special features are widely produced in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, such as at the Gendeng Leather Puppet Centre and the Pucung Leather Goods Centre, as well as on the island of Bali. The raw material of the leather products is generally parchment leather produced from cow and buffalo hides.

Business

Centers of Production Indonesian medium and large-scale tanning industries are mainly found in Java; in Sukaregang, Garut region in West Java Provinec; in Mokopurno, Pasuruan, Malang and Magetan in East Java Province; in Semarang and its surroundings, the capital of Central Java; In Bantul in the Special Territory DI Yogyakarta Province; and in the surroundings of the Special Capital Territory, DKI Jakarta. The government has applied a system of national product quality standard known as the Indonesia National Standard (SNI). Ten (10) SNI certifications have been endorsed for raw hides/ skins, grain hides/skins, and hair skins, and 55 SNI certifications for various other finished leather. The number of Indonesian tanneries has been steadily declining in recent years. In 1998, there were 112 units of medium and

large-scale tanning industries, and 400 units of the small-scale ones. The number declined in 2006 to 67 units of medium and large-scale tanneries, and 240 units of the small-scale. World Wide Market Indonesia has also exported fur skins and artificial furs manufactured thereof. The export value on the last five-year period (2003-2007) increased by 28.53% annually, from US$ 681 thousands in 2003 to US$ 2.2 million in 2007. In the first two months of 2005 (January-February 2008), the export value already reached US$ 363 thousands or increased by 32.63% compared to the same period in 2007 valued at US$ 274 thousands. These products have been exported to about 70 countries around

the world. Major markets in 2007 were United States (US$ 1 million); Australia (US$ 396 thousands); Japan (US$ 336 thousands); Germany (US$ 103 thousands); and United Kingdom (US$ 64 thousands).

List of exporters PT ADIRA SEMESTA INDUSTRY

PT BINTANG ALAM SEMESTA

DUTA KULIT

Jl. Parakan Muncang 53 Desa Sindanggalih , Rancaecek Bandung 45364 – West Java Indonesia Phone: (62-22) 7911834 Fax : (62-22) 7911655 Email: [email protected] Products: Other articles of leathers

Banyakan 1, Desa Sitimulyo Kec. Piyungan, Kab. Bantul DI Yogyakarta – Indonesia Phone: (62-274) 7470214 Fax : (62-274) 888046, 7481361 Email: [email protected] Contact Person : Ms. fitri Products: Leather Product

AG DESIGN

PT BRIANWOOD ASIA (BRIANSTONES)

Jl. Rogonoto Timur 100 Singosari – Malang 65153 East Java – Indonesia Phone: (62-341) 453348, 455357 Fax : (62-341) 455357 Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Contact Person : Mr. Oemar A Dagazi (Owner) Products: Handbags, jackets, belt and bandoliers, footwear

Jl. Kaliurang Km 5.7 Pandega Sari F5 DI Yogyakarta 55281 – Indonesia Phone:& Fax (62-274) 566240 Email: [email protected] Contact Person : Ms. Lisa Giri Products: Handbags, other articles of leather

AIYLA BAG (DWI NANDA PUTRI) Jl Cikini Raya 24 DKI Jakarta – Indonesia Phone: (62-21) 31907280 Fax : (62-21) 3106687 Email: [email protected] Products: Handbags

AIMIA Inter continentasl Mid Plaza Hotel Shopping Gallery R 19 A Jl. Sudirman Kav 10-11 DKI Jakarta 10220 – Indonesia Phone: (62-21) 5711828 Fax : (62-21) 5710363 Emai: [email protected] Contact Person : Ms. Christina Aryani Products: Handbags, other articles of leather

Jl. Anggur Barat II/18, Kav. E1, Cipete Selatan – DKI Jakarta 12410 Indonesia Phone: (62-21) 7506170 Fax : (62-21) 75913365 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.brianstones.com Contact Person : Ms. Dewi Abdi (Owner) Products: Handbags

DIAN MANDALA Jl. Kaliurang Km 7 Jurugsai IV/14 DI Yogyakarta 55283 – Indonesia (Phone & Fax: (62-274) 8800650 Email: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.pangaleri.com Products: Handbags, belts and bandoliers, trunks

PT HABIB LEATHER & CRAFT Jl. Imogiri Barat Km 6.7 Ngoto Bangunharjo Sewon – Bantul 55187 DI Yogyakarta – Indonesia Phone: (62-274) 445452, 445453 Email: habibic@indosat,net.id Contact Person : Novita Farmawati (GM) Products: Trunks, suitcases, handbags

PT KRIDA ALAM LESTARI Jl. Sukapura 183 – 185 Terusan Buah Batu – Bandung 40287 West Java – Indonesia Phone: (62-22) 7566972, 7563073 Fax : (62-22) 7564958 Email: [email protected] Website: www.krida.co.id Contact Person : Ayong (Export) Products: Gloves, handbags, golf bags

PT DAMAI COLUMBUS INTERNATIONAL Jl. Daan Mogot Gang Damai No. 1 DKI Jakarta 11510 – Indonesia Phone: (62-21)5673856 Fax : (62-21) 5669455 Email: [email protected] Products: Handbags, Jok Mobil

