Security high after attack on mosque owned by hard-liners

Saturday, September 22, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Police provided tight security Friday for several mosques belonging to a hard-line Islamic group in Jember, East Java, after one of its mosque was attacked by local residents. There are fears of new attacks as police have made no arrests or named any suspects after Wednesday's attack on a mosque owned by the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Institute (LDII) in Tanggul Wetan, Jember.

Tight security was seen at the group's Baitus Shohirin Mosque on Jl. Sawo, Tanggul, Jember, located some 500 meters from the attacked mosque. There were rumors that Baitus Shohirin would be attacked after tarawih night prayers on Thursday or after Friday prayers. "We heard that. Therefore we and the police are on alert," LDII member M. Dian told The Jakarta Post.

Police guarding the mosque prevented people who did not live in the area from entering the neighborhood. Residents living near Baitus Shohirin Mosque said there was a lot of tension and fear Friday. Some residents put up signs in front of their houses saying they were not members of the hard-line group.

One resident, Sahal, said he was worried his home could be mistakenly damaged in an attack. Anyone wishing to enter Baitus Shohirin Mosque had to show an identity card. "This is part of efforts to anticipate any trouble," LDII teacher Udin Haryanto said. As of Friday evening, no incidents were reported at any of the LDII's mosques.

Police in Jember said they had questioned four men linked to Wednesday's attack as witnesses. They were identified as Budiyanto, Slamet Riyadi, Trisnadi and Ahmad Basuki. The attack was carried out by a mob of residents after tarawih on Wednesday night. Attackers claimed the mosque, still under construction, was built without their consent.

No injuries were reported but the incident left the mosque leveled. Udin blamed a "misperception" of the LDII movement for the attack. "There were negative rumors about the LDII that were not true," he said.

The LDII has been accused of preventing non-members of the group from entering its mosques. If a non-member prays at one of its mosques, the floor is immediately washed afterward because the LDII considers them to be "dirty", according to these rumors. The group, however, denies these stories.

Cheng Hoo Mosque a melting pot of religious tolerance
Saturday, September 22, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Annisa Mahsuna has a simple way of introducing her family and three children to religious tolerance -- by taking them to break the fast at Cheng Hoo mosque in Surabaya, East Java.

The 38-year-old native of Sidoarjo said breaking the fast at the mosque has become an annual tradition in her family. "I always take my family to Cheng Hoo mosque to break the fast together with other people," said Annisa as she broke her fast with a portion of take-away rice.

With this simple gesture, she hopes her children will learn to better understand differences. "People who break their fast in this mosque come from many different groups within the community. Through their interaction with others here, my children learn about the meaning of diversity," she said.

During the fasting month of Ramadhan, there is an atmosphere of religious harmony at the Chinese-style mosque, which was designed to resemble a temple. Even before dusk, several members from a Chinese-Muslim organization and residents from around the mosque work together to prepare food to break the fast.

Hundreds of cold beverages, arranged next to snacks and dates, are prepared. Flasks of hot beverages and packages of rice are also made available.

Others place mats on the basketball court in front of the mosque, where hundreds of people from different groups and backgrounds wait for the time to break the fast. "Here, there is no difference between those who are local residents and those who are not," said Oei Tjing Yen, the mosque's coordinator.

When the time to break the fast draws near, hundreds of people arrive in their cars, on motorcycles or on foot and enter the mosque's three-hectare compound. Some wash and then perform their prayers or recite the Koran, while others simply wait.

They queue to receive their share of snacks and beverages when the time to break the fast is announced. The mosque receives around Rp 2.2 million (US$239) in cash donations per day from Chinese-Muslims and other donors. The money is used to buy rice, snacks and beverages for as many as 350 people a day.

"The more donations we receive, the more food we can prepare," Oei said. The mosque, which was built at a cost of Rp 3.3 billion and first opened in October 2003, was named after Chinese admiral Cheng Hoo and was designed to resemble Niu Jie mosque in Beijing, China.

The mosque, the first of which to use a Chinese name here, blends Islam and Chinese philosophies -- the building's 11-meter length is similar to that of the holy Ka'bah when it was first created, while its nine-meter width is symbolic of the nine Walis who disseminated Islam in Java.

The top of the main building has eight corners. Eight is a lucky number according to Chinese beliefs. It is shaped to resemble a spiderweb, which was believed to have rescued prophet Muhammad when he was about to be murdered by the Quraish people.

Uniquely, the area where the imam leads the congregation in prayer is shaped like a church's entrance gate. On the right side of the mosque, there is a relief of admiral Cheng Hoo with his ships, which were used to conquer the Indian Ocean.

Oei said the relief seems to remind people not to think too highly of themselves and that they should follow the example of Cheng Hoo, who made friends with everyone.

This spirit, Oei said, was achieved through providing free food to break the fast every Ramadhan. "It's like a message from our ancestors ... that we should perform this deed."

C. Java students taste victory in national science Olympiad
Saturday, September 08, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Students from Central Java have won first place in the 6th National Science Olympiad in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday, leaving Jakarta and West Java in second and third place respectively.

