Bright orange and noisy ... easily describes a bajaj . These traditional transportation vehicles became popular in India where they were developed with Vespa and later imported to and built in Indonesia . Similar vehicles are known as rickshaw in Africa , Tuk - Tuk in Thailand and MotoTaxi in Peru . With an estimated 20 , 000 bajaj in Jakarta , it is evident they are very popular here too ! Bajaj seat two passengers comfortably and up to five passengers - depending on the size of the passenger of course . Their areas of operation are limited to one mayoralty in the city . On the side of the driver ' s doors you ' ll see a big circle in which the area is designated ... Jakarta Barat , Jakarta Pusat , etc . , with a different color for each mayoralty . The drivers are not allowed to go out of their area and aren ' t allowed onto many main roads , so routes may be a bit circuitous . Fare determination is by bargaining . It ' s always best to ask an Indonesian what they would pay for a trip to a particular destination from your point of departure , and then bargain and pay accordingly . A ride in a bajaj is hot , utilizing AC alam - or nature ' s air conditioning . The ride will also be noisy , smelly ( car and bus fumes ) , bumpy , harrowing , and a grand adventure . My favorite maneuver is when the bajaj driver decides to flip a u - turn in the middle of the road . There is some protection from the rain , unless it ' s blowing hard . You ' d think you ' d have to be careful about robbery since the vehicle is so open - but it ' s not as common as robberies in buses . Having said all that ... bajaj are extremely convenient in many areas of Jakarta for a short drive . In April 2001 the government announced that they are going to replace bajaj with kancil , a new 4 - wheel transportation . It will be interesting to see if they are any improvement ! Becak Becak were banned within the Jakarta city limits in 1994 due to their propensity to cause traffic jams . Former President Soeharto ( and others ) also wanted to eradicate becak from the city streets because they felt the work to be degrading to the drivers . Becak are widely missed by people who live in housing complexes off the main roads and small roads which are not serviced by bus routes - as their sheer numbers in the city prior to the crackdown attests to how widely they were used . It used to be a common site in Jakarta to see becak drivers taking children to school each morning , and women home from the pasar ( traditional market ) . However , you can still find a few becak drivers ignoring the ban in certain locations within the city limits - like behind the luxurious Plaza Indonesia . Outside city limits becak are still found at the junctions of main roads and smaller country lanes that don ' t have smaller bus routes . Models of becak are different in each city they are found in across Indonesia . Becak fit two passengers comfortably and possibly even more , depending on the size of the passenger . There is some protection from the sun ... and a plastic sheet that comes down over the front helps protect passengers during rainstorms . Bargain before you get in ... ! And don ' t expect the driver to have change for large bills . Bemo Another noisy little neighborhood vehicle is the bemo , which is used for local transportation in limited areas in Jakarta . Originally brought to Indonesia by the Japanese government as part of a disaster relief package in 1962 , the vehicles were never manufactured in Indonesia in as great a number as bajaj or becak . Bemo are found in and near Benhil , Tanjung Priok , Kramat Jati and other areas outside Jakarta . Bis There are a large number bus ( bis ) companies servicing routes in Jakarta . Many of the larger buses seat 25 - 40 people ( depending on type of bus ) . The buses have set prices ( which should be posted on the bus ) . Bus companies include the government - owned PPD and Damri , which provides service to the airport . Private companies include Metro Mini . Some buses are air conditioned like Mayasari and Patas AC ; they are more expensive . Other bus lines are run by cooperatives like Kopaja and Kopami . All buses have set routes and set fares , but not set schedules . Students in uniform pay a lower rate of Rp 300 - no matter the distance . If you ' re not sure of the fare , ask other passengers what it is . Pay the “ conductor ” , who is usually hanging out the back door . He won ' t have change for big bills . Buses are the most common transport of the masses . As we near the fourth year of the monetary crisis , they are almost universally in bad condition . There are less buses on the road as the price of spare parts has caused companies to vandalize other buses in their fleet and up to half of many of the fleets may not be roadworthy . Bus passengers are often the target for robberies , street singers , and beggars - both on the buses and in the major bus terminals . Many bus drivers are notoriously dangerous as they race against each other to try and pick up passengers before the other buses plying the same route . Metro Mini has the worst reputation for poor drivers . Buses do not necessarily stop at bus stops ... they stop wherever they can pick up a passenger be it in the middle of the road or on a busy intersection . Buses do not necessarily come to a complete stop for passengers to get off and on . So be careful as to which foot you step off the bus with ! The beginning and end points of each bus route are found on the front and back of each bus , along with a route number . If you don ' t know which bus to take , just ask the people at the bus stop and they ' ll tell you ( helps if you speak Indonesian , of course ) . Inter - city buses to other cities in Java and Sumatra ( bis antar kota ) can be found at the biggest bus stations - Pulau Gadung , Kampung Rambutan , Lebak Bulus , Blok M , and Kota . Delman Perhaps the only truly traditional transportation left in Jakarta , delman ( horse - drawn carriages ) are getting harder to spot in Jakarta nowadays . They are most commonly used to transport goods from major markets . Delman can often be found around Pasar Palmerah , Kemanggisan , Cipulir , around big pasar run by PD Pasar Jaya ( the city market authority ) . On Sundays you can rent a delman in the roads surrounding Monas ( the national monument ) . The locals usually pile in the kids and have the delman driver take them for a fun ride around the Monas park . Delman are often rented by a Betawi family to transport kids around the neighborhood to celebrate a sunatan ceremony ( circumcision ) . When rented for parties such as this , the delman are often decorated with traditional Betawi ornamentation which lends a very festive air . Delman have been used by the expatriate community in Permata Hijau for years to carry their kids around the housing complex to the participating homes for trick - or - treat fun . They provide great fun for a expat child ' s birthday party as well . Bargain ahead of time to settle on a price as the price varies depending on the distance . Delman pictured above is from Cibadak , near Sukabumi . Kereta Api A commuter train ( kereta api ) runs several times daily from Bogor to Jakarta . These trains are quite simply furnished and often quite dirty . Scores of passengers brave the dangers and seat themselves atop the trains to avoid paying the fares . Trains to other major cities on Java leave Jakarta from train stations at Gambir , Tanah Abang and Senin . Different classes of service are available , with the first class or executive class being quite comfortable . Some trains are bookable in advance . Trains are a good transportation option for inter - city travel on a budget . Information on train schedules can be found on the National Railways web site . Mikrolet / Angkot Mikrolet and angkot ( these vehicles go by other names as well ) are smaller vans / mini - buses that serve set routes on smaller main roads . They seat 9 - 12 people , depending on the type . Fares run from Rp 500 to 1 , 200 , depending on the distance . Students pay Rp 300 if in uniform - for any distance . The beginning and end points of the routes are visible on the front and back of each bus , along with a route number . For example , Tanah Abang - Meruya M11 . Ojek Ojek “ motorcycle taxis ” began appearing in Jakarta after becak were banned in 1994 . Ojek service began as a people ' s initiative to provide a transportation options for people who used to use becak from main roads into housing complexes . There is no government licensing for or control over ojek . By law all motorcycle passengers should wear helmets , so ojek drivers should have a spare for you to wear . Ojek tend to congregate at t - junctions on main roads and near smaller roads that are not serviced by bus routes . Ladies have a careful balancing act if wearing a dress and must sit sidewise on the back of the vehicle . Bargain before you get on - ask a local what the price should be first . Ojek Sepeda Rarely seen in areas of Jakarta outside Kota and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta . Ojek Sepeda “ bicycle taxis ” operate much like ojek , except for shorter distances . Taksi Please read our separate article on Taking Taxis in Indonesia . River Taxi Back in time , long before taxis , bajaj and becak ... Jakarta ' s residents traveled the many canals and rivers and canals in a variety of boats . Today there are still places in Jakarta where you can find perahu penyeberangan ( boats used to cross ) . These boatmen take people across a river often from a major road to the kampung on the other side / so that they don ' t have to travel way out of their way . Panoramic photographs for this Traditional Transportation article are the work of Martin Bennett of Gambar Panjang ... we appreciate his generous and unique contribution to the site . [ Practical Information ] [ Expat Forum ] [ Site Map ] [ Search ] [ Home Page ] Tell a friend about the Living in Indonesia web site Copyright © 1997 - 2006 , Expat Web Site Association . Jakarta , Indonesia http : // www . expat . or . id All rights reserved . The information on Living in Indonesia , A Site for Expatriates may not be retransmitted or reproduced in any form without permission . This information has been compiled from sources which we , the Expat Web Site Association and volunteers related to this site , believe to be reliable . While reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts are accurate and up - to - date , opinions and commentary are fair and reasonable , we accept no responsibility for them . The information contained does not make any recommendation upon which you can rely without further personal consideration and is not an offer or a solicitation to buy any products or services from us . Opinions and statements constitute the judgment of the contributors to this web site at the time the information was written and may change without notice .

After 20 hours of traveling , you find yourself in a twin - cam doing 200 kph diagonally across the toll road . Your knuckles are white and you are sweating . You timidly ask the driver to slow down - a mistake , as he looks at you instead of the road , smiles broadly and says , " Yes ! " - the only English word he knows . He doesn ' t slow down . You wish you hadn ' t worn that vest . In the city , you spend 20 minutes in the car without moving while old men overtake you pushing carts . You wonder if all the blue / grey stuff in the air is normal , and resolve never to eat in one of the millions of roadside food stalls for fear of your life . At least the hotel is a bit like home . They even have fish ' n chips on the menu . Beer costs a fortune . You have your first meeting with your Indonesian business contacts scheduled at 10 : 00 a . m . Arriving on time , you are about to leave 30 minutes later to find the CORRECT venue when everyone else shows up . Your secretary keeps laughing heartily at the Indonesian comments , which is unsettling . Unfortunately , it is Friday , and everyone disappears again at 11 : 30 a . m . to go and pray . They never come back . All the Indonesian girls in the hotel bar seem very friendly . They all speak English , and are intrigued to learn about your home and family . Then the barmaid who took pity on you on your first day whispers you the girl ' s price lists . You are aware you stick out like a sore thumb , as even the westerners call you ' bule ' - you guess that must mean ' newcomer ' . More time in the traffic going nowhere , until suddenly an unseen light goes green and you suffer minor whiplash from the acceleration . Motorbikes with whole families aboard come at you on the wrong side of the road . You wonder where you can buy a copy of the local Highway Code ( It probably consists of 7 words : " If you get there first , it ' s yours " ) . You give up drinking tea and coffee , because no matter what gestures you make you can ' t stop them putting 4 tablespoons of sugar in it . You also give up smoking , because Silk Cut Ultra - Low doesn ' t seem to be very widely available . The driver hasn ' t showed up , so you get a taxi . Despite having worked all day , the taxi driver only has Rp 500 in his pocket , so you have to pay Rp 50 , 000 for a Rp 5 , 730 journey . Later you wonder if the driver was telling the truth . You are enjoying some Indonesian home hospitality when a 2 - inch long brown thing runs over your foot . No one flinches except you , and as you re - enter the earth ' s atmosphere you realize it wasn ' t a mouse , but a cockroach . For the third time that day you look away awkwardly from the beggar , pretending not to notice . You wonder how the hell you ' ll stand it here for the rest of the week . Part 2 : The Twenty - first Week Your driver , Pak Yanto collects you from your apartment at 6 : 00 a . m . During the drive to the office you alternately read the paper , sleep and exchange jokes in Indonesian with Pak Yanto . You get to the office with no recollection of the journey whatever . At 11 : 10 a . m . you decide it must be lunch time . You are by now well used to " rubber time " - the concept that watches are useless , as it is whatever time you want it to be . You go to a little restaurant with your colleagues and eat " ayam rica - rica " with extra sambal . That makes you sleepy , so you postpone a couple of meetings until next week . Back home , the maid greets you with genuine enthusiasm and runs your bath and lays out your evening clothes . She doesn ' t speak English , but you understand the intricacies of her analysis of today ' s price increases at the market and the scandal surrounding the fact that the maid next door was seen smoking in the street , as she chatters happily away to you . You stop off at one of the millions of roadside food stalls with your beautiful Indonesian girlfriend and enjoy a huge bowl of s oto kambing that tastes like heaven , and decide on the spot that you ' ll marry the girl . The thought of eating fish ' n chips now seems about as appealing as eating your own fingernails . No one seems to notice you ' re the only westerner in the place - perhaps you ' re starting to look Indonesian ? You go to the beach with your newly appointed fiancee at the weekend and eat fresh barbecued lobster in the sunset . Pak Yanto joins you to drink coffee ( tidak pakai gula ! ) , and smoke Sampoerna underneath the sign you vaguely noticed that says " Dilarang merokok " . You are not alone . Your driver is at the workshop with the car so you get a taxi . Unfortunately the taxi driver has no change and you only have a Rp 50 , 000 note for a Rp 5 , 730 journey . You exclaim " cuek aje ! " and leap out of the car to get the exact money , but the taxi driver suddenly remembers a sack of cash he ' d accidentally overlooked in his back pocket . Pak Yanto is looking pleased with himself . He explains that as you spend so much time at the nightclub of the best hotel in town , they now let him park out front with the limos instead of in the underground car park . You wonder if you might be overdoing things a bit . You wonder if any city in the world is as beautiful as some parts of Jakarta at night . Despite having driven this way hundreds of times before , you never get bored with the lights . It was driving down here with the music loud and a car full of Indonesian friends , excited at the prospect of a good night out , that you decided this was the place you wanted to be for a long , long time . You are enjoying some Indonesian home hospitality with your fiancee ' s family and her sister ' s newly arrived westerner friend , when a 2 - inch long brown thing runs over his foot . As he picks himself out of the ceiling , you realize how far you ' ve come in the last few months . For the third time that day , you help make a poor person happier , and ponder the best ways of helping others on a broader scale . And you wonder how the hell you ' d stand it if you ever went home . Semi autobiographical ! ( Pak Yanto is a pseudonym ! ) Dave Cook Mini Glossary : Ayam rica - rica Chicken dish Bule Derogatory slang word for foreigners , literally means albino Cuek aje " No Problem " , " I don ' t care " Dilarang merokok Smoking forbidden Sambal Spicy hot chili paste , an essential condiment to Indonesian food Soto kambing Goat soup Tidak pakai gula Don ' t add sugar [ Practical Information ] [ Expat Forum ] [ Site Map ] [ Search ] [ Home Page ] [ Contact ] Tell a friend about the Living in Indonesia web site Copyright © 1997 - 2006 , Expat Web Site Association . Jakarta , Indonesia http : // www . expat . or . id All rights reserved . The information on Living in Indonesia , A Site for Expatriates may not be retransmitted or reproduced in any form without permission . This information has been compiled from sources which we , the Expat Web Site Association and volunteers related to this site , believe to be reliable . While reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts are accurate and up - to - date , opinions and commentary are fair and reasonable , we accept no responsibility for them . The information contained does not make any recommendation upon which you can rely without further personal consideration and is not an offer or a solicitation to buy any products or services from us . Opinions and statements constitute the judgment of the contributors to this web site at the time the information was written and may change without notice .