FANCY LEATHER Jl. Malioboro189A DI Yogyakarta – Indonesia Phone: (62-274) 587404 Fax : (62-274) 376707 Products: Trunks, suitcases, belts & bandoliers, leather products

Equator - February 2011 23

Travel

Wakatobi - Diamond class dive spots Welcome to Wakatobi, to a splendid island – a place where you can be spoiled by hundreds of amazing underwater creatures known best in the World’s coral reef triangle centre. Traveling in the eastern region of South East Sulawesi Province, Wakatobi is famous in the world by its underwater beauty as Aden for world’s class divers and it lies on the world’s heart coral reef triangle and having a second longest atol in the world after the Great Barrier in Australia. Wakatobi name is derived from four main islands called Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko and surrounded by thousand small islands. Wakatobi as one of the world’s marine tourism objects is now preparing itself and always be ready to welcome you and your family with the hospitality and its particular culture. By operating the New Matahora Airport, launced in December 2008, the island will give you more comfortable journey together with your beloved family to spend the holiday at Wakatobi, the only real underwater paradise. Wakatobi is one of the Regencies in South-East Sulawesi having its own vision to realize the only real underwater paradise at the world’s coral reef triangle center. This visionary vision has a strong reason that beside as the richest site in coral reef collection and as the most beautiful site, (Operation Wallacea 2006) Wakatobi is also situated geographically at the world’s coral reef triangle center with its 942 fish species and 750 coral reef species from total 850 of world’s collection comparing to the two world’s famous diving center like Caribbean Sea that owes only 50 species and other 300 coral reef species in the Red

Sea, Egypt. Wakatobi is well-known as the Tukang Besi Island in the map and it is the abbreviation of four main islands name which are: WA (Wangi-wangi), KA (Kaledupa), TO (Tomia) and BI (Binongko), covers an area of 1.400.000 hectares and the coral reef places 90.000 hectares from the total area. The island is also famous as the second largest Barrier after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia consists of 39 islands and 7 of them are inhabited with the total population of 100.563, while the rest remain uninhabited. Wakatobi is also known as the National Park, often called as Wakatobi National Park (TNKW) and it gives the unique characteristic of the regency in Indonesia even in the world having the same width with the National Park area. The unique of the island makes Wakatobi more strong and realistic in the effort of maintaining its un-

derwater beauty and preservation as well as other heritages to place Wakatobi as the underwater marine tourism object and the prominent cultural tourism object that is incomparable with other marine tourism places to be visited by anyone. Why Wakatobi ? Wakatobi own at least 100 Diamond Class Dive spot, Spread away in 90,000 ha of its coral reef. As a World’s Class Diving Centre, Wakatobi spoiles you with its uniqueness and easy things even it is your first diving experience. As a beginner, you can start diving in a house reef in one of the resorts where you can dive only 20 meters (60 feet) from the dive center. The island offers divers an incredible marine life diversity, both color and natural splendor, and several dive sites easy to access.

Wakatobi highlights WAKATOBI DIVING RESORT Wakatobi offers what many claim to be the “best diving in the world.” Wakatobi Resorts was setup with a mission to establish a win-win situation for the reefs, the resort, and the local community through sound of eco-tourism 24 Equator -February 2011

Travel

HOW TO GET THERE BY AIR International flights to Bali from the US and Europe are easily arranged with any of these most popular carriers. Many of these air carriers have packages that include discounts with Bali Hotels, like Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Japan Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air, Qatar Airlines and Thai Airways. PANORAMA The underwater panorama attracts both divers, underwater photographers and scientific research activities. Hoga Island equipped by the largest laboratory and visited by hundreds of researcher, both local and foreign countries. Wakatobi has a rich art and culture as a heritage from the past namely the Mosque, caves, beautiful waving, ceramic handicrafts, and traditional dances. WATER TEMPERATURE On the water temperature front, the warmest water in Wakatobi is found in the upper water layer during mid to late October, when temps may reach a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). The coolest time falls in the latter half of August with a minimum temperature of 25 degrees (77 degrees Fahrenheit). PEOPLE Wakatobi has an amazing challeging dive sites and the island’s population of nearly 100,563 with their unique custom and culture encourages the people to promote their region to be the most popular marine tourism destination in the world. Wakatobi consists of multi-ethnic society and Suku Bajo or Bajo Tribe who lives in the seashore, having a particular building architecture connected by the bridge and boats as their main transportation and basic livelihood as the fishermen. WAKATOBI FESTIVAL 2011 Wakatobi Festival is an annual event held by Government of Wakatobi. The event will be held from 16 - 20 December 2011 and crowded by various of Traditional Dances, Traditional Ceremonies, Traditional Handy craft and food as well as Traditional Competition. The event will be attended by approximately 5000 people from all around Wakatobi and out site of

Wakatobi highlightss BEACH BUNGALOWS Beach Bungalows are located directly on the beach north of the jetty. All with huge front porches, comfortable lounge beds / cushions and a stunning views.

