Bojonegoro regency struggles for flood recovery

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Bojonegoro

Kanor village in Bojonegoro, East Java, located along the Bengawan Solo River, was hit by floods more than a month ago, but recovery work has yet to restore conditions.

Many dams and bridges in the village were damaged in the floods, along with homes, schools, graveyards and thousands of hectares of ready-to-harvest rice fields.

Thousands were forced from their homes, but there were no reports of casualties in the flooding that devastated 15 districts in the regency.

Local residents referred to the destruction as a minor doomsday, pointing to broken embankments and bridges. Limestone earth and clay, used to plug broken embankments, resembled mud traps.

Motorcycles traveled on heavily damaged roads that looked like off-road trails where riders frequently fall.

A number of passing public minivans also found themselves trapped in the mud. Pedestrians often walked barefoot, trudging through knee-deep mud in places.

"Conditions could worsen if it rains now. The public works office should be held responsible," said resident Eko Prayitno.

A number of the broken bridges had been temporarily fixed with bamboo, with vehicles taking turns to cross over them.

When it rains now, residents said they watched the water level of the Bengawan Solo River passing along the western part of the village.

Last Thursday the water level rose and the river overflowed onto roadways.

"My family and I were fearful the river would burst its banks," said Tukul, a villager whose house is located near the river.

Tukul's house was engulfed in chest-high water last month during the floods that destroyed all his belongings.

Residents were aware they lived in a flood-prone area, especially since it is located in the upper reaches of the longest river in Java.

They believed the latest flood was triggered by water released from the Gajah Mungkur reservoir in Central Java.

"If the reservoir releases its water, the level of the Bengawan Solo River rises and floods are inevitable. So what else can we do?" said another resident, Munir.

Many residents were pessimistic over a proposal to restore broken dikes in Bojonegoro.

Building permanent dikes, they said, would not make much of a difference when the Bengawan Solo started overflowing.

"They (broken embankments) could create more adverse impacts when they break. We fear the rapid rush of water could claim peoples' lives," said Munir.

Kwan Sing Bio: Tuban's crab shrine
Friday, February 08, 2008

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Tuban, East Java

Some two centuries ago, a boat owned by a Chinese explorer became stranded near Tuban on the north coast of Java, which was then a marshy area teeming with crabs.

In the face of this misfortune, so the story goes, the traveler pulled out his jiamsi sticks bearing verses that could foretell one's fortune.

He pleaded for the God of Wisdom, Kwan Sing Tie Koen, to give him guidance and strength to face his predicament.

"Would you like me to remain here?" he asked before shaking the sticks.

After asking the same question three times, an answer came forth: Yes.

"Finally, the adventurer decided to stay there and live on Tuban's coast and build a temple called Kwan Sing Bio, or the Shrine of the God of Wisdom," Hendra Susanto, Kwan Sing Bio's spiritual leader, told The Jakarta Post.

Tuban, located 90 kilometers west of the East Java capital of Surabaya, has long been an important city due to its strategic location and role as a main port since the pre-Islamic period of the Majapahit Kingdom.

As the Islamic era was ushered in, Tuban became a vital place in history after Sunan Bonang, or Maulana Makdum Ibrahim -- one of the nine Islamic propagators in Java, known as the Wali Songo -- was buried behind Jami' Mosque in the town square.

The legendary temple itself is located west of Tuban. It is a place of worship for Tri Dharma followers -- Confucianists, Taoists and Buddhists.

Hendra said the temple, also known as the crab shrine, was not easy to construct due to the swampy land it was built on.

After clearing and leveling the area, the shrine was erected with the crab as its signature feature.

"Tri Dharma teachings believe crabs are chosen by gods to protect people living in Tuban," Hendra said.

On the five-hectare plot, the temple is divided into several areas, with the front and oldest section serving as the place of worship and prayer.

A room for Mandarin language lessons, jiamsi fortune telling and a secretariat office is located at the side, while a hall has been set up in the center, adjacent to a garden that has adopted Chinese architecture, complete with a small lake and bridge.