The teams from East Java and Yogyakarta ended up in fourth and fifth places respectively.

The Central Java team, which also ranked first in the previous Olympiad, swept 44 gold medals, 74 silver and 70 bronze during the five-day Olympiad, which ended Friday.

The team took the lead from the very first day of competition, where 1,182 participants from 33 provinces participated.

A gold medal winner in the Astronomy contest, Lorentz Da Silva, said he was happy with his achievement this year.

The third-year student from SMA Semesta senior high school in Semarang, Central Java, won a gold medal in the previous Olympiad.

The event is held annually and involves participants from elementary school to senior high school.

"I feel relieved that I won. After I was selected to join the Olympiad team I studied hard for two months," said Lorentz, who was the Best Theory winner in the Astronomy contest.

A teacher from the Central Java team, Sikmaratin, attributed her team's win to two months of hard training provided by the Central Java Education and Culture Office.

For a full two months, the selected students worked on various tests that might appear in the Olympiad.

She said the office motivated students by offering cash prizes and scholarships to winners.

The winners, she said, were also lured by the assurance of smooth admission into top state universities.

"But still, it would depend on each contestant's spirit to win," Sikmaratin said.

Despite success, it is still a long road ahead for the winners to win at an international science Olympiad.

A jury member in the computer contest, Suryana Setyawan, told the Post the national Olympiad standard is below that of the international Olympiad.

He said the national Olympiad's tests were easier than those in the international Olympiad on similar subjects.

"That's why winners of the national science Olympiad, from any subject, are not able to directly take part in the international science Olympiad, as they might score zero since the international science Olympiad's test standard is much higher," he said.

He said one of the reasons for a different standard between the national and international science Olympiads was the unequal ability of the students.

Students from big cities, he said, have a better chance of winning since they have access to better educational facilities than those in remote areas.

He said the different standards made it crucial for a national training mechanism for participants who might compete in future international science Olympiads.

"Tests in the international science Olympiad for senior high school students are at a similar level to that of university standard, the content of which is not yet taught at high schools in Indonesia."

Project spreads environmental awareness
Friday, September 07, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Blitar

A new effort is underway in Blitar, East Java, to improve the environmental awareness of residents through an environmental teaching project called Rumah Belajar Kearifan Lingkungan.

Spearheaded by the Yosep Foundation and the Urban Community Empowerment Center (Pusdakota) at Surabaya University, the facility, officially inaugurated on July 23, is envisioned as a place where people from all walks of life can come and learn about the environment.

The project has existed in embryonic form since 2005, when the idea was first proposed for establishing an environmentally based program.

At the time, however, there were not enough qualified people to get the project off the ground.

Pusdakota, which is concerned with similar issues, revived the idea.

"We discussed the matter with Pusdakota and we both agreed to realize the program," Yosep Foundation chairwoman Sister Anastasia told The Jakarta Post.

They conducted in-depth studies and ultimately found a location for the facility, at the Santa Maria Catholic elementary school in Blitar.

The school, founded in 1927, was chosen because it has sufficient land.

"There is a 1.5 hectare park at our disposal," said Anastasia.

It took Pusdakota two years to get Rumah Belajar Kearifan Lingkungan launched.

Under the shade of some trees, beyond the Catholic school, sit a new compost and waste management building, areas for organic farm cultivation and livestock breeding, as well as facilities for outdoor activities.

Several older trees in the area were removed because they were at risk of toppling, and were replaced by a lawn and plots for cultivating plants.

The facility is seen as an opportunity to bring a new level of environmental awareness to the people of the city.

"The older generation in Blitar is less aware of the environment, that's why the only hope we have is the younger generation," Blitar Mayor Djarot Saiful Hidayat told The Jakarta Post.

Djarot believes the amount of waste produced by the city can be cut in half if residents implement waste management programs like the ones taught at the new facility.

"Conditions could gradually improve in the long run because the younger generation will grow up to be adults who are aware of the environment," he said.

The city has attempted to introduce environmental issues into local schools but has had little success, partly due to the inflexibility of the education system.

Pusdakota vice director Nila Mardiana said the group introduced a program to state-run schools in Surabaya but it was not well received by those in the education bureaucracy.

"Unfortunately, the schools lacked the commitment to continue with the program after we left," said Nila, adding that a fresh mind-set is key to introducing environmentally based education to students.

Santa Maria principal Sister Elfrida said the school had introduced environmental education even before the arrival of the new facility.

"It's actually simple ... we will ask the students to go to the park to learn about flowers, the soil and other things during biology lessons," she said.

Some students may initially shun the lessons, she said, but eventually they will learn to appreciate the "wonders" of nature.

"I've seen a student quietly plant a seed in the garden in front of the class. He watered the seed every day until it finally sprouted. It's simple yet something which we can be proud of," Elfrida said.