SPA PACKAGES Wakatobi has a spa area that can offer you a variety of treatments to make your stay even more enjoyable

DIVING Wakatobi is blessed with more than 43 mapped and named dive sites all within a short distance of the main resort

CORAL GARDEN Coral Garden is one of the top Wakatobi diving sites, offering a dazzling array of mixed coral forms and formations at all depths NATIONAL PARK WAKATOBI Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park. The name of Wakatobi is an acronym of four main Islands: Wangiwangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko Equator - February 2011 25

Embassy News

Indonesia promotes tourism destinations at the 33rd International Fair of Tourism in Belgrade

All staff of the Indonesian Embassy promote Indonesia’s tourism

The Darmasiswa scholars helped in promoting Indonesia

One of many promotion goods for the visitors of Indonesian stand 26 Equator - February 2011

The close connection of historical background and common mentality of Serbia’s and Indonesia community has become the driving factor to increased economic cooperation, particularly the development of the tourism sector. It was announced by Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mr. Samuel Samson, in connection with the participation of Indonesia in the 33rd International Fair of Tourism, held in Belgrade, Serbia, on 24- 27 February 2011. The exhibition was followed by nearly 900 exhibitors from 43 countries, which rose 30 percent from a year ago. Indonesia has been a regular participant to this Fair for the past 8 years. Ambassador Samuel Samson, said these bases is what distinguish the importance of seeing the Serbian market as access for the development of Indonesian tourism, where a positive image of Indonesia is created by the close history background. Indonesian Embassy’s participation to this Fair brings a more significant impact with the presence of Representative from Indonesia’s national tour operator “Panorama Tours” which already establishes its business in Serbia for the past 6 years. Also, the presence of delegation from Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has helped collect important assets that could be achieved for further promotion of Indonesia in this region. The Fair was opened the Deputy Minister of Economy and Development Zone, Goran Petkovic who pledge Serbia’s special theme of tourism promotion of Danube River as river uniting Europe, a meeting point of various nations and cultures. Petkovic said that tourism in Serbia increasingly active, as evidenced by the increasing number of foreign tourists, which does not happen last year in many countries, due to the crisis. According to Serbian tourism strategy in 2011, the Danube strategy is believed to be more actively supported by the visa-free countries and the development of tourism facilities in Serbia. Apart from the global crisis that hit the tourism sector in 2010 where it is most felt by the Serbia, this year’s exhibition still invites more participants.

Embassy News

Increase participants to this Fair was resulted as part of the visa exemption which allows a lot of visitors in different countries to visit Serbia, the enactment of new flight routes, the modernization of roads, construction of inns and hotels and other tourism facilities in Serbia due to the EU integration process. Tourism exhibition in Belgrade is considered to provide a greater impact than a similar exhibition took place in Central Europe and the Balkans. Panorama Tours is present and working with local partners in Belgrade during the exhibition and explore cooperation with several other travel agents. In order to facilitate and give more shape and a real commitment in private sector development efforts, the Embassy held a meeting to-face with representatives from local travel agents who become partners Panorama Tours and other travel in order to explore some broader cooperation. The meeting was guided by the Ambassador who conveys commitment to assist the private sector in obtaining a more significant tourism market. In this context, cooperation that has been established by Panorama and travel agents in Serbia able to provide increased flow of tourists from Serbia and the European Central / Eastern Indonesia. Serbia’s strategic position in Central Europe and its access are an important reason in developing national airlines cooperation of both countries in order to get further benefits in arranging tourism sectors. The Indonesian market is showing its potential from year to year and always have its selling and private sector felt that its potential that should be developed. This year, Indonesia booth carries a theme of Aquatourism and displays various tourist destinations of aquamarine activities in Bunaken, Wakatobi, Raja Ampat, Gili Islands and others. During the Fair, the embassy has distributed questionnaires to the visitors who come to know about Indonesia and who had visited Indonesia. Of 289 questionnaires filled, 42 people claim they have been to Indonesia, 247 people have never been to Indonesia but would like to go to Indonesia, while 69 people did not know about Indonesia. During the exhibition, the alumnus Darmasiswa Embassy of Serbia to help promote tourism destination areas of Indonesia in telling their experiences and attract visitors.

The opening of painting exhibition in Sopot Culture Center Special programs were presented every day during the fair

At the first day of fair

B2B with Panorama travel

Visitors sang karaokeDiscussion with Indonesian Quiz about Indonesia went song in very positif atmosphere

Ambassador with Mr. Dody Prianto from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism Equator - February 2011 27

Embassy News

Meeting with travel agencies In order to facilitate and to give wider perspective and commitment to the development of tourism between Serbia and Indonesia, the Embassy had held meeting with the owners and representatives of local travel agency who also been partners of Panorama Tours for the last decade in order to explore some broader cooperation. The meeting was hosted by the Ambassador and conveys commitment to assist private sector in obtaining a more significant tourist market for Indonesia so that cooperation by Panorama and travel agents in Serbia able to provide increased flow of tourists from Serbia to Indonesia. The meeting held effectively and targeting core ideas which has been broad up for sometimes and provide a better understanding in establishing commitment in the private sector to the development of Indonesian tourism. During the meeting, inputs have been made regarding ways to establish favorable way to travel from Serbia to Indonesia such as imposing a visa-free arrangement to visit both countries, creating an effective and low-cost flight route from Serbia and the region of Central Europe / Balkans, particularly with the rise of Garuda Indonesia. Serbia’s strategic position in Central Europe give enough reasons for future efforts to develop co-operation of national airlines of both countries. The Indonesian market is always sold from year to year and the private sector felt that its potential should be developed.

