Four boys accused of raping a female classmate were found guilty Tuesday by the Trenggalek District Court of committing obscene acts with an underage child.
The panel of judges hearing the case in the East Java town ordered the boys returned to the custody of their parents. The judges also asked officials from Kediri Penitentiary and the Trenggalek Prosecutor's Office to monitor the boys until their 18th birthday.
Presiding judge Lilik Nuraeni said the verdict was based on the 2003 Child Protection Law, and took into account the age of the four boys, all elementary school students, and their parents' ability to care for them and monitor their behavior.
The four were charged with raping a female classmate in March. The victim, a fellow student at an elementary school in Trenggalek, was allegedly raped by the four boys on several occasions. The boys, one aged 12 the others 11, have been held at an adult prison in Trenggalek since June 28 while awaiting trial.
The victim has since been moved to a relative's house. None of her relatives attended the trial session Tuesday.
Following the verdict, Nonot Soeryono, a coordinator with the Surabaya Children's Crisis Center, which is part of the non-governmental organization Plan Surabaya Indonesia, said the court should have dismissed all charges against the defendants.
He said the prosecution failed to prove the rape ever occurred.
"The charges should have been dropped and the four boys completely exonerated because the prosecution failed to prove its case," Nonot told The Jakarta Post.
He feared the boys would be stigmatized by the court proceedings, which he claimed were unnecessary.
"It will be a long rehabilitation process that could traumatize the boys. Is that what the court really wants?" he said.
He said the crisis center, which provided legal assistance for the defendants, would consider the court's verdict before deciding what action, if any, it would take.
A project officer at the Children In Need Special Protection Project, Suratman, said that although the verdict was relatively light, the court's lack of perspective in dealing with child defendants should be protested.
"Since they are children, the state should have held their parents responsible. If parents can't take care of their children, they should be held responsible," he said.
This was not the first criminal trial involving a child defendant in an adult court. In March, 8-year-old Muhammad "Raju" Azwar was tried in an adult court in Langkat regency, North Sumatra.
Raju's trial was heavily criticized by children's rights groups, which called it inhumane and unnecessary.
The court found Raju guilty of assaulting Armansyah, 14, and returned him to his parents' custody. Raju was also detained in an adult prison before his trial.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Hot mud gushes, runs rings around Sidoarjo
The mudflow disaster in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java, has implicated many parties, not only Lapindo and the Bakrie family, but also the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama and some media companies. The Jakarta Post's Riyadi Suparno, assisted by our journalists in East Java Indra Harsaputra and ID Nugroho, investigated the intricate relationship of those parties in the handling of the disaster. What follows are their reports.
The million dollar question is: which company has been the most talked about in East Java over the past two months? The answer is Lapindo Brantas Inc., a company controlled by the Bakrie family. This oil and gas company became so popular -- or unpopular -- by triggering the uncontrolled gushing of hot mud in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java.
The mudflow, which began slowly on May 29 -- which is why the company initially played it down -- is becoming bigger each day. It now spouts 50,000 cubic meters of hot mud a day, submerging rice fields and four villages, and making 10,000 villagers homeless.
The problem grew when the mud submerged the turnpike linking Surabaya and the eastern part of East Java. The closure of the turnpike caused massive traffic jams, delaying travel and deliveries.
When the turnpike was elevated, and protected with sand-and-stone walls, the mud breached the walls in other areas, flooding more villages, and even closing the Porong main road and railway link.
The villagers have nothing kind to say about Lapindo. They spell out their displeasure for everyone to see in the graffiti on their walls, through demonstrations and in some cases by forcefully breaching the walls holding back the mud.
They have also demonstrated on the main street of Porong, demanding that Lapindo's license be revoked and its executives prosecuted.
Initially, Lapindo claimed it was not responsible for the mudflow because the mud was not gushing out from its wells. However, Lapindo's partner in the Brantas block accused Lapindo of "gross negligence" for not setting casing on at the depth of 8,500 feet at Banjar Panji I well, where the mudflow originated.
Although the exact cause of the mudflow is not yet known, all parties are pointing the finger at Lapindo. The police were quick to question those involved in the drilling activities that caused the uncontrolled mudflow, and named nine people suspects.
They include Imam Agustino, the president of Lapindo; Nur Rochmat Sawulo, drilling share service vice president of PT Energi Mega Persada, a shareholder in Lapindo; and Yenny Nawawi, the president of PT Medici Citra Nusa, a contractor of Lapindo. The other six are drilling executive staff. All suspects could face between five and 15 years' jail if found guilty. But the police stopped there. No progress has been reported.
In addition, a number of organizations have planned to launch a class action against Lapindo, on behalf of the victims. They include the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and the East Java office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
But the NU is not entirely sure it will go ahead with the class action because, according to an NU activist, NU leaders have received money from the Bakrie family, which essentially owns Lapindo. (See sidebar: NU dragged into the mudflow dilemma).
"Just call it a bad day for us. This is indeed the risk that any drilling entails," Imam Agustino said recently, referring to the May 29 accident.
Lapindo itself has been trying hard to solve the multifaceted problems. The company has spent billions of rupiah on efforts to stop the mudflow, manage the growing amount of mud and to compensate the victims.
It established three teams to handle the problems. The first team, led by Lapindo itself, is trying to find ways to stop the mud gushing. Despite its efforts, however, it has not been able to stop the mudflow. (See sidebar: No end in sight to stop the mud gushing).
The second team, led by the State Ministry for the Environment, is dealing with the management of the hot mud, which keeps increasing every day. The team has decided to separate the water from the solid substances in the mud, treat the water and dump it in the sea. As for the solid substances, no decision has been made. (See sidebar: What to do with the mounting sludge).
The third team, led by the Sidoarjo administration, is addressing social problems, including providing shelter for the victims, distributing assistance and finding permanent solutions for the victims, either by relocating them to safer places or compensating them for their losses so they can rebuild their lives.