Cafe offer lunch-break chess
Friday, September 07, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Didik S. Projo and Cholil gazed at the neatly arranged chess pieces in front of them on Thursday afternoon. The pieces seemed to be waiting for commands from their "masters", not wanting to be "killed" and moved out of the arena like the other 15 pieces.

Suddenly, Didik moved his Black Rook to the right near his opponent's White King.

"Checkmate!" he shouted, while pressing down on the Jerger Schachuhr chess clock panel. Caught by surprise, Cholil pushed over his White King, accepting defeat.

Didik and Cholil can be found every lunch hour at the Surabaya Chess Cafe, which opened on Jan. 17.

Every day, dozens of customers drop by the cafe -- which is located on Jl. Batang Wetan Surabaya -- for an impromptu game. The cafe also offers a number of choices for food and drinks.

"There are many cafes in the country that offer the same concept of food, drinks and board games but the Surabaya Chess Cafe may be the only one that focuses on chess."

"As befits its name, this cafe allows visitors to play chess even if they buy only one cup of coffee," said proprietor Wijaya Rusli.

It cost Wijaya around Rp 3 million to convert a property owned by Antonius Harianto, the general secretary of the All-Indonesia Chess Association's (Percasi) East Java chapter, into the cafe. He already has ambitious plans for the future, hoping to convince talented regulars to join his chess club.

The "top dogs" at the chess club will then be introduced to international rules and taught how to analyze their own games.

"Chess players will learn how the game proceeds, including why they make mistakes. The things that every tournament chess player should know Their skills will improve as they go," Wijaya said.

He said a number of young people had already come to him, saying they wanted to be serious chess players.

The cafe holds two non-master chess contests a year. In the eight months of its existence it has also organized chess tournaments in Gresik and Sidoarjo.

"They were only amateur contests but hundreds of people took part," Wijaya said.

The contest winners will be encouraged to participate in national competitions, he said.

The cafe is a home away from home for self-confessed chess addicts Didik and Cholil, both of whom work nearby.

"I play chess during lunch breaks," said Didi, who earned his Master's title during a chess contest in Surabaya in July this year.

SBY calls for smarter education funding
Wednesday, September 05, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday called for improvements to the quality of education through more funding and legal reforms of the education system.

The President used a public lecture titled "Indonesia's Transformation in the Globalization Era" at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, to call for a more effective legal framework to ensure government funding for education reached its targets.

"What is meant here is that there should not be deviations in the disbursement of education funds," Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono's comments came in response to a letter sent to him by Airlangga University's Student Executive Body (BEM Unair).

In its letter, BEM Unair urged the government to focus on setting objectives and targets for improving the quality of education, rather than merely focusing on expanding funding.

"I agree with the students' way of thinking because, with (our) existing capabilities, we have to be serious about increasing the budget, and at the same time properly using it," the President said.

Speaking in front of around 500 students from universities throughout East Java, Yudhoyono said government funding should be better used to improve infrastructure, including the provision of cheap books.

"I'll tell (this) to Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo to enable him to make sure the increase in education funding to 12.3 percent (of the total state budget) can be used in line with the target (for improved education infrastructure)," he said.

The President's arrival in Surabaya was greeted by a demonstration by thousands of students.

The students protested against what they saw as the underfunding of Indonesian education, the corporatization of universities and the government's neglect of the hot mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo.

One student banner read: "The small quantity of (education) funding shows the government is not serious about improving the condition of education and changing the status of universities to limited liability companies will only give the rich the chance to send their children to study".

East Java cave depicts Buddha's journey
Monday, August 27, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Bondowoso

The road running along the hill in Jireg village, Bondowoso, East Java, is deserted. Once in a while, a motorbike breaks the silence.

In this arid and rocky area far from the noise of the island's cities, is a cave containing what could be some of the most important carvings in Indonesia.

Indonesia's Theravada Buddhists believe the cave, known locally as Gowa Buto, "giant" in Madurese, contains the reliefs in the cave, which depict Buddha's journey, are the most complete set in the world.

But its remote location has meant it has remained relatively unknown.

The cave is located on a hilly area east of Bondowoso regency, on a section of the damaged road to Situbondo regency, East Java, some 250 km from provincial capital Surabaya.

It can be reached only by car or motorbike, along 30 km of steep and winding road from Cermee district to Jireg village through the Sengon and teakwood forests.

On arrival in Jireg, an impoverished village inhabited by 116 families, the journey continues by foot downhill at a 70-degree slope, along a path of limestone and through tall grass, before arriving at the location. The cave is situated on a steep cliff, covered by an old Sengon tree.

The cave's reliefs are in three sections, each around 100 meters apart. A relief of a giant's head, or buto, is found on the ceiling of the first cave, which is situated on the right side of the path. The second and third sites are located on the left side of the path. Engravings depicting a holy place, buffalo and lotuses are found in the second cave.

Further inside, under a relief of the holy place, lies a spring. Both locations are littered with flowers and offerings, remnants from rituals carried out there.

"The cave is the only one in the world," said senior council head of Shangha Theravada Indonesia, Dhamma Subho Mahathera, in Surabaya on Aug. 13. Discovered in the 1980s, the historical site is believed to be more than 800 years old.