The rear area, which is currently under construction, will serve as a multipurpose area and will include lodgings.

Reverence for sea creatures, like crabs, is evident in the fact that Tri Dharma followers avoid using crabs as offerings.

Hendra said another unique sign of the crab could also be seen in the geography of Tuban area itself, which resembles a crab with two pincers.

"The first pincer is situated in Tjoe Ling Kiong or the Sea Goddess Shrine in the town square and the second pincer in Kwan Sing Bio shrine."

Surabaya Police searching for 780 possible trafficking victims
Friday, February 08, 2008

I.D. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The Surabaya Police are searching for at least 780 people, including children, believed to have been the victims of human trafficking.

The search was begun following the police's failure to make an arrest in a raid on two buildings believed to have been used to house the victims here Wednesday.

The police investigated the buildings after receiving a report from of a victim who managed to escape Monday night after reportedly being held with other victims in the buildings for many days.

The victim, identified as Tutik, 30, reported the human trafficking activities to the police office near the buildings. She was handed over to the East Java social affairs office before being returned to her home town of Yogyakarta.

"Tutik said ... she and hundreds of other victims, including underage women, were held in the two buildings on Jl. Tidar in the city," said a staff member of the social affairs office who asked for anonymity.

The two buildings belong to two private companies identified as PT JKS and PT GS, which have permits to send migrant workers abroad.

"So far, some of the victims are still at large while those found in the buildings are going to be sent back to their home villages," said the staff member.

He said the raid had been leaked before it was conducted, so some of the victims escaped.

His office and the police will summon the two companies' owners for investigation, he said.

House knocks back new mudflow report
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Sidoarjo

The House of Representatives unanimously dismissed Tuesday a report from its own special team concluding that the devastating mudflow in East Java was a natural phenomenon.

The report apparently sided with Lapindo Brantas Inc., widely blamed for the disaster that began on May 29, 2006, lawmakers told a plenary meeting on the mudflow.

"The report seems to have been written by Lapindo's public affairs division," legislator Permadi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said.

He said the report clearly defended Lapindo, linked to the family of chief welfare minister Aburizal Bakrie, since it failed to cite the role of Lapindo in causing the mudflow in Sidoarjo regency.

The plenary session created confusion over whether it had also decided to continue with the House's plan to question senior officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, about the government's commitment to victims of the disaster.

House Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno, who presided over the session, confirmed the plan.

However, some members of the special team held a press conference shortly after the plenary session to say the meeting concluded that the team had to continue its investigation.

"We have already clarified this with Mbah Tardjo (Soetardjo) and what he decided was to prolong this team's work," said Priyo Budi Santoso, a Golkar Party legislator with the team.

Permadi said if the special team failed to complete its task to the satisfaction of the House, it would be followed with a plan to summons the government.

"The team must be disbanded and the House will continue with the interpellation plan," Permadi added.

Last September a number of lawmakers proposed the House use its right to summon President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to explain the matter.

But the House could not reach an agreement on the issue and instead decided to establish a special team to examine the government's effort to handle the mudflow and its impacts.

Team member Tjahjo Kumulo, who read out the report during Tuesday's plenary meeting, said the House had no authority to determine whether the mudflow was natural or man-made.

"That is the expert's authority," said Tjahjo, who is also from the PDI-P faction.

Despite this statement however, the report repeatedly cited information supporting the theory that the mudflow was an "uncontrollable natural disaster".

It quoted geologists as saying the mudflow was caused by an underground mud volcano that had nothing to do with human activities.

The report also cited the South Jakarta District Court's verdict that ruled the mudflow was a purely natural phenomenon.

Dradjad Wibowo of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said such a report might have budget implications for the state.

"If the disaster is perceived as a natural phenomenon, PT Lapindo may use that to sue the government to return all Rp 1.3 trillion they have disbursed for the victims," he said.

In Sidoarjo, some 3,000 victims of the mudflow were angered by the team's conclusion and took to the streets to protest.