Jogjakarta is truly a unique city . Ruled by a king ( sultan ) whose lineage can be traced to centuries , this city offers plenty cultural and historical heritage . Here you can eat lesehan style without chairs . The rather sweet cuisine of Jogjakarta might surprise you first , but many people have been longing for good Javanese food after trying it once , so you might have the same experience . This city offers many luscious delicacies . From bakpia cookies , wingko babat , to enting - enting kacang , visitors will be delighted to find there are so many delicious choices here in this town . Getting There To make it easier , and shorter , you can take a plane from major cities such as Jakarta or Bali . From Jakarta and Bandung you can also go to Jogjakarta by train and the journey will take approx . 8 - 12 hours , though . Some travel agents or rental cars also offer trips to Yogya from big cities with a reasonable fee . The journey will take longer than 12 hours from Jakarta or Bandung . Where to Stay Packed with local and international tourists , Yogya is ready with its innumerable inns and hotels . Choose the place to stay according to your budget and your liking . Moving Around Jogjakarta is a small city . To illustrate this , for some Jogjakartans , 2 kilometers is considered very far . In the city , you can give your legs some exercise , ride andong / delman ( cart carried by a / two horse / s ) , use the bus and public transportation , ride a taxi , or , try how it feels like to ride becak / pedicab . If you want to visit interesting sites within the city , it is best to move around on foot . If , however , you want to marvel at the grandiose of Borobudur Temple , for instance , it is best if you rent a car . Dining Guide Gudeg is one of Jogjakarta ' s specialties . This dish is made of young jackfruit with traditional herbs , sometimes with eggs and chicken . Cow ' s inner skin , cooked until tender , usually accompanies gudeg with steamed rice . Most traditional restaurants in Jogjakarta sell this specialty . Don ' t let the sweet taste of gudeg fool you , however , the chili sauce of Javanese food can be really , really spicy because it is made mainly from cabe rawit the spiciest chili in Indonesia . Restaurants worth visiting in Jogjakarta : DJOGJA KAFE Jalan Kyai Mojo 57 GADJAH WONG Jalan Gejayan 79D OMAH DHUWUR Jalan Mondorakan 252 , Kota Gede MBOK BEREK RESTAURANT Jalan Kaliurang Km 16 Pakem MORO SENENG RESTAURANT Jalan Solo 55 AYAM GORENG SUHARTI RESTAURANT Jalan Laksda Adisucipto 208 Souvenir Tips Jogjakarta is synonymous with arts and crafts . There are plenty to choose from : from batik clothings , silverwares and silver jewelries , potteries , to wayang figurines made of cow ' s hide or wood . You can also bring along boxes of the famous bakpia for your family and close friends . Bakpia doesn ' t last long , though , so please ask the salespeople for expiration date . Other Things to See or Do Take a walk on Malioboro street , it ' s packed with people selling interesting souvenirs , with stores offering more exclusive products . Bering Harjo market on Malioboro street offers cheaper products . Don ' t forget to use your bargaining skill ! Visit Kota Gede , the center of silverwares and silver jewelries . You can even see silversmith at work here . The items sold here are usually more pricey because they ' re more exclusive . For regular yet still beautiful silver jewelries , visit Malioboro instead . Visit Kasongan if you ' re into potteries . Explore the city from Kraton ( Palace ) to Taman Sari , where old kings and their families spent their happy days , swimming and enjoying themselves . Take a trip to Borobudur and Loro Jonggrang ( Prambanan ) Temples . Travel Tips Because there are so many things to see , if you don ' t have much time , it is best if you go to a travel agency . It will save you time . On traditional markets and Malioboro , most of the items sold there are bargainable . When in doubt , ask if the wares are bargainable or not . Bargain at least half the price the seller offers first . If you ' re not certain , take a look around and ask for the similar item ' s prices , for comparison . If you have a travel guide from a travel agency , ask her / him to bargain things for you . The same goes if you ' re lucky enough to have locals as your friends or relatives . Never hire an unlicensed travel guide . Bring lightweight clothings , also hats and shades , if necessary . Jogjakarta can be quite hot . If you ' re being offered things that do not interest you , be firm and say no .

Government may raise production revenue share for gas contractors Leony Aurora and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja / Bloomberg - 2006 - 08 - 29 11 : 07 : 43 Jakarta , August 29 , 2006 ( Bloomberg ) - Indonesia may raise the share of gas production revenue for contractors willing to sell the fuel to the domestic market as demand rises . The government is considering increasing the 30 percent share of gas revenue that Premier Oil Plc , a UK based - oil company that operates the West Natuna Block A concession , to as much as 49 percent to persuade the explorer to sell the gas to Batam instead of Singapore , Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said in Jakarta Monday . " We are willing to get as low as 51 percent " of the revenue , Purnomo said . The government is calculating a suitable for contractors that allows them to sell the gas at US $ 3 . 50 per million British thermal unit , the highest price that power generated from the fuel remains competitive , he said . The government is promoting the use of natural gas and coal to cut the country ' s dependence on oil after crude prices tripled since 2002 . Producers that can sell the gas abroad have been reluctant to deliver the fuel to the domestic market , where prices can be less than half of that for exported gas . " The government should let go of some of its revenue to gain from intangible benefits , such as jobs and economic growth " from the gas agreements , Purnomo told reporters Sunday . " In principal , we don ' t want producers nor consumers to lose . " Prices of gas channeled outside the country through pipes or exported as liquefied natural gas are about $ 8 per million a British thermal unit , Purnomo said . Premier has discovered new gas fields in Block A with reserves amounting to 500 billion cubic feet , Kardaya Warnika , chairman of the state oil and gas regulator BPMigas said Sunday . The company should be able to channel 120 million standard cubic feet a day to Batam for 20 years , Warnika said . Premier has channeled gas from its Anoa and Kakap fields in West Natuna through a 400 - kilometer underwater pipeline to Singapore since 2001 . The company is in negotiations for further gas sales to the city - state , Premier said on its Web site . Batam is an Indonesian island located about 24 kilometers south of Singapore . The government has earmarked ' the island as a special econom ¬ ic zone with simplified tax system and labor conditions . The government in June last year previously raised the share of ConocoPhillips and its partner at the time , Exxon - Mobil Corp . , in Block A exploration area near Aceh to 48 percent from 40 percent . Houston - based ConocoPhillips , the operator of the area , hasn ' t developed the field so far because it said the high carbon dioxide content makes gas production unprofitable .

NRM Headline News is a free , weekly e - mail news service in English , covering the issues of natural resources governance and policy in Indonesia . Headline News contains selected news items from the Indonesian press , information about upcoming events and employment opportunities , and regular updates on the activities of the Natural Resources Management ( NRM ) Program . Funding is provided by the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) . T he NRM Headline News is available in plain text or HTML formats . Contributions from readers are always welcome . Please e - mail us at headline @ nrm . or . id Story No . 1 : Bunaken Village Receives Seacology Grant for Community Dock Construction The Seacology Foundation awarded a $ 20 , 000 grant to Bunaken Village in recognition of the cooperation and foresight of the villagers in formulating a zonation system ..... more Story No . 2 : Workshop on Developing of PLH Concept , Balikpapan Notes from workshop focused on developing concepts for environment education for the City of Balikpapan ..... more Story No . 3 : CRMP ( Proyek Pesisir ) Monthly Report for June 2002 Implementation Progress Update ..... more Story No . 4 : Certification : Plain and Simple Provides up - to - date facts , figures , and analysis on the different certification schemes , the relations between them , and the impact they are having in the tropics ..... more Story No . 5 : Officials Ignore Warnings on Real Environmental Threats Planners , environmentalists and other experts often link the problem of flooding to the lack of green areas in the city as violations of the principles of environmentally friendly development continue ..... more Story No . 6 : Tarsiers Threatened with Extinction The tarsier population has dropped because its habitat has been damaged by logging and land clearing ..... more Story No . 7 : Environment Minister Slams Law Enforcers Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim says deforestation remains rampant because law enforcers are corrupt and incompetent ..... more Story No . 8 : RI Proposes 3 National Parks to Become World Heritage Sites " The three are the national parks of Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan ( in Sumatra ) and Gunung Leuser ( in Aceh ) , " Widodo S Ramono , director of the National Park and Natural Resources Conservation ( KSDA ) told ANTARA and Bisnis Indonesia ..... more Story No . 9 : Definition of ' Degraded ' , ' Sustainable ' Forest Needed Business will be judged in part by the level of transparency provided , and clear , unambiguous definitions of that being talked about ..... more Story No . 10 : Government Pay no Serious Heed to Environmental Issues " The gloomy picture on the enforcement of environmental laws in Indonesia is merely a proof of this government ' s weak commitment to imposing the principles of Good Sustainable Development Governance , " ICEL executive director Wiwiek Awiati said on Friday ..... more Story No . 11 : NRM Noon Seminar ..... more Story No . 12 : Director , CIDA PSU , Jakarta CIDA is currently seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of Director for the PSU ..... more Story No . 13 : Vacancies at CIFOR CIFOR , in cooperation with the Forestry Research and Development Agency ( FORDA ) , Ministry of Forestry Indonesia , are looking for scientists to coordinate research activities in the Bulungan Research Forest , East Kalimantan , Indonesia . The positions are fixed term and will be funded through a recently approved project supported through the International Tropical Timber Organization ( ITTO ) ..... more Story No . 1 : Bunaken Village Receives Seacology Grant for Community Dock Construction Sunday is typically a very stressful day in the life of the corals that fringe the reef in front of Bunaken Village . As the tide falls and the corals and seagrass are exposed to the punishing heat of the day , they experience an added insult : boats carrying hundreds of churchgoers , fisherfolk and beach tourists are forced to drop anchor at the reef edge and trample the reefs on their way in to the village . The experience is seldom pleasant for the humans involved either ; scorpionfish punctures and coral cuts are a common outcome of these beach treks . Fortunately , relief is in sight for both the marine plants and animals of Bunaken and the people who depend on them . The Seacology Foundation ( www . seacology . org ) , an organization which focuses on preserving the environments and cultures of islands throughout the world , has awarded a $ 20 , 000 grant to Bunaken Village for the construction of a community landing dock . The grant is made in recognition of the cooperation and foresight of the villagers in formulating a zonation system for their island that includes a number of “ no - take ” zones ( totaling approximately 30 % of the island ’ s reef area ) where fishing is absolutely prohibited . These strict marine reserve areas on Bunaken Island have now been closed to fishing for almost two years , and many villagers and divers claim to see a noticeable difference in the number of larger fish ( including sharks , grouper and Napoleon wrasse ) present . Seacology ’ s one prerequisite for releasing the funds for the dock is for Bunaken village to “ upgrade ” the zonation system ’ s legal basis to that of village law ( the zones are currently part of an MOU between the village and the Bunaken National Park office ) . The villager ’ s are eagerly wrapping up the legal procedures necessary to ratify this law , and hope to start construction on the dock by September . Duane Silverstein , the Executive Director of Seacology , praised the Bunaken villagers for their strong commitment to conservation of their marine resources : " Seacology is pleased to recognize the foresight and sacrifice of Bunaken village in establishing marine reserves to protect their coral reefs and sea grass for generations to come . In exchange for this sacrifice Seacology is pleased to provide funding for a much needed community landing dock . " It seems likely that Bunaken ’ s reefs are pleased as well ! Mark V . Erdmann Marine Protected Areas Advisor NRM / EPIQ SULUT erdmann @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 2 : Workshop on Developing of PLH Concept , Balikpapan NRM - EPIQ , Proyek Pesisir , and Yayasan Bina Manusia dan Lingkungan ( YBML ) , in cooperation with the National Education Office ( Dinas Pendidikan Nasional - Diknas ) of Balikpapan , conducted a three days workshop focused on developing concepts for environment education for the City of Balikpapan . The workshop was conducted from May 3 - 5 , 2002 , in Hotel Benakutai . The objective of workshop was to develop a basic concept and framework for environmental education ( or PLH - Pendidikan Lingkungan Hidup ) for students in Balikpapan specially tailored for the potential and characteristics of the region . The workshop marks the beginning of joint work between the three organizations to develop guidance for developing the Balikpapan City ’ s educational curriculum , including the means for delivery and supporting infrastructures . Participants at the workshop including the government agencies , academicians , international organizations ( NRM , Proyek Pesisir , Tropenbos ) , NGOs ( YBML , Yayasan BIKAL ) , private sectors ( Unocal , TotalFinalElf E & P Indonesie ) , and the general public representatives . On the first day , papers were prepared and presented by teachers , university representatives ( University of Mulawarman - UNMUL ) , government ’ s personnel ( Bapedalda Balikpapan ) , and a private sector ( Unocal ) . On the second day , all the participants took a field study to learn the linked issues that must be included in any week planned environmental education program . Participants were divided into three groups ( green , brown , and blue ) . The Green Group observed all issues related to mangrove forest and other forestry activities including Sungai Wain Protected Forest area . The Brown Group observed all issues related to the environmental pollution and reclamation . The Blue Group observed all issues ( industry , human settlement , fishpond / tambak ) found in the coastal and bay . These issues illustrated the need for well - designed integrated management of upstream as well as downstream activities and include areas from the city to the coastal and marine zones . On the third day , the participants conducted presentation and discussion , came up with the issues highlighted during the field study and generated recommendations on how to address these in the Balikpapan environmental education program . The workshop recommendations for developing the PLH concept include : Joint development of the overall concept , framework , curriculum , and modules with a variety of stakeholders ; PLH training for PLH facilitators and school teachers to ensure capacity for delivery ; Preparation of location as a real place to study the environmental condition Preliminary testing of PLH modules and materials in several schools ; Monitor , evaluate , and revise the concept , materials and modules after the testing ; Use local content reflecting Balikpapan special characteristics . With support from USAID ’ s Proyek Pesisir and NRM / EPIQ programs , plans are now being made to proceed with development of the modules . As currently conceived , there will be three main modules each dealing with a different area of environmental education . These include terrestrial issues , marine and coastal issues and urban or city issues . NRM - EPIQ has taken the lead in securing additional outside funding for the program . During the month of June , all organizations , represented through a special team ( Tim Kecil ) will initiate work on developing a more detailed concept for the modules . The effort is supported by a decree from Balikpapan Mayor , Imdad Hamid , that Balikpapan will develop and include environmental education as a key part of its school curriculum . This decision by Mayor Imdad Hamid signifies his commitment to environmental issues and establishes him as a leader in Indonesia for environmental education . For more information , please contact : Elisabeth Wetik / Ramon Proyek Pesisir , Balikpapan , East Kalimantan Phone : ( 62 - 542 ) 731 016 pesisir @ indosat . net . id or Satria Iman Pribadi Outreach & Education Specialist NRM / EPIQ Kalimantan Timur satriai @ samarinda . org Top Story No . 3 : CRMP ( Proyek Pesisir ) Monthly Report for June 2002 A . Regional Programs I . North Sulawesi The Kabupaten Minahasa Community - Based Coastal Management Perda ( Peraturan Daerah - Local Regulation ) was signed into law on June 26 , 2002 . This is an incredible milestone for Proyek Pesisir and the Minahasa Kabupaten Government , and puts into place one more piece of the bridge to achieving stronger decentralized coastal management in Indonesia . The Perda identifies the Kabupaten Office of Fisheries and Marine Affairs ( Dinas Perikanan dan Kelautan ) as the lead agency for integrated coastal management and established a stakeholder advisory body . This Perda stands as both a symbol of what can be done under decentralization and a model for other kabupatens to follow . This is a major accomplishment for institutionalizing the work that Proyek Pesisir has been undertaking over the past five years and represents a major break through for local governments . The Perda will be distributed widely as a reference for other kabupatens and provinces . It will also be translated into English as it is a model that is useful not only in Indonesia , but for other governments around the world that are developing " nested " community - based ICM programs within a larger governance context . The development of a similar Perda for the Province of North Sulawesi has also started through Proyek Pesisir ’ s contract with Sam Ratulangi University ( UNSRAT ) School of Law to lead the process . Working through UNSRAT builds more ownership and transparency in the Province , and increases the capability of UNSRAT School of Law . Proyek Pesisir ’ s contract with UNSRAT further broadens the circle of Proyek Pesisir partners that already includes many academics , non - governmental organizations and government agencies . Starting last year , Proyek Pesisir began expanding ( Scaling - Up ) its direct engagement of villages in community - based ICM in Kecamatan Likupang . The scaling - up process is proceeding at a rapid pace . In Kecamatan Likupang , Proyek Pesisir is assisting local partners in 22 villages to build upon the experiences in the Proyek Pesisir anchor sites of Blongko , Bentenen , Tumbak and Talise ( See Issue 12 of NRM Headlines News , June 27 , 2002 for other news on cross - visits to Proyek Pesisir Anchor Sites from Riau ) . Training is ongoing in the villages through community organizers who volunteered from each village . Eight different training modules have been developed , four that are required for program participation and four that are optional at village request . Dinas Perikanan dan Kelautan is heavily involved in the implementation and oversight of the Likupang scaling - up program . A number of key activities have already been identified as options for implementation in these villages , including : marine sanctuaries , mangrove sanctuaries , and village ordinances ( Perdes ) . With the passage of the Minahasa Perda it is expected that there would be significant local government budget allocated next year for further scaling - up of Proyek Pesisir ’ s best practices across Kabupaten Minahasa . The Minahasa Stakeholder Monitoring