To contain the impacts of the disaster, Lapindo is spreading money among a number of institutions, including the local military to help build the embankment and evacuate the victims and the Sidoarjo administration which is trying to meet victims' immediate needs as well as financing needs of groups that are assisting the victims.
As things progress, however, the money has worked its way in to the pockets of some environmental activists and non-governmental organizations in the regency, so that they will be more cooperative and not so "vocal," according to one activist.
"They are operating so cleverly, leaving no stone unturned. Most parties will get assistance so that they will not be so vocal against Lapindo," said environmental activist Satrijo Wiweko.
He suspected that some media in East Java had also received "assistance" so that their reports would not be too hard on Lapindo and local administrations.
Lapindo's East Java general manager Rawindra denied the accusation, saying that it worked in cooperation with all parties, with the Sidoarjo administration as the central point of coordination.
Rawindra refused to respond to the accusations, saying that the company would rather focus its attention on helping the victims. To anticipate the coming of the fasting month, the company is helping the victims relocate from Porong market, where they have been living for the past two months, to rented houses.
The company has given each family Rp 5 million for two years' rent and Rp 500,000 for moving costs, with a Rp 300,000 monthly food allowance per head per month for the next six months.
A number of villagers, however, describe the compensation as inadequate. Mahmudah, Renokenongo's village chief, acknowledged that almost half of the mudflow victims in his area had refused the allowances.
"They have not yet accepted the money and I don't blame them because it's their right to decide," Mahmudah told The Jakarta Post.
Some of those turning down the compensation have staged a protest at the Pasar Baru refugee camp and a demonstration on Porong's main road. "Many things go beyond the value of money, such as the threat hanging over our heads that the hot mud could burst out anytime and flood our homes," said a refugee in a protest rally.
Tough slog for students in muddy Sidoardjo
Windiarti Rahayu is not afraid of hard work but lately her enthusiasm for school has been waning. In fact, the 13-year-old student at SMPN 2 Porong junior high school in Sidoarjo, East Java, has made a habit of dropping off in class and passing in late homework.
"I feel sleepy all the time since we were forced to move out of our school because of the mudflow," she told The Jakarta Post on Monday. The hot mudflow, which gushed out of Lapindo Brantas Inc. gas prospecting site, has continued to submerge dozens of houses, hectares of rice fields, several factories and schools since the problem began on May 29.
From a distance, only the roof of the junior high school is visible beyond the mudflow, which has reached a height of six meters. The school closed in mid-June after all 18 of its classrooms were submerged.
Its students are now studying three kilometers away, at SDN Renokenongo elementary school. However, with three students to a desk, it is clear the school is not really big enough to accommodate the junior high school's 694 students.
Information technology and English classes have been canceled, for the time being, because of the shortage of space and facilities. "I am trying hard to stay focused but the situation doesn't inspire us to work," Windiarti said.
She said she could not study or do her homework as she was living in a shelter at Porong market. "We can't study because it's so crowded and there's barely enough light to see. I can't get through my homework and the teacher punishes me. That's just the way it is now."
She returned briefly to her home in Siring village but quickly left again for the shelter after a temporary pond overflowed, inundating her house and sweeping away her books. Now, Windiarti makes do with sharing friends' books.
The junior high school's principal, Kayis, said teachers had been doing all they could to limit disruptions to the children's education. He said some teachers were spending a lot more on transportation to reach the elementary school.
"We've asked Lapindo to build us a new school. It's not safe here. The mudflow is still threatening the surrounding areas."
Three other elementary schools in Porong -- SDN Siring 1 and 2, which have more than 700 students in total; and SDN Kedungbendo 2, which has 300 students -- have also been affected by the mudflows.
When one of the ponds that was built to retain the mudflow in Jatirejo village broke apart Thursday, the schools sent students home for two days.
Classes resumed at that school Monday, but Siring's students had to move out of their school, while students at Kedungbendo remained, despite having to withstand the foul smell emanating from the mudflow.
East Java Education Council chairman Dhaniel Rosyid said Lapindo should build a new school, located far from the mudflows. "This is Lapindo's responsibility. Education should top its priorities, apart from working to stop the mudflow and relocate residents."
He urged the central government to make regulations that prohibited mining activities near residential areas and schools.
Lapindo hires pros to clean up its image
Lapindo Brantas Inc., a unit under the Bakrie family, has responded to the unprecedented ecological disaster originating from its gas well by going on a public relations charm offensive aimed at cleaning up its image.
For the most part, the company's efforts seem to have paid off. In the first month of the disaster in Sidoarjo, Lapindo was receiving most of the blame for the mudflow. Both the media and the public were accusing the company of bringing misery to thousands of people with its drilling activities.
Seemingly sealing the company's fate, several of its executives were named as suspects by the police for negligence leading to the mudflow.
However, as the disaster entered its second month a different image of Lapindo was being projected, at least in the media. Now Lapindo was being painted as a responsible company that was taking care of the victims of the mudflow and providing them with compensation, all the while making every effort to stem the flow of mud.
This drastic change no doubt has much to do with the company's hiring of professional image builders and the strong political clout of its main shareholder, a company linked to the Bakrie family, including Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.
"If Lapindo had no political clout, it would have been finished in a matter of weeks because of this mudflow brouhaha," said Henry Subiyakto, a lecturer at Airlangga University in Surabaya and also head of the Surabaya Media Consumer Foundation.
Among the image specialists hired by Lapindo, or its shareholder, are several former journalists and media specialists. Henry says he was approached about joining the team responsible for improving Lapindo's image and that of the Bakrie family.
This team of professionals has made a concerted effort to polish Lapindo's image, lobbying owners of media companies in East Java and journalists covering the mudflow story, and also helping set up a media center in Sidoarjo town hall.
The media center provides daily updates about the handling of the mudflow and its victims. It must be said that the center is fairly objective, covering demonstrations by victims and their demands for compensation.
The center provides free Internet access, telephone use and printing and photocopying facilities for members of the media. Not only that, according to one source, the media center also provides a "supplemental income" for journalists.
Lapindo denied that it is financing the media center. But one source said that while the company did not finance the center directly, it channeled the money through the local government.