They barricaded the Porong highway and railway tracks next to the mud volcano site, triggering heavy traffic.

The protesters, from five badly affected hamlets, demanded that Lapindo Brantas pay them compensation as soon as possible. (alf)

ID Nugroho contributed to this story from Sidoarjo

House reversal on mudflow questioning
Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Sidoarjo

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Soetardjo Soerdjogoeritno was criticized Wednesday by fellow lawmakers for reversing a decision to question the government on the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java.

During a plenary session of the House on Tuesday, presided over by Soetardjo, lawmakers decided to knock back a report from a House special team, which concluded the mudflow was a natural phenomenon, not man-made.

During the session, lawmakers criticized the report, which they said sided with Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company widely blamed for the disaster.

Soetardjo then offered the session two options -- to continue the team's work or to move forward with plans to question the government about its response to the mudflow and its treatment of victims.

The majority of lawmakers chose to question the government, at which point Soetardjo ended the session, with a decision to summon the government over the disaster.

To the surprise of lawmakers who attended Tuesday's session, Soetardjo, 74, said Wednesday the House's special mudflow team would continue its work on its report.

"What I decided was to prolong the mudflow special team's work and, if we want to", we can question the government later, said the House deputy speaker, who also heads the mudflow team.

Soetardjo's about-face was slammed by fellow legislators who want to question the government about the disaster.

"What was decided in the plenary session cannot be changed just by a statement outside the meeting," said Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

He said the plenary session clearly agreed to reject the team's report and question the government over the disaster.

"We can listen to recordings of the plenary session as evidence," he said.

Djoko said a plenary session was the highest forum in the House and that decisions made during the sessions could only be changed through another plenary meeting.

He said the PAN faction would discuss the issue Friday.

Ida Fauziah, a legislator with the National Awakening Party (PKB), said she did not understand what Soetardjo meant when he said they could "prolong the team's work" and question the government later.

She said a plenary session that discussed the issue of Lapindo last year decided the House would formally question the government if its special mudflow team failed to complete its report to the satisfaction of lawmakers.

"We should refer to that decision," said Ida.

Commenting on the report, volcanologist Surono said the Sidoarjo mudflow would not have occurred without a "trigger".

"Sidoarjo is indeed a mud volcano source. But if it was not fiddled around with, it would not have been a disaster like this," he said during a seminar at the Surabaya Institute of Technology in East Java.

Surono, who has conducted research on a mud volcano at Surabaya's Juanda Airport, said there was only a small-scale mud volcano in Sidoarjo.

He said that based on its natural characteristics, the mud volcano would have remained small without some sort of trigger.

Meanwhile, some 300 victims of the mudflow from five affected villages in Sidoarjo, continued their protest Wednesday.

The protesters demanded Lapindo complete its compensation payments to those affected by the disaster, and urged the government to include several more villages in the map of affected areas.

Protester Luthfi Abdillah said representatives of affected villages were in Jakarta to meet ministers and make sure their demands were heard. (alf).

ID Nugroho contributed to this story from Sidoarjo

Jamsostek honors 100 companies in East Java
Thursday, February 21, 2008

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

State-owned insurance company PT Jamsostek has honored 100 companies from different sectors in East Java for compliance with the 1992 law on social security requiring employers to register their workers with social security programs.

The Jamsostek awards were presented by East Java Governor Imam Utomo in a ceremony here Wednesday.

He said the awards were expected to encourage more companies to register their workers with Jamsostek.

"Honoring these companies is part of the government's persuasive approach. If the approach proves ineffective, the government will likely deploy the repressive approach because the social security programs are compulsory for all companies employing 10 workers or more," he said in his address to the ceremony.

One hundred companies were recognized for their good track records in administrative affairs, producing payrolls and accurate reports of labor data, including worker numbers and gross monthly salaries, he said.

He called on regents and mayors in the province to deploy labor inspectors to investigate suspected companies of violating the law because the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry no longer had the authority to carry out the inspections.

"Regional heads have a political obligation to enforce the law and help provide protection for workers, many of who are still not paid in accordance with regional minimum wages," he said.

