Marines kill five in land dispute

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Pasuruan, Surabaya

A protest over a disputed plot of land in Pasuruan regency, East Java, turned deadly Wednesday after marines shot and killed five people.

The Navy defended the shooting, saying soldiers followed standard procedures for dealing with a violent protest.

Human rights groups have condemned the incident, calling for a thorough investigation by the police and the National Commission on Human Rights.

"My soldiers did not want to become victims like in Papua. They just wanted to scare the protesters and make them stop," the marine commander at the Navy's Eastern Fleet in Surabaya, Maj. Gen. Safzen Nurdin, told a press conference.

He was referring to an anti-Freeport protest in Papua that ended with protesters killing several security officials.

Safzen said his soldiers fired warning shots before being "forced" to open fire on protesters.

"On behalf of the Navy, we express our deepest apologies over the incident," he said, promising to investigate the shooting.

The incident occurred in Telogo hamlet, Alas Telogo village, in Grati subdistrict, Lekok district.

It was triggered by a protest involving some 300 villagers angry over the construction of a Navy office on about 3,600 hectares of disputed land.

The dispute between residents and the Navy dates back several years, when residents from the subdistrict's 14 villages formally rejected plans by the Navy to turn the land into a location for military training.

Villagers took the case to court but lost. The case is currently in the appeal process.

Wednesday's protest began peacefully but turned violent when protesters began pelting stones at construction workers.

Navy personnel intervened, attempting to disperse the residents.

As residents continued throwing stones, according to the Navy, marines fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the protesters.

When that failed, they opened fire on the crowd.

Five residents died at the scene. Among the dead was a woman who was four months pregnant, identified as Dewi Khodijah, and a 27-year-old woman, Mistin, and her 3-year-old son, Khoirul.

At least seven others were injured in the shooting. The dead and the injured were taken to Syaiful Anwar Hospital in nearby Malang city.

Following the shooting residents blocked Pasuruan highway, which connects Surabaya-Banyuwangi-Bali, with trees and burning tires.

The blockade caused massive traffic jams before the road was cleared at around 8 p.m.

A witness, Ruba'i, said residents were angry after workers from the Navy's cooperative unit began building an office on the disputed land, which villagers had planted with vegetable gardens.

"The residents at first didn't dare protest, but then the situation heated up and (Navy personnel) opened fire, causing people to start picking up stones and throwing them. But then they (the marines) attacked the residents and chased them into their homes," he told journalists.

He said Dewi Khodijah was standing behind her house when she was shot in the head, and that Mistin, carrying her son Khoirul, was attempting to flee the clash when she was shot in the chest.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence condemned the shooting.

It urged the case be tried in criminal court, saying a military court might cover up the shooting and protect the marines.

"The military should respect the ongoing legal process of the land dispute and wait until a final verdict comes out. This incident is evidence of the military's old paradigm, which views the people as enemies," commission director Usman Hamid said.

-- Tony Hotland contributed to this story from Jakarta.

No option but to dump mud in river: Agency

Mud has been dumped in the Porong River

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sidoarjo

For almost a year now, mud gushing out of a botched gas exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java, has been dumped in the Porong River.

It has resulted in worsened sedimentation and poses a threat to the river's ecosystem and the nearby Madura Strait.

The sedimentation is clearly visible along the spillway in the Pejarakan district in Porong, some two kilometers from the mudflow's source. The water is gray and occasional wisps of white smoke can be seen coming off it.

Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency spokesman Ahmad Zulkarnaen said the agency was fully aware of the risks of dumping the mud in the river but not really have any other option.

"We have to continue dumping there since the mudflow volume has continued to increase. In the meantime, dumping the mudflow to the river is the only solution," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said the agency was attempting to deal with various problems related to the mudflow, including the anger of residents.

"When the mudflow's volume becomes overwhelming we have to channel it to the available ponds but residents living around the ponds get angry," Ahmad said, adding that people generally calmed down when the mud was dumped in Porong River, which they regarded as a safe location.

The agency, he said, was also aware that the increased sedimentation would change the river's ecosystem.

"We realize this, but what can we do?" he said.

Executive director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment in East Java Ridho Syaiful Ashari said he was surprised the agency continued to dump the mud in the river.

"The ecosystem is clearly changed and that's not it, the worst part is, (the move will) cause the death of coastal area economies," Ridho told the Post.

He said many residents were suffering because of the agency's decision as many residents along the river use its water for drinking and bathing.

"The agency should think about this, not to mention (what will happen) if the pollution reaches the Madura Strait and pollutes the Java sea," he said, urging the agency to find an environmentally-friendly solution.

Meanwhile, displaced mudflow victims in Porong continued their hunger strike Monday, although their numbers have declined from around 200 to some 40 people.

But their action has become more severe, with participants chaining their feet together.

Some 3,000 displaced residents in the market have rejected food provided by Sidoarjo regency Social Services office, preferring cash instead.

Probe of reporter's death runs into problems

Thursday, May 03, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Probolinggo

More than a year has passed and the investigation into the murder of Herlyanto, a freelance reporter from the Delta Post in Probolinggo, East Java, remains open.

Probolinggo Police arrested three suspects who pointed the finger at four other suspects, who are still at large. However, no one has been charged for the murder.

The murder took place on the night of April 29, 2006, in a stand of teakwood trees along the road between Tulopari village, in Tiris district, and Tarokan village, in Banyuanyar district. Herlyanto's body was found covered in blood with nine stab wounds to his back, stomach and head. Witnesses said he was followed by several people before his murder.

An investigation by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) alleged that Herlyanto's murder was likely motivated by his news reports. To support this claim the group points to his missing notebook and cell phone.

AJI's investigation later became the basis for international organizations, such as the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to denounce the killing.

Angered by what she says is the lack of progress in the investigation, Herlyanto's wife, Samudiana, has filed a complaint with the East Java Police.

Samudiana, accompanied by AJI's Ulin Nusron and Hendrayana from the Legal Aid Institute for the Media (LBH Pers), urged the provincial police to speed up the investigation.

"Our family hopes the police can resolve this case. We don't know who else to turn to," she said.

Samudiana said Herlyanto was the breadwinner of the family, paying for the education of their two children, Noer Rizka Septian Tina, 17, and Dwi Rizki Wali Hakiki, 10.

Samudiana also pleaded for help from the public in resolving the case.

Hendrayana from LBH Pers, says there has been a rise in the number of cases of violence against journalists in the country.

"The authorities should speed up their efforts in solving murder cases," he said, adding that the National Police chief and the media should be consistent in reporting violent incidents.

AJI's Ulin Nusron said changes in government had not resulted in improvements for working journalists, with many still subject to violence in the course of their work.

"The murder cases of Udin, a journalist for Bernas daily in Yogyakarta, and that of a reporter on Nias Island, North Sumatra, have not been solved," he said, adding that the country's image could be further tarnished if police were not proactive in solving such cases.

A Probolinggo journalist and friend of Herlyanto, Sahudi, said Herlyanto's murder was connected with two articles he wrote.

Two weeks before he was killed, Herlyanto reported on the sale of water by a local state-owned water company and the case of a collapsed bridge.

"He also wrote articles on signature forgery, but according to a police source, the murder was connected to a story Herlyanto wrote on the misuse of school operational funds," Sahudi said.

Urging return to traditional values

Friday, May 04, 2007

I.D. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sumenep, Madura

Madhura ampon kalonta e manca naghara/Buja tor tana kapor/Santre tor para keyae/Maasre sahajana baburughan...

Madura has gained world fame/Tho' it abounds in only salt and lime/With its Muslim students and clerics/All its pursuits will come true...

The verse above, quoted from the work of Madura-born poet Ismail, was recited on the sidelines of a cultural congress on Madura, a major East Java island, which was held to hear the Madurese people's aspirations for their future.

The Pamekasan poet's dream virtually amounts to the hopes of the entire island population, as was revealed at the inaugural Congress on Madura Culture, held in Sumenep from March 9-11.

Initiated by intellectuals, artists and cultural experts of the "salt island", the congress was prompted by concerns that the Madurese community had not risen above its lower-middle economic bracket, let alone its ethnic stereotypes.

"There are 13 million Madurese citizens in Indonesia, but only three million live on this island while the rest have spread all over the country. It's a sad thing to note that life in this region has remained unchanged," said Mien Ahmad Rifai, a Madurese researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

"The time has come for Madura to start growing and be developed by its own people," added Said Abdullah, a Madurese member of the House of Representatives.

Their concerns found an outlet as the island's thinkers came up with the idea of convening the congress under the auspices of the Said Abdullah Institute (SAI) -- a center that focuses on women's education and empowerment. With the support of a local non-governmental organization, Ngadek Sodek Parjuga, and two media, a total of 150 delegates from four regencies of Madura, Bangkalan, Sampang, Pamekasan and Sumenep, attended the congress.

National and international experts and observers of Madura were also invited as keynote speakers, including man of letters D. Zamawi Imron, LIPI researcher Mien Ahmad Rifai, Madura conflict researcher A. Latief Wijaya and Dutch anthropologist Huub de Jonge of Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

The community living on the 5,300 sq km island is inseparable from its lofty values that serve as guidelines of life in the region, said to have been inhabited for the first time some 4,000 years ago.

"The values of life are followed by locals as rules of their livelihood, but regrettably the knowledge is considered sacred and thus impossible to develop, not to mention innovate," said Mien Rifai.