Bondowoso is one of the areas in East Java which is rich in archeological remains. Based on data at the Center for Archeological Conservation and Heritage (BPPP) in Trowulan, there around 822 archeological remains have been found in the regency, such as stone chairs, sarcophagi, statues and caves.

The local regency, however, has done little to conserve the area's historical remains.

The Gua Buto, for example is only guarded by a Jireg villager, Misraya, 47. Misraya, who only finished elementary school, replaced his father-in-law, Sumarto, who watched the site previously. Misraya, who also cleans the cave, receives a monthly salary of only Rp 280,000 (approximately US$31.00).

Misraya said he was unfamiliar with the history of the cave. "I don't know its history. I only work to clean up the place," he said. He said Chinese-Indonesian Buddhists often came there to pray.

Another Jireg resident, Nisin, 40, who lives around 200 meters from the cave agreed, saying that groups came at least once a month to clean the area and pray.

"They usually drop by at the village to chat with the villagers," said Nisin.

Nisin said Gua Buto had been in better condition several years ago and that there used to be several statues in the cave. "But they vanished gradually. I remembered there were many statues in the cave. Whether they were stolen ... I don't know," he said.

The site is also overgrown and some of the reliefs are beginning to deteriorate through corrosion and damage from the roots of a large tree.

Head of the Maitreya Foundation Buddhist temple in Bondowoso Yenny expressed concern over the neglected state of the cave. She said local authorities and related agencies should have publicized the discoveries in the area and protected archeological finds.

"According to our faith, there must be a intention behind the creation of a holy place," Yenny said.

She said she had only learned of the cave in the last week, and that the 1,500 Buddhists in Bondowoso probably did not know about it.

"If it's an archeological finding, the public should have been informed," she said.

Australia provides funding to Islamic schools
Tuesday, August 21, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Lumajang

The Al Fauzan Islamic boarding school in Lumajang was a hive of activity earlier this month when Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer attended the school's opening ceremony.

The streets around were decorated with colorful banners and dozens of schoolchildren lined the newly-paved entrance into the school grounds to welcome their guest.

Farmer's visit to Lumajang, also known as "Banana City", was big news and hundreds of neatly-dressed residents gathered along the roadsides to greet the ambassador.

"I feel very honored to be here at the opening of 46 madrasah (Islamic schools), including Al Fauzan," Bill Farmer said in his speech.

Farmer said funding provided by the Australian government to build the schools was to acknowledge Indonesia's plural society, similar to that of Australia. He said Australia had quite a large Muslim community.

"As your neighbor, we engage with Indonesia in all its rich diversity, including with the Muslim community," said Farmer.

The construction of 46 new schools is part of the Australia-Indonesia Basic Education Program (AIBEP).

Indonesia has received a total of AUD$355 million in the form of loans and grants, which are expected to cover the construction and renovation costs for 2,000 schools by 2009 -- accommodating as many as 300,000 high school students in the country.

Chairman of the Al Fauzan Islamic Education and Social Foundation, KH Agus Nurmajedi, said his foundation had received over Rp 1 billion in Australian aid.

"We will use the funds to build an Islamic junior high school," Agus told The Jakarta Post.

Students will benefit greatly from the aid, especially those in Lambruk Lor who have completed their Islamic and state elementary school studies, but who are unable to continue to the next level of education due to the absence of a junior high school in the area.

The nearest one is the Mubarok Islamic junior high school, which is located five kilometers from Lambruk.

A local resident donated a plot of strategically located land to Al Fauzan, which will be used as the site for the new school building.

"Construction began in February this year, and as you can see, it's almost complete," said Agus.

The school has six classrooms, a room to accommodate the inter-school students' organization, a laboratory, a resource center and several toilets.

Lambruk Lor residents, especially the poor, are delighted with the presence of the Al Fauzan Islamic boarding and junior high school.

Single parent Sugiyanti, 48, lives in front of the school with her five children, three of whom were forced to discontinue their studies due to financial hardship. Her other two children attend elementary school.

"Since my husband left, I do not have the means to pay for my children's schooling. I couldn't do anything when they were forced to drop out of school," Sugiyanti, who earns a living from selling snacks, told the Post.

Sugiyanti's children will now be able to return to school, thanks to the presence of the new Al Fauzan Islamic junior high school.

"I don't want my children to drop out of school. I will do my best to keep them in school."

Fire kills business for thousands of Pasar Turi traders
Monday, July 30, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Traders collected what was left of their kiosks Saturday after firefighters extinguished a fire that gutted Surabaya's Pasar Turi market Thursday.

Thick black smoke was still billowing from the market Saturday. Traders have raised suspicions the fire, which damaged one of the biggest markets in East Java, was intentionally lit.

A witness claims to have seen a person pour gasoline in a corner of the market and set fire to it. The moment was captured on a cell phone camera.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said the person ran away after lighting the fire.

"My sister and I saw him. My sister filmed the incident using her cell phone camera," said the witness, who is also a market trader.