East Java Information and Communication Agency (Infokom) head Suwanto acknowledged the role of Lapindo in the establishment of the media center, but denied that the company provided any financial support for its operation.
"Lapindo only provides photocopy machines, paper and lunch. Everything else is financed by Infokom East Java," Suwanto told The Jakarta Post. He added that the center was established on a direct order from East Java Governor Imam Utomo.
Victims can't afford to forget mud
"The dam's breaking... it's collapsing...," a resident of Siring, Porong, Sidoarjo, shouted as he noticed hot mud flowing toward his house last week.
Hundreds of people living near the walls holding back the mudflow were sent scurrying in fear to Porong's main road, effectively blocking the road linking Surabaya and the eastern part of East Java.
Dressed in rags and mud stained, villagers of all ages raced to reach the road, seen as a safe mud-free place, clutching anything worth salvaging like important documents, school uniforms and kitchen utensils. Parents carried their children on their backs, willing them to stay calm.
The walls, which are holding back more than four million cubic meters of mud have been collapsing here and there as they are not strong enough to contain the increasing amount of mud, estimated at an additional 50,000 cu m per day.
Damage to the walls has panicked the community living near the huge mud ponds, which now cover 180 hectares, and may soon double to 360 hectares.
Locals are worried about their safety and anxious over not only blistered skin due to the heat of the mud, which has reached 60 degrees centigrade, but also damaged property resulting from hot mud inundation.
"All we can do now is to save ourselves and our most prized belongings. We would have carried our whole house had we been able to pull it up," said Suwarno, a Siring villager.
Though he originally refused to take refuge because he was confident in the capabilities of the joint team handling the mudflow, doubt began to set in when he saw the walls were higher than his house. Then the dam started cracking and hot mud flowed into Siring.
There was also an atmosphere of fear in the villages of Jatirejo, Ronokenongo and Kedungbendo as their dams developed fissures. In Jatirejo, the dark gray mud spread extensively over places previously unaffected. Locals were particularly worried when it crept over the railway tracks running through the village. "The mud could cause a train accident," Jatirejo villager Haryadi pointed out.
In Jatirejo, dozens of cows owned by the Agil Hasan Al Syadili Islamic boarding school had to be evacuated for fear that dehydration would kill them.
"The cows, which were one of the school's main income sources can't be milked for the moment," school principal Gus Maksum Zubair told The Jakarta Post. The school, which has about 200 students, also found its 2.5 hectares of paddy fields flooded by hot mud.
"Our students have been sent home for a while. Some staff members have stayed behind to take care of the school," Gus Maksum said.
More than 9,000 displaced people from the four inundated villages are now being accommodated in Pasar Baru Porong, Sidoarjo, five kilometers from the hot mud source.
The neatly arranged barracks, originally designed as a public market and terminal, are increasingly packed with the growing number of refugees moving in from mud covered areas.
The 9,000 refugees have to share 282 kiosks in Pasar Baru, each measuring four by six meters with five families and their possessions, separated from one another only by curtains.
To shower, they have to wait their turn as there are only 109 bathrooms available.
This situation has gone from bad to worse as there is no certainty about the fate of the mudflow victims, while the mud continues gushing, ruining all that it touches.
The million dollar question is: which company has been the most talked about in East Java over the past two months? The answer is Lapindo Brantas Inc., a company controlled by the Bakrie family. This oil and gas company became so popular -- or unpopular -- by triggering the uncontrolled gushing of hot mud in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java.
The mudflow, which began slowly on May 29 -- which is why the company initially played it down -- is becoming bigger each day. It now spouts 50,000 cubic meters of hot mud a day, submerging rice fields and four villages, and making 10,000 villagers homeless.
The problem grew when the mud submerged the turnpike linking Surabaya and the eastern part of East Java. The closure of the turnpike caused massive traffic jams, delaying travel and deliveries.
When the turnpike was elevated, and protected with sand-and-stone walls, the mud breached the walls in other areas, flooding more villages, and even closing the Porong main road and railway link.
The villagers have nothing kind to say about Lapindo. They spell out their displeasure for everyone to see in the graffiti on their walls, through demonstrations and in some cases by forcefully breaching the walls holding back the mud.
They have also demonstrated on the main street of Porong, demanding that Lapindo's license be revoked and its executives prosecuted.
Initially, Lapindo claimed it was not responsible for the mudflow because the mud was not gushing out from its wells. However, Lapindo's partner in the Brantas block accused Lapindo of "gross negligence" for not setting casing on at the depth of 8,500 feet at Banjar Panji I well, where the mudflow originated.
Although the exact cause of the mudflow is not yet known, all parties are pointing the finger at Lapindo. The police were quick to question those involved in the drilling activities that caused the uncontrolled mudflow, and named nine people suspects.
They include Imam Agustino, the president of Lapindo; Nur Rochmat Sawulo, drilling share service vice president of PT Energi Mega Persada, a shareholder in Lapindo; and Yenny Nawawi, the president of PT Medici Citra Nusa, a contractor of Lapindo. The other six are drilling executive staff. All suspects could face between five and 15 years' jail if found guilty. But the police stopped there. No progress has been reported.
In addition, a number of organizations have planned to launch a class action against Lapindo, on behalf of the victims. They include the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and the East Java office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
But the NU is not entirely sure it will go ahead with the class action because, according to an NU activist, NU leaders have received money from the Bakrie family, which essentially owns Lapindo. (See sidebar: NU dragged into the mudflow dilemma).
"Just call it a bad day for us. This is indeed the risk that any drilling entails," Imam Agustino said recently, referring to the May 29 accident.
Lapindo itself has been trying hard to solve the multifaceted problems. The company has spent billions of rupiah on efforts to stop the mudflow, manage the growing amount of mud and to compensate the victims.
It established three teams to handle the problems. The first team, led by Lapindo itself, is trying to find ways to stop the mud gushing. Despite its efforts, however, it has not been able to stop the mudflow. (See sidebar: No end in sight to stop the mud gushing).