As time has passed by, the conservative character of this community has left it behind, prompting the stereotype of the rude, rowdy, irritable, hot-blooded and ill-mannered Madurese -- and ensuing public avoidance, resistance and rejection.

"Worse still, ethnic Madurese are seen as lacking initiative, being rigid, unable to keep pace with progress, and so forth," Rifai added.

These impressions are seemingly justified by the backward physical condition of the island compared with the other areas of East Java, although Madura is geographically closest to Indonesia's second largest city, Surabaya. Rifai even likened the fate of the Madurese to Jewish, Chinese, Armenian and Kurdish minorities, whose presence has always aroused suspicion.

"The social environs where the four groups live won't let them grow," Rifai pointed out.

What actually lies behind the negative public image of the Madurese people is misunderstanding of their traditions and customs.

For example, regarding the assumption that the Madurese community is inclined to be "violent", an analysis by Madura conflict researcher Dr. A. Latief Wijaya showed that the ethnic culture of the Madurese demands a strict or firm approach -- rather than "violence". This attitude is easily noticeable in their choice of colors and in their cuisine.

"If they choose red, it's just plain red, and blue is blue, there's no shade or hue. So is food -- they like strong tastes," said Latief.

In interaction, however, this firmness appears spontaneously, often combined with heightened expressiveness. But this is not without reason.

"The spontaneity and overreaction arise when Madurese people are degraded, or in their own words tada ajhina (their very existence is ignored)," he said.

In the middle of 2006, for example, a brawl broke out in Batu Marmar district, Pamekasan, in which long-bladed sickles, a typical Madurese weapon, were used. Triggered by a land dispute, seven people were killed and dozens of others injured in the clash. While the public assumed that the fighting had been prompted by the Madurese's "belligerent" culture, in reality it stemmed from an ordinary financial spat.

Dutch anthropologist Dr. Huub de Jonge noted that the survival ability of the Madurese could be compared with Raas Island inhabitants in Bali. The endurance and close social bonds among the Raas dwellers have made them successful.

"The Raas community in Bali was once alienated and even forced out when Indonesia underwent economic crisis, but this group eventually survived and succeeded," added de Jonge.

Latief also suggested that ethnic Madurese should be aware that their harsh reaction was not the behavior proscribed by the noble values of their ancestors. This awareness should be reflected in their determination to replace the current mind-set.

"The mind-set should be built into a framework of mutual appreciation and respect among Indonesians, unification in peace, order and welfare," he proposed.

Nevertheless, this expected fundamental change cannot come from the local community, so other parties needed to give encouragement -- notably the government through its continuous attempts to realize the transformation.

"Formal education is the answer, by which Madura's cultural values can be inherited," said Syukur Ghazali, a scholar at Malang State University.

The high and religious cultural values that pervade the ethnic soul of Madura are not destructive, nor do they conform to the negative stereotypes so far assumed by society at large. The question is, according to Ghazali, whether education in Indonesia is capable of carrying it out.

"The fact is that we still judge educational quality by the facilities offered rather than the achievements made," he said.

Therefore, the school curriculum should be changed by the official inclusion of the Madurese language, with an aim to provide more opportunities for ethnic Madurese to interact formally in their native tongue.

"In religious education, ways should be sought to transform religious teachings into daily behavior instead of being a mere subject," Ghazali added.

A Madurese community figure and head of Sumenep's Pesantren Al Amien Islamic boarding school, Muhammad Idris Jauhari, said cultural and religious education could be undertaken effectively by further empowering the existing pesantren on the island.

The Islamic schools are to maintain local traditional values, called salaf, while accommodating modern values known as kholaf to achieve the goals of education.

Pesantren are also accessible to nearly all community members, most of which charge annual boarding and tuition at no higher than Rp 250,000.

A movement to nurture the love of Madurese traditional arts is another way of inculcating the islanders' cultural values.

D. Zawawi Imron described the importance of being Madura-conscious by reading his poem at the opening of this congress: I dare to chase high waves/To embrace the moon and pluck the stars/In the spiritual arms of my ancestors, in the heavens I vow/Madura, I'm your blood.

The artistic values of Madura are also reflected in the movements of local dances such as Alalabang and Muang Sangkal. In Sumenep alone exist about 10 traditional dance groups with a total of 600 members.

"Through this means (dance) we provide guidance for the present generation to preserve Madurese culture," head of Pottre Koneng Studio Edy Susanto told The Jakarta Post.

Dozens of youngsters between 6 and 18 years old were practicing traditional and modern dances guided by two assistant instructors in the studio on March 11, with their parents -- mostly mothers -- observing.

"I'm very happy my daughter is here taking dance lessons, as most of our family like traditional arts," said Sri Hidayati, who was accompanying 6-year-old Nafilatul Muzawaroh.

This endeavor -- to reintegrate Madurese culture and consciousness as a drive toward development -- is far from simple and will not be achieved by one cultural congress, but this is a step in the right direction.

It is hoped that formal education, combined with the spirit of ancestral Madurese values will eventually create a community of "new" Madurese with a reinvigorated mind-set. And through this, the negative stereotypes that have long been laid at the feet of ethnic Madurese are to be eliminated toward realizing the poet Ismail's dream of a successful Madura.

Lumajang school spreads the spirit

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Lumajang

The sound of children can be heard coming from inside Busthanul Athfal, a small mosque in Tegal Randu village on Madura Island in East Java province. But as soon as Matruki enters the wooden structure, the dozens of children fall instantly silent, their gaze focused on the 59-year-old man.

Matruki sits cross-legged on the floor, with his grandchild on his lap, as the children sit around him in a semi-circle. "Have you all contemplated what you have done today?" he asks in Madurese.

The students, aged between 7 and 12, remain shyly quiet.

"We have to be able to reflect on what we have done. By doing so, we can know what we'll do next," said Matruki, who has been teaching since 1982.

His words break the ice. One by one, the students, mostly children of migrant workers in the village, located in Klakah district in Lumajang regency, East Java, speak up.

"We have to work together to become smarter," said one of the students, Kiki.

The lesson was organized by Rakyat Merdeka, an alternative school in the village. At the school, everyone is a teacher, every place is a school. This phrase sums up the spirit of the school, which is to keep learning and to provide knowledge to everyone, everywhere.

Tegal Randu's school is part of a network of similar schools established by the Rakyat Merdeka Institution, which was set up in 2005.

The mosque used to host only Koran recital lessons, led by Matruki. Then about two years ago, the institute enriched and upgraded the teaching process, providing alternative learning methods. Matruki supported the move.

The school's presence has been like rain in the middle of the desert. Most of the children in the village were forced to end their formal education after elementary school, because their parents could not afford the fees.

Most of those in the village who can afford it prefer to continue their studies at Islamic boarding schools across Lumajang regency. Others give up on formal education and pursue religious knowledge, such as taking Koran recital lessons in mosques.

"We try to introduce general knowledge in ways that are easily understood," a mentor, A. Santoso, told The Jakarta Post.

Social studies subjects are introduced through discussions on the surrounding community and its problems. Natural sciences are taught by going out into the fields and actually planting and looking after seeds, while Indonesian art and literature are introduced through dance, poetry readings and making masks and musical instruments.

The school also offers students the chance to learn about subjects they may be naturally curious about, such as computers or English.

"We want to teach them whatever they need. They can learn what they need to know here," said Santoso.

There is one compulsory "subject", self-reflection, which takes place before the students start their classes.

"We teach children to evaluate what they have done during the day," said Matruki, who owns the mosque which hosts the school. "Self-evaluation will prevent students from making the same mistakes again."

Lessons are concentrated in the mosque, a modest building where students attend classes from 2 to 5 p.m.

Unlike most mosques, the walls of Busthanul Athfal are decorated with educational posters, some offering the English names of fruits and human body parts, others giving the Javanese words for different objects.

Textbook-filled shelves sit in one corner, while a number is a pile of musical instruments. All of these items are available for free.

"It's already a blessing if they come to the mosque regularly," said Santoso.

With its location on the banks of Lake Klakah and near the slopes of Mount Lamongan, the mosque also is ideally placed to teach students about nature.

Students begin their activities by reflecting on themselves and their day, then they recite the Koran and enjoy art lessons. They stop for afternoon prayers and then are free to choose from a range of available activities and lessons, from computers to gardening.

There are around 40 students at the school, most children but also a few adults.

Student Sholeh thinks the lessons offered by Rakyat Merdeka are more "fulfilling" than those at regular schools.

"I know now that there is so much knowledge out there, not just what is taught at schools. Now I know the types of plants that grow in my village," said Sholeh, 17, whose mother left home to work in Malaysia six years ago.

Sholeh is now honing his computer skills and dreams of getting a job where he can utilize these skills.

He also has another dream.

"I want to travel the world. Who knows, I can gain more knowledge along the way," said Sholeh, in the same spirit as his school, where everyone is a teacher and every place is a school.

Women still left high and dry

Saturday, April 21, 2007
ID Nugroho and Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya, Jakarta

The maternal mortality and illiteracy rates in East Java show that women have been neglected by development, activists said Friday.

In a demonstration held to observe Kartini Day, which falls on Saturday, activists from the Women's Pro-Democracy Committee urged the government to set up a system to ensure women were not considered second-class citizens.

"In our records, the maternal mortality rate in East Java is 364 per 100,000 births," said committee leader Erma Susanti at the protest outside the Grahadi building in Surabaya, East Java.

