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