Ambassador Semuel Samson meeting the travel agencies

Exchanging informations and expiriences for the better achievements

Promoting materials of Indonesia’s tourism for the 33rd International Fair of Tourism in Belgrade 28 Equator - February 2011

Embassy News

Meeting with Director General for Bilateral Cooperation

AmbassadorSemuelSamsonaccompanied by Political Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy paid a visit to Mr. Zdravko Ponos, Director General for Bilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, on 16 February 2011, to discuss and coordinate the plan of Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic’s visit to Indonesia from 26 to 28 February 2011. Beside that, the two sides discussed the activities of two countries in 2011 such as the Indonesia - Serbia Bilateral Interfaith Dialogue (ISBID) in Belgrade from 6 to 10 April 2011, preparation for the 50 years anniversary of the first NAM summit, which will be held in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2011 and in Belgrade in September 2011 and other important topics for the two countries.

Meeting with Professor Ljubodrag Dimić from Belgrade’s University On 23 February 2011 Ambassador Samson had received Prof. Dr. Ljubodrag Dimic from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, and Mr. Aleksandar Rakovic, Adviser to Minister of Religion of Serbia, to discuss the activities of non-aligned movement (NAM). Prof. Dimic who is one of the Serb experts on non-aligned movement, has many documents and photos referring to the activities of NAM. According to Prof. Dimic, he has the intention to write a book on the NAM.

Meeting with President of Serbian Chamber of Commerce To optimize the economic and trade relations between Indonesia and Serbia, on the 19th of Ferbruary 2011, the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Milos Bugarin invited the Ambassasor of Indonesia H.E. Mr. Semuel Samson to have an open and friendly discussion during brunch at Restaurant Madera. Both parties are in mutual perception on various perspectives to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and agreed to devote their thoughts and efforts to achieve concreate results in the economic and trade sectors. Equator - February 2011 29

Embassy News

Official visit of Minister Vuk Jeremić to Indonesia Jakarta - Indonesia and Serbia signed Double Taxation Agreement (P3B) which will govern international double taxation between two countries. The agreement was signed by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa with Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister, Vuk Jeremic in Gedung Pancasila (28/02/2011). The agreement is expected to encourage entrepreneurs from both countries in improving cooperation in economy and trade. The signing of the agreement was part of a series of bilateral meetings previously held between both Indonesian and Serbian Foreign Affairs Ministers. “The relationship between the two countries has been established for quite some time and it has more potential to reach a higher level,” said Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister in the press conference with the Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister after signing the agreement. The Indonesian Minister stated after the bilateral meeting that the two countries discussed about cooperation to improve good relationship in politics, economics, social, culture and intersociety. The two parties also discussed the situational development in the respective countries and shared their views on the global issues that concern the two countries. Vuk Jeremic in his second visit to Indonesia addressed his appreciation to the development of cooperative relations the two countries. “We thank Indonesia for its constant support to Serbia” he said. Minister Jeremic first visited Indonesia in March 2008. Jeremic also welcomed the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister’s invitation to come to the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Non-Aligned Movement which will celebrated in NAM Ministerial Meeting in Bali, on May 25-27, 2011. “Fifty years ago, the two countries held important roles in the first NAM in Belgrade (September 1-6, 1961) and both still have the same belief on the importance of NAM in its fiftieth year” explained the minister. The two ministers hoped that the participation of Indonesia and Serbia in the meeting will further develop the relationship between the two countries bilaterally and also in handling international issues. It was the second meeting between Minister Natalegawa and Minister Jeremic after they met in UN General Assembly, on August 28, 2009, in New York. (Dit. Infomed/HO)

MEDIA COVERAGE “DANAS” (01/03/2011)

Jeremić u Indoneziji o saradnji Autor: FoNet Džakarta - Politički odnosi Srbije i Indonezije su „odlični“ i između dve zemlje nema otvorenih pitanja, izjavio je u Džakarti ministar spoljnih poslova Srbije Vuk Jeremić, posle sastanka s ministrom inostranih poslova Martijem Natalegavom. „Kada je reč o Kosovu, Srbija može računati na principijelnu podršku Indonezije“, rekao je Jeremić. On je podsetio da su Srbija i Indonezija domaćini dva sastanka nesvrstanih zemalja, koji će se održati ove godine. Jeremić je sa indonežanskim kolegom razgovarao i o ekonomskoj saradnji, jer postoji veliki prostor za njeno poboljšanje.

30 Equator - February 2011

Embassy News

Ponedeljak, 28. feb 2011, 09:00 > 14:50

Odlični odnosi Srbije i Indonezije Ministar Vuk Jeremić ocenio u Džakarti da su politički odnosi Srbije i Indonezije odlični i dodao da između dve zemlje nema otvorenih pitanja. Srbija može računati na principijelnu podršku te zemlje u vezi sa Kosovom, naveo Jeremić posle sastanka sa kolegom Martijem Natalegavom. Politički odnosi Srbije i Indonezije su odlični i između dve zemlje nema otvorenih pitanja, rekao je u Džakarti ministar spoljnih poslova Srbije Vuk Jeremić, posle sastanka sa ministrom inostranih poslova te zemlje Martijem Natalegavom.