The 2005 World Health Report put the country's maternal mortality rate at 307 per 100,000 deliveries.

The protesters also focused on the lack of a special budget to empower women, such as through improving mothers' health care.

The absence of such a budget, Erma said, was responsible for the country's high number of illiterate women.

In East Java alone, 2.8 million had not been educated, she said.

The committee also recorded that 17.4 percent of the province's 35 million residents were illiterate women.

Across the country, there are around 15 million illiterate men and women, they said.

"These problems should get the government's special attention and be prioritized. If the mother is uneducated, how can she take care of her children properly?" Erma said.

Although milestones have been achieved in the form of several laws, such as that on domestic violence, there was still much to be done for women's equality, the group says.

It said that leaving women out of development had made them easy targets of domestic violence.

The committee recorded 855 cases of domestic violence in the province last year. It said most of the cases had been unfairly resolved, with women being forced to accept out-of-court settlements.

"Again, women are disadvantaged," Erma said.

She said she believed that if the government set aside a special budget to deal with women's problems, women would no longer be second-class citizens.

"There are still customs within the community that encourage gender inequality. This should change," Erma said.

The Constitution guarantees gender equality but in the past year, it has been contravened by a range of controversial rulings. Many regencies and municipalities have made sharia-inspired bylaws on public behavior, with a focus on morality and the conduct of women.

Experts have said they are concerned that the crop of bylaws on sex and morality are unconstitutional, gender-biased and threaten to splinter the country as they fail to take into account the country's multiethnic and multi-religious composition.

Sampoerna gallery opens manuscript exhibit

Monday, April 23, 2007
I.D. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

King Rahwana was so angry when he received the letter from Prabu Danaraja, the step-brother of Dewi Widowati, that he had the messenger, Goh Muka, killed.

Goh Muka died because the King of Alengka had been offended by the content of Danaraja's letter, which advised Rahwana not to marry Dewi Widowati. In the meantime, Rahwana and his army were under attack by the Lokapala Kingdom -- led by Danaraja himself.

Rahwana was not alone in his predicament, and was supported by his teacher, Subali.

Danaraja, who also felt threatened, asked for help from Wisnungkara, a scholar, and his uncle Kisrahwana.

War broke out and the world trembled. Rahwana and his troops successfully defeated the Lokapala Kingdom; Wisnungkara and Kisrahwana were killed, and King Danaraja was in retreat.

But at that moment, the god Batara Narada came down from Heaven, separated the armies, and stopped the war.

The god asked King Danaraja to accept defeat, and he agreed. The kingdom of Lokapala then had to submit to the authority of Rahwana.

Unfortunately Rahwana, a mythical gigantic demon with a terrifying face, couldn't find Dewi Widowati, who had run away. Rahwana swore to keep looking for Dewi Widowati -- who is also described as Dewi Sri, which can mean "a grain of rice".

The tale of Rahwana seeking Dewi Widowati is a fragment of a longer story contained in the Rama Sungging, an original picture manuscript now on display through May 13 at the House of Sampoerna art gallery in Surabaya.

Rama Sungging is an important part of the heritage of Indonesian puppetry. Sungging is a story with pictures that tells of events that lead up to the Ramayana epic, and is usually known as the account of Rahwana's activities in the Lokapala Kingdom.

There are three main strains in Rama Sungging that weave into the Ramayana, the great Hindu classic that provides the themes for much of Javanese literature and traditional performing arts.

The first story is about Cupu Manik Astagina, a sacred object that was given as a gift by the god Batara Surya to Dewi Windradi. In Cupu Manik Astagina are contained the true secrets of nature and heaven.

The second tale is from Jendra literature, a story about a war between the King of Lokapala, Prabu Danaraja, and his father, Begawan Wisrawa. The conflict was triggered by Wisrawa's marriage to Dewi Sukesi, a girl who loved Prabu Danaraja.

The last story is about Rahwana's search for Dewi Widowati.

The Rama Sungging manuscript currently on exhibit belongs to the Bentara Budaya cultural center in Yogyakarta. It is an important and highly valued historical document obtained from a book lover in Jakarta who wants to remain anonymous.

When the Rama Sungging was first received last year, it had not been well preserved. From research undertaken by the Bentara Budaya, it is estimated that the manuscript was written around the 18th century.

Some clues come from the paper, which has a logo showing a lion in a circle and uses a specific typeface. This has been identified as paper made by the Dutch during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The manuscript also contains words in the Javanese alphabet known as honocoroko alongside puppet pictures.

It's believed that the Sanskrit writing and puppet pictures were made by a man of letters or a keraton (palace) official, as at that time, only the palace had access to the Dutch government that could have supplied the paper.

The style is different from another picture manuscript that is owned by the keraton, in that the Rama Sungging is more expressive.

The script differs from the usual way of writing Javanese where the lettering is round and sharp -- a style particular to the palace. Instead, the formation of the letters are not symmetrical.

"From the shape of the letters and Sanskrit language used, this is an old manuscript," said Surono, a member of the Indonesian Puppet Masters' Association who was present at the exhibition opening.

"The pictures in the Rama Sungging manuscript show a type of puppet known as wayang purwa, or classical. Three characters are illustrated.

"For example, in the Cupu Manik Astagina story the puppet is shown with a body shape like that of a human being. However, in the other two stories the puppet figures appear very similar to those used in modern shadow puppetry. The body is elongated, and there are two different designs," he pointed out.

"The way these pictures have been drawn is typical of the style found in East Java. Look at the shape of the mustache forming a circle, and the way part of the kris is located in front."

While examining the clear and colorful pictures, Surono noted a pencil scratch. This discovery makes him a little anxious about the conservation of the Rama Sungging manuscript.

"During the period this manuscript was made, did pencils exist?" he asked.

Residents flee as floods ruin crops, homes, villages along Bojonegoro river

Tuesday, April 24, 2007
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Bojonegoro

Residents of Bojonegoro, East Java, and Cepu, Central Java, are bracing themselves for more floods after four days of rain caused the Bengawan Solo River to overflow, inundating thousands of hectares of rice paddies and homes.

Hundreds have been forced to take refuge on higher ground, while others are living in makeshift tents along the Bojonegoro-Cepu highway.

Flood water levels in Bojonegoro are estimated at between 30 cm and 100 cm.

The water has flooded rice paddies, soccer fields and homes as well as village roads. The worst-affected area is Kalitidu district, Bojonegoro, especially in the Cengungklung and Manukan subdistricts, where entire villages are underwater.

The water has cut access to the area. Residents have used rafts and banana tree trunks to get to their homes and salvage their belongings.

Many residents also rescued their animals.

"We saved our livestock when the road was still passable," said Trimo, a resident of Cengungklung, on Sunday evening.

Floods are an annual occurrence in Bojonegoro. The Bengawan Solo River, the longest in Java, regularly overflows.

In 2006 floods hit 14 districts, with an average depth of one meter. The worst-hit areas were Ledok Kulon and Ledok Wetan.

Reports say the Bojonegoro regency administration is attempting to control the floods by dividing the flow of the river in Sedayu, although it has had little effect so far.

Sidik, a Bojonegoro resident, said the rice field on which he and his family depended for their livelihood was at risk.

"My crops should have been bearing grain now, especially because I spread fertilizer before the floods. But everything has apparently been destroyed," he said.

He said he was likely to lose around Rp 6 million, a substantial sum of money for him, although he said his family would be able to live off the earnings from the small stall they also run.

"Well, the earnings are meager, but the main thing is that we can still eat," he said.

Trimo, who lives along the riverbank, said he faced a similar situation and that he did not expect the floods to subside soon.

"I was happy when they separated the river flow, because my village never flooded after they made the new artery. But the volume of water in the river has increased," he said.

On Friday, however, the river suddenly burst its banks and quickly flooded local roads.

Residents living along the river panicked, packing their belongings and evacuating their livestock when the water reached knee height.

"We were afraid the floods cannot be controlled because we heard that Cepu had already been flooded," said Trimo.

Fortunately, no victims were reported, but water levels have reached up to 1.5 meters, raising the number of evacuees.

"I'm still afraid if I hear thunder. I fear that rain will fall again, the river will overflow and the village will be flooded again," said Trimo.

The floodwaters had not subsided as of Sunday night, while rain was still falling on the border areas between East and Central Java.

Thousands suffer in silence from domestic violence

Thursday, April 26, 2007
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

"Maryati" tried to hide her face behind a red headscarf. The 36-year-old from Surabaya, East Java, is a victim of domestic violence.

Sitting on a wooden chair at the back of the French Cultural Center in Surabaya, she recalled how she was beaten by her husband, even when she was seven months pregnant. Her second child died without ever having the chance to see the world.

The torment started when she and her husband moved into a rented home in south Surabaya in 1996, around the time when her husband got a new job as a construction worker.

The couple formed a good relationship with their neighbors, including Nana, not her real name.

"When I wasn't home, Nana would come to my house and ask my husband to take her out. Other neighbors gossiped about it," she told The Jakarta Post. "When I approached him about it, we ended up having a fight."

Her husband began to change and started beating her, even over small things. "I remember he first hit me when I asked for money to buy groceries."

The abuse continued, even when she was pregnant with her second child. When she was eight months pregnant, she suffered a miscarriage. "I went to have a routine ultrasound and they found that the baby had died," said Maryati, breaking into tears.

Following the miscarriage, the abuse continued. She was regularly beaten, kicked and raped, and she was soon pregnant again. She gave birth to a baby boy in mid-1997.