Smoke was first seen coming from four kiosks on the lower ground. It is believed the fire started from a kiosk that sells carpets.

By Friday, as many as 2,000 kiosks had been razed by the fire and traders were becoming increasingly suspicious.

"It doesn't make sense. How could the fire, which started in one kiosk, spread everywhere," Lam, the owner of Yeni kiosk, told The Jakarta Post.

Muna Elhana, the Jaya Kulit shoe store owner in A block on the market's second floor, thought the fire would be easily extinguished. He soon realized it was spreading to other stalls and quickly packed up his merchandise.

"The fire suddenly spread everywhere, to almost every store," Muna told the Post.

The fire allegedly started in Karpet Restu carpet store on Thursday morning at around 8 a.m.. Many stores were still closed at the time and firefighters were unable to quickly gain access and extinguish the flames.

The fire continued to raze other shops in the market, which has a total of 4,795 stalls.

By Friday, some 2,000 stores had been razed. More firefighters were deployed to the market along with as many as 50 fire engines.

The fire has ruined business for many traders.

Ismail, who runs a tailor shop, braved thick smoke to rescue his merchandise. The man, who was also a victim of the fire that razed the market in the 1980s, took his merchandise home.

"We hope the government will provide temporary shelters (to store and sell merchandise)," he said.

He estimated the fire has caused at least Rp 1 billion in financial losses.

Ismail rents five other kiosks in the market to other traders.

Each kiosk is worth at around Rp 200 million and business brings in some Rp 6 million each month.

"Business usually peaks ahead of the Idul Fitri celebration. But because of this fire, I don't know what will happen now."

Oerip Soedarman: The past is not a closed book
Monday, July 23, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The well-worn fingers of the old man began to tremble as he turned the pages of the book.

His eyes squinted through his thick glasses as he slowly read the brittle pages contained in the heavy, dark red cover embossed with the title: Staatblad Van Nederlandsch-Indie (State documents of the Dutch East Indies).

His wrinkled face suddenly brightened up as he paused at one entry. "Here is the proof we need about East Java province," he said. "All is revealed in this book."

The careful reader is engineer Haji Oerip Soedarman, a retired official from the East Java provincial government, and one of the few living experts on East Java's history.

Last Tuesday (July 10), Soedarman held a press conference to discuss the history of East Java province.

According to this former public servant, the public should no longer be confused about the anniversary of the province's founding. "The date is Jan. 1, 1929," said Soedarman with finality.

The province's founding has long been a contentious issue and hot topic for discussion among historians, archivists and administrators. At one stage a group of politicians from the East Java provincial parliament decided to go to the Netherlands just to check documents held by the former colonial power.

Most authorities agree there are only four possible dates; Dec. 28, during the Singosari Kingdom period; Aug. 14, during the Mataram Kingdom; Jan. 1, during the era of Dutch East Indies rule; and Aug. 19, after the republic's proclamation of independence.

As far as Soedraman is concerned, the politicians didn't need to go all the way to Holland to ask their questions, as the answers can be found in the Dutch colonial government's official papers, documents that are readily available in Indonesia.

"In Article 1 of the Staatblad Van Nederlandsch-Indie, number 298 of 1928, it's clearly written het gewest oost-Java is een provincie (the East Java area is a province)," Soedarman said.

"Furthermore, in state documents held in Cipanas, West Java, the following information can be found: Deze ordonnantie treedt in werking met ingang van 1 January 1929. This means the decree came into effect on 1 January 1929."

Discovering the correct foundation date of the province is just one of many historical facts Soedarman has come across during his extensive reading of old documents.

The anniversaries of the Surabaya city administration and East Java's principal public medical center, Dr. Soetomo Hospital, are two other nuggets of history unearthed by this professional and tenacious bookworm.

And he has not only been an impersonal observer, for Soedarman is also related to an important event in the republic's history.

He is the nephew of the late Wage Rudolf Soepratman, the composer of the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya (Great Indonesia). Hence Soedarman's personal interest in the background of the anthem, which has now become the subject of a book to be launched on Independence Day, 17 August 2007.

Soepratman worked on the anthem composition between 1926 and 1928. "It was sung for the first time in public on 28 October 1928," Soedarman said.

"After that, the Dutch colonial government banned all performances of the song.

At one stage the authorship was challenged by a writer in Timbul magazine, which was published in Solo, Central Java. You can read all about this in my book."

Soedarman's introduction to the musty world of an archival researcher began in the 1980s when he was working as a government officer. He was assigned a number of small research jobs by the former East Java Governor, Sunandar Priyosudarmo.

Sunandar had asked him to find details of the Surabaya City Government's birthday. Soedarman had to search through a stack of old books piled under a bell tower in the provincial government office.

"When I started leafing through the old books I discovered a great deal of information, including the facts I was seeking. I discovered that the Surabaya City Government was formed on 1 April 1906," he said.

Soedarman believes his interest in archival material was stimulated by his father, Oerip Hasan Sengari, who was fascinated by written documents from the past. By trawling through old documents and books he learned new historical facts that had either been forgotten, overlooked or ignored by others.