Private and state companies receiving the Jamsostek award included PT Garuda Food, PT Yamaha Musical Product Indonesia, PT HM Sampoerna, PT Tjiwi Kimia TBK, PDAM Kediri city, PDAM Blitar regency and PDAM Sumber Pocong in Bangkalan, Madura.

East Java, home to industrial zones in Sidoarjo, Pasuruan and Rungkut, has 10,386 companies employing more than 940,000 workers, of which only 30 percent are registered with Jamsostek.

Cipto Rahardi, head of Jamsostek Region VI, which covers East Java, Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara, said Jamsostek would continue deploying the persuasive approach until all workers in the region were registered.

"Jamsostek has no authority to enforce the law and to investigate companies violating the law. We have enhanced cooperation and coordination with labor unions who register their own members with Jamsostek because they are the main stakeholders obliged to protect their employees with the social security programs," he said.

Director Adji Pamunkas of PT Terminal Petikemas, in Surabaya, said he was happy to receive the award. "We have participated in Jamsostek not for the award, but because of our awareness of labor protection by healthcare, death benefits, occupational accident benefits and pension benefits programs."

He said Jamsostek not only benefitted workers but also employers, who did not have to pay workers affected by occupational accidents or who reached retirement age.

Experts, public figures seek end to Sidoarjo mudflow
Friday, February 22, 2008

Erwida Maulia and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Sidoarjo

A group on Thursday declared a movement to stop the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, while questioning the government's political will to end the disaster.

The group of experts and public figures is led by Nahdlatul Ulama senior leader Solahuddin Wahid, the younger brother of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, and includes former Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif and mud volcano experts from several state universities.

Solahuddin accused the government and the House of Representatives of lacking seriousness to stop the mudflow that began in May 2006.

"There's been something of an effort not to let the public know the mudflow is stoppable," he said at a ceremony to announce the group's intentions at the House building in Jakarta.

Rudi Rubiandini, a drilling expert of the Bandung Institute of Technology, refuted claims the mudflow was a natural phenomenon, which has been widely asserted since the beginning of the disaster.

He and former Pertamina deputy director Mustiko Saleh, both part of the group, also rejected the theory the mudflow was triggered by the 2006 earthquake that rattled Yogyakarta a few days before the mudflow began.

The group said it would use relief well technology to stop the mudflow, and conduct fund-raising activities to finance the movement.

Rudi said that by drilling a relief well to get to the source of the mudflow, which lies at a depth of 2,000 to 3,000 meters, they would be able to plug the source.

He said the source could be destroyed by injecting mud with higher specific gravity and channeling the hot salty water, which produces mud after mixing with clay, to the earth's surface via the relief well.

Another possible solution is to explode layers around the source to close the crack from which the water flows, he added.

"Such a method requires six months of preparations, but will effectively destroy the mudflow source within three hours," said Rudi, who is also the former head of the independent team investigating the mudflow.

He said the effort would cost between US$50 million and $70 million.

"Using concrete balls or constructing cover dams won't work because they don't kill the mudflow at its source, but only at its surface.

"Those methods would only result in the flowing of mud through other places," Rudi said.

The relief well technology had been used to stop the Sidoarjo mudflow once previously, according to retired operation head for drilling activities at state-owned oil company PT Pertamina, Kersam Sumanta.

But it failed to work, as mining firm Lapindo Brantas Inc. had not been serious in using the technology, he said.

Lapindo, which is connected to the family of Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Aburizal Bakrie, was widely blamed for the disaster that cost it some Rp 3.2 trillion (US$335 million) in compensation to victims.

Rudi said since its eruption almost two years ago, the mudflow had inundated 700 hectares in Sidoarjo and displaced thousands of families.

The declaration ceremony also saw the launch of a book, Kill Lapindo Mudflow: Saving the Nation, People's lives and State Money, which was co-written by movement members including Solahuddin, Rudi, Kersam, Syafii Maarif and Mustiko Saleh.