Program is moving along . Local stakeholders and Proyek Pesisir staff have worked collaboratively to create a voluntary stakeholder monitoring program that includes villages , universities , government , and the private sector in gathering data on changes in coastal and near - shore marine resources . This information will be provided to the government and UNSRAT , both of which have agreed to maintain the resulting data sets over time so that the province will eventually have a time series for data points that are important to coastal resources users . In addition to data being available for other uses , a main desired outcome of the program is involving local stakeholders in a process that demonstrates changes in the status of coastal resources over time , especially in relation to certain types of natural events and human activities . The anchor - site graduation program for the villages of Blongko , Talise , and Bentenan / Tumbak has been fully developed using a village self - assessment program that leads villagers to recognize their achievements and how much they know about their CB - CRM process and the results . The three anchor sites are expected to graduate by the end of this calendar year . II . East Kalimantan The development of the Balikpapan Bay Management Plan ( BBMP ) is in the final stages of review . Dr . Dietriech Bengen of the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies ( CCMRS ) of Bogor Agricultural Institute ( IPB ) has just completed a technical review of the BBMP and final edits are underway . The BBMP was distributed to local stakeholders in several previous versions and a workshop was conducted with local stakeholders to compile all the comments . There will be additional involvement of stakeholders and socializing with key counterparts as the process moves along . The BBMP is one of the only coastal management plans in Indonesia that integrates coastal management within four governmental administrative authorities - City of Balikpapan , Kabupatens Pasir and Penajam , and the Province of East Kalimantan . Two early action programs have been initiated with local government counterparts to examine the management processes related to mangrove management , sedimentation , and erosion . These early actions illustrate the purpose of the BBMP as a tool that focuses on institutional change by establishing new management mechanisms , rather than conducting more mini - field demonstration projects that ultimately have limited effect . The Friends of Balikpapan Bay ( Sahabat Teluk Balikpapan - STB ) received its official legal authorization in March 2002 . In May , Proyek Pesisir contracted a new Executive Director who is currently preparing a business plan for the new NGO created with USAID assistance . The STB will be the first NGO in East Kalimantan focused exclusively on coastal and marine management issues . The business plan is due in July and will include plans for soliciting funds from the private sector , government and donors to achieve sustainability . Proyek Pesisir is cooperating with NRM / EPIQ , the Balikpapan Office of Education ( Dinas Pendidikan ) to create a new environmental curriculum for schools in Balikpapan . Led by NRM / EPIQ and Dinas Pendidikan , Proyek Pesisir is providing limited support for coastal and marine sector issues . Last year , the Walikota signed a decree requiring environmental education be included in Balikpapan ’ s school curriculum . With outside funding secured through NRM / EPIQ , there will be three environmental education modules created - urban , terrestrial and coastal / marine . In May a workshop was held to discuss this effort that included government , universities , private sector and NGOs . In June , the Special Team ( Tim Kecil ) created at this workshop has been working to clarify the concept for these modules . III . Lampung , South Sumatra The Proyek Pesisir Lampung program beginning its phase - out program and it is expected that all activities will be completed there by December 2002 . Lampung has been one of the most successful programs of Proyek Pesisir , producing its Provincial Coastal Resources Atlas and Coastal Strategic Plan ( Renstra ) that have resulted in significant allocation of funding for coastal resources management in the province . Evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of the Renstra have led to updating of the Atlas and reprinting in response to many continuing requests for copies . The new Lampung Coastal Atlas is now available on request through Proyek Pesisir or the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies ( PKSPL ) at IBP . One of Proyek Pesisir ’ s lead activities in Lampung was assisting villagers on Pulau Sebesi , a small island off the coast of Lampung , to inventory their coastal resources and identify opportunities for community - based coastal management . Last month the villagers established their first Marine Sanctuary at an event attended by many local officials . Proyek Pesisir will continue to support the villagers in further defining coastal management options on Pulau Sebesi . Pematang Pasir has completed it ’ s village management plan for best practice shrimp farming and is now moving toward close out of Proyek Pesisir assistance . Other activities : A mini - scaling - up program is planned using the modules created in the North Sulawesi scaling up program . This will be started later this year . Monitoring of the implementation of the Coastal Strategic Plan ( Renstra ) also will continue later this year . B . National Coastal Management Law Initiative ( RUU PWP ) A series of discussions among members of the multi - stakeholder RUU Special Team ( Tim Kecil ) on the drafting of the national coastal management law took place during the month and resulted in a much cleaner draft of the law and its public consultation strategy . A series of inter - departmental and regional public consultations are planned for July , August , and September with the hope that by the end of October there will be a final draft ready for submission to the DPR . The RUU PWP is the first law of its kind in Indonesia relying as much on provisions for voluntary compliance and participation as legal requirements . The most recent version of the law is available on line at “ www . dkp . go . id ” . Proyek Pesisir was part of a multi - stakeholder and multi - organizational effort to initiate an review of the Indonesia National Marine Protected Area Strategy . The effort included such organizations as the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries , Ministry of Forestry , Worldwide Fund for Nature , The Nature Conservancy , World Commission on Protected Areas , NRM / EPIQ and others . Efforts will be taken to support this over the coming months by working closely with the Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries . Proyek Pesisir began support for a collaborative initiative to develop a coastal resource atlas for the Bintuni Bay in Papua . Meetings were held with the Papua delegation at the Indonesia National Coastal Management Conference ( KONAS ) in May and additional meetings were held in Jakarta in June . As a result of these meetings , local government and universities in Papua have already begun to set up teams to support the Bintuni Atlas initiative . In July , Maurice Knight , Chief of Party for Proyek Pesisir , will travel to Papua to meet with local stakeholders to further define the program , identify partners and finalize arrangements for a kickoff workshop in August . Through this workshop , stakeholders will work collaboratively to identify appropriate roles for local government , universities and non - governmental organizations at the local and provincial levels . The special arrangements under Papua Special Autonomy will require effective engagement across all levels of government including a significant role for universities and NGOs . IPB ’ s Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies ( CCMRS ) is leading training for members of the Indonesian Coastal Universities Network ( INCUNE ) in outreach and extension for community supported coastal management and development . A schedule of events is being developed by IPB . CCRMS also will assist DKP and Proyek Pesisir in undertaking regional consultations for the draft national coastal management law in a number of provinces . USAID Indonesia Coastal Resources Management Project ( CRMP ) Ratu Plaza - Fl 18 Jl . Jend . Sudirman Kav 9 Jakarta 10270 Indonesia Ph : ( 6221 ) 720 9596 Fax : ( 6221 ) 720 7844 crmp @ cbn . net . id Top Story No . 4 : Certification : Plain and Simple For one - stop shopping to find out the latest on forest certification , " Forest Certification : Pending Challenges for Tropical Timber " by Richard Eba ' a Atyi and Markku Simula is as good as it gets . This new paper produced for the International Tropical Timber Organization provides up - to - date facts , figures , and analysis on the different certification schemes , the relations between them , and the impact they are having in the tropics . By reading it , I learned that : In January 2002 , the world had 109 million hectares of certified forests . That was twice what it had in 2001 and almost four times as much as in 1999 . Some 2 . 8 % of the world ' s forests are certified . North America has 8 . 7 % of its forest certified and Europe has 5 . 7 % certified . The other regions have only about 0 . 5 % of their forest certified . Only 8 % of all certified forests are in Asia , Africa , and Latin America . The Pan - European Forest Certification ( PEFC ) scheme and the Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC ) are the two main international certification schemes . PEFC only covers Europe . FSC , the Malaysian national certification scheme , and Kerhout are the main certification schemes operating in the tropics . Only 86 certificates for forest holdings larger than 50 , 000 hectares each account for more than 90 % of the FSC certified area . FSC has only certified 284 forest holdings smaller than 50 , 000 hectares . As of 1999 , FSC had only certified 29 communal or community forests . In contrast , PEFC and the American Tree Farm System scheme ( ATFS ) were specifically designed for smaller holdings and most of their certificates have gone to smaller holdings . Three certification companies - SGS , Rainforest Alliance / Smartwood , and SCS - have certified 88 % of the forest area certified under the FSC . The United Kingdom , Denmark , the Netherlands , Belgium , Austria and several states in the United States now have " green procurement policies " , which increasingly favor certified products . The forests certified in the tropics tend to be those that were already relatively well managed . Nonetheless , certification seems to have encouraged better forest management planning , establishment of permanent sample plots , the use of reduced impact logging , more set - asides for conservation , and better documentation of forest practices . These facts alone do not do justice to Eba ' a Atyi and Simula ' s great analysis . I only hope they catch your attention enough to order and read the entire paper . To request free electronic copies of Eba ' a Atyi and Sumula ' s paper or to send comments or queries to the authors you can write Markku Simula at : MARKKU . SIMULA @ INDUFOR . FI David Kaimowitz d . kaimowitz @ cgiar . org Top Story No . 5 : Officials Ignore Warnings on Real Environmental Threats Source : Jakarta Post , July 08 , 2002 By Bambang Nurbianto Jakarta The city administration have turned a deaf ear to the warnings of experts that future floods could be worse if they fail to maintain or even expand the number of green areas in the city . " It is typical of the city officials that they always try to pursue short - term benefits as much as possible without considering the long - term problems that result , " said Ahmad " Puput ' Safrudin of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment ( Walhi ) . Puput was commenting on the planned development of a new business center in a 40 - square - meter area of Senayan that comes under the control of the Senayan sports complex authority in Central Jakarta , and which was originally zoned as a public , green area . There have been a number of controversial projects constructed in the Senayan area , including the Mulia Hotel , Plaza Senayan and Taman Ria Senayan . Governor Sutiyoso has agreed to reconstruct the fire - razed flea market in Taman Puring in South Jakarta , whose location according to the 2010 city master plan is supposed to be a green area . He also approved the construction of a controversial sports mall in Kelapa Gading , East Jakarta , that was originally zoned for social and public facilities . Chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Association of Planners ( IAP ) Abdul Alim Salam said the city would eventually pay an expensive price for the administration ' s lack of commitment to the environment . If the development of a business centers in Senayan continued , it would cause environmental problems . But more problems would arise if the city needed more land for sports facilities in the future , he said . Puput said the administration should expand the green areas in the city from the present nine percent to about 14 percent of the total area of Jakarta as mandated by the city master plan up to 2010 . " How can the city administration increase the number of green areas if it continues to violate the land use policies set out in the city master plan , " said Puput , adding that the ideal extent of green areas should be 30 percent of the total area of the city . Wicaksono Sarosa , an executive director of the Urban and Regional Development Institute ( URDI ) , said that worse flooding would not be the only consequence of the dwindling green spaces . The city would become hotter due to the loss of green spaces and because more people would buy air conditioners . " So , those who suffer most will be the people who are not able to afford air conditioners , " said Wicaksono . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 6 : Tarsiers Threatened with Extinction Source : Jakarta Post , July 09 , 2002 By Badri Jawara Palu Belonging to the family of small primates , a tarsier has a body that measures about 20 centimeters in length and resembles a rat or a squirrel . Its tail is longer than its body , and its head is slightly round . The tarsier has eyes that are round and sharp , with large irises like those of an owl . A female tarsier is pregnant for 6 months before giving birth . Then , like a baby monkey , a baby tarsier is breast - fed by the mother . An arboreal animal , it jumps from one tree to another like a squirrel , using its feet , which resemble those of a rabbit . A tarsier lives on lizards , grasshoppers , worms , crickets , flies , mosquitoes and other insects . Like an owl , it is a nocturnal animal : sleeping during the day and looking for its food at night . Tarsiers , which are among the world ' s smallest primates , are a protected species . The total tarsier population in Sulawesi has never been calculated . But the animal is much easier to spot in Central Sulawesi than the region ' s other rare and unique animals , like deer - hogs and anoa ( dwarf buffaloes ) . " A census has yet to be conducted on tarsiers and other animals endemic to this province . One of the reasons is a lack of both funds and the necessary equipment , " M . Z . Hudiyono , the head of Central Sulawesi ' s natural resources conservation center , said . Despite its status as a protected species , tarsiers enjoy less attention and care than other rare species in Central Sulawesi , like deer - hogs and anoa . Physically , tarsiers are not attractive enough to be in demand as pets , so they are generally safe from hunters . Compared with other animals , there has been little research about tarsiers . In Indonesia , a study of this animal was not conducted until 1994 , when the Center for Primate Studies at the Agricultural Institute of Bogor and the Indonesian Safari Park in Cisarua teamed up to do some research on tarsiers . This 1994 study recommended the captive breeding of tarsiers because their habitat had been damaged by logging . Unfortunately , it was found that tarsiers born in captivity grew very slowly . There is no definite data about the size of the entire tarsier population in the world . Perhaps , the number is larger than current estimates . The results of a number of studies on the animal shows that there are three species of tarsiers : Tarsius bancanus in Sumatra and Kalimantan , Tarsius spectrum in Sulawesi , particularly in the Lore Lindu National Park , and Tarsius syrichta , which is found only in the Philippines . These species are also divided into a number of sub - species . The largest number of sub - species -- 44 -- is found in Sulawesi , particularly in Central Sulawesi , said Hudiyono . Many years ago , he said , tarsiers could still be found in Java , particularly in West Java . Today , however , there are no longer tarsier sightings in Java , and it is thought the animal has disappeared for good from the island . And unless logging is controlled , tarsiers will some day just be animals from the past . Luckily , in Sulawesi , tarsiers are still enjoying their freedom in the thick forests . But even here , if forest clearing is allowed to continue unabated , the tarsier population will continue to fall . Sulawesi can today still boast of its diversified rare flora and fauna . Deer - hogs and anoas are good examples , as they can be found nowhere else in the world . Tarsiers are not highly sought after as pets , nor do farmers view them as crop - destroying pests . This rare animal attracts the scientists , though . Hudiyono said the Lore Lindu National Park was the area with the largest number of tarsiers . In Sumatra and Kalimantan , there are some tarsiers , but their numbers are not as high as in Sulawesi . Research conducted by R . P . Agus Lelana , a veterinary surgeon at the Center for Primates Studies , concluded that tarsiers were primates in a transition from simple primates to a more advanced species . The tarsier begins to mate at the age of six . The question is whether this small primate will eventually become extinct . Of course , the answer lies in our wisdom in conserving our forests . As long as there are forests , the tarsier will survive . But once the forests are gone , this animal will have lost its natural habitat and will have become extinct . Today , the Central Sulawesi ' s Center for Natural Resources Conservation and the Lore Lindu National Park are developing a new system to maintain the region ' s rare and endemic flora and fauna . The head of the Lore Lindu National Park , Banjar Yulianto Laban , called this new system a policy of " eco - populism " . He said that under this system , the involvement of local people in environmental conservation was a must . " Eco - populism is the opposite ' eco - fascism ' , the removal of indigenous people from the conservation concept , " he said . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 7 : Environment Minister Slams Law Enforcers Source : LaksamanaNet , July 10 , 2002 Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim says deforestation remains rampant because law enforcers are corrupt and incompetent . Speaking Tuesday ( 9 / 7 / 02 ) in Riau province at the opening of seminar on efforts to prosecute people responsible for forest fires , the minister said law enforcers are completely ignorant of legislation that was designed to protect the environment . " When I watched footage of a court trial of a forest fire case in Riau , it was apparent that law enforcers have no knowledge of the environment , " he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara . He said the judge presiding over the trial had " bargained " with an expert witness on the number of trees that were burned by the fire . Some officials regard enforcement of the environment law as a hindrance to the flow of investment and local revenues , he added . Makarim said his ministry has been making every possible effort to conserve the environment by cooperating with law enforcement agencies , such as the National Police , Attorney General ' s Office , and Justice and Human Rights Ministry . He said the ministry is preparing various plans of action to improve conservation , such as the provision of environmental awareness training courses for police , state prosecutors and civilian investigators . The ministry has also proposed the creation of an Environment Court to deal with relevant violations of the law . Under the plan , the Environment Ministry will join forces with the Supreme Court and Justice and Human Rights Ministry to recruit 12 prosecutors and 12 judges who will be assigned to different parts of the country to deal with environmental cases . Almost every year Indonesia and neighboring countries suffer serious pollution caused by illegal forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan . Although many of the fires have been blamed on plantation owners seeking to clear land , none of the perpetrators have ended up in jail . Environmentalists warn that at the present level of deforestation , Indonesia ' s lowland jungles will be destroyed within 5 to 15 years . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 8 : RI Proposes 3 National Parks to Become World Heritage Sites Source : Antara , July 18 , 2002 Denpasar The Indonesian government has proposed to the United Nations that three of its national parks be named world heritage , an official of the Forestry Ministry said on Thursday . " The three are the national parks of Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan ( in Sumatra ) and Gunung Leuser ( in Aceh ) , " Widodo S Ramono , director of the National Park and Natural Resources Conservation ( KSDA ) told ANTARA and Bisnis Indonesia here . Indonesia ` s Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten province , Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara province , and Lorentz National Park in Papua province have been named world heritage . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 9 : Definition of ' Degraded ' , ' Sustainable ' Forest Needed Source : Jakarta Post , July 20 , 2002 By Jim Jarvie , Ecologist Jakarta The Secretary General of the Indonesian Pulp and Paper Association recently had a letter published in The Jakarta Post ( July 11 ) attempting to correct a previous article on the Indonesian logging ban . It used two terms , " sustainable forest " and " degraded forest " , which badly need clarification . Their definitions have serious ramifications for management of remaining forests in Sumatra and their continued exploitation by the pulp and paper industry . On the short term they affect how mill production targets are set and how the natural resource assets exploited are valued in the mess of billions of dollars in corporate debt among companies like APP and APRIL and their creditors . In the mid to long term they affect the chances of Sumatran forests surviving against a backdrop of expected extinction by 2005 in the lowlands if destruction remains unchecked . The pulp and paper industry in Indonesia frequently talks about its " sustainable forest " estates . This definition refers to plantations or in other words , tree farms . Whereas a natural forest in Sumatra can contain more than 450 tree species a hectare , and thousands more of herbs , animals , insects and more , pulp tree farms are intensively planted with less than five species , most often from Acacia or Eucalyptus . What is more , these species are not native to Sumatra or its ecoregion , despite claims by some in the industry that some plantation species should be seen as native because they are found in dry areas of Eastern Indonesia . The truth of the matter is that the political boundary of Indonesia has little to do with biological reality . A natural forest is a complex ecosystem that has evolved over millennia . Communities in and around these forests have co - evolved in past centuries , benefiting directly from forest products providing food and shelter , and indirectly from provision of water and retention of soils . In contrast , plantations are man - made and new , almost sterile environments supporting little wildlife and providing few services . From a biodiversity prospective , they are virtual deserts . From community perspectives , where plantations do work they can be poor substitutes for the benefits of natural forest . Economically their pay off is poor when compared to other tree crops , including oil palm . When plantations do not work properly the impacts are bared land , polluted water , fires and haze . These effects are happening now and affect not just communities , but also those at a distance including in other countries . So , the term " sustainable forest " should not be applied to pulp and paper plantations . Call them plantations or farms . In the Sumatran context they have nothing to do with the diminishing lush forests facing extinction in the lowlands . This leads to the second term , " degraded forest " . Some in the pulp and paper industry would have the public believe degraded forest is cleared and planted with tree farms to the benefit of all . But what is a degraded forest ? A certified , sustainably managed production forest is a natural forest that under current management conditions will survive in perpetuity . It is used to extract timber , equitably distribute benefits and not disturb natural processes unduly . So , a logged area need not be seen as degraded . Much forest in Indonesia has been badly logged , yet numerous studies indicate that if left alone much can recover . These forests are , or were , degraded , yet are in the process of returning to their natural state . Yet more forest has been affected by humankind to a lesser extent . All such forests are not pristine , yet whereas might be interpreted as degraded to some extent , they are certainly not without hope . It is these sorts of forests that are classified as degraded by elements of the pulp and paper industry and being cleared right now for their fiber , and exported to domestic and international markets . Perfectly good natural forest is being cleared in the name of removing " degraded forest " , which is in turn being planted by sterile tree farms called " sustainable forest " . There is no rationale for clearing these sorts of forests ; they are close , or can return to , their original state . Given how little forest remains in Sumatra given its former glory , there is no justifiable reason to clear it . To do so may even be illegal ; the government of Indonesia has committed to the Consultative Group on Indonesia not to clear natural forest . This said , an effective and ethical pulp and paper industry can and should contribute to Indonesia ' s economy and recovery . Any satellite image , flight or drive through Sumatra shows huge amounts of barren scrubland that could be converted to fiber bearing tree farms that would have economic benefit and reduce risks of fire and other environmental catastrophe . What is needed is the political will to drop current capacity in the pulp and paper industry to levels that can be supplied by fiber from current tree farms , truly degraded forest and scrub that has no hope of recovery . The definitions for " degraded " here need transparent and public discussion . Those running the industry , their business and finance partners must take full responsibility for the lands they manage and the damage they cause . Ethical business will be rewarded with happy buyers , poor business with more frequent and damaging boycotts . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 10 : Govt Pay no Serious Heed to Environmental Issues Source : Jakarta Post , July 20 , 2002 By Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak Jakarta Megawati Soekarnoputri ' s administration had the worst record of every previous administration in this country with regard to environmental concerns , a non - governmental organization said . The Indonesian Center for Environmental Law ( ICEL ) said the enforcement of environmental laws had worsened in comparison with previous administrations . " The gloomy picture on the enforcement of environmental laws in Indonesia is merely a proof of this government ' s weak commitment to imposing the principles of Good Sustainable Development Governance , " ICEL executive director Wiwiek Awiati said on Friday . During a celebration of ICEL ' s 9th anniversary , which falls on July 19 , its researchers revealed that the absence of a pro - environment policy had allowed alleged perpetrators to walk free and had stepped up repressive measures against anyone who struggles on behalf of the environment . The government ' s lack of attention to environmental issues has seemingly emboldened law enforcers to block public demands for legal proceedings against those who contravene existing environmental laws . This , has led to recent clashes and protests in many provinces where villagers feel they are being repressed while their traditional lands continue to be destroyed . ICEL deputy Indro Sugiarto said that the prolonged economic crisis had been the main excuse for the government to overlook environmental issues and , instead , to stick to its ( short - term ) economic growth paradigm which welcomed investors but encouraged uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources . He cited an example such as the suggestion from Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro - Jakti to allow protected forests to be exploited for mining , as well as the policy on permits for genetically modified seeds or products to enter the country , which neglected international principles of prudence . This apparent neglect seems to contradict some ministers ' official words at the recently concluded 4th Preparatory Committee Meeting on Sustainable Development , which was hosted by Indonesia . Commenting on the proposal of State Minister for Environment Nabiel Makarim on the establishment of a " Formula 12 " special team comprised of judges and prosecutors to handle environmental cases , Indro stressed that the issue was much more complex than simply assembling a few environmentally conscious judges and prosecutors . ICEL co - founder Mas Achmad Santosa , who is now its senior researcher , suggested several solutions to encourage legal enforcement , including to develop a " one - stop enforcement system " where the selected civilian investigators , police and prosecutors were put under Nabiel ' s office and the ministry ' s regional offices . " The government should also ' green ' the bench by appointing qualified judges or letting non - career judges handle environmental cases . Another alternative would be to establish a special environmental court , " he said . In the short - term , Santosa urged the government to cooperate with the National Ombudsman Commission to investigate bribery allegations in the courts , especially in environmental cases with dubious outcomes . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 11 : NRM Noon Seminar Dear all , We are pleased to announce that we will have another noon seminar on Thursday , July 25 , 2002 , at NRM office , Jl . Jend . Sudirman 9 , Jakarta . Dr . Togu Manurung of IPB and FWI will present preliminary results of a study of Indonesia ' s log export ban from 1985 - 1997 . This is a timely and relevant updating of Dr . Togu ' s PhD research , which was commissioned by the World Bank after Indonesia re - imposed the ban ( for different reasons ) last October . The final report will be presented at a workshop for Ministry of Forestry , Industry Associations , NGOs , Donors , Academicians , and other GOI representatives , possibly during the third week of August . Highlight of his study can be found below this e - mail As usual , the event is informal and participants are welcome to bring their own lunch and eat during the presentation . Hope to see you all there . Submitted by : Timothy H . Brown Natural Resources Economics Policy Advisor NRM / EPIQ Program Jakarta brownth @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 12 : New Position - Director , CIDA PSU , Jakarta The Canadian International Development Agency ( CIDA ) is the international development co - operation arm of the Government of Canada . Canada has been an active partner in Indonesia ’ s development since 1954 and Indonesia has been one of Canada ’ s largest development co - operation partners since the 1970s . CIDA is based in the Development Section of the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta . CIDA is provided with logistical , administrative and analytical support by a Program Support Unit ( PSU ) which is located within the same building as the Embassy . Details on the position and minimum requirements follow : PSU Director As the PSU is going through a significant transformation in terms of its size , legal structure , financial and information management systems and overall function , CIDA is looking for an enthusiastic , self - motivated individual with a solid management background to guide the PSU through this transition process . The PSU will shortly have nine personnel in the office , five in administrative services and four providing sector specific technical support . This staff complieent may be supplemented by additional part time technical specialists over the next year . Main responsibilities : ensure that the PSU is meeting the needs and expectations of the Development Section design and implement a transition process for the PSU provide quality control of the outputs of the various consultants within the PSU provide support to CIDA - funded projects in Indonesia on an as - required basis Education / Experience : A S2 degree with a minimum of 3 years of management experience . Candidates with an S1 degree and at least 5 years of management experience will be considered Fluency in written and spoken English Significant experience managing an office of at least 10 persons Strong inter - personal skills Proven capability to build and work within a team Experience working on international development projects or programs Experience reviewing , analysing and commenting on reports drafted in English Willingness to travel to some regions in Indonesia and to East Timor Sensitivity to gender issues Experience in computer word processing and email Experience in developing networks with key local professionals CIDA is an equal opportunities employer . Applications are welcomed from all parts of the community and women in particular are encouraged to apply . Selection is based on merit but preference will be given to qualified Indonesian and Canadian candidates . Only short - listed candidates will be contacted for an interview . The selection process will consist of a comparison of CVs and a personal interview which will take place in August . A written test might be administered . The contract will be for a eighteen month period and the fee scale will be determined by a market survey and will be adjusted based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate . If you are interested in this opportunity , please submit an application letter and CV of no more than 3 pages by 02 August 2002 , to : The Embassy of Canada Development Section World Trade Center , 6th . Floor Jl . Jend . Sudirman Kav . 29 - 31 Jakarta 12920 If you have recently applied for another position in the Canadian Embassy or in the CIDA PSU , and wish to be considered for this new position of Director PSU , you must apply again . If you have any questions please contact Ms Felicia Effendi at the CIDA PSU in Jakarta : felicia @ psujkrta . or . id Top Story No . 13 : Vacancies at CIFOR 1 . Project Co - ordinator ( National position ) Location : Bulungan Research Forest ( BRF ) , East Kalimantan , Indonesia . Extensive travel between BRF and CIFOR HQ is required Period : Three years , beginning as soon as possible Responsibilities In overall charge of the Bulungan Research Forest activities and will co - ordinate the inputs from ITTO , Ministry of Forestry , INHUTANI II , Universities , and NGOs , the Forest Research Development Agency ( FORDA ) and CIFOR . Supervise the reduced impact logging program for the Bulungan Research Forest . This will involve working closely with INHUTANI field operation staff and scientists from the partner organisations in developing a detailed research and management program for the forest site . He or she will be responsible for the day - to - day management and integration of research and operational activities . Co - ordinate the baseline surveys , particularly of forest resources and biodiversity in the Bulungan Research Forest . This will include mobilisation , supervision and co - ordination of all the technical experts working on this aspect of the project . Co - ordinate and participate in Steering Committee Meetings and present budget and other Project information . Organise annual workshops to bring together technical people involved with the project together with senior staff of ITTO , FORDA , CIFOR and the Ministry of Forestry . These workshops will also have a training function for younger scientists and operational managers . Manage the funds applied to the project and for the preparation of technical and operational reports to all the participating agencies . This will include writing technical reports synthesising the progress on , and results of the , research program . Inform ITTO members of progress and results of the project through participation in technical workshops organised by ITTO . Requirements Have at least a MSc . Degree ( Ph . D . preferred ) and have a solid background in forest ecology , forest management , silviculture or land use planning with at least 10 years experience in forest - related research . Proven expertise in research management . Experienced with multi - disciplinary and multi - cultural research team . Commitment to work with various partners and students to build research capacity . Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills . Commitment to fieldwork . Have excellent spoken and written English and Bahasa Indonesia . 2 . Forest / Field Manager ( National position ) Report to : Project Co - ordinator Location : Bulungan Research Forest ( BRF ) , East Kalimantan , Indonesia . Period : Two years , beginning as soon as possible Responsibilities : Assist team of researchers with the training and supervision of field crews , collection of field data and their analysis , and preparation of scientific and donor reports related to sustainable forest management efforts in the hill - dipterocarp forests in East Kalimantan . Specifically , the successful candidate will : Assist in the supervision and coordination of field research related to the impact of logging techniques on forest composition and structure ( establish permanent sample plots and transects , assess environmental impacts associated with logging and the response of plant and animal communities , etc . ) . Assist research related to the impact of logging on the availability and use of non - timber forest products by local peoples . Supervise reduced impact logging practices and sustainable forest management according to guidelines produced by CIFOR and other research collaborators . Participate and facilitate the organization of technical training for field staff . Establish a database framework for the project , including remote sensing and other spatially referenced information . Facilitate the field management of the research and the development of management and land use plans under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator . Requirements Have a MSc . Degree with training and experience ( preferred ) in the following areas : silviculture , timber harvesting , forest ecology , wildlife ecology , integrated land use planning , inventory techniques , and statistics . Proven managerial skills , including report preparation , project accounting and management , and training of personnel , are required . Have excellent interpersonal and communication skills . Experienced with multi - disciplinary and multi - cultural research team . Commitment to fieldwork . Have excellent spoken and written English and Bahasa Indonesia . Computer literacy is required and a familiarity with the software packages used at CIFOR is an advantage . Application Process Applications for each position will be accepted until August 16 , 2002 . Interviews will be held in Bogor , Indonesia . All correspondence will be held in confidence . A letter of interest and a curriculum vita including publication record should be sent to : Human Resources Manager , CIFOR P . O . Box 6596 JKPWB Jakarta 10065 , Indonesia Fax : + 62 251 628 626 cifor - hr @ cgiar . org ( Please indicate the position in the subject line ) CIFOR is an equal opportunity employer and believes that a diversity of staff contributes to excellence The above announcement is posted on CIFOR web site at http : // www . cifor . cgiar . org Top The views expressed by the authors and organizations contributing to this electronic newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the NRM Program , its partner organizations , USAID , or its government of Indonesia sponsors . The purpose of the NRM Headline News is to provide a forum for a wide diversity of opinion and information on NRM Program activities , selected upcoming events and news . The NRM Program is a collaborative program between the governments of Indonesia and the United States of America . The six partners implementing the NRM Program include : the Environmental Policy and Institutional Strengthening Indefinite Quantity Contract ( EPIQ ) , the Yayasan KEMALA , the Coastal Resources Management Program ( CRMP - Proyek Pesisir ) , Conservation International , The Nature Conservancy and the World Wide Fund for Nature - Indonesia .