Soedarman says he is dismayed by the lack of interest shown by so many toward the history of the nation. He believes there are two reasons for this indifference.

"The first reason is that reading books is not a popular activity in this country, and the second reason is few people know how to read Dutch," he said.

"When I was young the Dutch language was still being taught in schools -- that's why I am able to read and speak it."

If politicians want to find details of the birthday of the province, he said, there is no need to travel to the Netherlands; all the appropriate documents are held in libraries in East Java and Jakarta.

There are also other available documents, including maps, which show how the province was divided into multiple regions.

The names of past East Java officials have also been preserved. "Few people know the history of the first Governor of East Java, W Ch Hardeman," Soedarman said. "He was the former head of Residency in the colonial administration and was based in Surabaya."

Due to his diligence and sound research skills, Soedarman was invited to join the East Java province's historical team.

"All the information I've sought has been available and that's how I discovered the foundation date of East Java," he said.

"I found that in the National Library, in Jakarta."

Guarding Sukamade beach's 'maternity ward'
Friday, July 06, 2007

I.D. Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Banyuwangi

A heavy cloud darkened Sukamade Turtle Beach one evening in Banyuwangi, East Java, in early June.

Stars could be glimpsed occasionally, but they soon disappeared as the clouds rolled across the sky and the beach turned black.

In the darkness, two rangers from the Sukamade Forest Reserve were on duty. They watched over the beach continually, because this is where the endangered and protected marine turtles come to lay their eggs.

The beach is the turtles' maternity ward.

Sukamade Turtle Beach in Banyuwangi and Puger Beach in Jember used to be the two main locations in East Java favored by sea turtles for laying their eggs.

For some years now, however, the turtles have visited only the Sukamade beach, located 239 kilometers from the East Java capital of Surabaya. Almost every night, a turtle lands on the beach to rest or to lay eggs.

Data collected by non-government organization Indonesian ProFauna Environment reveal that turtle protection laws continue to be violated.

Last year, the Bali Police's coast guard unit caught two ships carrying hundreds of turtles. The same year, Nusa Tenggara Police also caught one ship trying to smuggle turtles.

Investigations carried out by Indonesian ProFauna also show that the illicit trade covers several different "commodities" made from sea turtles, including their meat, eggs, shells and souvenirs created from their body and carapace.

Puger Beach, along with the Sukamade beach, has been identified as one of the centers of the illegal turtle trade. Others include the Turtle Bay Beach in Cilacap, Central Java; Pangandaran and Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java; Pangumbahan Sukabumi and Samas Beach in Yogyakarta.

Turtle eggs are the most popular commodities traded in this illegal business. Others are turtle oil, turtle shell souvenirs and turtle meat.

It is estimated 1,000 to 2,000 turtles are killed every year, their body parts processed and sold.

The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) are the varieties most commonly poached.

Turtles are also accidentally caught by fisherman and later killed -- a direct violation of Law No. 5/1990.

This legislation is designed to conserve wildlife, natural resources and the ecosystem, and clearly prohibits trade in wild creatures.

The penalty for violating this law is five years in prison and a fine of Rp 100 million (US$11,000).

In Banyuwangi, turtle eggs can be seen for sale at the town market and at the central market of Jajag subdistrict. Traders usually offer eggs for sale early in the morning -- and undercover.

This year, the number of turtle eggs on offer has been much reduced.

"It's already become difficult to get turtle eggs," said local resident Bambang. "When the eggs are on sale, they are few and very expensive, fetching up to Rp 2,000 (US 20 cents) each."

To ensure that turtles and their eggs are protected from thieves, forest rangers are continually on watch. Included on their beat is Sukamade Turtle Beach, which is patrolled at night when the turtles land and begin laying.

Patrols usually start around 7 o'clock in the evening and last until dawn.

On June 8, The Jakarta Post accompanied two Sukamade Forest Reserve rangers, Slamet and Jumadi, as they carried out their duties.

In pitch darkness, the two rangers began their shift by negotiating their way through a thick mangrove forest, the only way to reach the turtle beach by land. They then poled across a 20-meter river in a small bamboo skiff.

When they arrived at the edge of the beach, the men divided their duties: one traveled east and the other west for a distance of 3.5 km, their journey illuminated only by moonlight.

One of the standard operation procedures for turtle patrols forbids the use of lights, such as flashlights and matches, because the turtles are sensitive to light.

Turtles approaching a beach will turn back to sea if they spot a light, a sure indicator that a predator is waiting for them -- that is, humans. Flashlights are permitted for use only when the turtles have already laid their eggs.

Although many prints were blurred, tracks could be seen in the sand showing where turtles had landed. There were also signs of activity indicating where the turtles had laid their eggs.

"Turtle egg poaching is usually done on a night like this," said Jumadi. He was right.

Around 3 a.m., the rangers surprised some suspected turtle egg thieves pretending to be fishermen. Eventually, the men had to be released for want of concrete evidence that they had stolen turtle eggs.