Separately, Andy Darussalam, vice president of PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, a subsidiary of Lapindo Brantas, said in Sidoarjo that whatever the status of the mudflow, be it man-made or a natural disaster, the company would continue payment of the remaining 80 percent of its compensation to victims.

But he said Minarak would not be responsible for victims living in areas outside the boundaries of the Lapindo mudflow, which were specified in a 2007 presidential regulation on the Sidoarjo mudflow.

East Java town of Pacitan celebrates ancestors, 632rd anniversary
Friday, February 29, 2008

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Pacitan

Ki Bonokeling, Ki Setroketipo and Kanjeng Jimat probably never imagined their lives in Pacitan would continue to be remembered by their descendants until today.

But it was at their graves that Pacitan residents recently held a series of celebrations to mark the East Java town's 623rd anniversary.

Unlike most cemeteries, the graveyard complex of Giri Sampoerno in Tanjung Asri village of Pacitan subdistrict is located on the top of a hill.

The graves there cover most parts of the hill, which is located one kilometer away from the heart of the town where President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono grew up.

The grave of Joyoniman, also known as Kanjeng Jimat, the 12th Pacitan regent who is remembered as the great leader who developed the town, can be found there.

He was also considered a holy man because it was through him that Islam began to spread through Pacitan.

"After Kanjeng Jimat gained power, Pacitan grew to become an advanced region," Imam Koesno, a senior citizen who is also the juru kunci (caretaker) of Kanjeng Jimat's grave, told The Jakarta Post.

Pacitan is known as the place where Javanese kings went to meditate and the place where the great Sudirman, a national hero, chose to hide when he was being pursued by the Dutch.

"I heard there's one cave where kings meditated and which was also used by the late former president Soeharto," Fathoni, head of the Pacitan Tourism Office, told the Post.

The history of Pacitan started with the arrival of Ki Bonokeling -- one of the messengers of King Brawijaya who was sent to the area bordering East Java and Central Java in the 12th century. Ki Bonokeling's descendants remained as significant figures for four generations.

When Islam arrived, the fourth Ki Bonokeling, the area's ruler, objected when Kyai Ageng Petung, who was also spreading Islam in Java, brought his religion to Pacitan. The two clashed and waged war.

It was believed the fourth Ki Bonokeling held divine powers which rendered him immortal.

However, Kyai Ageng Petung killed him by cutting his body into three; each body part was then buried in a different location and separated by a river. From then on, Islam began to grow in Pacitan.

The name Pacitan itself is believed to come from the word pace -- the fruit of the small bengkudu tree; the roots of which are used to produce dyes.

King Mangkubumi, who recovered from paralysis by drinking the juice of the fruit, was believed to be the first to mention the name. Setroetipo, a fifth-generation descendant of Bonokeling and who was a Muslim, was the person who gave the juice to Mangubumi.

"The story continued until Pacitan was controlled by Joyoniman or Kanjeng Jimat, the descendant of the tenth Bonokeling who held authority from 1840," said Koesno quoting the Babad Pacitan (the story told in Javanese and the languages of Sunda, Bali and Madura, which recounts the history of Pacitan).

Kanjeng Jimat himself was a simple man and a dutiful follower of Islam. One of his ambitions was to turn Pacitan into an Islamic city, so when he passed away, his wish was to be buried on top of a hill facing Pacitan city.

From his grave, a visitor can view Pacitan city and its surrounds all the way to Teleng Ria beach in the south.

The grave itself is simple and has no special monuments, but has become a magnet drawing Pacitan residents who believe some graves are sacred and hold special powers.

"There are three graves in Pacitan which are often visited and where people pray -- the graves of Kanjeng Jimat, Setroketipo and Buonokeling," said Koesno.

The simplicity and sanctity of Kanjeng Jimat is the inspiration for the celebration of Pacitan's anniversary in 2008.

Popular performances from the regency's 12 subdistricts, such as the traditional kirab parade and puppet shows, were organized for residents.

"Our philosophy is to use the celebration of Pacitan's birthday to improve the city and religious observance," Fathoni said.