Vuk Jeremić i Marti Natalegava

“Kada je reč o Kosovu, Srbija može računati na principijelnu podršku Indonezije”, rekao je Jeremić. Šef srpske diplomatije je podsetio da su Srbija i Indonezija domaćini dva sastanka nesvrstanih zemalja, koji će se održati tokom ove godine. “U Indoneziji će se održati Samit, a u Srbiji ministarska konferencija povodom 50 godina od prvog Samita ovog pokreta”, precizirao je Jeremić. Prema njegovim rečima, sa indonežanskim kolegom razgovarao je o ekonomskoj saradnji, jer postoji veliki prostor za poboljšanje ekonomske saradnje. “Indonezija je velika zemlja sa rastućom ekonomijom. Postoji veliko interesovanje Indonezije za saradnju u oblastima vojne, farmaceutske industrije, poljoprivrede”, istakao je Jeremić. Privredna saradnja Jeremić je najavio da će se tokom godine održati mešoviti komitet, a da se očekuje i nekoliko značajnih poseta političkih i privrednih delagacija iz Indonezije. Dvojica ministara potpisala su i Ugovor o izbegavanju dvostrukog oporezivanja, a usaglašeni su i ugovori o zaštiti investicija i ugovor o odbrani, koji će ministri dve zemlje potpisati u narednom periodu. Natalegava je najavio dolazak u Beograd 5. i 6. septembra, tokom održavnja ministarske konferencije Pokreta nesvrtanih. Indonežanska delegacija ponudila je Srbiji 20 stipendija kroz program razmene studenata. Srpska strana je prihvatila ponudu i, takođe, pozvala studente iz te zemlje da dođu u Srbiju da studiraju.

Equator - February 2011 31

Embassy News

An article by Ambassador Semuel Samson on the ocassion of Serbian Statehood Day

KOMPAS 16/02/2011

SRBIJA, VELIKI PATRIOTIZAM NA BALKANU Semuel Samson Petnaestog februara 2011 godine, Srbija slavi desetogodišnjicu dana državnosti, koji se obeležava od 2001 godine. Srbija je odredila 15-ti februar kao dan državnosti jer na taj dan 1804 godine, desio se istorijski dogadjaj koji je obeležio polaznu tačku borbe za slobodu srpskog naroda od otomanske vladavine koji je trajao pet vekova. Zato je ovaj datum takodje odredjen kao dan vojske Srbije. Istog dana 1835 godine, bio je istorijski dan za srpski narod proglašenjem prvog ustava Kraljevine Srbije pod vodjstvom Miloša Obrenovića za koji se smatrao za najliberalnijeg i savremenijeg vladavinom u Evropi tada. U skladu sa konceptom države sukcesora koji je neveden u bečkoj konvenciji iz 1978 godine, Srbija je postala legitimni naslednik Jugoslavije, nakon što su se Slovenija, Hrvatska, Makedonija, Bosna i Hercegovina, i Crna Gora otcepile od Jugoslavije. U poslednjih nekoliko godina, Srbija se i dalje trudi u uskladjivanju bilateralnih odnosa sa zemljama Balkanskog regiona, posebno sa Hrvatskom i Bosnom Hercegovinom. Obeležavanje 50 godina Pokreta nesvrstanih zemalja Srbija, kao legitimni naslednik Jugoslavije, jedan je od osnivača Pokreta nesvrtanih zemalja pod rukovodstvom Josipa Broza Tita, zajedno rame uz rame sa indonežanskim predsednikom Sukarnom, egipatskim predsednikom Gamalom Abdul Naserom, premijerom Indije Pandit Djavaharlal Nehruom i predsednikom Gane Kvarne Nkrumom. Na prvom samitu nesvrstanih u Beogradu od 1 do 6 septembra 1961 godine, članice Pokreta nesvrstanih zemalja su deklarisale svoju viziju i želju da ne budu uključeni u ideološke konfrontacije Istok-Zapad. Sada, pedeset godina posle tog istorijskog trenutka u Beogradu, Srbija i Indonezija če biti domačini jubileja 50 godina od prvog samita Pokreta nesvrtanih zemalja, koji če biti obeležen na Baliju u maju 2011 godine i u septembru 2011 u Beogradu. Srbija danas više nije član pokreta, ali ima status posmatrača zbog njihove odluke da nastavi putem ka učlanjenju u Evropsku uniju. Iako je prošlo više od dvadeset godina od gradjanskog rata i raspada Jugoslavije, još uvek se često mogu čuti razgovori ili mišljenja medju ljudima u Srbiji koja su ’jugo nostalgične’ prirode. Žale zbog 32 Equator - February 2011