The second team, led by the State Ministry for the Environment, is dealing with the management of the hot mud, which keeps increasing every day. The team has decided to separate the water from the solid substances in the mud, treat the water and dump it in the sea. As for the solid substances, no decision has been made. (See sidebar: What to do with the mounting sludge).
The third team, led by the Sidoarjo administration, is addressing social problems, including providing shelter for the victims, distributing assistance and finding permanent solutions for the victims, either by relocating them to safer places or compensating them for their losses so they can rebuild their lives.
To contain the impacts of the disaster, Lapindo is spreading money among a number of institutions, including the local military to help build the embankment and evacuate the victims and the Sidoarjo administration which is trying to meet victims' immediate needs as well as financing needs of groups that are assisting the victims.
As things progress, however, the money has worked its way in to the pockets of some environmental activists and non-governmental organizations in the regency, so that they will be more cooperative and not so "vocal," according to one activist.
"They are operating so cleverly, leaving no stone unturned. Most parties will get assistance so that they will not be so vocal against Lapindo," said environmental activist Satrijo Wiweko.
He suspected that some media in East Java had also received "assistance" so that their reports would not be too hard on Lapindo and local administrations.
Lapindo's East Java general manager Rawindra denied the accusation, saying that it worked in cooperation with all parties, with the Sidoarjo administration as the central point of coordination.
Rawindra refused to respond to the accusations, saying that the company would rather focus its attention on helping the victims. To anticipate the coming of the fasting month, the company is helping the victims relocate from Porong market, where they have been living for the past two months, to rented houses.
The company has given each family Rp 5 million for two years' rent and Rp 500,000 for moving costs, with a Rp 300,000 monthly food allowance per head per month for the next six months.
A number of villagers, however, describe the compensation as inadequate. Mahmudah, Renokenongo's village chief, acknowledged that almost half of the mudflow victims in his area had refused the allowances.
"They have not yet accepted the money and I don't blame them because it's their right to decide," Mahmudah told The Jakarta Post.
Some of those turning down the compensation have staged a protest at the Pasar Baru refugee camp and a demonstration on Porong's main road. "Many things go beyond the value of money, such as the threat hanging over our heads that the hot mud could burst out anytime and flood our homes," said a refugee in a protest rally.
Tough slog for students in muddy Sidoardjo
Windiarti Rahayu is not afraid of hard work but lately her enthusiasm for school has been waning. In fact, the 13-year-old student at SMPN 2 Porong junior high school in Sidoarjo, East Java, has made a habit of dropping off in class and passing in late homework.
"I feel sleepy all the time since we were forced to move out of our school because of the mudflow," she told The Jakarta Post on Monday. The hot mudflow, which gushed out of Lapindo Brantas Inc. gas prospecting site, has continued to submerge dozens of houses, hectares of rice fields, several factories and schools since the problem began on May 29.
From a distance, only the roof of the junior high school is visible beyond the mudflow, which has reached a height of six meters. The school closed in mid-June after all 18 of its classrooms were submerged.
Its students are now studying three kilometers away, at SDN Renokenongo elementary school. However, with three students to a desk, it is clear the school is not really big enough to accommodate the junior high school's 694 students.
Information technology and English classes have been canceled, for the time being, because of the shortage of space and facilities. "I am trying hard to stay focused but the situation doesn't inspire us to work," Windiarti said.
She said she could not study or do her homework as she was living in a shelter at Porong market. "We can't study because it's so crowded and there's barely enough light to see. I can't get through my homework and the teacher punishes me. That's just the way it is now."
She returned briefly to her home in Siring village but quickly left again for the shelter after a temporary pond overflowed, inundating her house and sweeping away her books. Now, Windiarti makes do with sharing friends' books.
The junior high school's principal, Kayis, said teachers had been doing all they could to limit disruptions to the children's education. He said some teachers were spending a lot more on transportation to reach the elementary school.
"We've asked Lapindo to build us a new school. It's not safe here. The mudflow is still threatening the surrounding areas."
Three other elementary schools in Porong -- SDN Siring 1 and 2, which have more than 700 students in total; and SDN Kedungbendo 2, which has 300 students -- have also been affected by the mudflows.
When one of the ponds that was built to retain the mudflow in Jatirejo village broke apart Thursday, the schools sent students home for two days.
Classes resumed at that school Monday, but Siring's students had to move out of their school, while students at Kedungbendo remained, despite having to withstand the foul smell emanating from the mudflow.
East Java Education Council chairman Dhaniel Rosyid said Lapindo should build a new school, located far from the mudflows. "This is Lapindo's responsibility. Education should top its priorities, apart from working to stop the mudflow and relocate residents."
He urged the central government to make regulations that prohibited mining activities near residential areas and schools.
Lapindo hires pros to clean up its image
Lapindo Brantas Inc., a unit under the Bakrie family, has responded to the unprecedented ecological disaster originating from its gas well by going on a public relations charm offensive aimed at cleaning up its image.
For the most part, the company's efforts seem to have paid off. In the first month of the disaster in Sidoarjo, Lapindo was receiving most of the blame for the mudflow. Both the media and the public were accusing the company of bringing misery to thousands of people with its drilling activities.
Seemingly sealing the company's fate, several of its executives were named as suspects by the police for negligence leading to the mudflow.
However, as the disaster entered its second month a different image of Lapindo was being projected, at least in the media. Now Lapindo was being painted as a responsible company that was taking care of the victims of the mudflow and providing them with compensation, all the while making every effort to stem the flow of mud.
This drastic change no doubt has much to do with the company's hiring of professional image builders and the strong political clout of its main shareholder, a company linked to the Bakrie family, including Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.
"If Lapindo had no political clout, it would have been finished in a matter of weeks because of this mudflow brouhaha," said Henry Subiyakto, a lecturer at Airlangga University in Surabaya and also head of the Surabaya Media Consumer Foundation.
Among the image specialists hired by Lapindo, or its shareholder, are several former journalists and media specialists. Henry says he was approached about joining the team responsible for improving Lapindo's image and that of the Bakrie family.