The next year, her husband left her for Nana, taking with him their valuables, including a television and jewelry.

Now a single mother with two children, Maryati has not given up hope. She does what she can to earn money, while receiving assistance from her neighbors and Savy Amira, a non-government organization that assists women.

"I once worked in a printing company but I was fired. Now I do other people's laundry," she said. She shared her story in a recent discussion at the French Cultural Center.

In the discussion, "Breaking the Chain of Violence", psychologist Pinky Saptandari blamed misperceptions about men and women for the abuse inflicted on women within the community.

She said that women are considered beautiful, weak creatures that should protect their dignity, while men are considered strong and brave. "Bravery sometimes mistakenly causes abuse toward women," said Pinky, an expert staff member at the State Ministry for Women's Empowerment.

In society, perceptions become much more misleading - men are considered to have more rights to education and employment, while women are expected to remain in the house, caring for children and obeying their husbands.

"This situation makes women vulnerable to abuse. The violence and abuse that women suffer mostly takes place inside the home," Pinky said.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women disclosed in a report in March this year that the number of cases of violence against women in 2006 reached 22,512, up from the 20,391 in 2005 and 14,020 cases in 2004. In 2003, only 7,787 cases were reported.

The commission's chief Kamala Chandrakirana said that as in previous years, domestic violence continues to be a huge problem.

Pinky said that often there are barriers that make solving cases of domestic violence difficult. These barriers include a social attitude that regularly blames women for domestic violence and customs which find it improper to discuss domestic affairs in public.

"In the end, women just accept what happens to them. This must change," Pinky said.

She said women were at particular risk in disadvantaged regions such as East Nusa Tenggara, Ambon, Papua and Poso in Central Sulawesi.

Pinky blamed this on inadequate education and ongoing social conflicts within the regions, as well as misleading local customs.

However, she found no systematic solution to cut the chains of abuse. The State Ministry for Women's Empowerment, for instance, does not have the technical support to implement its programs and needs the support of other ministries.

"But other ministries are busy with their own programs. Unfortunately, the program to support women's empowerment cannot proceed as expected," she said.

Mudflow victims press on with compensation demand

Friday, April 27, 2007
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sidoarjo

Hundreds of mudflow victims from Sidoarjo briefly clashed with police attempting to prevent them from breaking into the Juanda Airport complex in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.

At least two protesters, who were frustrated after failing to receive confirmation of compensation payments, were detained by the police.

Before the incident, the mudflow victims, who came from the four villages first affected by the sludge in Porong district, staged a noisy protest at Sidoarjo Legislative Council and tried to disrupt trains passing through the regency.

At the council, they damaged the gate after failing to meet Sidoarjo Regent Win Hendrarso and the head of the newly set up Sidoarjo Mudflow Prevention Agency, Soenarso.

The protesters became angry when they were told that a meeting between their representatives, the agency, Sidoarjo regency officials and council members had been put on hold on Thursday due to the absence of a representative from PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, which is handling the compensation.

When a request for the regent to explain the delay received no response, they pushed toward the building.

Police officers tried to control the angry residents, who became calm after Win and Soenarso came on the site.

"The residents have to be patient and not close road access. The residents should also directly explain (their demands) to representatives from PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, who are on their way here," Win said.

"The mudflow victims and I are brothers, not enemies. What we're trying to do is to speed up the payment of compensation," Soenarso said.

In the meeting at the council it was disclosed the Minarah had not yet guaranteed to pay the compensation to the victims, many of whom do not have land and building ownership certificates.

The agency's social affairs division head, Sutjahyono, telephoned Imam Agustino, general manager of Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company blamed for the mudflow, and received confirmation that Minarak vice president Andy Darussalam was on his way from Jakarta to Sidoarjo.

The company has said that it will only provide land and building compensation to those with ownership certificates.

Of the around 600 hectares of flooded land Porong district, only around 430 square meters are listed on land ownership certificates. Possession of the remaining land is recorded manually at subdistrict offices.

Meanwhile, workers were racing Thursday to repair a massive wall holding back the sludge. Cracks started to appear in the man-made embankment around the disaster area on Wednesday, prompting authorities to declare the area off limits, AFP reported.

Bambang Suryadi, from the company charged with monitoring the site, said a 300-meter exclusion zone was thrown up only as a precaution, saying the situation was not severe.

Mudflow protest blocks main road

Saturday, April 28, 2007
ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sidoarjo

Mudflow victims continued their protest over unpaid compensation on Friday, blocking roads in Sidoarjo, East Java, with trees and trucks.

Hundreds of protesters from the four villages in Porong district that were the first to be hit by the mud, which has been gushing from the botched PT Lapindo Brantas gas drilling well since May last year, halted work on dams in the area as trucks carrying dirt to strengthen them could not get through.

The protest also disrupted other Porong residents, forcing students returning home, traders on their way to the market and workers to walk around the road block or take alternative routes, leading to traffic congestion.

"Since the volume of vehicles continued to increase, the small alternative roads, many of which are in poor shape and have many holes, were jammed," said Sidoarjo Police traffic division chief Adj. Comr. Andi Yudianto.

The protesters are demanding an immediate confirmation of their compensation payouts.

A Thursday meeting between their representatives, Sidoarjo Regent Win Hendrarso and Sidoarjo Mudflow Prevention Agency head Soenarso was not attended by representatives of PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, the company appointed by Lapindo to handle compensation.

On Friday, however, Social Services Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah invited 12 representatives from the four villages to attend a meeting on the case in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The agency's social affairs head, Sutjahyono, declined to discuss the meeting's agenda or say whether it would result in a decision on the situation.

"I don't want to make assumptions (about the meeting) but it has been planned," he said after delivering the invitation to the waiting protesters, who greeted it cheers.

Kediri archeological discovery offers clues on ancient kingdom

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Recent archeological discoveries at a Tondowongso excavation site in the East Java town of Kediri have opened the possibility that the once-glorious Kadiri Kingdom was located in a nearby region.

The head of the East Java Agency for Technical, Preservation and Salvation of Cultural and Archeological Remnants (BP3), Prapto Saptono, told The Jakarta Post the area should be made off-limits to the public to prevent any damage to the historical remnants due to illegal excavation activities by local residents.

"I believe there is a link between these artifacts and artifacts found earlier, further clarifying the exact location of the Kadiri Kingdom, whose existence is still a mystery," said Prapto.

Based on BP3 data, as of this year 392 historical relics have been found in 12 districts in Kediri. Fourteen of these are statues representing the images of the gods Syiwa Maha Bumi, Durga Mahesa Sura Madini, Chandra and Surya, as well as the Andini, or Nandi, cow image and the Lingga-Yoni image.

West of Gayam village in Pagu district, archeologists also discovered the personal remnants of Kadiri King Prabu Joyoboyo. Archeologists believe the site, said to be a temple, which has since been converted into a meditation area by locals, is closely linked with Gayam village.

An epigraphist at BP3, Ririet Suryandani, said a toponymic analysis could be used to uncover the exact location of the Kadiri Kingdom.

"We can determine the exact location of the kingdom from studying the hundreds of historical statues found," said Ririet at the excavation site.

Ririet believes the discovery of an ancient inscription at the Tondowongso site could also explain the function, name and purpose of the historical building, adding it could be presented in various forms, such as on an encrypted stone, bronze or gold plate.

This is not the first time ancient remains have been uncovered in Gayam.

The late Dr. Sukmono discovered three statues there in 1957. The then dean of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University's School of Archeology discovered the images of Brahma, Andini and Yoni.

The site was in poor condition at that time, with the ancient temple having suffered damage to its foundations.

Unlike earlier discoveries, the statue of Syiwa Maha Bumi recently found in Gayam was considered rare in that it has four heads, or catur sirah.

"Generally, most of the Syiwa statues found have three heads, or tri sirah. This one has an earthenware jug carved beside the figure, which is rare," said Prapto.

High-quality rocks were used to make the statues, proven by the artifacts' good condition despite being buried for hundreds of years.

Ornaments carved onto the statues discovered at the Tondowongso site are still clearly discernible compared to those found at other ancient sites. For example, the light brown color on the Andini cow statue is still clearly visible.

Archeologists from BP3 Trowulan, Mojokerto, have been sifting through the Tondowongso site for the last two months. However, the team has yet to distinguish the basic shape of the temple due to suspected damage to its vertical framework.

The BP3 team found that the Kediri statues were arranged unlike those usually found in most East Java temples in which the Lingga-Yoni statues were often placed at the temple's center. Those found at the Tondowongso site were positioned at the edge of the temple.

"We will analyze this, as we consider it unusual," Prapto said.

Another dissimilarity was found with the six Syiwa statues, which were positioned in a row along the temple wall, a rare sight in most temples found in East Java in which they were found to be placed next to the Lingga-Yoni statues.

However, the most striking feature of the newly-discovered statues is the use of bright-red andesite rock on the Syiwa statues. This rock-type is found only in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue, which is kept at the Trowulan Museum in Mojokerto.

"The Garuda Wisnu statue is considered unique from the others because it was carved from red andesite rock. Well, we have found a red Syiwa statue now," said Ahmad Kholif from BP3's artifact registration division.

Purwanto, a BP3 archeologist also involved in the Tondowongso excavation, said chemical tests would be conducted after all the objects had been unearthed. These would include rock texture, material and chemical changes tests.