Embassy News

raspada Jugoslavije smatrajući da se to nije trebalo dogoditi jer smatraju da je bila napredna zemlja u regionu Balkana i istočne evrope, koja je bila politički i ekonomski nezavisna. Raspad je samo oslabio snažan položaj i ulogu koju su imali od davnina. Raspad Jugoslavije devedesetih godina bio je jedan od najmračnijih dogadjaja u novoj istoriji Balkanskog regiona i Srbije. Gradjanski rat koji je odneo stotine hiljada žrtava, masovna raseljavanja, ekonomske sankcije u vidu embarga u trajanju od osam godina (1992-2000), NATO bombardovanje 1999 godine, kao i nagli pad privrede i životnog standarda stanovništva na drastičan način, su stvari koje neče biti nikada zaboravljene od strane zemalja bivše Jugoslavije, posebno Srbije. Ova gorka iskustva su danas proizvela talase novog oblika patriotizma koji se sve više ističe u mnogim aspektima, od svakodnevnog života do vrhunskih dostignuća u mnogim oblastima, posebno u oblastima obrazovanja, nauke i sporta. Ovi novi talasi patriotizma je spoj nekoliko karakteristika Srbije, a to su ponos, dostojanstvo, borbeni i takmičarski duh, koji su ovaj narod tradicionalno negovali kao jedan od glavnih i osnovnih životnih vrednosti svoje nacije. Učiti od Srbije Vrednosti socijalne pravde je veoma vidljiv u oblastima obrazovanja, socijalne sigurnosti i zdravstvene zaštite, koju čak i do sada država obezbedjuje. Razlika u kvalitetu života izmedju bogatih i siromašnih stanovnika nisu velike. Srbija nije poklonik ili obožavatelj stvari koje su po prirodi teatralne ili ceremonijalne, Srbija još uvek se drži realizma, ljudskih odnosa, nešto što se danas sve redje vidja u drugim naprednim i bogatijim delovima sveta. Neprocenjivo blago Srbije danas nije broj šoping centara i luksuznih hotela, nego su njihovi ljudi, ljudi koji znaju svoju vrednost i uvek neguju patriotizam. Njihov borbeni duh koji je zapravo zabeležen još od 12. veku, gde su mnogi srpski intelektualci pokazali svoja vrhunska umeća u mnogim oblastima, kao što su Mihajlo Pupin (1854-1935), fizičar i hemičar koji je doprineo u oblasti telefonske komunikacije na daljinu, Milutin Milanković (1854-1935) tvorac teorije klimatskih ciklusa, Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), fizičar i elektro inženjer koji je svojom teorijom doprineo u mnogim revolucionarnim razvoju i bila temelj istorije elektromagnetizma, i Ivo Andrić (1892-1975) pesnik i diplomata dobitnik nobelove nagrade 1961 godini iz literature. Srpski patriotizam je zabeležen u mnogim istorijskim dogadjajima koji su isticali patriotizam njihovog naroda i boraca još iz prošlosti kroz istoriju velikih bitaka na Balkanu, Evropi i svetu. Danas, patriotizam i borbeni duh Srbije nastavlja da se ogledava u njihovoj borbi na medjunarodnoj političkoj sceni da sačuvaju Kosovo, napretku zemlje i integraciji evropi, kao i u sportu i nauci. Patriotizam je karakter Srbije, karakter njenog naroda, u prošlosti i sadašnjosti. Istorija ovog naroda, njenog pada i ponovnog ustanka, formirala je karakter njenog naroda i patriotizam postao normalni deo njihovog shvatanja vrednosti i životnog standarda. Srbija, polako ali sigurno, dokazala se u mnogim arenama. Zbog toga, Srbija i Indonezija su uvek imale zajedničke interese u prošlosti, sadašnjosti i budučnosti. Srečna deseta godišnjica dana državnosti Srbijo ! Semuel Samson Ambasador Republike Indonezije za Republik Srbiju Note: Along with the ocassion of Serbian Statehood Day, this article was also in regard of welcoming the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Vuk Jeremic, to Indonesia and the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, H.E. Dr Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta. Daily “Kompas” is a leading and most reputable newspaper in Indonesia that is established since 1965 and also the leader in digital media. Equator - February 2011 33

Embassy News

Ambassador’s interview with daily “Politika” 21/02/2011

Intervju: Samuel Samson, ambasador Republike Indonezije u Srbiji

Uspeh gradimo na vrednostima naših predaka Indonežanski ambasador objašnjava kako je njegova zemlja u toku političke i ekonomske krize 1998 izbegla „balkanizaciju”