This team of professionals has made a concerted effort to polish Lapindo's image, lobbying owners of media companies in East Java and journalists covering the mudflow story, and also helping set up a media center in Sidoarjo town hall.
The media center provides daily updates about the handling of the mudflow and its victims. It must be said that the center is fairly objective, covering demonstrations by victims and their demands for compensation.
The center provides free Internet access, telephone use and printing and photocopying facilities for members of the media. Not only that, according to one source, the media center also provides a "supplemental income" for journalists.
Lapindo denied that it is financing the media center. But one source said that while the company did not finance the center directly, it channeled the money through the local government.
East Java Information and Communication Agency (Infokom) head Suwanto acknowledged the role of Lapindo in the establishment of the media center, but denied that the company provided any financial support for its operation.
"Lapindo only provides photocopy machines, paper and lunch. Everything else is financed by Infokom East Java," Suwanto told The Jakarta Post. He added that the center was established on a direct order from East Java Governor Imam Utomo.
Victims can't afford to forget mud
"The dam's breaking... it's collapsing...," a resident of Siring, Porong, Sidoarjo, shouted as he noticed hot mud flowing toward his house last week.
Hundreds of people living near the walls holding back the mudflow were sent scurrying in fear to Porong's main road, effectively blocking the road linking Surabaya and the eastern part of East Java.
Dressed in rags and mud stained, villagers of all ages raced to reach the road, seen as a safe mud-free place, clutching anything worth salvaging like important documents, school uniforms and kitchen utensils. Parents carried their children on their backs, willing them to stay calm.
The walls, which are holding back more than four million cubic meters of mud have been collapsing here and there as they are not strong enough to contain the increasing amount of mud, estimated at an additional 50,000 cu m per day.
Damage to the walls has panicked the community living near the huge mud ponds, which now cover 180 hectares, and may soon double to 360 hectares.
Locals are worried about their safety and anxious over not only blistered skin due to the heat of the mud, which has reached 60 degrees centigrade, but also damaged property resulting from hot mud inundation.
"All we can do now is to save ourselves and our most prized belongings. We would have carried our whole house had we been able to pull it up," said Suwarno, a Siring villager.
Though he originally refused to take refuge because he was confident in the capabilities of the joint team handling the mudflow, doubt began to set in when he saw the walls were higher than his house. Then the dam started cracking and hot mud flowed into Siring.
There was also an atmosphere of fear in the villages of Jatirejo, Ronokenongo and Kedungbendo as their dams developed fissures. In Jatirejo, the dark gray mud spread extensively over places previously unaffected. Locals were particularly worried when it crept over the railway tracks running through the village. "The mud could cause a train accident," Jatirejo villager Haryadi pointed out.
In Jatirejo, dozens of cows owned by the Agil Hasan Al Syadili Islamic boarding school had to be evacuated for fear that dehydration would kill them.
"The cows, which were one of the school's main income sources can't be milked for the moment," school principal Gus Maksum Zubair told The Jakarta Post. The school, which has about 200 students, also found its 2.5 hectares of paddy fields flooded by hot mud.
"Our students have been sent home for a while. Some staff members have stayed behind to take care of the school," Gus Maksum said.
More than 9,000 displaced people from the four inundated villages are now being accommodated in Pasar Baru Porong, Sidoarjo, five kilometers from the hot mud source.
The neatly arranged barracks, originally designed as a public market and terminal, are increasingly packed with the growing number of refugees moving in from mud covered areas.
The 9,000 refugees have to share 282 kiosks in Pasar Baru, each measuring four by six meters with five families and their possessions, separated from one another only by curtains.
To shower, they have to wait their turn as there are only 109 bathrooms available.
This situation has gone from bad to worse as there is no certainty about the fate of the mudflow victims, while the mud continues gushing, ruining all that it touches.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Mudflow victims demand compensation
MUD SLINGING: Villagers from Kedung Bendo, Sidoarjo, East Java, protest in front of the Sidoarjo meeting hall Tuesday about the inundation of their homes by massive amounts of mud from a mudflow accident. About 3,000 demonstrators demanded Lapindo Brantas Inc. compensate them for the loss of their homes, and urged the local government to ensure their welfare ahead of the rainy season.
Thousands of people displaced by the mudflow disaster in East Java held protests in two affected areas Tuesday to demand compensation commensurate with their losses.
Several protesters showed their frustration by covering themselves in the mud that has gushed from an exploration well accident in Sidoarjo regency since May 29.
"We're not eels which can live in mud," said a villager of Kedung Bendo, Hadi Purnomo, one of around 3,000 people rallying near the local administration building.
"We're humans with a right to live. Our children need to go to school and live in peace."
The turnpike connecting the provincial capital of Surabaya to Gempol town was closed for several minutes when protesters from the Besuki area blocked traffic. Alternating lanes are being closed for the ongoing work of raising two kilometers of the worst-hit section to prevent mud flowing onto the turnpike.
The company which operates the well, Lapindo Brantas Inc., has begun to distribute compensation to affected families, consisting of Rp 5 million (US$551.5) for rent for two years, Rp 500,000 for moving costs and Rp 300,000 per head per month. Many residents have rejected the offer as inadequate for their needs.
On Tuesday, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Herman Surjadi Sumawiredja said the deployment of police personnel in affected areas was a "persuasive" action to prevent outbreaks of violence among residents. "We're all suffering here," he said.
Protests have taken place almost on a daily basis. On Tuesday demonstrators reiterated accusations that the local authorities were being bribed by Lapindo, partly owned by the family of Aburizal Bakrie, who is the coordinating minister for the people's welfare.
"The mud will stop when corruption stops in the bureaucracy," one of the posters said.
"I am not a puppet of Lapindo," Sidoarjo deputy regent Saiful Illah assured residents at the legislative council hall. "In the name of Allah I have not committed corruption.
"I could be hit by a car if I'm lying. Everything I'm doing is for the victims."
He added the regency would give full support to residents if they wished to sue Lapindo.