"They said they were only planning to fish," said Slamet. However, this group seen by the Post were carrying a sack and shovel along with their fishing gear.

Although unarmed, the rangers showed no lack of courage. But they admitted they could face difficulties if they were attacked by a poacher carrying a sharp knife or homemade gun.

"You can see for yourself how difficult it is for us in these conditions and darkness," said Slamet. "If someone starts shooting, how can we shoot back?"

Apart from the difficult field conditions, the rangers are also handicapped by a lack of appropriate equipment. They don't carry walkie-talkies or other communication gear, so must rely solely on flashlight signals, using a system similar to Morse code.

When a turtle lands on the beach, the officers signal to each other: "Three flashes means a turtle has landed and laid eggs," said Slamet.

ProFauna chairman Asep R. Purnama said the patrols were not effective. They did not have proper equipment and were not provided with a boat, which meant they could not catch poachers at sea.

"If turtles are stolen at sea, what are the rangers in Sukamade supposed to do? Swim?" asked Asep.

The other problem is that Sukamade beach is accessible by both land, traveling along the shore, and sea, using a boat. Multiple access points thus make it easy for thieves and difficult for guards.

There are also too few rangers to provide adequate protection. Sukamade Beach Reserve covers more than 10 hectares, yet it is policed by only seven people. Five are forest rangers, and two are members of the Forest Ecosystem Protection unit.

"It's absolutely essential that we have more officials to guard the turtles," said Asep.

Adventurous journey leads to turtle beach
Friday, July 06, 2007

Sukamade Turtle Beach is located south of Banyuwangi city in East Java, and is part of the 55,845-hectare Betiri Meru National Park.

The best way to reach this beach from Surabaya is through Jember regency and from there through the subdistricts of Jajag-Pesanggaran-Sorogan and Sukamade. Visitors coming from Denpasar can reach the turtle beach through Banyuwangi regency, then straight through the subdistricts of Jajag-Pesanggaran-Sorogan and Sukamade.

Either way, the land journey takes about six hours.

Unless you're using a 4WD off-road vehicle, the final leg of the journey to Sukamade Turtle Beach can be very difficult. There's no scheduled public transportation outside the Pesanggaran area, from where the journey can be continued only via an open-top truck.

Although the local people call these trucks "taxis", they are also used for goods and produce. They are the only local vehicles that can negotiate the steep tracks and rugged roads leading to Sukamade.

Some of the plantation produce these trucks transport include cacao, coconut, rubber, coffee and timber. Very often, passengers are carried in the same truck used to shift livestock for sale in the city.

Four such "taxis" ply the route to Sukamade. At 6:30 a.m., a truck sets off from Sukamade to Pesanggaran. Although the distance is only 35 kilometers it takes three hours.

At 1 p.m., the truck starts heading back from Pesanggaran to Sukamade.

"If there are no passengers who want to travel, then we usually don't bother to make the trip," said Kariyono, a truck driver plying the route.

When The Jakarta Post visited Sukamade one Friday, no truck was available. The second choice was rural transportation; in this case a station wagon traveling the 18-kilometer road between Pesanggaran and Sorogan.

Unlike city buses rural transportation will not run unless it has a full load of passengers, and these also operate as a delivery service for local residents.

Once you arrive at Sorogan, the journey can be continued on an ojek (motorcycle taxi).

A narrow ravine runs along both sides of the 17-kilometer rocky switchback, and it is a scenic journey to Sukamade. Visitors to the area are asked to sign the guest book at the Sukamade Plantation guardhouse.

From Sukamade, the journey passes through a coffee plantation for about 4 kilometers. You can either hire a motorbike or wade across the 7-meter wide Gethekan River, which is only 40 centimeters deep. Some motorcyclists are brave enough to ride their machines through the water.

The last stop before reaching the beach is the Sukamade home stay, from where a 300-meter walk through a mangrove forest and across Gethekan River will lead to the turtle beach.

Here in the vicinity of the home stay, the forest rangers and forest ecosystem staff maintain their offices.

This is also the location of the turtle egg hatchery, and all turtles that are successfully hatched are released back into the sea.

-- I.D. Nugroho

Breeding turtles: When the eggs hatch
Friday, July 06, 2007

Protecting Sukamade Turtle Beach also means safeguarding the sea turtles' reproductive cycle. The first job is to secure a safe, quiet and appealing environment where the turtles feel comfortable laying their eggs.

The next task is to save the turtle eggs from natural and human predators, and ensure they hatch into baby turtles.

The final job is to release the young turtles into the sea in the hope that they will mature and maintain the species.

These are the principal duties of the Forest Reserve Rangers and officers of the Forest Ecosystem Protection group (PEH) at Sukamade Reserve. Every day, seven Sukamade Reserve officers take turns standing guard at the edge of the nesting beach.

When a female turtle arrives at the beach and starts digging in the sand, she is watched by the officer on duty. After she has finished laying her eggs and has returned to the sea, the officer collects the eggs and takes them to the hatchery at the Sukamade Reserve Office.