Foto: D. Jevremović

Današnji svet menja se, praktično, pred našim očima. Nekadašnje ekonomske, pa i vojne, supersile kao da su tokom decenija iscrple moć stečenu pobedama u Drugom svetskom ratu i stvaranjem organizacije Ujedinjenih nacija prilagođene volji pobednika. Ekonomija se sve više ukazuje kao moćniji igrač na globalnoj sceni, a u toj igri zemlje Dalekog istoka uspevaju da se nametnu kao nezaobilazni činilac. Jedna od takvih je i Indonezija, zemlja smeštena na čak 17.508 većih i manjih ostrva u jugoistočnoj Aziji i Okeaniji, sa bezmalo 240 miliona žitelja, mnoštvom religija, preko 300 etničkih grupa, stotinama različitih jezika... I sve navedeno funkcioniše – usklađeno. Kako to postižu objašnjava u razgovoru za „Politiku” Samuel Samson, ambasador Republike Indonezije u Srbiji. „Možemo da zahvalimo Svevišnjem što je indonežanski narod svoju dobrobit do sada izvlačio iz osnovnih vrednosti utemeljenih od strane naših predaka. Te vrednosti iskristalisale su se iz fundamentalne državne filozofije „Pančasila” („Pet principa”), koje je proglasio predsednik Sukarno, prvi šef indonežanske države, i u zakletvi „Sumpah Pemuda” iz 1928. godine proglašenoj od strane indonežanske omladine iz različitih etničkih grupa iz svih krajeva zemlje, koji su se zakleli na: jednu naciju, jedan jezik i jednu državu – Indoneziju. Ove vrednosti dokazale su se, tokom dugog perioda od njihovog uvođenja, kao vredna osnova u velikom broju pitanja. Tokom političke i ekonomske krize 1998, mnogi su predviđali „balkanizaciju” Indonezije. Ipak, to se nije dogodilo. Naprotiv, očuvali smo svoje demokratske vrednosti, i dodatno ih unapredili, bez narušavanja vrednosti koje su nam u nasleđe ostavili preci. Indonezija je svetu pokazala da su islamske vrednosti, koje iskazuje oko 90 procenata od celokupnog indonežanskog življa, u saglasnosti sa vrednostima modernizacije i demokratizacije. Uspešno smo izgradili imidž umerenog islama i odigrali pionirsku ulogu u međuverskom dijalogu u najrazličitijim forumima, kako bilateralnim tako i multilateralnim”. Indonezija je najveća ekonomija u jugoistočnoj Aziji, uz to i jedna od najdinamičnijih u svetu. Član ste grupe G-20. 34 Equator - February 2011

Embassy News

Na kojim iskustvima bazirate svoj napredak ? Tokom nezavisnosti prošli smo kroz najrazličitije faze razvoja, krize i teška vremena. U tom periodu država je pribegavala različitim oblicima ekonomskog razvoja. Kada se ispostavilo da ne može adekvatno da odgovori životnim potrebama građana, krenulo se više u planski razvoj. Danas pokušavamo da prilagodimo taj planski oblik uprave kako bismo iskorenili siromaštvo, povećali zaposlenost i ekonomski rast. Indonezija je kroz svetsku ekonomsku krizu prošla relativno mirno, zbog toga što domaća potrošnja podstiče ekonomski rast. Mada je rast naše ekonomije sa šest procenata godišnje zabeleženih 2007. i 2008, početkom 2009. usporen na četiri procenta, nadmašili smo regionalne susede i pridružili se Kini i Indiji kao zemljama članicama grupe G-20 koje su jedine zabeležile uspešno poslovanje tokom krize. Naša vlada koristila je podsticajne fiskalne mere i monetarnu politiku kako bi se suprotstavila efektima krize, i ponudila je novac siromašnim domaćinstvima. Takođe, održanju potrošnje pomogla je kampanja uoči zakonodavnih i predsedničkih izbora, održanih u aprilu i julu. Ekonomski napredak ostvaren je tokom prvog mandata predsednika Susila Bambanga Judojona, tokom kojeg su uvedene značajne reforme u sektoru finansija, uključujući reformu taksa i carina, državnih zapisa, i razvoja i kontrole tržišta kapitala. Džim O’Nil, predsedavajući finansijskog sektora „Goldman Saks Aset menadžmenta” i čovek koji je izmislio kovanicu – BRIK (Brazil, Rusija, Indija, Kina, četiri zemlje koje su predvodile tržišni bum u protekloj deceniji), označio je Indoneziju kao jedno od novih „rastućih tržišta”. O’Nil veruje da će novi termin zameniti BRIK kao oznaku za vodeće rastuće ekonomije, sa Indonezijom, Turskom, Južnom Korejom i Meksikom, koje će se pridružiti originalnoj četvorki kao motor razvoja svetske ekonomije u postkriznom periodu. Zahvaljujući svojoj istoriji i trenutnoj poziciji u međunarodnom poretku imate pravo da se nametnete kao jedan od svetskih lidera današnjice. Da li ste spremni za takvu ulogu ? Svakako. Ne govorim to bez razloga. Indonezija se do sada dokazala na mnogo načina, u različitim forumima i aktivno je učestvovala u pronalaženju rešenja za veliki broj globalnih problema kao što su terorizam, klimatske promene, nestašica hrane i očuvanje mira u svetu. Uz to, kao predsedavajući ASEAN-a, Indonezija će i u 2011. igrati značajnu ulogu u uvođenju ove organizacije u svetske ekonomske tokove. Istovremeno, i u okviru foruma G-20 insistiramo na isticanju potreba i želja zemalja u razvoju. Pojedine afričke države (Egipat, Tunis, Jemen, Alžir...) prolaze ovih nedelja kroz velike promene praćene i nasiljem. Kako bi, po Vama, ti događaji mogli uticati na svet uopšte ? Dobro osećamo šta se u ovom trenutku dešava sa našom braćom u afričkim zemljama i verujemo da će političke krize koje su zahvatile ovaj deo sveta biti prevaziđene. I sami smo imali sličnu situaciju 1988. Ali sa demokratizacijom života, kao i rastom ekonomije koji sada beležimo, nema nikakvog razloga da se takva situacija ponovi. Svakako, slične promene mogle bi da se događaju i u drugim delovima sveta, čak i u zapadnim zemljama, sve dok su prisutni siromaštvo, neujednačenost u ekonomskom razvoju i nerazvijen društveni i politički život. Imajući pomenuto u vidu, zemlje bi trebalo tesno da sarađuju, jer ovi problemi ne priznaju međudržavne granice... Indonezija je jedan od osnivača Pokreta nesvrstanih. Kakva je danas uloga tog pokreta i da li postoji potreba za njegovim oživljavanjem ? Najveće postignuće Pokreta nesvrstanosti jeste u jačanju solidarnosti i razumevanja među članicama radi opšte dobrobiti. Srbija to potvrđuje samim tim što će se ove godine u septembru u Beogradu održati samit Pokreta. Iako je Srbija sada tek posmatrač. Problemi koje moramo da rešavamo jesu smanjenje siromaštva i podsticanje prosperiteta članica. Oba problema mogu da utiču na stabilnost i bezbednost država i međunarodne odnose uopšte, bilo gde u svetu. Budućnost Pokreta je u tome što će svetu biti potreban sve više i više. Trenutno ga čini 118 zemalja, što je praktično dve trećine država u svetu. Niste priznali samoproklamovanu nezavisnost Kosova i Metohije. Kojim principima ste se vodili u takvoj odluci? Indonezija je uvek promovisala mir, dijalog i konstruktivnu saradnju kao vodeće principe u rešavanju nesporazuma. Sem toga, kada je reč o Kosovu, pridržavamo se principa suvereniteta i teritorijalnog integriteta država, u skladu sa Poveljom UN i međunarodnim pravom. Shodno tome, Indonezija ne priznaje jednostrano proglašenje nezavisnosti Kosova. Visoko cenimo mirne korake koje Srbija čini u svom nastojanju da se reši kosovski problem, za šta se i mi zalažemo. Podstičemo da dijalog, omogućen rezolucijom u Generalnoj skupštini UN, uskoro otpočne. Trgovinska razmena između naše dve zemlje nedopustivo je mala. Da li su, po Vašem mišljenju, srpski biznismeni dovoljno zainteresovani za poslovanje sa partnerima iz Indonezije ? Trgovinska razmena između naših zemalja veoma je mala. Na godišnjem nivou iznosi svega 32 miliona dolara. A i taj broj je povoljniji po Indoneziju nego po Srbiju. Kao što sam prilikom predaje akreditiva, 21. januara, saopštio predsedniku Srbije Borisu Tadiću, nisam zadovoljan ovakvim pokazateljima i dok sam na dužnosti ambasadora trudiću se da što više promovišem razmenu dobara između naše dve zemlje, u oba smera. Postoji mnogo toga – od sirovina do gotovih proizvoda – kao što su palmino ulje, kakao, vanila, kafa, sve vrste nameštaja od drveta, ratana, sitni proizvodi, suveniri i, naravno, turizam... Istovremeno, mi iz Srbije uvozimo velike količine municije i druge vojne opreme. Pokušaću da što više proširim lepezu proizvoda koji iz vaše zemlje idu u našu. Uz to, srpski biznismeni bi trebalo da više znaju o mogućnostima poslovanja u Indoneziji, ali i u zemljama ASEAN-a uopšte. ( Slobodan Samardžija ) Equator - February 2011 35