"We could determine the period in which the objects were made through chemical analyses," said Purwanto.

Mudflow map leads nowhere for victims

Has Published on The Jakarta Post Saturday edition, March 24, 2007

Victims of the Sidoarjo mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, will have to wait longer for compensation after a map of the area affected by the disaster was rejected by the East Java Legislative Council on Friday.

The map was drawn up on the orders of the central government, which said it would be used as grounds for paying compensation to people displaced by the mudflow, which began in May last year at a gas exploration well belonging to Lapindo Brantas.

On Thursday, East Java officials and council members and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro met and agreed that a new map was needed to establish the area affected by the mud.

Sidoarjo Regent Wien Hendrarso presented the map to the council's mudflow team on Friday, but returned to his regency that day with no clear decision having been made.

The council does not want to continue discussing compensation and related issues until official regulations are put in place. While the President has issued a decree on the mudflow, there are no regulations concerning the matter.

"There should be a legal umbrella for the map to protect the victims' right to compensation," said M. Rofik, a member of the council's mudflow team.

Wien said the map needed to be completed.

"We should clearly map out the area first," he said.

The central government-appointed national team to deal with the disaster and Lapindo agreed in December last year to compensate affected residents in four villages.

But as the mud continued to spread to other villages, as well as flood the Tanggulangin Anggun Sejahtera housing complex, more people began to demand compensation.

On Friday, the national team's chief executive, Basuki Hadimulyono, faced residents of the four villages first affected by the mudflow. They were angry at the unclear status of their compensation payments, a situation aggravated by the absence of agreed-upon data relating to the affected areas.

PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, a Lapindo Brantas subsidiary assigned to pay the compensation, has requested the government use data collected by Surabaya's 10th November Technology Institute, while residents have said that information from local subdistricts should be used.

"If we agree to use data from the institute, this problem can be quickly solved," Basuki said at a forum held at the Sidoarjo regency administration's office.

But the villagers were skeptical.

"How can we be sure of the institute's data's validity? There are data from subdistricts that are more valid since the data belong to the government," said Jatirejo subdistrict head Makmudatul Fajiah.

He said the subdistricts' data would include informal information on land ownership that the institute did not have.

"We would find it better to use the official data from the villages," he said to approving cheers from other residents.

Basuki said he would discuss the request with Minarak Lapindo Jaya.

Govt mulls cash compensation for mud victims

The government will consider meeting the demand for cash compensation by victims of a mud-flooded housing complex in Sidoarjo, East Java, a minister said Thursday.

The statement was made by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro following a three-hour closed-door meeting with mudflow victims from the Tanggulangin Anggun Sejahtera housing complex. Purnomo leads the government-appointed team dealing with the disaster.

"We'll take the demand for cash-and-carry compensation to Jakarta but (the decision) will be made once there are clear restrictions," said Purnomo.

The clear restrictions he was referring to will be part of a new map of the mud disaster zone that will be drawn by East Java Governor Imam Utomo and his team. It will update a map made before an underground gas pipeline explosion in November expanded the mud-flooded area.

The new map will be approved and signed by the government and the victims. It will also be used as evidence in establishing compensation.

Sidoarjo Regent Win Hendrarso, who was also at the meeting, said in accordance with the new map, residents in the housing complex as well as in Kedungbendo, Kepatang, Gempol Sari, Kali Tengah and Porong will receive compensation.

The team and Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company many blame for the disaster, have so far only approved compensation for mudflow victims in four villages: Siring, Kedungbendo, Jatirejo and Renokenongo.

Outside the meeting at the Grahadi building, hundreds of mudflow victims from the housing complex staged a protest, insisting on meeting with Purnomo.

Some 20 meters from the building, they were blocked by dozens of police officers who formed a barricade with barbed wire and water cannons.

"We're not the criminals, sir. It's Lapindo. Why are we always being stopped? If you dare, arrest Lapindo's people and put them in jail," yelled a protester.

The demonstrators mostly came on motorcycles, leaving their makeshift shelters in Pasar Baru Porong market in Sidoarjo in the morning and heading to East Java Legislative building.

After shouting out speeches and blocking roads at the council building, they headed toward the Grahadi building, some seven kilometers away, under tight police monitoring.

Purnomo explained the risk if the government takes over the handling of the mudflow disaster or declares it a national disaster.

If that happens, he said, the mudflow victims will be given the same treatment as victims of other disasters in places such as Aceh, Yogyakarta or East Nusa Tenggara.

"The compensation given will only amount to Rp 15 million for each house," he said.

The deputy head of the East Java Legislative Council's mudflow disaster special team, Muhammad Mirdas, walked out of the gathering.

He said those at the meeting lacked the spirit to defend the victims.

"The new map which will be prepared has to be approved by Lapindo and I'm not happy with it. The only way (to get their demands heard) is for the victims to meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," he said.

Many industrial companies in East Java do not treat their waste

Overshadowed by the environmental pollution caused by the spewing out of hot mud at a drilling site owned by PT Lapindo Brantas Inc, pollution problems caused by other industrial companies in East Java seem to be forgotten. This type of pollution has indeed caused serious damage to nature, especially given the fact that most companies in East Java do not apply proper waste-treatment systems. The pollution in East Java has been worsened by the pollution caused by the methane gas emitted by the hot mud outburst in the Lapindo project.

Prigi Asidanci, chairman of Ecoton, a non-governmental environmental organization, and Ridho Syaiful Ashadi, the executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) East Java chapter, confirmed this condition in an interview with The Jakarta Post on Feb. 26 in Surabaya.

"Since the Lapindo hot mud case became headline news, the public and law enforcers seem to have forgotten about pollution cases involving other companies even though these cases are more serious than the Lapindo case," Prigi said.

According to data compiled by Ecoton, there are 23 pollution cases in East Java, the handling of which has become uncertain since the Lapindo case hit the public arena. Investigations into these cases have neither stopped nor continued. This is indirectly tantamount to simply allowing acts of environmental pollution. "These pollution cases involve companies located along the Brantas and Surabaya rivers and have been going on for many years," he said.

According to the data released by Ecoton on the basis of routine monitoring conducted by Perum Jasa Tirta I Malang throughout 2006, seven companies have violated quality standards. "In fact, violations by these industrial companies should serve as sufficient proof for the police or the Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal) to make arrests on charges of environmental pollution," Prigi noted.

The seven companies are mainly food companies.

Meanwhile, as for the pollution of Surabaya River, Ecoton suspects that it is caused by companies located in Gresik regency that dump waste into the river. This pollution is serious as it involves hazardous heavy metals such as copper. "Unfortunately, this serious condition seems to go on unheeded. We believe that the quantity of this hazardous substance continues to increase," Prigi said.

Ecoton's warning is not unfounded because most industrial companies in East Java do not possess a Liquid Waste Dumping Permit (IPLC), as stipulated in Government Regulation No. 82/2001. This regulation states that every company producing liquid waste must possess an IPLC from a municipal or provincial administration. "Paper mill PT Jaya Kertas, for example, is still operating without an IPCL. In fact, the Surabaya District Court has passed a guilty verdict on this company," Prigi added.

There are 425 companies located along the Brantas river basin. Ninety-four of them are located along the Surabaya River. Most of these companies dump waste into the river. "These companies intentionally chose this location so that they could easily collect water and dispose of their waste in the river," Prigi said.

It is now time, therefore, for the East Java provincial administration to determine the river pollution-bearing capacity (DBPS) in East Java, just as the West Java provincial administration did with the Ciliwung River. "Following the stipulation of the DBPS of the Ciliwung River, there has been a large-scale relocation of companies located in the river basin areas. Although pollution still occurs, its volume has been much reduced," he said.

Besides liquid waste, Walhi East Java, as stated by its executive director, Ridho Syaiful Ashadi, suspects that companies in East Java also dump solid and gas waste. This is especially the case in regard to industrial undertakings producing waste that cannot be broken down further. "There are still a lot cases of odor-related pollution and as yet no standards have been set for odor," Ridho said.

Factories producing ammonia, for example, almost certainly produce a very bad odor. The effect of pollution of this type has long-term effects. "At first, people notice the unpleasant smell of ammonia but after a time they get used to it. This is very dangerous," he said. It is not impossible that locals living around this factory will eventual have neural damage.

Take, for example, the eruption of hot mud in East Java. At first, the public was outraged by the bad odor that accompanied the hot mud. However, as time passed, they got used to it. "In fact, this unpleasant odor is methane gas, which is very hazardous. If this gas accumulates in the body over a period of time, it will be very hazardous," Ridho said.

"You can imagine how much methane gas has been emitted since the hot mud started spewing out last year," he said.

Just as dangerous is the panic the government has created over the worsening investment climate in East Java as a result of the mud catastrophe. There are indications that the East Java provincial administration allowed as many investors as possible to come to this province by relaxing regulations, including the regulation requiring a company to have its own waste treatment plant.

"That a new steam power station has been built in Pacitan is evidence of this. The company that owns this power station has yet to obtain an environmental impact analysis but the presidential decree on its establishment has been issued," Prigi said.

Irwanto: Wheelchair-bound activist battles drugs, HIV/AIDS

The Jakarta Post has published this story on, March 7 2007

"Please come in... I'm sorry I've got to lie down." The Jakarta Post received a warm welcome from Irwanto when it visited him in a hotel room in Surabaya, East Java, during the third national meeting on HIV/AIDS in early February.