From : sunweb @ cbn . net . id ( sunweb ) Subject : Collections of Lawyer Jokes A Collection of Lawyer Jokes 1 . An engineer , a physicist , and a lawyer were being interviewed for a position as chief executive officer of a large corporation . The engineer was interviewed first , and was asked a long list of questions , ending with " How much is two plus two ? " The engineer excused himself , and made a series of measurements and calculations before returning to the board room and announcing , " Four . " The physicist was next interviewed , and was asked the same questions . Before answering the last question , he excused himself , made for the library , and did a great deal of research . After a consultation with the United States Bureau of Standards and many calculations , he also announced " Four . " The lawyer was interviewed last , and was asked the same questions . At the end of his interview , before answering the last question , he drew all the shades in the room , looked outside the door to see if anyone was there , checked the telephone for listening devices , and asked " How much do you want it to be ? " 2 . Following a distinguished legal career , a man arrived at the Gates of Heaven , accompanied by the Pope , who had the misfortune to expire on the same day . The Pope was greeted first by St . Peter , who escorted him to his quarters . The room was somewhat shabby and small , similar to that found in a low grade Motel 6 type establishment . The lawyer was then taken to his room , which was a palatial suite including a private swimming pool , a garden , and a terrace overlooking the Gates . The attorney was somewhat taken aback , and told St . Peter , " I ' m really quite surprised at these rooms , seeing as how the Pope was given such small accommodations . " St . Peter replied , " We have over a hundred Popes here , and we ' re really very bored with them . We ' ve never had a lawyer . " 3 . Question : Do you know how to save five drowning lawyers ? Answer : No . Reply : Good ! 4 . Why don ' t snakes bite attorneys ? Professional courtesy . 5 . How can you tell that an attorney is about to lie ? His lips begin to move . 6 . How can you tell the difference between an attorney lying dead in the road and a coyote lying dead in the road ? With the coyote , you usually see skid marks . 7 . How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb ? How many can you afford ? 8 . An attorney passed on and found himself in heaven , but not at all happy with his accommodations . He complained to St . Peter , who told him that his only recourse was to appeal his assignment . The attorney immediately advised that he intended to appeal , but was then told that he would be waiting at least three years before his appeal could be heard . The attorney protested that a three year wait was unconscionable , but his words fell on deaf ears . The lawyer was then approached by the devil , who told him that he would be able to arrange an appeal to be heard in a few days , if the attorney was willing to change venue to Hell . When the attorney asked why appeals could be heard so much sooner in Hell , he was told , " We have all of the judges . " 9 . As Mr . Smith was on his death bed , he attempted to formulate a plan that would allow him to take at least some of his considerable wealth with him . He called for the three men he trusted most his lawyer , his doctor , and his clergyman . He told them , " I ' m going to give you each $ 30 , 000 in cash before I die . At my funeral , I want you to place the money in my coffin so that I can try to take it with me . " All three agreed to do this and were given the money . At the funeral , each approached the coffin in turn and placed an envelope inside . While riding in the limousine to the cemetery , the clergyman said " I have to confess something to you fellows . Brother Smith was a good churchman all his life , and I know he would have wanted me to do this . The church needed a new baptistery very badly , and I took $ 10 , 000 of the money he gave me and bought one . I only put $ 20 , 000 in the coffin . " The physician then said , " Well , since we ' re confiding in one another , I might as well tell you that I didn ' t put the full $ 30 , 000 in the coffin either . Smith had a disease that could have been diagnosed sooner if I had this very new machine , but the machine cost $ 20 , 000 and I couldn ' t afford it then . I used $ 20 , 000 of the money to buy the machine so that I might be able to save another patient . I know that Smith would have wanted me to do that . " The lawyer then said , " I ' m ashamed of both of you . When I put my envelope into that coffin , it held my personal check for the full $ 30 , 000 . " 10 . The National Institutes of Health have announced that they will no longer be using rats for medical experimentation . In their place , they will use attorneys . They have given three reasons for this decision : 1 . There are now more attorneys than there are rats . 2 . The medical researchers don ' t become as emotionally attached to the attorneys as they did to the rats . 3 . No matter how hard you try , there are some things that rats won ' t do . 11 . A man woke up in a hospital bed and called for his doctor . He asked " Give it to me straight . How long have I got ? " The physician replied that he doubted that his patient would survive the night . The man then said " Call for my lawyer . " When the lawyer arrived , the man asked for his physician to stand on one side of the bed , while the lawyer stood on the other . The man then laid back and closed his eyes . When he remained silent for several minutes , the physician asked what he had in mind . The man replied " Jesus died with a thief on either side , and I thought I ' d check out the same way . " 12 . What do you get if you send the Godfather to law school ? An offer you can ' t understand . 13 . A doctor , an architect , and an attorney were dining at the country club one day , and the conversation turned to the subject of their respective dogs , which were apparently quite extraordinary . A wager was placed on who had the most intelligent dog . The physician offered to show his dog first , and called to the parking lot , " Hippocrates , come ! " Hippocrates ran in , and was told by the doctor to do his stuff . Hippocrates ran to the golf course and dug for a while , producing a number of bones . He dragged the bones into the country club , and assembled them into a complete , fully articulated human skeleton . The physician patted Hippocrates on the head , and gave him a cookie for his efforts . The architect was only marginally impressed , and called for his dog , " Sliderule , come ! " Sliderule ran in , and was told to do his stuff . The dog immediately chewed the skeleton to rubble , but reassembled the fragments into a scale model of the Taj Mahal . The architect patted his dog and gave him a cookie . The attorney watched the other two dogs , and called " Bullshit , come ! " Bullshit entered and was told to do his stuff . Bullshit immediately sodomized the other two dogs , stole their cookies , auctioned the Taj Mahal replica to the other club members for his fee , and went outside to play golf . 14 . Good News : A busload of lawyers ran off a cliff . The bus was destroyed and there were no survivors . Bad News : There were three empty seats . 15 . What do you have when you bury six lawyers up to their necks in sand ? Not enough sand . 16 . What ' s black and brown and looks good on a lawyer ? A doberman pinscher . 17 . When a person assists a criminal in breaking the law before the criminal gets arrested , we call him an accomplice . When a person assists a criminal in breaking the law after the criminal gets arrested , we call him a defense lawyer . 18 . A prominent young attorney was on his way to court to begin arguments on a complex lawsuit when he suddenly found himself at the Gates of Heaven . St . Peter started to escort him inside , when he began to protest that his untimely death had to be some sort of mistake . " I ' m much too young to die ! I ' m only 35 ! " St . Peter agreed that 35 did seem to be a bit young to be entering the pearly gates , and agreed to check on his case . When St . Peter returned , he told the attorney , " I ' m afraid that the mistake must be yours , my son . We verified your age on the basis of the number of hours you ' ve billed to your clients , and you ' re at least 108 . " 19 . A snake and a rabbit were racing along a pair of intersecting forest pathways one day , when they collided at the point where the pathways meet . They immediately began to argue with one another as to who was at fault for the mishap . When the snake remarked that he had been blind since birth , and thus should be given additional leeway , the rabbit said that he , too , had been blind since birth . The two animals then forgot about the collision and began commiserating concerning the problems of being blind . The snake said that his greatest regret was the loss of his identity . He had never been able to see his reflection in water , and for that reason did not know exactly what he looked like , or even what he was . The rabbit declared that he had the same problem . Seeing a way that they could help each other , the rabbit proposed that one feel the other from head to toe , and then try to describe what the other animal was . The snake agreed , and started by winding himself around the rabbit . After a few moments , he announced , " You ' ve got very soft , fuzzy fur , long ears , big rear feet , and a little fuzzy ball for a tail . I think that you must be a bunny rabbit ! " The rabbit was much relieved to find his identity , and proceeded to return the favor to the snake . After feeling about the snake ' s body for a few minutes , he asserted , " Well , you ' re scaly , you ' re slimy , you ' ve got beady little eyes , you squirm and slither all the time , and you ' ve got a forked tongue . I think you ' re a lawyer ! " 20 . A man walked into a curio shop and began to browse . He was attracted to a brass rat on a shelf behind the counter . He asked the shopkeeper for a price , and was told to make an offer . Presently they agreed on a price , and the brass rat changed hands . The shopkeeper warned the customer as he took the money , " This sale is final . If you leave the shop with the brass rat , I won ' t take it back under any circumstances . " The customer agreed and left with the rat . As he walked home , he noticed that a live rat came scurrying out of an alley and began to follow him . Soon there were more , all following him and milling bout his feet . The man began to run , but the rats kept up , and more joined the procession . After a few minutes , thousands of rats were chasing after the man . The man ran frantically for the river , and threw the brass rat into the water . The live rats followed the brass rat , and soon all had drowned . The man returned to the curio shop , and on seeing him enter , the shopkeeper shouted , " I told you , the sale was final ! You cannot return the brass rat ! " The customer replied , " That ' s no problem . I just wondered if you had a brass lawyer in stock . " 21 . A police chief , a fire chief , and a city manager were traveling together by car to a municipal management conference in a distant city . Their car broke down in a rural area , and they were forced to seek shelter for the night at a nearby farmhouse . The farmer welcomed them in , but cautioned them that there were only two spare beds , and that one of them would have to sleep in the barn with the farm animals . After a short conference , the police chief agreed to take the barn . Shortly after retiring , a knock was heard on the door of the farmhouse . The party inside answered to find the police chief standing there , complaining that he could not sleep . There were pigs in the barn , he said , and he was reminded of the days when everyone called him a pig . The fire chief then volunteered to exchange with the police chief . A short time later , another knock was heard at the door . The fire chief complained that the cows in the barn reminded him of Mrs . O ' Leary ' s cow that started the Chicago fire , and that every time he started to go to sleep , he started to have a fireman ' s worst nightmare , that of burning to death . The city attorney , in desperation for sleep , then agreed to sleep in the barn . This seemed like a good idea until a few minutes later , when another knock was heard at the door . When the occupants answered the door , there stood the very indignant cows and pigs . 22 . A mother and son were walking through a cemetery , and passed by a headstone inscribed " Here lies a good lawyer and an honest man . " The little boy read the headstone , looked up at his mother , and asked " Mommy , why did they bury two men there ? " 23 . An attorney was sitting in his office late one night , when Satan appeared before him . The Devil told the lawyer , " I have a proposition for you . You can win every case you try , for the rest of your life . Your clients will adore you , your colleagues will stand in awe of you , and you will make embarrassing sums of money . All I want in exchange is your soul , your wife ' s soul , your children ' s souls , the souls of your parents , grandparents , and parents in law , and the souls of all your friends and law partners . " The lawyer thought about this for a moment , then asked , " So , what ' s the catch ? "

For many newcomers to Jakarta , the thought of hiring household staff seems quite foreign - a luxury reserved for the fortunate few . In Jakarta , however , having household staff is a part of everyday life for Indonesians and foreigners alike . Your staff will not only be an enormous help to you around your home , but will also serve as your first window into Indonesian culture , a sort of liaison between two worlds . At the same time , you will be providing much needed jobs and financial support to your staff . The first thing to consider when hiring staff would be your own personal household needs . Do you have a large house ? A small apartment ? Do you have children ? A large garden or pool ? Listed below are the different types of domestic helpers , or pembantu , who will be available for hire : Cook Maid Houseboy Babysitter Laundress Gardener Driver Guard Juru masak or koki Pembantu wanita Pembantu laki Pengasuh anak Tukang cuci Tukang kebon Sopir or supir Penjaga or jaga For a single person or a couple in a small apartment a part - time live - out maid , plus a driver , will probably be adequate , but for a family in a large house with a garden a team of 4 to 5 people is recommended to keep the household running smoothly . The division of duties is very flexible and some of the jobs mentioned above can be combined , such as maid / laundress or houseboy / gardener . In order to maintain harmonious relationships amongst the staff it can be a good idea to choose people from the same ethnic group , or to allow the most senior staff member , usually the cook , to give recommendations or advice on selecting the others . When you have decided on what sort of helpers you need , the next question is where to find them . In Jakarta there are various ways to locate and set up interviews with potential staff for your home . Perhaps the very best way is through word - of - mouth from friends and colleagues as you will have personal references to go by . Another excellent source is community bulletin boards , where expatriates who are leaving the country often post notices in order to place their staff . Often you will have the chance to speak with the former employer . These bulletin boards are found in many supermarkets , clubs and organizations frequented by the expatriate community . However , to ensure authenticity of information , it is recommended to choose staff from boards that are not accessible to the general public and are located inside the buildings of the clubs and organizations . If you need additional assistance , the Jakarta International Community Center holds a servants ' registry two mornings a week staffed by volunteers who will help expatriates to interview prospective staff members if necessary . Another way to source staff is from other helpers ' friends and family . It is possible that someone who is working for a friend may know of someone who is looking for work . Indonesians normally would not recommend just anyone , as it is seen as a loss of face if that person does not work out . What to ask when interviewing a potential servant will depend a great deal on your own household needs and the duties involved , but perhaps the most important thing to go by is your own instinct or personal feelings about the person you are interviewing . Remember that this person will play a large role in your personal life in Jakarta , and will be spending a lot of time with both you and your family . Don ' t hire anyone that you do not feel comfortable with or trusting of no matter how glowing his or her references might be . A person ' s nature is often more important than his or her skill when you will be living in the same household . With luck , you may find someone with whom you and your family will establish a long and warm relationship for years to come . Listed below are a few recommended questions you may wish to ask when interviewing : Identification and Personal Details . Find out as much as possible about family , children , what village they are from , how long they have been in Jakarta , etc . Ask to see their original KTP ( identity card ) and driver ' s license and should you decide to employ them always make a copy of your employee ' s KTP , or identity card , on the first day of employment and keep this in a secure place . Experience . Usually , you will be handed a few letters of reference to read , written by former employers . If possible contact the referee to ensure that they are authentic . These will normally give a description of the length of employment , the duties that were performed , any particular skills , as well as personal attributes . Sometimes these will be glowing , other times more to the point . Ask questions that outline experience specifically ; for example , if you are interviewing a cook who tells you that he or she is familiar with preparing Western food , ask him or her to explain some examples of the kinds of dishes prepared . This will give you a better idea of his or her ability . Ability to Read . This may or may not be of great importance to you , depending on the position . In the case of a cook , the ability to read a recipe or a shopping list would be important . The ability to read would also be crucial for a babysitter or nanny , particularly if an emergency should occur . Living Arrangements . Find out if he or she is looking for a live - in position and would be occupying a room in the household quarters , or living outside the home and commuting . This may have an effect on the hours worked , and on flexibility with regard to hours worked , so discuss this carefully . Expectations . Identify and explain in detail the duties and responsibilities of the position . Ground Rules . Explain again , in detail , what their normal hours would be , whether or not you would need some flexibility with these hours , whether or not visitors would be allowed , phone usage , etc . , and make sure that this is mutually acceptable . Most staff employees expect one day off a week and work 12 - hour days , which of course includes a lunch hour ( s ) and periodic breaks for prayers or rest . Children . If you are interviewing a babysitter or nanny for your child , clearly outline your expectations , rules and philosophy concerning the care of your children . If you are simply hiring someone to work in the household , find out how they feel about working in a house full of kids ( most Indonesians adore children and truly love having them around ) . Ask the potential employee if they have children themselves , how old they are , and if they would be living in or visiting your home ( you must decide ahead of time if this is acceptable to you and if you have enough room ) . Pets . If you own a dog it is of great importance that you mention this at the time of the interview . Many Indonesians , being Muslims , do not wish to care for or even live in the same environment as a dog . This is rarely a problem with household help who have worked for expatriates before , and you will certainly be able to find someone who doesn ' t mind dogs . Indonesians , for the most part , feel comfortable with many other types of pets , particularly cats and birds , but you should ask to be sure . More information on this in the Pets article . Salary . Identify what the starting salary would be , and determine if this is acceptable . It is also important at this time to discuss when and if you would give future raises and what they would be based on , holiday bonuses , and any other extras that you may want to include at this time . The following chart gives a rough idea of the average salaries paid by expatriates for servants in Indonesia . This reflects the average only , as a salary would vary depending upon the servant ' s individual skills , language abilities , years of service , and your own personal standards . Normally , a servant will receive a raise periodically and consequently , over time , his or her salary would be quite high in comparison with the average salary . This provides incentive and reward for service . The following Average Salary Chart does not reflect Koll ' s recommendations ; it is based on our survey results . While there are no formal regulations governing the salaries of household staff , it is worth remembering that the official minimum wage for a laborer in Jakarta if for people who are not living in with an employer . Staff Salary Guidelines Average Salaries for Household Staff November 2006 Source : Koll Relocations General Rp 700 , 000 to Rp 1 , 300 , 000 + optional food allowance Cook Rp 800 , 000 to Rp 1 , 500 , 000 + optional food allowance Houseboy Rp 600 , 000 to Rp 1 , 300 , 000 + optional food allowance Jaga / Guard Rp 600 , 000 to Rp 1 , 300 , 000 + optional food allowance Food Allowance . Some employers provide a food allowance , or will provide basic food items such as rice , sugar , tea , coffee and oil . However , many choose to simply work this into the salary , so that the staff is responsible for their own food purchases . This method seems to work with fewer headaches and misunderstandings . Vacation . Employees are entitled to a paid vacation period each year . This vacation usually falls over the Lebaran holiday period ( see below ) . The timing and scheduling of this and any other vacation period that you choose to offer also depends upon your own personal schedule and needs , so this should be discussed and mutually agreed upon as well . This is especially important if Lebaran is just a few months away , even though they haven ' t been working for you for a year , they will still expect to take vacation over the holidays . Severance Pay . It is standard practice to provide the equivalent of one month ' s salary for each full year of service to an employee when you leave the country and no longer require his or her services , or in the event of termination . Probation Period . If you choose to do so , let the potential employee know that he or she would initially work for a trial period of time , normally two to three months , after which both parties may decide if the arrangement is working out . Starting Date . If all goes well , everyone should agree upon the starting date . Some additional information and common practices regarding staff include the following : Lebaran Bonus . Lebaran is the celebration at the end of the holy month of Ramadhan for those of the Moslem faith . This is a very special time for Indonesians where it is the custom to give gifts of money and clothing . Although it is called a " bonus " it is not only customary but , by law , all employees are entitled by law to receive the equivalent of a full month ' s salary as a yearly bonus at this time . Many domestic helpers choose this time to return to their villages to celebrate the holiday with family . The bonus is very important , as most Indonesians do not manage a savings account and use the " bonus " to cover holiday shopping and tickets home . In the case of employing a Christian servant , you would compensate for the Christmas holidays in the same manner . Uniforms . It is standard practice to provide either a uniform or a work clothing allowance for employees , with perhaps the exception of night guards . Overtime . If an employee works past normal hours , for example during a dinner party , paying overtime wages would be customary . This is also true for the Indonesian official public holidays . If a servant chooses to work during a public holiday , he or she should be compensated for this . Medical Care . Most Indonesians do not have health insurance and very few have enough money in their savings account to cover their medical and hospital bills . It is common practice for the employer to cover medical and hospital bills in the event that a domestic helper should become sick , and while most employers reimburse all medical expenses it is advisable to set an annual limit in advance . Should your helper exceed his or her limit you can decide at your own discretion if you wish to cover the excess . The equivalent of 1 - 2 months salary is the usual amount agreed upon as a yearly medical reimbursement limit . Should your employee have family or dependents , you should let him or her know whether or not you are prepared to cover family members ' medical costs . Pre - employment health checks . Many expatriates arrange for a pre - employment medical exam at their own expense . It is recommended that any staff handling food or working with young children be tested for hepatitis , tuberculosis and typhoid before beginning employment . For drivers in particular include a test of eyesight . The health check should be carried out by a reputable medical clinic that gives the results of the tests direct to you , not to the potential employee . Keeping Records . It is very important to keep track of salary and bonus payments , medical payments , loans , or any other type of financial transaction between employer and employee . Put everything in writing in a record book , and make sure that each time a transaction occurs , your employee counts his or her money , understands everything , and then signs the book next to each individual transaction . You may also want to keep any medical receipts , and a copy of your employee ' s KTP , or identity card , in this book . This book should then be kept in a safe place . Security Concerns . It is advisable to keep anything of value , such as jewelry , cash , passports , etc . , locked up in a secure place at all times . You may decide to purchase a small safe to keep in your closet for extra peace of mind . Remember that no matter how fond you are of your domestic helpers , and no matter how honest they are , leaving valuables accessible only serves as a great temptation and may invite trouble . Courses and Skills . Special courses are available at the Jakarta International Community Center and International SOS that are designed to improve various skills required by household staff . These include courses such as English , cooking , food handler ' s skills , swimming pool care , first aid and CPR , child minder ' s first aid , and household cleaning . After the course , each student receives a certificate of participation which is beneficial in future job searches . Leaving the Country . Most employers provide their household staff with letters of recommendation and help with job placement before departure from Indonesia . This is in addition to the severance pay as described above . If you decide to terminate an employee , it is recommended not to give notice beforehand for security reasons . It is best to simply terminate the employee in a very calm manner , and ask that he or she prepare to depart the premises immediately . Once again , for security reasons , you should supervise this preparation in the company of another person . Avoid accusations , emotions and angry words . If your employee has worked for one year or more , he or she should be provided with severance pay equal to one month ' s salary per year of service even if they are being terminated . This should be stipulated in your initial agreement . Make sure that he or she signs a statement in your record book affirming receipt of this payment . If your servant is resigning , you are not responsible for severance pay . However , you should still supervise the departure . If you have several members of staff it is up to you to decide whether you prefer to have them take their days off on different days , or whether you would like them all to take the same day off so that you can have a " staff - free " day . It certainly takes some adjustment in getting used to having staff around your house , but most expatriates will find that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks . For more information on Household Staff , read AWA ' s Introducing Indonesia , A Guide to Expatriate Living and Privacy Issues in Indonesia and how they affect expatriates . Our thanks to Koll Residential for their generous contribution of this article ! [ Practical Information ] [ Expat Forum ] [ Site Map ] [ Search ] [ Home Page ] [ Contact ] Tell your friends about the Living in Indonesia web site Copyright © 1997 - 2006 , Expat Web Site Association Jakarta , Indonesia http : // www . expat . or . id All rights reserved . The information on Living in Indonesia , A Site for Expatriates may not be retransmitted or reproduced in any form without permission . This information has been compiled from sources which we , the Expat Web Site Association and volunteers related to this site , believe to be reliable . While reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts are accurate and up - to - date , opinions and commentary are fair and reasonable , we accept no responsibility for them . The information contained does not make any recommendation upon which you can rely without further personal consideration and is not an offer or a solicitation to buy any products or services from us . Opinions and statements constitute the judgment of the contributors to this web site at the time the information was written and may change without notice .