Photo News

Indonesian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Semuel Samson at Courtesy visit to the Indonesian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Semuel Samson at the- President’s Cabinet President of the Parliamentary Friendship Group Serbia Indonesia, Mr. Meho Omerović

Dinner with Muslim Community of Serbia

After the dinner with Mufti of Belgrade

Lunch after the Interview for daily “Politika” 36 Equator - February 2011

Interview with Politika journalist Mr. Slobodan Samardzija

Photo News

Courtesy visit to the Minister of Trade and Services, Mr. Slobodan Milosavljevic

General Director of Yugoimport SDPR Stevan Nikcevic

Meeting at Yugoimport SDPR

Visit to UTVA factory in Pancevo

Welcome dinner hosted by Australian Ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Clare Birgin

At the Army Day reception of the Republic of Serbia Equator - February 2011 37

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Courtesy visit to the President of the Serbian Parliament, Mrs. Slavica Djukic Dejanovic

With Minister for Kosovo and Metohija, Mr. Goran Bogdanović

Meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Saša Dragin

On the occasion of Iranian National Day

Meeting with General Director of Belgrade’s Fair 38 Equator - February 2011

Meeting the students of Medical Faculty from Serbia on the ocassion of their participation at conference in Indonesia

Photo News

Courtesy visit to the Serbian Minister of Defense, Mr. Dragan Sutanovac

Courtesy visit to the Minister of Religion, Mr. Bogoljub Šijaković

Indonesian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Semuel Samson presenting the Letters of Credential Courtesy visitof tothe theRepublic Minister of Labour, Mr. Rasim Ljajić to the President Serbia, H.E. Mr. Boris Tadić Equator - February 2011 39

33rd International Fair of Tourism in Belgrade

Wonderful

Indonesia 2011

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