Lying on a spring bed, the half-paralyzed 50-year-old raised his two hands. "This is my daily therapy," he said.

Irwanto, one of the country's prominent HIV/AIDS activists, became paralyzed in 2003 in what appears to have been a case of medical malpractice. He went to a doctor complaining of pain in the left-hand side of his chest. The doctor suggested that he was suffering from a blood-clot and gave him intravenous streptokinase.

"Two hours after the drug treatment I became paralyzed as the blood vessels at the nape of my neck were severed," he said.

Medical doctors and friends thought that the family health activist and international advisor on injecting drug use would not live long.

"My family refused to give up and I decided to seek medical help in Singapore, where all the diagnoses made by Indonesian doctors were found to be completely mistaken," he said.

But it was already too late to reverse his condition. Since then, Irwanto has had to go around in a wheelchair.

But he has never allowed his condition to hamper his campaign against human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Indonesia.

Born in Purwodadi, Grobogan, Central Java, on Feb. 28, 1957, Irwanto was one of Indonesia's first HIV/AIDS activists.

"Illicit drugs and HIV control are a personal concern for me," Irwanto said.

Irwanto's involvement in the campaign against HIV/AIDS began when the father of two studied at Purdue University in the U.S. in 1988. There he found himself surrounded by people already infected with HIV.

"At first I didn't know they were HIV-positive, but gradually I found out that those around me were living with HIV/AIDS," he recalled.

Mingling with HIV-positive people made Irwanto aware of the importance of treating people with HIV/AIDS. Moreover, in those years America was facing the HIV/AIDS issue through struggles of Ryan White, a teenager who had contracted the virus at the age of 13 through a blood transfusion and fought against discrimination.

"Ryan White's case was a real lesson. In Indonesia, HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases like hepatitis A and B still get no positive response," said Irwanto, psychology graduate from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.

Back in Indonesia, Irwanto underwent a personal trial when his wife Irene Indrawati Raman gave birth to the couple's second child, Indy Irwanto. Indy was born with hepatitis B and her doctor predicted the baby would not live to see one year.

"After being checked, all family members turned out to be infected with hepatitis B," he added. But they later learned that the medical warning was not true and their hepatitis was not as grave as assumed.

Another big problem, however, soon confronted him. His younger brother fell victim to drug abuse, which gave Irwanto a daily headache. He also received repeated death threats from financiers and loan sharks demanding debt payments.

"My brother recovered and led a normal life for a while, but I will never forget all the bad things he experienced," said Irwanto, who earned his doctorate degree from Purdue University's child development and family studies school in 1992. His brother, however, relapsed in mid-1993 and later died.

The ignorance of most Indonesians of transmittable diseases, coupled with his family member's drug entanglements, made Irwanto "vengeful" toward drug abuse and its complications, including HIV. His association with Dr Syamsu Rizal Jauhari and Dr. Zubirin Djoerban made this 1986 alumnus of Drug Counseling at the Life Education Foundation in Sydney, Australia, aware of the close relations between illicit drugs and HIV.

Supported by other HIV/AIDS activists, Irwanto initiated a meeting in Cipanas, West Java, in 1998. This forum revealed the same situation existed in Indonesia as in Australia and Thailand.

"There were close ties between narcotics and HIV/AIDS, which frequently involved the younger generation," he indicated. The meeting also set up a National Narcotics Coordinating Board (BKNN).

BKNN met with then president B.J. Habibie to discuss programs for narcotics control on a national scale. While the joint program was not yet implemented, the government set up a new institution, the National Narcotics Agency, under the National Police.

"All activists withdrew from the national program and worked individually through non-governmental organizations," he said.

In 2002, Irwanto established the Atma Jaya Kiosk, an NGO under the Atma Jaya Research Institute, to introduce safe methods to injection drug users (IDUs).

"We chose to take care of drug users because they were already discarded by society," Irwanto said. Interacting with drug users was not simple, so ways had to be found to convince drug addicts that they could trust the Atma Jaya Kiosk. The NGO was, however, threatened and criticized every day by people who considered it a front to legalize narcotics abuse.

"Actually, that was not true. We only wanted to treat drug users like humans," he said. As there was no place for the Kiosk's operation, its activists were forced to provide training under shop overhangs.

Fortunately, society is now aware that what the Atma Jaya Kiosk workers did has had a positive impact. At present there are 3,000 IDUs actively involved in the Kiosk, which has expanded its operations to home care for those living with HIV.

According to Irwanto, it takes a long time to handle drug users and HIV/AIDS patients, because narcotic addicts often relapse into their habit many times. "Ninety percent of drug users relapse, some even experience severe reversals," said the trainer on the health consequences of illicit drug use.

Though sitting on a wheelchair, his busy days working as an activist against drug abuse and HIV/AIDS continue. He has also earned various awards, including the citation as the First Generation Activist in HIV/AIDS Control from the third National Meeting on HIV & AIDS in Surabaya.

"I hope the public will keep fighting illicit drugs and HIV, under whatever condition," he said.

Dream leads miner to 'artifacts'

Sosok Dewa Brahma.

The Jakarta Post has published this story on March 02, 2007

The pointed end of Maksum's pickax stuck in the ground when it hit a hard object, a stone. Maksum, a resident of Besuk in Kediri regency, East Java, missed a beat.

"Everything I had seen in my dream has come true. There is something under the ground," Maksum said in retelling the story of his discovery to The Jakarta Post.

Slowly, the 48-year-old Maksum dug deeper with both hands round the hard object. The original shape of the stone, which later revealed itself to be that of a crown, began to emerge.

"I immediately called my friends and asked them to help me. Shortly afterwards, we saw it was a statue with four heads. It was the statue of the god Brahma," he said.

This discovery, which took place on Jan. 20 at about 5 p.m., remains fresh in the mind of Maksum. And with it, the sand miner proved the truth behind the spiritual guidance he received in a dream.

Several nights before he unearthed the statue of Brahma, Maksum said, he had a recurring dream in which someone of Indian descent took him for a walk.

This person, which he believes represented Brahma, took him along a rice field in Gayang village of Gurah subdistrict in Kediri, where Maksum quarries sand.

"Strangely, in my dream, this place turned into a kingdom with a palace and a royal bath for the kings and his children," Maksum said, adding that the beauty of the kingdom made him reluctant to return to the "real" world. "It sounds like a fantasy, but that was my dream," said Maksum, who now wears his udeng, a traditional East Javanese headdress for men.

The udeng has cultural ties to Hinduism, with the half-moon shape of its crown thought to symbolize Brahma, and part of its function is to focus the "third eye".

In this dream, Brahma told Maksum that he would be "reborn" around the night of the Javanese New Year, often called the Eve of the 1st of Suro.

"I did not tell this dream to anybody because I was sure nobody would believe me. Only when the statue was discovered did I tell people about this dream," Maksum said.

The statue of Brahma was thus excavated from its earth-bound tome. Standing a meter tall, the statue depicts Brahma meditating in the lotus position atop a square base. The four heads of Brahma face the four cardinal directions, and royal ornaments adorn its crown, throat, torso, and arms. A kettle is carved to the left of the statue.

The statue's discovery has prompted the search for other artifacts, and local residents continued digging at the site where the statue had been found.

In less than a month, several other statues were also unearthed. The statue of Lembu Andini, or Nandi, was discovered to the south of the Brahma statue. Another statue, of the goddess Durga Mahesa Sura Mandini, was found lying to the east of Lembu Andini.

"We have also discovered a rectangular lingga (phallus) statue at a point of some distance from the rest of the statues," Maksum added.

The discovery of a number of these statues in Kediri has prompted the Trowulan Center for the Rescue of Archeological Relics (BP3) to study the artifacts. BP3 has sent a research team to the site of the discovery for reconstruction and further excavation. This research will also prove the authenticity of the statues, which some believe to be counterfeits.

To the naked eye the statues look like new, which has led several Kediri residents to doubt their authenticity as ancient artifacts.

"They look like new statues. The side of the statue is clean and you can also tell from the type of the stone," said Eddy, a Kediri resident.

Unfortunately, the BP3 research has come across an obstacle. The team that arrived at the site on Feb. 16 to take possession of the Brahma, Lembu Andini and Durga Mahesa Sura Mandini statues was rejected by the local villagers who had discovered them.

The villagers feared that the original statues would be confiscated and replaced by imitations.

Following a dialog between villagers and the BP3 team, the villagers finally allowed the team to take one statue -- on condition that they issued a letter of agreement for its return after a fortnight.

"This Friday, the statue of Brahma will be returned to Gayam village," said Maksum. After the team returns this statue, they will be permitted to examine the other statues.

The research team has been studying the statue at the BP3 office in Mojokerto.

Prapto Saptono, head of the center's preservation section, which also determines how an artifact can be used to benefit society, said additional studies on the pieces would follow.

News about the discovery has spread far and wide. The residents of Kediri, a regency noted for its tofu and located some 150 km from Surabaya, has come in droves to visit the Gayam site.

Meanwhile, the local media have blown up the story so that this area, formerly deserted, has become crowded with outsiders.

The site of the discovery, which is situated in a sugarcane plantation, is now full of street vendors selling their wares to visitors.

"This is a blessing for the locals. This popular market gives extra income to many of the villagers, who are jobless or who work only during the sugarcane harvest," said Suwono, a Gayam villager.