"We're now prioritizing prevention measures before the rainy season comes (forecast for November) by building disposal systems and strengthening the ponds."
Lapindo is paying for all contingency measures, such as the preparation of a new dam to accomodate the daily increase of the mudflow, estimated to reach at least 4 million cubic meters by the end of the month.
Victims are divided about the appropriate measures. Thousands have demanded an immediate end to the inundation of populated areas by diverting the untreated mud into the sea. However, the fishing community has raised concerns about the future of thousands of shrimp farms in Sidoarjo.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Jean-Pierre Goy: 'Bond' biker wary of RI roads
The 500-meter roadway at Surabaya's Kenjeran circuit looked like a venue for acrobatic performances one recent weekend when Jean-Pierre Goy demonstrated his skill on a modified Yamaha Scorpio motorcycle.
He began at full throttle. Skillfully, the Frenchman performed a wheelie, raising the front wheel of the motorcycle while riding along in a forward direction.
Seeing the action, spectators crowding the event broke into thunderous applause.
With the front wheel still raised, the rider, more intimately called Goy, made a U-turn, increased his speed and suddenly stopped the motorbike.
Now he was doing a "stoppie", raising the rear wheel of the motorbike. The spectators were mesmerized by this and then gave him a standing ovation.
Goy, however, continued to play on the emotions of his spectators. Once in a while he came close to the stand while saying, "Was that good, or what?"
"Goooood," came the reply in unison. All of a sudden, he stopped his motorbike right behind a woman spectator and took her for a ride. Despite her apparent fear, the white T-shirted woman complied when Goy asked her to board the back of his motorbike.
Then Goy performed another "stoppie" and wheelie with the woman riding pillion and hugging him closely. Again the spectators clicked their tongues in admiration.
Jean-Pierre Goy, who was born in Chavianoz, France, has been inseparable from his motorbike since he first rode it in 1978. "I sold my favorite horse and purchased a trials motorcycle for 800 euros (about US$970). Then I discovered the superiority of the machine on a stony road behind my dad's factory," he told The Jakarta Post.
Thanks to his creativity, Goy used wooden planks for his motocross exercises. His father, seeing Goy's motorbike-riding talent, got him to hone his balancing skill by walking on a cable.
After six months of training, Goy decided to take part in a motocross championship in his area. "I was a motocross racer for close to six years, apart from also being a freestyle motor showman," he said.
Then, an Italian film director spotted Goy's riding talent and asked him to be a stuntman in several films. Goy took up the offer. "I didn't really like being a stuntman, particularly the celebrity part. I much prefer being a motor showman," he said. However, despite his reluctance, his expertise on a motorbike caught the attention of action film directors. In April 1996 he took part in Tomorrow Never Dies, a James Bond film.
"They were looking for a rider who could stop precisely a few centimeters from a selected object. Dozens of stuntmen were put to the test, but eventually they chose me because I could do exactly what they wanted," he said.
"Shooting took place at several locations in the UK and also in Bangkok. "A scene lasting six minutes on film took four-and-a-half months to make," he said, with a chuckle.
Goy said his involvement in the Bond film proved to be an unforgettable experience. He was particularly impressed by Pierce Brosnan, the actor who played the Bond role, because, as he put it, Brosnan was really modest.
"At a media event in Bangkok, Brosnan suddenly asked me to come to the room. He introduced me to the press and said I was the stuntman in Tomorrow Never Dies. Well, I was really impressed by that gesture," said Goy, who admits, though, to being a fan of Sean Connery.
Although he is an expert at riding a motorcycle, Goy said he was reluctant to ride along Indonesian roads because they were simply too unsafe for motorcyclists.
"In Europe, there is a strip made of special rubber that separates the car and motorcycle lanes. So, if a rider falls off he will not be severely wounded," he said.
In Indonesia, that is still unheard of. Besides, the roads are usually pitted and also the lanes for cars and for motorbikes are not separated.
"In Lampung I saw a housewife seriously wounded when her motorbike fell after going over a hole. I saw a similar thing in Makassar so I'm reluctant to ride my bike on the roads here," he stressed.
On crash helmets, Goy regretted that many bikers wore helmets that protected only part of the head.
"In France, there is a standard specification. Usually a helmet is given a special registration number and the inscription "NF" (Norm France).
"Remember, the head is the most important part of the body," he added.
He began at full throttle. Skillfully, the Frenchman performed a wheelie, raising the front wheel of the motorcycle while riding along in a forward direction.
Seeing the action, spectators crowding the event broke into thunderous applause.
With the front wheel still raised, the rider, more intimately called Goy, made a U-turn, increased his speed and suddenly stopped the motorbike.
Now he was doing a "stoppie", raising the rear wheel of the motorbike. The spectators were mesmerized by this and then gave him a standing ovation.
Goy, however, continued to play on the emotions of his spectators. Once in a while he came close to the stand while saying, "Was that good, or what?"
"Goooood," came the reply in unison. All of a sudden, he stopped his motorbike right behind a woman spectator and took her for a ride. Despite her apparent fear, the white T-shirted woman complied when Goy asked her to board the back of his motorbike.
Then Goy performed another "stoppie" and wheelie with the woman riding pillion and hugging him closely. Again the spectators clicked their tongues in admiration.
Jean-Pierre Goy, who was born in Chavianoz, France, has been inseparable from his motorbike since he first rode it in 1978. "I sold my favorite horse and purchased a trials motorcycle for 800 euros (about US$970). Then I discovered the superiority of the machine on a stony road behind my dad's factory," he told The Jakarta Post.
Thanks to his creativity, Goy used wooden planks for his motocross exercises. His father, seeing Goy's motorbike-riding talent, got him to hone his balancing skill by walking on a cable.
After six months of training, Goy decided to take part in a motocross championship in his area. "I was a motocross racer for close to six years, apart from also being a freestyle motor showman," he said.