Expatriate community organizations in Malang Rainbow Preschool , contact : Ibu Atiek , Jalan Soka 3 , phone 491126 ( since 6 months not open , due to lack of small children in expat community ) Wesley International School , Jalan Simpang Kwoka 1 , contact : Jeff Seely , phone 586410 , Email : wesley @ wesleyinterschool . org Hash House Harriers ( hiking / running ) , contact : Pak Poedji , UD . Mandarin , ( Computer shop ) , Jalan Jagung Suprapto 7 , phone 325888 , 361996 German - English Library , contact : Hidayati Phillips , Jalan Puncak Tidar , Blok VE 2 , No . 1A , phone 563002 English Language Christian Worship Service : Sunday afternoon from 4pm . OMS , Lembah Dieng , phone 580753 , bible study , singing , fellowship , Sunday School is available for children during the message Medical Information and Housing , contact : Bonita Hendra , Jalan Esberg 1 , phone 561605 , 0816551047 , Email : hendrath @ indo . net . id Bahasa Indonesia language study , contact : KPN , Jalan Lokon 3 , phone 565523 , Email : navi @ malang . wasantara . net . id or Bhinneka Language School , Jalan Terusan Bondowoso 6 , phone 580296 Recreation Opportunities There are very good recreation opportunities in the Malang area . Many big hotels provide a fitness club with gymnasium , pool , sauna , spa , massage , tennis courts , basket ball court , some have a beach volley ball field . There are also fitness clubs outside these hotels which are cheaper , but not of the same quality , also facilities / opportunities to play tennis , squash or badminton . Golf courses are situated between Malang and Surabaya along the main road , the nearest is a one hour drive from Malang . For the ladies there are aerobic clubs , where they can attend courses in the early morning hours , when the husband is at work and the children are in school or in the evening . We have 8 Hash House Harrier groups in Malang , so that you can choose the most convenient time during the week or on weekends for you . This is a worldwide organization for people who would like to go hiking or running with a group . You can have some soft drinks , beer or water and often also food after the run . Malang has several movie theaters with the choice of 3 or 4 films ( Dieng Plaza is the most comfortable ) , some hotels show videos on a big screen ( Klub Bunga ) . The beaches are 2 3 hours drive to the south coast ( Sedangbiru , Balekambang , Ngliyep ) . Unfortunately there is only basic accommodation available , if any at all and you cannot find a nice restaurant either . So you better prepare for a picnic on the beach . Swimming can be dangerous at the south coast , better be careful and ask the locals for a safe place to swim . Visit the nearby town of Tretes . Traditional Cultural Performances Taman Rekreasi Senaputra , Jalan Brawijaya , shows every Sunday morning at 10 . 00 o clock traditional dances from East Java during the dry season . Every last Wednesday of the month there is a Wayang at 22 . 00 h . In Pandaan there is an open - air theater , where you can watch dance performances from the Ramayana or Mahabarata epics on weekends . In Tumpang is the art center " Pandepokan Seni Mangun Dharma " , which was established 1989 to promote the research , study and performances of East Javanese arts . They offer classes for dance , Gamelan , batik , wood carving , Shadow puppetry and stage performances on mask dance drama , Shadow puppetry ( Wayang Kulit , regularly on Monday night , Kliwon , according to the Javanese Calendar , every 5 weeks ) , horse trance dancing ( Kuda Kepang ) , Ludruk theater , remo and uyon - uyon . To obtain information about the art center , please contact : Karen & Soleh Adi Pramono , phone 787 - 907 . These performances are of excellent quality . The dancers are trained from childhood on and they perform on many occasions in their villages . East Javanese Dances are very expressive and dynamic and it s really an adventure to see them . Difficulties with utilities Electricity , water , telephone and Internet service providers are available in Malang . Getting connected to the Internet is pretty slow and on peak hours nearly impossible . Internet providers in Malang are : Indo . net , Wasantara . net , Global . net , Meganet , and Telkom . net . Other the other supply - utilities work quite normally . It is better to use a Stavol stabilizer to regulate electricity flow for major appliances and electronic equipment as electricity can be unstable and blackouts are normal in some areas . Shopping For everyday use , you can get nearly everything you need in Malang . Fruits , vegetables and spices you can buy here at the market in good quality and very cheap , comparable to western countries . Products which are hard to get or not in the quality we would like are : cheese , soft cheese , yogurt , sour cream , meat for steaks that is tender , other kinds of meat like beef or chicken ( sometimes you can buy lamb ) , dark or rye - bread , western style cakes , books and newspapers in English or other foreign languages , quality toys for children , wine , champagne , deodorant and tampons , among others . Clothing is not a problem in Malang . If your size is not available in the stores , you can get it tailor - made in good quality . Sometimes it is even enough to bring a clipping from a magazine with your favorite design . Swimsuits and shoes for ladies in bigger sizes can be a problem , however , " Toko Modern " can make shoes for you , but they are not cheap . There have been some improvements in recent years . A new Supermarket ( Tops ) on Jalan Kawi , a big Gramedia ( books , newspapers , stationary , sports , music ) opposite of Hero , a Holland Bakery in Jalan Wilis opened . Many Factory Outlets for clothing have sprung up like mushrooms all over the town . Especially small shops are changing frequently . Even in big supermarkets the produce and brands are constantly changing . If something is not available in Malang , sometimes it can be found in Surabaya , which is only 2 hours drive by car . Many working people must also go to Jakarta or Singapore for business reasons . These trips are always a good opportunity to stock up on missing necessities ( time permitted ) . The Gajayana train goes directly from Jakarta - Gambir to Malang . We have also collected some useful addresses where we can order food ( meat from a German butcher in Bali or bread from a German lady in Jakarta ) . What " Expat Life " is like Most of the community activities are organized by the Expats or Indonesians themselves , there is not much " night life " in Malang . There are some nice hotels where you can go to for dinner : the famous Tugu Hotel or the Graha Cakra Hotel ( former RRI radio station ) , Regent s Hotel or Kartika Graha in the center of Malang . Also to mention the Toko Oen Cafe which is better to visit at daytime , because the lighting is not very pleasant in the evening , some neon bulbs hanging from the ceiling . Gardena Vegetarian Cafe , Cafe Und s at Jalan Besar Ijen or Chahayaningrat , a typical Javanese restaurant where you can sit in a nice atmosphere and also watch some traditional performances on weekends . The food is mainly Indonesian or Chinese . When they offer western dishes , don t expect the same style as in your home country , or you will be disappointed . There is a Japanese restaurant at the Kartika Graha Hotel on the top of the building with a view over Malang and good food too , don t be put off , if you are the only guest , it can happen ! There are some good Chinese restaurants in town , " KDS " is famous among Chinese and Expats alike . On weekends you can go golfing , hiking in Malang s mountain ranges or visit one of the Agrowisata Hotels in Batu which has long been a recreation site for Indonesian people . Make a day - or weekend trip to the beaches at the south or north coast , which may be crowded with local people on Sundays . Visit the Island of Madura , the Bromo Bertiri National Park , the Baluran National Park , one of the many waterfalls , or go up to the tea plantations near Singosari and Lawang . The landscape in East Java offers many possibilities for a short trip . Here are also many culturally interesting places that could be visited , like ancient Hindu temples . You could also go to some of the villages , places of Indonesian home industry , where they produce leather ware , stone reliefs and statues or bronze statues , or " antik " furniture , just to have a look , how it is produced and also to buy something . Then there are the many wedding invitations , Javanese ceremonies , Wayang - Kulit or dance performances that you can attend . Life can be filled with all these community activities , as soon as you get in contact with the Indonesian people , who will invite you to all their festivities if you are a newcomer . Expat life in Malang is much more integrated in the community life of the Indonesian people than it is in Jakarta . Housing Most expats live in a large house with garden ( some have their own pool ) at reasonable prices . There are plenty of houses you can choose from . You can also decide , if you prefer to live directly in the city of Malang or up in the mountains in Batu , or somewhere in the new building areas , called Perumahan , around Malang . Malang is a fast developing city and it is unbelievable how many houses have been built during the last 5 10 year period . It did not stop in the economic crisis , krismon . As many expats left in recent years , it is a paradise for everyone , who is looking for a house in Malang and around . The quality is not comparable to our western standards , however , most expats have better housing conditions than in their home country , one of the reasons , why they would like to stay here . If you are looking for a house in Malang , contact Bonita Hendra , Jalan Esberg 1 , phone 561605 , Email : hendrath @ indo . net . id Dining - foreign cuisine or fast food restaurants Mc Donalds , Kentucky Fried Chicken , Wendy s , Dunkin Donuts , Pizza Hut . Café Bunga Bali is a nice Restaurant in Balinese style with a little court inside . They serve good steaks and their special is Swiss Roesti . On weekends they have live music and Balinese dancers . Another restaurant in Balinese style was opened in a renovated Dutch villa of colonial time , PADI , Resto - Galeri , on Jalan Pahlawan Trip 19 , where they also serve western food . Japanese and Chinese restaurants The big hotels offer foreign cuisine , but the food is not the same as in Europe , USA or Australia . You can order foreign food , for example Blackforest Cake from an Indonesian lady who was trained by Swiss expats , also Apple Cake , Pizza and other western dishes . Approximate size of Expat population In 2005 one mailing list had100 names = families + couples + single persons . 44 % on the list are western expats , 30 % are Asian expats , 20 % are mixed families ( western Indonesian ) and 6 % are Indonesian institutions or persons with special connections to the expat community . The list is not complete , some people do not want to be mentioned on the list or live already here for many years and are fully integrated into the Indonesian society . Access to good medical care Some Indonesian doctors were trained abroad and can speak German , Dutch , English or another language . For less serious cases , medical care is sufficient . For medical checkups , most expats use their home leave to do it in their home country . Some go to Surabaya , Jakarta or Singapore . Malang has some good Chinese doctors who can cure many illnesses with acupuncture and herbs and also good laboratories if you need to test for malaria or other tropical deceases . Learning the Language In Malang , it is essential that you can speak some Bahasa Indonesia , because not many people can speak English or other foreign languages . However , some older Indonesians can speak Dutch and fewer still can understand a bit of German . It is recommended to start learning Bahasa Indonesia as soon as you arrive in Malang . There are several good language schools in Malang : BHINNEKA , Jalan Terusan Bondowoso 6 , phone 580 - 296 , or KPN language school , Jalan Lokon 3 , phone 563 - 264 , contact Roger and Wanaka Clibborn , Jalan Simpang Dieng I , No . 6 , phone 565 - 523 , Email : navi @ malang . wasantara . net . id Primary employers of Expats There are some large cigarette factories like Philip Morris , Bentoel and Rothman s , chemical industry like Beiersdorf , Schering , Schulmann Plastics , also Nestle in Pasuruan for milk products , paperfactories , agrobusiness , some expats work at the universities , the Wesley International School or at the VEDC Malang which is a training institute for technical teachers of STM Schools and in recent years also for local industry . Malang has many missionaries from different Christian organizations , who work as teachers or do social work and support Indonesian Christian organizations . There is a Swiss project for small and medium scale industry , called SMEP , an Austrian project for water treatment facilities , some people work in the Agrobusiness , which is a substantial factor in the Malang area . Our thanks to Brigitte Klaws for her efforts to compile and periodically update the information above and willingness to answer other questions of intending expat residents of Malang . [ Practical Information ] [ Expat Forum ] [ Site Map ] [ Search ] [ Home Page ] [ Contact ] Tell a friend about the Living in Indonesia web site Copyright © 1997 - 2006 , Expat Web Site Association . Jakarta , Indonesia http : // www . expat . or . id All rights reserved . The information on Living in Indonesia , A Site for Expatriates may not be retransmitted or reproduced in any form without permission . This information has been compiled from sources which we , the Expat Web Site Association and volunteers related to this site , believe to be reliable . While reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the facts are accurate and up - to - date , opinions and commentary are fair and reasonable , we accept no responsibility for them . The information contained does not make any recommendation upon which you can rely without further personal consideration and is not an offer or a solicitation to buy any products or services from us . Opinions and statements constitute the judgment of the contributors to this web site at the time the information was written and may change without notice .