Visitors pay a fee of Rp 1,000 per person for entry to the site, and a Rp 2,000 parking fee for motorcycles. A voluntary donation is requested of visitors upon reaching the actual site where the statues were unearthed -- usually around Rp 1,000. In addition, visitors may take home a plastic bag of "holy" water from the Sendang Tirto well for another Rp 1,000.

In a day, the village collects about Rp 200,000 from the site, and even more on Sundays. In a single month, the village can collect some Rp 4 million for its treasury after wages have been paid to those assigned to manage the area.

"This money is for the village treasury and we collect them from visitors without any force," Suwono added.

Lirboyo Islamic school students use prayer to combat ailments

Students of the Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School in Kediri, East Java, have undertaken a rare rite to combat a series of ailments that have afflicted their peers.

In addition to mass prayers, the students conducted a rite around the village, one that is performed only when the school is in danger.

It was decided that this rare rite would be conducted because in the past week, hundreds of Lirboyo students suddenly fell ill. They suffered from a variety of ailments, including high fever, headaches and an itchy rash. As a result, many of them could not attend classes.

"The students who contracted an ailment would suddenly become weak and could not attend their classes. Three of my close friends became sick," said Nurul Fuad, a student from Kendal, Central Java.

The resident doctor could not do much to help the sick students, and while medical treatment appeared to have little or no effect, more and more students got sick.

In the past seven days, about 500 students of the 10,000-strong student body became ill and took time off from school.

"Even today, many of my friends are still ill," Nurul told The Jakarta Post on Feb. 25.

The teachers became uneasy and reported the situation to the Muslim clerics on the school board. One of these clerics immediately instructed the students to perform a ritual prayer around the central village, which is located about 5 kilometers from the school.

"This situation has rarely happened at Lirboyo Islamic Boarding School. In fact, a similar event occurred in 2004, but this time it involved more people," Kyai Athoillah, a cleric on the school board, said on Sunday. He expected all members of the school to be actively involved in the rite.

In the end, a total of 7,000 male students from the school commenced the ritual prayer, which was to be continued for a full week.

The rite began with the recitation of prayers led by Kyai Athoillah. The students were asked to recite the Ayat Kursi -- verses in the Koran explaining the powers of God and often recited in times of danger -- and from the Tibun Nabawi, or "Yellow Book", 1,217 times.

Then, in the pitch dark of night, the male students walked through campus in the direction of Kediri, walking along the dikes of rice fields and to the edge of the village.

The prayers from the "Yellow Book", which are specially studied at Lirboyo, reverberated through the nocturnal sky.

"Lim Qomsatun upfibiha haralwaba il hatimathus...," the prayer reverberated down the road.

"These prayers were also recited by our senior Muslim cleric when the same rite was conducted in the 1960s," said Kyai Athoillah.

In essence, the prayer is a plea to God that He provide the Lirboyo students and the villagers with the power to combat the ailments.

The rite of that evening concluded at about 3 a.m. Monday morning, followed by mass dawn prayers in the school mosque.

"We'll see the results later. Hopefully, our prayers will be granted. God willing," Kyai Athoillah said.

Zhuang supports Calcutta CSW via photography

The Jakarta Post has published this story on March 02, 2007

One does not necessarily have to resort to a rally, demonstration or armed struggle to defend the oppressed, as is shown by Singapore-based photographer, Zhuang Wubin, in a solo exhibit titled Fighting for the Rights of Sex Workers in Calcutta.

"I want to show the world a portrait of the life of sex workers in Calcutta, India," Zhuang said on Tuesday.

The exhibit opened on Wednesday, and is set to run through March, at the gallery of the French Culture Center (CCCL) Surabaya.

As the title of the exhibition suggests, the 20 photographs on display tell the story of how commercial sex workers (CSW) in the Sonaghaci area of Calcutta fight for their rights. This includes fighting for a decent life through the establishment of a bank for sex workers and the right to education.

Sonaghaci is the oldest red-light district in Bengal province, east India, and the province is home to some 50,000 CSW presently. Of these, about 9,000 live in Sonaghaci.

The majority of Sonaghaci's CSW have organize themselves into a community-based organization called Durbar. Durbar, which means "unstoppable" in the Bengal language, seeks to legalize CSW.

As is the case in Indonesia, it is not easy to document activities in a red-light district.

Zhuang's photographs were taken secretly, not only because of possible threats from pimps and bodyguards, but also because of the unwillingness of some of the sex workers to be photographed.

"I took these pictures when I, together with Mahila Samanwaya Committee of the Durbar NGO, visited Sonaghaci in 2005," said Zhuang, a graduate of the journalistic department of Singapore's Nanyang University.

Working in a difficult situation wherein threats exist all around, however, will sometimes produce extraordinary results.

Zhuang, who specializes in taking pictures about daily life, has successfully captured the portrait of a trans-gender sex worker, although when seen with the naked eye, the physical differences in a trans-gender individual cannot be detected.

Several photographs also depict the portrait of a former sex worker who entered the trade after she had been raped repeatedly.

"She is Sandra Nayah. Before, she was a construction worker. Unfortunately, she was forced to have sex with her fellow construction workers for five years. Eventually, she was able to get away from this," said Zhuang, who once participated in Chobi Mela III, the most important photo exhibition in Asia.

One very interesting picture in this exhibition is one about the CSW bank. The bank has been set up especially for sex workers, because in India, nearly all banks deny reject sex workers as customers.

"I want all sex workers in the world to imitate this," said Zhuang. "In this way, sex workers will be economically empowered and eventually they will have enough to stop selling their bodies and start other businesses."

Zhuang Wubin, Fighting for the Rights of Sex Workers in Calcutta, runs from Feb. 28-March 9 at the Center of Culture and Linguistic Cooperation (CCCL) of Surabaya, Jl. Darmokali 10, Surabaya 60265. Phone (031) 5678639; fax (031) 5615246, email info@ccclsurabaya.com

Female condom: An effort to protect women

Eva Yuliawati's expression abruptly changed the first time she saw a female condom. The mother of two clumsily held the Fiesta brand condom and observed it closely.

"Should I put this thing inside? Won't it be painful?" she asked as she observed the soft rubbery object from every angle. "I think it's too big."

The female condom is not a novelty in the country. The contraceptive device, specially designed for women, had been introduced in the 1990s, but due to low market interest and its expensive price tag, the female condom was a rarity in pharmacies and drug stores.

It can, however, be ordered from drug stores and sex shops overseas through the Internet.

Coordinating Minister of the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie launched the female condom during the recent HIV/AIDS National Conference in Surabaya, East Java.

The DKT Foundation, affiliated with condom producer DKT International, which had initially distributed the product, worked together with the Sutra and Fiesta condom manufacturers in Jakarta to promote the product.

The foundation is concerned with HIV/AIDS prevention. One of its strategies when promoting male condoms previously was to use the slogan, "Safety can be fun".

The shape of the female condom is different from that of the male condom. It is 17 centimeters long, 6.6 to 7 cm in diameter and made of rubber latex. A vanilla scent sponge is attached inside. A pack, consisting of two condoms, is priced at Rp 20,000 (about US$2.20).

The chairman of the DKT Foundation, Pierre Frederick, acknowledged it was no easy task to introduce the female condom due to several factors, such as the typical notion that condoms are only suitable for men and the displeasure of using one during sex.

"Not to mention the notion that using a condom is uncomfortable and humiliating for the wearer," Pierre told The Jakarta Post.

In spite of that, using a condom can be very beneficial. One of its purposes is to empower women so that they can protect themselves.

"Many of us know that many women are positioned as second-class citizens, whereas in fact they are the ones at the receiving end, such as in rape, unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection," Pierre told the Post.

Women are also not in a strong bargaining position, socially speaking, over such matters as deciding when to have sex and whether or not their partners use condoms.

"So far, the men usually decide whether or not to use a condom during sex, but the presence of the female condom will change this perception," he said.

An official at the East Java AIDS Prevention Agency, Rahmat Haryono, said the most effective way to prevent HIV/AIDS was through the use of condoms, especially among those who faced a higher risk of being infected, such as sex workers.

"Around 20 to 30 percent of HIV/AIDS infections are due to not using condoms during sex, but ironically sex workers (a majority of them women) are not in the position to decide whether or not their clients use condoms," he said.

Rahmat added that it would be very effective if the female condom was promoted to sex workers. "If sex clients refused to use the condom then the sex workers could take the initiative and put on a female condom to prevent HIV/AIDS infection," he said.

The question, however, is whether or not women are ready to use the condom. Eva Yuliawati's indecision may represent the answer to this matter. Eva feels that the female condom is too big, especially the sponge inside.

"In spite of the lubricating gel, I still feel it's too big. I'm afraid it would cause pain when I use it," she told the Post.

A HIV/AIDS activist, Agus, who acknowledged he had tried the condom with his wife, said he met several obstacles during the occasion. These pertained to its length, which he felt was too short, and the discomfort caused by the sponge.

"Mind you, my wife felt pain when using as well as removing the condom," he said.

Adam Air 737-300s grounded after hard landing

MORE ADAM AIR WOES: An Adam Air plane sits at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java after a hard landing on Wednesday. All 148 passengers were reportedly safe. The airport was temporarily shut after the stricken Boeing 737-300 arriving from Jakarta landed and stopped suddenly in the middle of the runway, with its rear section bent downwards just behind the wing. (JP/ID Nugroho)

Indra Harsaputra and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The government has grounded all seven Boeing 737-300 passenger jets operated by Adam Air after one of them made a hard landing Wednesday in Surabaya, East Java, forcing the temporary closure of the airport there.