Then, an Italian film director spotted Goy's riding talent and asked him to be a stuntman in several films. Goy took up the offer. "I didn't really like being a stuntman, particularly the celebrity part. I much prefer being a motor showman," he said. However, despite his reluctance, his expertise on a motorbike caught the attention of action film directors. In April 1996 he took part in Tomorrow Never Dies, a James Bond film.
"They were looking for a rider who could stop precisely a few centimeters from a selected object. Dozens of stuntmen were put to the test, but eventually they chose me because I could do exactly what they wanted," he said.
"Shooting took place at several locations in the UK and also in Bangkok. "A scene lasting six minutes on film took four-and-a-half months to make," he said, with a chuckle.
Goy said his involvement in the Bond film proved to be an unforgettable experience. He was particularly impressed by Pierce Brosnan, the actor who played the Bond role, because, as he put it, Brosnan was really modest.
"At a media event in Bangkok, Brosnan suddenly asked me to come to the room. He introduced me to the press and said I was the stuntman in Tomorrow Never Dies. Well, I was really impressed by that gesture," said Goy, who admits, though, to being a fan of Sean Connery.
Although he is an expert at riding a motorcycle, Goy said he was reluctant to ride along Indonesian roads because they were simply too unsafe for motorcyclists.
"In Europe, there is a strip made of special rubber that separates the car and motorcycle lanes. So, if a rider falls off he will not be severely wounded," he said.
In Indonesia, that is still unheard of. Besides, the roads are usually pitted and also the lanes for cars and for motorbikes are not separated.
"In Lampung I saw a housewife seriously wounded when her motorbike fell after going over a hole. I saw a similar thing in Makassar so I'm reluctant to ride my bike on the roads here," he stressed.
On crash helmets, Goy regretted that many bikers wore helmets that protected only part of the head.
"In France, there is a standard specification. Usually a helmet is given a special registration number and the inscription "NF" (Norm France).
"Remember, the head is the most important part of the body," he added.
Hunt stepped up for fugitive Noordin in remote East Java hills
Police and troops have scoured hilly areas of Gondang district in Mojokerto regency, East Java, over the last two days in a hunt for terrorist mastermind Noordin M. Top.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said Wednesday the search was conducted for an armed group, believed to be led by Noordin, that was reportedly hiding out in Semar and Kukusan hills and was stealing food from locals.
The area is about 60 kilometers north of the hill town of Batu, where Noordin's accomplice Azahari Husin was slain by police in a raid last November.
"Anti-terror police combed the area as of yesterday but we haven't received any results of the operation."
The hunt, he added, was launched in response to reports by residents of Dilem village, who complained of the theft of their food supplies.
Malaysian-born Noordin is blamed for masterminding a series of deadly bombings in Indonesia.
"What I heard was Dilem villagers complaining about the rampant food thefts, with the supplies believed to have been taken to Semar hill," said village chief Sutris from Blentreng.
Investigators from the East Java Police were told by locals that one of the thieves resembled Noordin. After surveillance of the area for nearly a week, the police and soldiers conducted a search Wednesday, especially locations believed to have been used as hideouts.
The group was believed to have lived near a spring.
Mojokerto Military commander Col. Sentot Maksum explained that the team of soldiers was deployed at three spots -- Bagagan Limo, Ngembat and Liman villages. The team, divided into five groups, would be deployed at the sites for three days.
The soldiers are equipped with weapons, including attack rifles and sniper rifles. "This is a standard operation gun which will be used when they are forced to," Sentot said, adding that each group would pass along paths rarely used by locals to prevent detection.
"We will try to capture the fugitive terrorists alive, but if they resist arrest, our soldiers will not hesitate to use their weapons to take them dead or alive," Sentot said.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said Wednesday the search was conducted for an armed group, believed to be led by Noordin, that was reportedly hiding out in Semar and Kukusan hills and was stealing food from locals.
The area is about 60 kilometers north of the hill town of Batu, where Noordin's accomplice Azahari Husin was slain by police in a raid last November.
"Anti-terror police combed the area as of yesterday but we haven't received any results of the operation."
The hunt, he added, was launched in response to reports by residents of Dilem village, who complained of the theft of their food supplies.
Malaysian-born Noordin is blamed for masterminding a series of deadly bombings in Indonesia.
"What I heard was Dilem villagers complaining about the rampant food thefts, with the supplies believed to have been taken to Semar hill," said village chief Sutris from Blentreng.
Investigators from the East Java Police were told by locals that one of the thieves resembled Noordin. After surveillance of the area for nearly a week, the police and soldiers conducted a search Wednesday, especially locations believed to have been used as hideouts.
The group was believed to have lived near a spring.
Mojokerto Military commander Col. Sentot Maksum explained that the team of soldiers was deployed at three spots -- Bagagan Limo, Ngembat and Liman villages. The team, divided into five groups, would be deployed at the sites for three days.
The soldiers are equipped with weapons, including attack rifles and sniper rifles. "This is a standard operation gun which will be used when they are forced to," Sentot said, adding that each group would pass along paths rarely used by locals to prevent detection.
"We will try to capture the fugitive terrorists alive, but if they resist arrest, our soldiers will not hesitate to use their weapons to take them dead or alive," Sentot said.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
It's the hard-knock life for juvenile offenders
It's half past one in the afternoon and "Amir", 16, and "Agus", 14, are pushing a small cart along a corridor in the juvenile detention center in Blitar, East Java.
Plates of rice and vegetables are arranged on the cart, lunch for the children being held in the three-hectare facility.
When they arrive in front of a cell, Amir places a tray carrying five to seven plates of rice by the cell door. Agus reaches for another tray filled with plates of vegetables and sets it down.
"We do this chore nearly every day, so our friends won't go hungry," Amir told The Jakarta Post.
Amir and Agus are two of the 126 children being held at the center. Amir, from Tulungagung, East Java, was sentenced to six years detention for robbery. "I was drunk at the time, which is why I agreed to go along with my friends when they robbed someone," he said.
Amir has served four years of his sentence. He has received several remissions for good behavior while in the facility. "I'll be out in about a year if nothing happens," said the boy, his left arm covered in tattoos.
Agus is unwilling to talk about what he did that landed him in juvenile detention.