The hatchery is located behind the Sukamade home stay, and spans almost two hectares. When The Jakarta Post visited, the hatchery had 57 plastic buckets filled with 30 to 80 eggs each.

The condition of every egg is checked and recorded daily.

"The eggs stay in the bucket for three months," said Jumadi, a hatchery worker. "When the time comes, the eggs are moved to a more spacious location to hatch."

The young turtles are then shifted to buckets containing seawater. The idea is to introduce the tiny amphibians to the ocean ecosystem. When 100 youngsters are gathered they are taken to the beach and released directly in the ocean.

"If we release them any earlier, their chance of survival in the wild is reduced because there are many predators in the ocean," said Jumadi.

But the rangers' and forest officers' supervision of the egg-gathering and hatching process has been criticized by non-government organization (NGO) Indonesian ProFauna Environment.

ProFauna chairman Asep R. Purnama told the Post that the way the rangers and officers carried out the task ensured that the newborn turtles wouldn't know their environment. Youngsters born and raised in this way could not survive in their natural habitat, he said.

"The young turtles should be released where their mother laid her eggs and allowed to make their way to the sea," said Asep. But this is not done at Sukamade, so the young turtle has no way of knowing where it hatched.

This information is critical to develop the turtle's homing instinct, so females can return as an adult to exactly where she was born and lay her own clutch of eggs.

"When turtles are hatched artificially and away from their natural environment, they have no chance of knowing the beach where the eggs were first laid. This means that if and when females become an adult, she won't be able to find the same place to lay her eggs in the future," said Asep.

He said the ideal way to handle turtle eggs and give the young the best chance for survival is to utilize a system developed by Professor Colin Limpus from Australia.

Limpus, who has researched marine turtles, believes that a special area should be set aside for turtle eggs to hatch naturally in the sand. This designated area should be free of natural and human predators.

Another alternative, according to Asep, is to create an ecotourism attraction where the local people would be involved in turtle conservation. In such cases, locals would learn to care for the creatures because the turtles would attract visitors to provide them with a means of living.

"The people will have a sense of belonging for that turtle beach and will become a part of the group guarding the turtle's natural environment," he added.

"Nature can be sold as an attraction, and will benefit all those who are involved."

-- I.D. Nugroho

Mushrooms make life better for Pasuruan villagers
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Pasuruan

Mushrooms might be useless fungi to some -- but not to residents of Bulukandang village, Prigen district in Pasuruan regency, East Java.

A village resident, Kaiman, 47, has been able to rebound from economic hardship through cultivating mushrooms.

The father of two has become a successful mushroom farmer and now employs 10 people.

"Mushrooms have really changed my life for the better," he told The Jakarta Post.

Kaiman's interest in mushrooms began when financial conditions worsened in 2005 and he could no longer support his family from his earnings as a truck driver, due to a severe drop in the number of customers.

"I had to change course after working as a truck driver for 15 years. That really confused me," he said.

A friend from Blitar, East Java, asked him to cultivate mushrooms. He was hesitant at first, but decided to give it a go.

He approached a friend in Wonosobo, Central Java, to learn more about mushroom cultivation.

"I stayed in Blitar and Wonosobo for several weeks to learn how to grow mushrooms, but still felt I didn't know enough."

He failed every time he tried to grow mushrooms back home, but was determined to keep trying.

He took out a Rp 10 million (US$1,100) loan from a bank, handing over his vehicle ownership documents as collateral. He used Rp 6 million to buy equipment, including a sterilization device and plastic bags, and built a kumbung, or shed made of bamboo walls. He used the rest of the loan to buy other materials needed to grow mushrooms.

"After three months, the harvest was just enough to put food on the table and repay the loan installments."

Luck, however, was on Kaiman's side. After six months his harvests increased. He received an order for 10,000 bags of baklok, or growing medium, but had to turn it down because he could only produce 1,000.

His business has thrived ever since. In 2006, he was picked as a trainer to teach Bulukandang residents how to cultivate mushrooms. Now 40 families from the village are involved in growing mushrooms.

The Sampoerna Foundation helped set up a course and provided assistance in the form of 1,000 bags of baklok worth Rp 30 million, distributed to 20 families, payable on a 50:50 profit-share basis.

"Nearly all mushroom farmers in Bulukandang are working together to cultivate and market mushrooms," said Kaiman, who now owns two 20x70 meter kumbung and enjoys a net profit of Rp 7.5 million per month.

Each kumbung is divided into two rooms; one is used to germinate spores, while a dark room is used to grow the mushrooms. The whole process -- from spore to harvest -- takes approximately 45 days.

Kaiman, who represents mushroom farmers in Bulukambang, hopes the government will provide soft loans to boost production in order to meet the growing demand for mushrooms.

"We have had to turn down weekly export orders of 500 kg of mushrooms to Taiwan and China due to limited capital."

Bulukandang mushrooms are currently only being distributed to places near Pasuruan, including Surabaya, Malang and Mojokerto.