All 148 passengers were safe in the accident Wednesday at Juanda International Airport, which happened during heavy rain, the airline and officials said.

An Adam Air 737-400 disappeared on New Year's Day and is believed to have crashed into the sea, killing all 102 people on board. The airline has had a series of incidents since it was founded in 2003.

Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang S. Ervan said his office will examine the airworthiness of Adam's Boeing 737-300 aircraft while they are grounded.

The grounding will stay in effect until the investigation into the aircraft concludes, Bambang was quoted by the tempointeraktif news portal as saying.

A team from the ministry and the National Commission for Transportation Safety headed to the Juanda airport to begin investigating the latest Adam Air accident, in which the KI-172 flight severely bent its fuselage.

Natalia Budihardjo, a district manager for PT Adam Skyconnections Airlines, said the aircraft had encountered poor conditions.

"The weather was extremely bad during the landing, with heavy rain and strong wind. The sudden stop of the plane was the best decision by the pilot for the safety of the passengers," she said.

Natalia said the aircraft was airworthy before taking off from Jakarta.

"A few minutes before landing it was reported that the plane received wind pressure from above, or what we call a downdraft," Adam Air safety and security director Hartono told MetroTV.

"The pilot tried to recover (control of the plane) but it was too close to the runway and caused the plane to land a bit harder than usual," he said.

Passenger Rusdi Surya Wijaya, 48, said the plane bent part of its body just behind the wing after the landing.

"The aircraft underwent heavy shaking for one to two minutes when it touched down. There was a loud bang inside. There were no hysterical cries but I saw a women get hit by falling luggage," he said.

Passengers said the emergency doors were opened just after they smelled fuel from inside the aircraft, according to Kompas Cyber Media.

At least four flights were delayed and diverted to Bali's Ngurah Rai airport as a result of the closure, airport officials said.

The Juanda airport was closed for 30 minutes and was operating normally again at 4:00 p.m.

'Reyog' celebration marks Javanese New Year

Patih Bujang Ganong, a royal servant of ministerial rank, was wriggling to dodge the violent lunges of Singo Barong, a monstrous tiger, and Dhadhak Merak, a giant peacock. Frightened, the red-faced, disheveled servant was sent scurrying to the feet of King Kelana Sewandana. The King was at that time anxiously anticipating the love of Princess Songgo Langit of the Kediri Kingdom.

Ganong's report enraged the king. With his magic whip, called Pecut Samandiman, King Sewandana snapped the ferocious beast and bird, cursing them and transforming them into a Reyog, a creature resembling a tiger with a peacock straddled atop its head.

This folktale was presented recently in a traditional dance typical of this southern East Java city and regency. The dance was performed as part of the Reyog Ponogoro festival to mark the Grebeg Suro Javanese new year and preserve the local folk art.

No exact record exists as to when this folk dance first evolved, but the dance is always performed at special events, particularly Grebeg Suro -- which coincides with Islamic New Year -- and has become an iconic performance of Ponogoro.

East Java's Suro this year was observed on Jan. 15-20 across several cities, including Mojokerto and Malang. In Ponorogo, the Reyog dance was the main feature of the celebration, in addition to a procession, a purification ceremony and a ritualistic offering at Lake Ngebel.

Thirty-one Reyog troupes from different parts of the country joined the Ponorogo festival, including those from: Lampung, South Sumatra; Tanjung Pinang, Riau; the East Kalimantan cities of Balikpapan and Kutai Kertanegara; as well as cities in Central Java and Ponorogo itself.

"As organizers of the event, the huge response makes us proud," Bambang Wibisono, head of the Ponorogo regency arts office, told The Jakarta Post.

Ponorogo square was turned into a giant stage for the four-day festival, with each Reyog group demonstrating its graceful movements and dynamic, Ponorogo-style rhythm to the accompaniment of Javanese musical instruments like the kempul and kenong (small gongs), a gong, a small drum, angklung (standing bamboo xylophone) and a trumpet. Local residents thronged the square to enjoy King Kelana Sewandana and Bujang Ganong fight the mystical creatures, Singo Barong and Dhadhak Merak.

The end of the Javanese calendar year is the peak of Grebeg Suro, with Ponorogo citizens taking part in a mass procession through the city. At the same time, this procession marked the public administration's relocation from the older part of town on the outskirts of Ponorogo, to the regency office in the "new" city.

After presenting an ancestral heirloom to the cemetery of Ponorogo's first regent, Betoro Katong, hundreds of people marched to the city center, some via carriages pulled by brightly decorated horses.

Known for its strong tradition of warok, a type of martial arts handed down by past warriors with allegedly supernatural powers, Ponorogo was in a festive mood.

Tens of thousands of local residents lined the streets to welcome the procession as their ancestors had hailed royal warriors coming home victorious. A rousing ovation and cheers rose among the crowd as the reyog troupes of their various hometowns arrived.

"The groups with the giant reyog masks in the folk dance costumes are the ones I like most," said Nardi, a spectator.

By midnight, the crowd of thousands had gathered at Ponorogo square, looking forward to welcoming the new year.

The site was the center of celebration, with a huge stage erected to the south for the traditional performances that would be presented. Hundreds of vendors had set up shop around the square, and a carousel lit up the atmosphere.

Fireworks began showering their shimmering configuration of colors in the night sky as the Javanese year of 1939 turned over into 1940.

"May Ponorogo become mukti wibowo (prosperous and honorable)," said Ponorogo Regent Muhadi Suyono, blessing the year ahead.

The celebration closed with prayers at Lake Ngebel, as offerings were floated away. Located some 25 kilometers from the city, the lake was where the rejoicing new year revelers entered a mood of peace and serenity.

A two-meter-high tumpeng (cone-shaped, celebratory yellow rice) and a box of prayer books on a bamboo raft were cast off and sunk as offerings into the lake, accompanied by the reverberating sounds of reyog music.

------------------------

'Empu' Molog: Master costume designer of 'reyog'
Friday, February 02, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Ponorogo, E. Java

A seemingly plain piece of paper bears the following words: "Certificate of Appreciation presented to Haryokemun Al Molog, by the Smithsonian Institution Office of Folklife Program, in official recognition of participation in the 25th Annual Festival of American Folklife".

The certificate is the pride of Haryokemun Al Molog, a master craftsman of reyog -- the set of costumes and props used in the folk dance of the same name, which is indigenous to Ponorogo, East Java. The certificate awarded by the Smithsonian Institution attests to his world-class skills and talent in his craft.

"I went to Washington myself at the invitation of the Smithsonian," he said on Sunday, Jan. 21, the day after the year's Reyog Ponogoro festival.

Haryokemun Al Molog is the last empu, or master, of the craft. Now 83, he began making reyog in Ponorogo when he was seven.

Molog learned the craft from his father and grandfather.

"With my four brothers, I have made reyog since childhood, but I'm the only successor of my father in this profession," he said.

Molog, a former judge of national reyog festivals, is passionate about reyog craftsmanship. For him, it is not merely a means of livelihood, but carries its own rewards in the "gifts" it brings to others.

"It gives me great pleasure to meet customers' orders and to see many people enjoy the folk dance, although only a few of them know who has made the costumes," he laughed.

Molog's reyog costume and prop sets have been bought by reyog dance troupes and lovers of this art form throughout Indonesia. He receives orders for at least four complete reyog sets each year.

A single set comprises a reyog mask (a creature with the face of a tiger/barong with a peacock on its head), wooden horses, a bujang ganong (servant) mask, a probo (winged throne signifying kingship), a cemeti samandiman whip, angklung (standing bamboo xylophone), a gong, a kenong (small gong) and a trumpet.

"A set costs Rp 27 million, and a special set can reach Rp 45 million," Molog said.

The pieces in the "special" set are crafted in greater detail and have finer carvings.

When making a complete set, Molog begins with the barong-peacock mask. Made from the wood of the dadap (coral tree/Erythrina subumbrans), the mask is covered in tiger skin and is adorned with a peacock spreading its feathers like a fan.

"Depending on the order, genuine tiger skin and peacock feathers can be used," he pointed out.

For such an order, the tiger skin is purchased from Riau and the peacock feathers are imported from India.

"I use the skins of tigers dying of old age, not those that are poached. I realize that if too many tigers are hunted and killed, my reyog business will close down because the supply of skins will be gone," he said.

A separate embellishment called a krakap above the reyog monster's head is affixed after completing the main body of the tiger-and-bird mask.

A reyog set takes Molog and his six apprentices about a month to finish. His apprentices are in charge of the reyog costumes as well as the other props and accessories.

"I make the reyog tiger head myself, because I cannot yet entrust them with this job for the moment," said Molog.

Moreover, making the mask requires some mystical calculations.

He believes that this Javanese practice, which he highly respects, has a significance of its own.

"I observe some procedures even before cutting the wood, and I fast before starting my work," he said.

The oversized, tall reyog masks he produces are also different in their design from those by other craftsmen. As many people claim, Molog's works are more gorgeous and attractive.

Sadly, however, the traditional reyog craft Molog has preserved has not been fully inherited by his four children. His three daughters specialize in sewing reyog accessories, and his son and daughter-in-law are merely familiar with the craft.

"Let's hope my family will be capable of carrying on this profession in the future," he said.

It is hoped that Molog will not be the last master craftsman of Ponorogo's indigenous folk art and dance.