East Java has just one juvenile detention center, the one in Blitar. Though described as a special detention center for young offenders, it looks much like a typical adult prison, with ubiquitous iron bars separating the cells.
"Physically, a juvenile detention facility should not be different from any other house of detention. The only difference is that security and supervision should be tighter," the head of the East Java Child Protection Council, Sri Adiningsih, told the Post.
Blitar's juvenile correctional facility consists of 450 cells. Two iron gates serve as the main entryway into the center, which was built in 1961. The administrative office and the detention cells are separated by a three-meter high gate made of iron bars with sharp ends.
The cells encircle a courtyard, soccer field and mosque. The cells, which measure seven meters by four meters, are each occupied by six or seven detainees. A child who is considered a "problem" will be placed in one of the isolation cells at the far end of the facility.
There is currently one boy being held in isolation.
"The boy frequently commits sodomy. It would be risky to mix him with the others," said a guard.
A communal bathroom is located next to the area for drying clothes. "There are only two sources of running water in the center, and both are filthy. I have proposed the facility add other water sources and install taps in different places, but to no avail," said Adiningsih.
There are occasional outbreaks of skin problems as a result of poor sanitation.
Classrooms for elementary school, junior high school and high school students are located behind the mosque. The children study standard school subjects, as well as being taught life skills.
Teachers from state schools in Blitar come to the center to teach the children. Six elementary school, eight junior high school and five high school students passed their final exams in 2006.
The center also teaches the detainees arts and crafts, such as gamelan and dance, wood carving, mat weaving and sewing.
Handicraft products produced by the children are sold to parents and other visitors. There is a soccer field, table tennis facilities and a volleyball court, as well as a TV room.
"The TV set is broken right now," said a guard.
Mishcan, the head of the facility, acknowledged the center had a number of problems. But he said they were doing what they could on a very limited budget to address these problems.
"We want to change the physical appearance of the center by removing the iron gates and bars, but that takes a lot of money. Where can we get the money?" Mischan said.
The center does not receive money from the provincial or regency budget.
Employees must seek funds from the Blitar administration to cover its annual operational costs of around Rp 800 million (US$89,000).
"We receive Rp 289 million for meals, but we really need more than Rp 300 million to meet the required standards," said Mischan.
Then there are all the costs and the problems of trying to house more and more children on a budget that never seems to increase.
The losers in all of this are the children housed in the center. While not innocents, having committed various acts that got them locked up, they do require proper care, including schooling and counseling, if they are to have any chance of leading productive lives once they are released. Without this care, there is a good chance they will just find their way back to the Blitar facility, or in a few years into an adult prison.
Plates of rice and vegetables are arranged on the cart, lunch for the children being held in the three-hectare facility.
When they arrive in front of a cell, Amir places a tray carrying five to seven plates of rice by the cell door. Agus reaches for another tray filled with plates of vegetables and sets it down.
"We do this chore nearly every day, so our friends won't go hungry," Amir told The Jakarta Post.
Amir and Agus are two of the 126 children being held at the center. Amir, from Tulungagung, East Java, was sentenced to six years detention for robbery. "I was drunk at the time, which is why I agreed to go along with my friends when they robbed someone," he said.
Amir has served four years of his sentence. He has received several remissions for good behavior while in the facility. "I'll be out in about a year if nothing happens," said the boy, his left arm covered in tattoos.
Agus is unwilling to talk about what he did that landed him in juvenile detention.
East Java has just one juvenile detention center, the one in Blitar. Though described as a special detention center for young offenders, it looks much like a typical adult prison, with ubiquitous iron bars separating the cells.
"Physically, a juvenile detention facility should not be different from any other house of detention. The only difference is that security and supervision should be tighter," the head of the East Java Child Protection Council, Sri Adiningsih, told the Post.
Blitar's juvenile correctional facility consists of 450 cells. Two iron gates serve as the main entryway into the center, which was built in 1961. The administrative office and the detention cells are separated by a three-meter high gate made of iron bars with sharp ends.
The cells encircle a courtyard, soccer field and mosque. The cells, which measure seven meters by four meters, are each occupied by six or seven detainees. A child who is considered a "problem" will be placed in one of the isolation cells at the far end of the facility.
There is currently one boy being held in isolation.
"The boy frequently commits sodomy. It would be risky to mix him with the others," said a guard.
A communal bathroom is located next to the area for drying clothes. "There are only two sources of running water in the center, and both are filthy. I have proposed the facility add other water sources and install taps in different places, but to no avail," said Adiningsih.
There are occasional outbreaks of skin problems as a result of poor sanitation.
Classrooms for elementary school, junior high school and high school students are located behind the mosque. The children study standard school subjects, as well as being taught life skills.
Teachers from state schools in Blitar come to the center to teach the children. Six elementary school, eight junior high school and five high school students passed their final exams in 2006.
The center also teaches the detainees arts and crafts, such as gamelan and dance, wood carving, mat weaving and sewing.
Handicraft products produced by the children are sold to parents and other visitors. There is a soccer field, table tennis facilities and a volleyball court, as well as a TV room.
"The TV set is broken right now," said a guard.
Mishcan, the head of the facility, acknowledged the center had a number of problems. But he said they were doing what they could on a very limited budget to address these problems.
"We want to change the physical appearance of the center by removing the iron gates and bars, but that takes a lot of money. Where can we get the money?" Mischan said.
The center does not receive money from the provincial or regency budget.
Employees must seek funds from the Blitar administration to cover its annual operational costs of around Rp 800 million (US$89,000).
"We receive Rp 289 million for meals, but we really need more than Rp 300 million to meet the required standards," said Mischan.
Then there are all the costs and the problems of trying to house more and more children on a budget that never seems to increase.
The losers in all of this are the children housed in the center. While not innocents, having committed various acts that got them locked up, they do require proper care, including schooling and counseling, if they are to have any chance of leading productive lives once they are released. Without this care, there is a good chance they will just find their way back to the Blitar facility, or in a few years into an adult prison.
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