Local students doing insect research at the Leuser Ecosystem The Research , Monitoring , and Information Division of the Leuser Management Unit has managerial responsibility through governmental decrees for research activities within the Leuser Ecosystem . It actively supports the participation of Indonesian researchers and students for both pure and applied research of relevance to the conservation of the L . E . In particular , support is given to those from the state universities in North Sumatra and Aceh . Four research stations are run within the Leuser Ecosystem : Ketambe ( lowland forest , focused on habituated groups of orang - utan and Thomas Leaf monkeys ) , Soraya ( lowland forest protected within a logging concession , focusing on biodiversity monitoring and educational and awareness activities ) , Suaq ( lowland peat swamp forest , focusing on studies on habituated orang - utans ) , and Bengkung ( a new site based in a closed transmigration site in the middle of lowland rain forest , which may become the focus for large - mammal studies ) . Two monitoring posts have also been established to date , considerably extending the potential for survey work within the vast and diverse Leuser Ecosystem . Lymnonectes blythii in the Leuser Ecosystem The completion of floral and faunal inventories is an important priority for biological research , as is the ecological study of individual species . Of particular importance are studies on the IUCN SSG animals found within the Leuser Ecosystem , such as the white - winged duck , and the Sumatran serow , the Sumatran tiger , and the rhinoceros . Click Here for Table of Research Priorities on endangered animal species Applied research topics such as the effect of logging , erosion problems , wildlife management , and land use patterns outside the Ecosystem , are key issues to be addressed in the formulation of management strategies . In addition , the surrounding programme area offers many opportunities for sociological and economic research . Of particular interest to the LMU is the influence of adat ( tradition ) on the adjacent communities and community resource management systems . Ecotourism development is part of the LMU s mandate but there are no longer any active orang - utan rehabilitation centres in the Leuser Ecosystem ; the Bohorok centre has become a tourist - oriented orangutan viewing area only . Research into all these factors is actively encouraged through national and international networks . Access to stations and posts from Medan : Soraya : 6 - hour tarmac road journey followed by 1 . 5 - hour river journey Ketambe : 6 - hour tarmac road journey followed by a short river crossing Bengkung * : 6 - hour tarmac road journey followed by 2 - hour river journey then 1 hour by motorbike or 8 - hour tarmac and dirt road journey . Suaq Balimbing * : 10 - hour tarmac and dirt road journey followed by narrow river crossing and short forest walk . Gunung Air : 6 - hour tarmac road journey followed by 2 - hour river journey , and a half - hour walk . Agusan : 7 - hour tarmac road journey followed by 1 - hour walk . * Note : Suaq Balimbing and Bengkung Research Stations have been closed temporarily for all research activities . Traditional canoe is used to cross the Alas river to Ketambe Research Station LMU Field Offices FIELD OFFICE ADDRESS CONTACT DETAILS LMU Langsa Jl . Lilawangsa No . 12 , Langsa , Aceh Timur Tel . / Fax : 0641 - 21487 LMU Kutacane Jl . Raja Bintang Kutacane , Aceh Tenggara Tel . 0629 - 21009 Fax : 0629 - 21491 LMU Tapaktuan Jl . Syekh Mudawali No . 27 - A , Tapaktuan Tel . / Fax : 0656 - 21675 LMU Banda Aceh Jl . Tgk . Abdullah Ujong Rimba No . 6 Banda Aceh Tel . 0651 - 31555 Fax : 0651 - 32969 Research regulations and obligations All researchers , both Indonesian and foreign , who want to work in the L . E . should realise that they should : follow government regulations on research , specimen collection , and export , and need license from LIPI ( Jakarta ) prior doing research , LMU can advise researchers ; remember that the local universities appreciate visits and seminars to develop their interest in new research subjects and therefore should be prepared to make such visits and presentations whilst working in the Leuser Ecosystem ; provide duplicates of all plant material collected within the Leuser Ecosystem to relevant government agencies such as Bogor Botanical Garden etc . ; follow all the Indonesian government regulations on sending material overseas for identification or analysis and have the export overseen by government officials and LMU ; provide the LMU with one copy of any subsequent thesis or publication arising from work undertaken in the Leuser Ecosystem . Further details are provided on arrival . Research proposals are invited from foreign and Indonesian scientists wishing to work in the Leuser Ecosystem or under the auspices of the LMU within the Programme Area adjacent to the Ecosystem . Indonesian researchers should submit their CV , a research proposal of 2 - 5 pages and the names and addresses of two referees to the LMU . Most of the sponsorship available is for the local universities in North Sumatra and Aceh . Indonesian researchers from outside these provinces are encouraged to collaborate or provide training for local researchers and students . Foreign scientists should discuss their proposals with RMID before applying for LIPI permits ( central government research permits ) . While no foreign researchers may work within Indonesia without LIPI permits , the possession of LIPI permits does not guarantee access to the LMU - managed research facilities and LIPI now expect researchers wanting to work within the Leuser Ecosystem to apply through the LMU . The government also requires that foreign researchers support an Indonesian counterpart on their research project . The LMU encourages scientists to work with counterparts from local universities , if available , especially the state university Universitas Syiah Kuala in Banda Aceh or Universitas Sumatera Utara in Medan . The RMID provides administrative support for the application of LIPI permits and facilitates the establishment of the working relationship between the visiting researcher and the sponsoring institute . Scientists may also receive some logistical support from the LMU . Volunteers wishing to undertake research for the LMU must also follow these procedures . Timetable : Note that some field stations are completely booked by researchers for up to one year in advance , so long - term planning is essential for both Indonesian and foreign researchers . Closing dates for sponsorship applications by Indonesian skripsi students are 1 April and 1 September . Two months are needed for proposal submission to LMU by both foreign and Indonesian researchers , and , for the former if successful , selection of counterpart ; foreign researchers then require up to six months before departure date for application for government research permits and visa issuance .

Most of the professional programmers that I ' ve encountered are not well prepared to tackle algorithm design problems . This is a pity , because the techniques of algorithm design form one of the core practical technologies of computer science . Designing correct , efficient , and implementable algorithms for real - world problems is a tricky business , because the successful algorithm designer needs access to two distinct bodies of knowledge : Techniques - Good algorithm designers understand several fundamental algorithm design techniques , including data structures , dynamic programming , depth - first search , backtracking , and heuristics . Perhaps the single most important design technique is modeling , the art of abstracting a messy real - world application into a clean problem suitable for algorithmic attack . Resources - Good algorithm designers stand on the shoulders of giants . Rather than laboring from scratch to produce a new algorithm for every task , they know how to find out what is known about a particular problem . Rather than reimplementing popular algorithms from scratch , they know where to seek existing implementations to serve as a starting point . They are familiar with a large set of basic algorithmic problems , which provides sufficient source material to model most any application . This book is intended as a manual on algorithm design , providing access to both aspects of combinatorial algorithms technology for computer professionals and students . Thus this book looks considerably different from other books on algorithms . Why ? We reduce the design process to a sequence of questions to ask about the problem at hand . This provides a concrete path to take the nonexpert from an initial problem statement to a reasonable solution . Since the practical person is usually looking for a program more than an algorithm , we provide pointers to solid implementations whenever they are available . We have collected these implementations on the enclosed CD - ROM and at one central FTP / WWW site for easy retrieval . Further , we provide recommendations to make it easier to identify the correct code for the job . With these implementations available , the critical issue in algorithm design becomes properly modeling your application , more so than becoming intimate with the details of the actual algorithm . This focus permeates the entire book . Since finding out what is known about a problem can be a difficult task , we provide a catalog of important algorithmic problems as a major component of this book . By browsing through this catalog , the reader can quickly identify what their problem is called , what is known about it , and how they should proceed to solve it . To aid in problem identification , we include a pair of `` before '' and `` after '' pictures for each problem , illustrating the required input and output specifications . For each problem in the catalog , we provide an honest and convincing motivation , showing how it arises in practice . If we could not find such an application , then the problem doesn ' t appear in this book . In practice , algorithm problems do not arise at the beginning of a large project . Rather , they typically arise as subproblems when it suddenly becomes clear that the programmer does not know how to proceed or that the current program is inadequate . To provide a better perspective on how algorithm problems arise in the real world , we include a collection of `` war stories , '' tales from our experience on real problems . The moral of these stories is that algorithm design and analysis is not just theory , but an important tool to be pulled out and used as needed . Equally important is what we do not do in this book . We do not stress the mathematical analysis of algorithms , leaving most of the analysis as informal arguments . You will not find a single theorem anywhere in this book . Further , we do not try to be encyclopedic in our descriptions of algorithms , but only in our pointers to descriptions of algorithms . When more details are needed , the reader should follow the given references or study the cited programs . The goal of this manual is to get you going in the right direction as quickly as possible . But what is a manual without software ? This book comes with a substantial electronic supplement , an ISO - 9660 compatible , multiplatform CD - ROM , which can be viewed using Netscape , Microsoft Explorer , or any other WWW browser . This CD - ROM contains : A complete hypertext version of the full printed book . Indeed , the extensive cross - references within the book are best followed using the hypertext version . The source code and URLs for all cited implementations , mirroring the Stony Brook Algorithm Repository WWW site . Programs in C , C ++ , Fortran , and Pascal are included , providing an average of four different implementations for each algorithmic problem . More than ten hours of audio lectures on the design and analysis of algorithms are provided , all keyed to the on - line lecture notes . Following these lectures provides another approach to learning algorithm design techniques . These notes are linked to an additional twenty hours of audio over the WWW . Listening to all the audio is analogous to taking a one - semester college course on algorithms ! This book is divided into two parts , techniques and resources . The former is a general guide to techniques for the design and analysis of computer algorithms . The resources section is intended for browsing and reference , and comprises the catalog of algorithmic resources , implementations , and an extensive bibliography . Altogether , this book covers material sufficient for a standard Introduction to Algorithms course , albeit one stressing design over analysis . We assume the reader has completed the equivalent of a second programming course , typically titled Data Structures or Computer Science II . Textbook - oriented features include : In addition to standard pen - and - paper exercises , this book includes `` implementation challenges '' suitable for teams or individual students . These projects and the applied focus of the text can be used to provide a new laboratory focus to the traditional algorithms course . More difficult exercises are marked by ( * ) or ( ** ) . `` Take - home lessons '' at the beginning of each chapter emphasize the concepts to be gained from the chapter . This book stresses design over analysis . It is suitable for both traditional lecture courses and the new `` active learning '' method , where the professor does not lecture but instead guides student groups to solve real problems . The `` war stories '' provide an appropriate introduction to the active learning method . A full set of lecture slides for teaching this course is available on the CD - ROM and via the World Wide Web , both keyed to unique on - line audio lectures covering a full - semester algorithm course . Further , a complete set of my videotaped lectures using these slides is available for interested parties . See http : // www . cs . sunysb . edu / algorith for details .

UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Provides clients with informed advice to assist their planning . Standard Contact List ( see Note 1 below ) . N / A Free UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia . Provides client with a range of contacts . Researched List ( see Note 2 ) . 3 - 4 days Rp . 800 , 000 UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Maximum of 5 companies . Saves client time & money as they meet only verified prospects . Indonesian Economic & Political Overview ( see Note 3 ) . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Puts business planning in a macroeconomic context . Market Profiles ( see Note 4 ) . Off the Shelf Free UK SME ' s in / ouside Indonesia . Provides a snapshot ( by industry ) of market environment . Business Sector Overview ( see note 5 ) Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia . Provides a snapshot ( by sector ) of the market environment . Matchmaking - Partner Selection , Due Diligence and Negotiation Assistance ( see Note 6 ) Variable By quotation UK SME ' s outside Indonesia & Indonesian business enterprises . Helps clients identify and filter potential partners who could meet their specific needs . Market Entry Strategies ( see Note 7 ) . Variable By uotation UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Enhances opportunity for export success by assisting clients develop an informed market entry plan . In - Depth Market Research ( see Note 8 ) Variable By quotation UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Enhances opportunity for export success by providing detailed information about the client ' s target industry or market . Sector Forecast . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / ouside Indonesia . Projects sector growth in terms of value and volume for either 3 to 5 year period . Appointment Programs ( see Note 9 ) . 3 - 4 app . / day Rp . 200 , 000 / app . UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . For clients with existing contacts . Provides an efficient , realistic & confirmed visit schedule . Hotel Bookings ( see Note 10 ) . Up to 4 locations Rp . 200 , 000 UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Passes on BritCham discounts & local knowledge to clients . Airport Pickup and / or Organizing Road Transport in the Market . N / A By quotation UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Provides a convenient & reliable means of transport . Accompanying on Business Meetings . per hour Transport cost + Rp . 100 , 000 / hr for Exec . Director , or Rp . 200 , 000 / hour . UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Gives client practical support and local knowledge . Interpreter Service ( see Note 11 ) . per hour Transport and quotation . Min . Rp . 200 , 000 / hour . UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Both an in - house & outsourced service . Provides client with an interpreter who understands basics of British / Indonesian business . Arranging for documents to be translated ( see Note 11 ) . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia Usually cheaper & more accurate if done in market . Use of a Meeting Room ( see Note 13 ) . As required . Cost plus Rp . 350 , 000 / day or Rp . 70 , 000 / hour UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia Members free . Up to 6 people . Includes coffee , tea , and water . Provides a convenient venue . Helping to Organize a Seminar on Behalf of a Client . Variable Cost + Rp . 200 , 000 / hour UK SME ' s outside Indonesia . Reduces effort to organize a seminar in the market . Assistance Visas and Work Permit Documentation . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia . Reduces difficulty of obtaining such documentation . Credit Status Report . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia and Indonesian business enterprises . Gives client an indication of the standing & suitability of potential partners , importers , or agents . Attending & Reporting Tender Openings . Variable Transport Cost + Rp . 200 , 000 / hour UK SME ' s outside Indonesia Enables clients to assess the competitive environment for tender opportunities . Obtaining Tender Documents . Variable Costs + Rp . 50 , 000 / hour . Min . 2 hours . UK SME ' s outside Indonesia Provides fast , reliable access to tender documentation . Providing Publicity Through Media Channels . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia Likelihood of effective publicity improved by local knowledge & connections . Inwards / Outwards Trade Missions ( see Note 13 ) . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia & Indonesian business enterprises Only if initiated by BritCham / requested by a counterpart chamber . If not , referred to embassy . Annual Conference ( see Note 14 ) . Variable By quotation UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia & Indonesian business enterprises Provides mechanism for exchange of ideas , networking , & bilateral business promotion . Seminars ( see Note 15 ) . 3 - 4 hours By quotation Local UK SME ' s & Indonesian business enterprises Allows members and others to develop business skills and expand knowledge base . Information Resource Centre Variable Rp . 20 , 000 / hour . Min . 1 hour . UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia & Indonesian business enterprises Research facility . Members free . Grants & Loans Advice 1 hour Free UK SME ' s in / outside Indonesia & Indonesian business enterprises Informs clients about trade support facilities available from Indonesian & British Government ' s Note 1 : Standard Contact Lists are provided by the Commercial Section of the British Embassy so BritCham complements this service by preparing contact lists only in areas where there are gaps . BritCham swaps lists with the Embassy so that each have a complete portfolio of information . Note 2 : Researched Lists are industry / product focused and are limited to a maximum of 10 companies . It involves verifying the interest that each contact has in meeting with the prospective client so that only verified clients are included on the list . A paragraph of relevant background information on each client is provided as part of this service . Note 3 : Indonesian Economic & Political Overview - Provides an overview of the economic and political environment including three year economic forecasts . Note 4 : Market Profiles - Three to five page summaries on various aspects of the business environment in Indonesia maintained on computer disk and printed out on an as required basis . These cover , e . g . , service providers , sector / industry profiles , and regulations , Who ' s Who in Business and Government , etc . These are updated regularly or as soon as a significant change is introduced . The actual research effort is outsourced to appropriate BritCham members . There is close cooperation with the Embassy on this service to ensure no duplication . Profiles are swapped with the Embassy BritCham members assist with regular updating of Embassy profiles . This adds considerable value given the continuity of experience provided by BritCham members . Note 5 : Business Sector Overview - Provides an overview of a sector including market sizing , major players and their market shares , consumer demographics , and current trends . Note 6 : Matchmaking - BritCham acts as a facilitator , provides researched lists , and utilizes outsourcing for specialist skills . Object is to identify and bring together the client with an appropriate business partner . Note 7 : Market Entry Strategies - Provides recommendations for market entry including company structure , products and services to be offered , target markets , distribution , and strategies . Note 8 : In - Depth Market Research is a service that BritCham does not provide from in - house resources . However , it is in a position to market , and respond to requests for such a services . This has involved BritCham negotiating and putting in place period contracts with local market research companies ( usually BritCham members ) . Research is tailored to a client ' s requirements and therefore BritCham can arrange any research requested by a client . Such research could include , but would not be limited to , the following : Competitor Analysis providing assessment of key industry players generally focusing on company size , target markets , strengths and weaknesses , and expansion plans . Customer Analysis providing assessment of key business customers including product or service requirements , and possibly demand projections for a business product or service . Distribution & Marketing Analysis assessing distribution and marketing channels used by key players . Regulation Analysis of general business regulations or regulations for a specific business segment . Pricing Information generally collected for anti - dumping studies . Note 9 : Appointment Programs - This is a service that is understood , to be appreciated by visiting British business men and women . It is also a proven popular service with other trade facilitators . It involves arranging , scheduling , and confirming appointments ( up to 4 - 5 per day ) with a list of contacts supplied by the client . Identification of contacts by BritCham involves preparation of a researched list ( see above ) and so is separately chargeable . Note 10 : Hotel Bookings - Are offered separately and as an add - on to the appointment service . It has involved BritCham negotiating special corporate rates at a range of Jakarta hotels as well as at hotels in some of the regional centres . The discount is passed onto the client and a flat fee is charged for each booking . Note 11 : Interpreting / Translation - Translation is outsourced in all cases to a contracted service provider . Interpreting is provided on an as required basis from both in - house and outsourced resources . The former involves a BritCham Market Research Officer accompanying the client to specified appointments . Transport is recovered at cost plus an hourly fee is charged for the total time involved including transport time . If the BritCham Market Research Officer is unavailable then the service involves bringing in an outside interpreter with which BritCham has a period contracts . In these cases fees are based on the actual cost plus an administrative fee . Note12 : Meeting Facilities - The BritCham Business Centre presently has a small meeting facility , which can accommodate up to six people . It is free to members and an hourly / daily fee is charged to non - members . Note 13 : Trade Missions / Displays - Trade Display / Exhibition facilitation is a service offered by the British Embassy Commercial Section and an area where BritCham is unlikely to be able to add much value . Any enquiries regarding assistance with Trade Displays / Exhibitions are therefore referred to the Embassy . Trade missions on the other hand are something that BritCham is involved with in on a limited basis . As they are resource intensive , BritCham ' s involvement is limited to one per year and only to those Trade Missions that it initiates . Note 14 : Annual Conference - It is proposed that an Annual Business Conference be held on a rotating basis in Indonesia and Britain . It is anticipated that these conferences will draw strong support from members and will be effective in profiling and publicizing the strength of the relationship between the two countries . It will also demonstrate to the broader business community that the relationship is an active one . Note 15 : Seminars - This is a service delivered at the request of members . BritCham acts as a facilitator . In consultation with members and others , it develops a list of preferred seminar topics , e . g . , ( ' How to do Business in Indonesia ' , ' Expat Induction into Jakarta ' ) then either organizes the seminar itself or contracts them out to local service providers , dependent on resource constraints at the time . This involves negotiation of period contracts that establish parameters , an agreed curriculum , and agreed costs . Seminars are open to both members and non - members , but with members being given preference and a discount .

The Cost of Gold Below a Mountain of Wealth , a River of Waste Millions of tons of mine waste from Freeport ' s mining operation floods the Ajkwa Plain , West Papua . December 27 , 2005 The Cost of Gold Below a Mountain of Wealth , a River of Waste By JANE PERLEZ and RAYMOND BONNER JAKARTA , Indonesia - The closest most people will ever get to remote Papua , or the operations of Freeport - McMoRan , is a computer tour using Google Earth to swoop down over the rain forests and glacier - capped mountains where the American company mines the world ' s largest gold reserve . With a few taps on a keyboard , satellite images quickly reveal the deepening spiral that Freeport has bored out of its Grasberg mine as it pursues a virtually bottomless store of gold hidden inside . They also show a spreading soot - colored bruise of almost a billion tons of mine waste that the New Orleans - based company has dumped directly into a jungle river of what had been one of the world ' s last untouched landscapes . What is far harder to discern is the intricate web of political and military ties that have helped shield Freeport from the rising pressures that other gold miners have faced to clean up their practices . Only lightly touched by a scant regulatory regime , and cloaked in the protection of the military , Freeport has managed to maintain a nearly impenetrable redoubt on the easternmost Indonesian province as it taps one of the country ' s richest assets . Months of investigation by The New York Times revealed a level of contacts and financial support to the military not fully disclosed by Freeport , despite years of requests by shareholders concerned about potential violations of American laws and the company ' s relations with a military whose human rights record is so blighted that the United States severed ties for a dozen years until November . Company records obtained by The Times show that from 1998 through 2004 , Freeport gave military and police generals , colonels , majors and captains , and military units , nearly $ 20 million . Individual commanders received tens of thousands of dollars , in one case up to $ 150 , 000 , according to the documents . They were provided by an individual close to Freeport and confirmed as authentic by current and former employees . Freeport said in a written response to The Times that it had " taken appropriate steps " in accordance with American and Indonesian laws to provide a secure working environment for its more than 18 , 000 employees and contract workers . " There is no alternative to our reliance on the Indonesian military and police in this regard , " the company said . " The need for this security , the support provided for such security , and the procedures governing such support , as well as decisions regarding our relationships with the Indonesian government and its security institutions , are ordinary business activities . " While mining and natural resource companies sometimes contribute to the costs to foreign governments in securing their operations , payments to individual officers raise questions of bribes , said several people interviewed by The Times , including a former Indonesian attorney general , who said it was illegal under Indonesian law for officers to accept direct payments . The Times ' s investigation also found that , according to one current and two former company officials who helped set up a covert program , Freeport intercepted e - mail messages to spy on its environmental opponents . Freeport declined to comment . More than 30 current and former Freeport employees and consultants were interviewed over the past several months for this article . Very few would speak for attribution , saying they feared the company ' s retribution . Freeport ' s support of the military is one measure of its extraordinary working environment . In the 1960 ' s , when Freeport entered Papua , its explorers were among the very first outsiders ever encountered by local tribesmen swathed only in penis gourds and armed with bows and arrows . Since then , Freeport has built what amounts to an entirely new society and economy , all of its own making . Where nary a road existed , Freeport , with the help of the San Francisco - based construction company Bechtel , built virtually every stitch of infrastructure over impossible terrain in engineering feats that it boasts are unparalleled on the planet . That history , Papua ' s extreme remoteness and the company ' s long ties to the Indonesian government have given Freeport exceptional sway over a 21st - century version of the old company town , built on a scale unique even by the standards of modern mega - mining . " If any operation like this was put forward now , it wouldn ' t be allowed , " said Witoro Soelarno , a senior investigator at the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources , who has visited the mine many times . " But now the operation exists , and many people depend on it . " For years , to secure Freeport ' s domain , James R . Moffett , a Louisiana - born geologist who is the company chairman , assiduously courted Indonesia ' s longtime dictator , President Suharto , and his cronies , having Freeport pay for their vacations and some of their children ' s college education , and cutting them in on deals that made them rich , current and former employees said . It was a marriage of mutual convenience . As Freeport prospered into a company with $ 2 . 3 billion in revenues , it also became among the biggest - in some years the biggest - source of revenue for the government . It remains so . Freeport says that it provided Indonesia with $ 33 billion in direct and indirect benefits from 1992 to 2004 , almost 2 percent of the country ' s gross domestic product . With gold prices hitting a 25 - year high of $ 540 an ounce this month , the company estimates it will pay the government $ 1 billion this year . With Suharto ' s ouster in 1998 , after 30 years of unchallenged power , Freeport ' s special place was left vulnerable . But its importance to Indonesia ' s treasury and its carefully cultivated cocoon of support have helped secure it against challenges from local people , environmental groups , and even the country ' s own Environment Ministry . Letters and other documents provided to The Times by government officials showed that the Environment Ministry repeatedly warned the company since 1997 that Freeport was breaching environmental laws . They also reveal the ministry ' s deep frustration . At one point last year , a ministry scientist wrote that the mine ' s production was so huge , and regulatory tools so weak , that it was like " painting on clouds " to persuade Freeport to comply with the ministry ' s requests to reduce environmental damage . That frustration stems from an operation that , by Freeport ' s own estimates , will generate an estimated six billion tons of waste before it is through - more than twice as much earth as was excavated for the Panama Canal . Much of that waste has already been dumped in the mountains surrounding the mine or down a system of rivers that descends steeply onto the island ' s low - lying wetlands , close to Lorentz National Park , a pristine rain forest that has been granted special status by the United Nations . A multimillion - dollar 2002 study by an American consulting company , Parametrix , paid for by Freeport and its joint venture partner , Rio Tinto , and not previously made public , noted that the rivers upstream and the wetlands inundated with waste were now " unsuitable for aquatic life . " The report was made available to The Times by the Environment Ministry . Freeport says it strives to mitigate the environmental effect of its mine , while also maximizing the benefits to its shareholders . The Times made repeated requests to Freeport and to the Indonesian government to visit the mine and its surrounding area , which requires special permission for journalists . All were turned down . Freeport refused to make any official available for an interview and would respond to questions only in writing . A cover letter signed by its legal counsel , Stanley S . Arkin , said that Grasberg is a copper mine , with the gold retrieved as a byproduct , and that many journalists had visited the mine before the government tightened its rules in the 1990 ' s . " Freeport has nothing to hide , " Mr . Arkin wrote . Indeed , at Grasberg , Freeport - McMoRan Copper & Gold mines the world ' s third - largest copper deposit . The mine also has proven reserves of 46 million ounces of gold , according to the company ' s 2004 annual report . This year , Mining International , a trade journal , called Freeport ' s gold mine the biggest in the world . Social Tensions Erupt Since Suharto ' s ouster , Freeport employees say , Mr . Moffett ' s motto has been " no tall trees , " a call to keep as low a profile as possible , for a company that operates on an almost unimaginable scale . But even before then , the new world that Freeport created was growing smaller . By the mid - 1990 ' s , with production in full swing , and the expanding impact of Grasberg ' s operations ever more apparent , Freeport was beset on all sides . Environmental groups , able to coordinate more effectively with the Internet , made Freeport a target . Local tribes were more and more restless at seeing little benefit for themselves as vast riches were extracted from their lands . And some military commanders in Papua saw Grasberg ' s increasing value as ripe for the plucking . To fortify itself , Freeport , working hand in hand with Indonesian military intelligence officers , began monitoring the e - mail messages and telephone conversations of its environmental opponents , said an employee who worked on the program and read the e - mail messages . The company also set up its own system to intercept e - mail messages , according to former and current employees , by establishing a bogus environmental group of its own , which asked people to register online with a password . As is often the case , many who registered used the same password for their own messages , which then allowed the company to tap in . Freeport ' s lawyers were nervous , a person who was at the company at the time said , but decided that nothing prohibited the company legally from reading e - mail messages abroad . Social tensions around the mine , meanwhile , were fast growing , as was Papua ' s population . Papua , mostly animist and Christian after long years of missionary work , is distinct in many ways from the rest of Indonesia , the world ' s largest Muslim country . Almost from Indonesia ' s independence , the province had rumblings of a separatist movement . Throughout Indonesia the military , a deeply nationalist institution , finances itself by setting up legal enterprises like shopping centers and hotels , or illicit ones , like logging . In Papua , the Grasberg mine became a chance for the military not only to profit but also to deepen its presence in a province where it had barely a toehold before Freeport arrived . For many years Freeport maintained its own security force , while the Indonesian military battled a weak , low - level insurgency . But slowly their security needs became entwined . " Where Freeport really took it on the chin is the military who came in had no vehicles , and they would commandeer a Freeport bus or a Freeport driver , " said the Rev . David B . Lowry , an Episcopalminister hired by Mr . Moffett to oversee social programs . " We had no policies at that time . " No investigation directly linked Freeport to human rights violations , but increasingly Papuans associated it with the abuses of Indonesian military units , in some cases using company facilities . An Australian anthropologist , Chris Ballard , who worked for Freeport , and Abigail Abrash , an American human rights campaigner , estimated that 160 people had been killed by the military between 1975 and 1997 in the mine area and its surroundings . Finally , in March 1996 , long - simmering anger at the company erupted in rioting when anti - mine sentiment among different groups coalesced into what was perhaps the biggest threat to the company to this day . The mine and its mill were shut down for three days . Rioters destroyed $ 3 million of equipment and ransacked offices . The company intercepted e - mail messages that , according to two persons who read them at the time , suggested that certain military units , the community and environmental groups were working together . One e - mail exchange , between a community leader and the head of an environmental group , was filled with tactical military intelligence , according to a person who read the messages . In another exchange , an environmental leader urged the group ' s members to pull out because the demonstrations had turned violent . Freeport told The Times that local leaders later met with company officials and said " they had provoked the disturbances as a means of expressing their aspiration to receive greater benefits from our operations . " In recent interviews , current and former Freeport officials recalled how they were stunned when , among those rioting , they saw men with military haircuts , combat boots and walkie - talkies . They seemed to be directing the rioters , at one point , to a Freeport laboratory , which they ransacked . It was not long before a worried Mr . Moffett flew out to Indonesia in the company jet . Freeport refused to comment on the meeting that followed . But a company official who was there recounted that Mr . Moffett met with a group of senior Indonesian military officers at the Sheraton Hotel in the lowland town of Timika , near the mine . The all - powerful Gen . Prabowo Subianto , son - in - law of President Suharto and commander of the Indonesian Special Forces , presided . " Mr . Moffett , to protect you , to protect your company , you have to help the military here , " General . Prabowo began , according to the company employee who was present . Mr . Moffett is said to have replied : " Just tell me what I need to do . " The Cost of Security Each military service drew up its wish list , current and former company employees said . In short order , Freeport spent $ 35 million on military infrastructure - barracks , headquarters , mess halls , roads - and it also gave the commanders 70 Land Rovers and Land Cruisers , which were replaced every few years . Everybody got something , even the Navy and Air Force . The company had already hired a former C . I . A . operative , and on his recommendation , it now approached a military attaché at the American Embassy in Jakarta , and persuaded him to join the company , according to former and current employees . Two more former American military officers were hired , and a special department , called the Emergency Planning Operation , was set up to handle the company ' s new relationship with the Indonesian military . The new department began making direct monthly payments to Indonesian military commanders , while the Security Risk Management office handled the payments to the police , according to company documents and current and former employees . " They signed a pact with the devil , " said an American who was part of Freeport ' s security operations at the time , and who agreed with the company ' s decision . Freeport gave the military and the police in Papua at least $ 20 million from 1998 to May 2004 , according to company documents . In interviews , current and former employees said that at least an additional $ 10 million was also paid during those years . Seven years of accounting records were provided to The Times by an individual close to the company . Additional records for three years were provided by Global Witness , a nongovernment organization , and which released a report last July , " Paying for Protection , " about Freeport ' s relations with the Indonesian military . Diarmid O ' Sullivan , who works for Global Witness in London , criticized the payments . It may be necessary for a company to help governments with security , he said , but " they should give the money through the proper channels , in a transparent way . " Freeport told The Times , " Our books and records are transparent and accurately reflect the support that we provide . " That support , the company said in its responses , included " mitigating living costs , " as well as " infrastructure , catered food and dining hall costs , housing , fuel , travel , vehicle repairs , allowances to cover incidental and administrative costs , and community assistance programs conducted by the military and police . " The company said all of its expenditures were subject to a budget review process . The records received by The Times showed payments to individual military officers listed under things like " food cost , " " administrative services " and " monthly supplement . " Current and former employees said the accounting categories did not reflect what the money was actually used for , and that it was likely that much of the money went into the officers ' pockets . The commanders who received the money did not have to sign receipts , current and former employees said . Asked if there was a reason Freeport would give money directly to military officers , Father Lowry , who retired in March 2004 , but remained a consultant to Freeport until June , said , " I can ' t think of a good one . " The records show that the largest recipient was the commander of the troops in the Freeport area , Lt . Col . Togap F . Gultom . During six months in 2001 , he was given just under $ 100 , 000 for " food costs , " according to the company records , and more than $ 150 , 000 the following year . Freeport gave at least 10 other commanders a total of more than $ 350 , 000 for " food costs " in 2002 , according to the records . Colonel Gultom declined to be interviewed . Those payments were made to individual officers , current and former employees said , even though since the riots Freeport had allowed soldiers to eat in the company ' s mess and had trucked food to more distant military kitchens . " Three meals a day , seven days a week , " a former official said . Freeport also gave commanders commercial airplane tickets for themselves and their wives and children . Generals flew first or business class and lower ranking officers flew economy , said Brig . Gen . Ramizan Tarigan , who received $ 14 , 000 worth of tickets in 2002 for himself and his family . General Tarigan , who held a senior police post , said that police officers were allowed to accept airplane tickets because their pay was so low - as a general , his base salary was roughly $ 400 a month - but that it was in violation of police regulations to receive cash payments . In April 2002 , the company gave the senior commander of forces in Papua , Maj . Gen . Mahidin Simbolon , more than $ 64 , 000 , for what was described in Freeport ' s books as " fund for military project plan 2002 . " Eight months later , in December , he was given more than $ 67 , 000 for a " humanitarian civic action project . " The payments were first reported by Global Witness . General Simbolon , who is now inspector general of the Indonesian Army , declined requests to be interviewed . A former Freeport employee who was involved in making those payments said the company could not be certain how much of the money General Simbolon actually spent on those projects . Unsolved Killings By 2003 , following the Enron scandal and passage of the Sarbanes - Oxley Act , which imposed more rigid accounting practices on companies , Freeport began making payments to military and police units instead of individual officers , according to records and current and former employees . The company paid police units in Papua slightly under $ 1 million in 2003 , according to the records , listed under items like " monthly supplement payment , " " administrative costs " and " administrative support . " Freeport told The Times that " company policies take into account the potential for human rights abuses in determining what types of assistance to provide . " According to the records received by The Times , the police Mobile Brigade , a paramilitary force often cited by the State Department for its brutality , received more than $ 200 , 000 in 2003 . In its 2003 annual human rights report , the State Department said soldiers from the Mobile Brigade " continued to commit numerous serious human rights violations , including extrajudicial killings , torture , rape , and arbitrary detention . " It cited no specific incidents from Papua . There was another reason for extra care by the company . In August 2002 , three teachers employed by Freeport , including two Americans , were killed in an ambush on a company road patrolled by the military that Freeport had paid to protect its employees . Three years later , the F . B . I . is still investigating and the reasons for the killings have not been determined . Freeport said that it could not comment on the investigation . The United States indicted a Papuan , Anthonius Wamang , in 2004 . But it has yet to receive the full cooperation of the military , several American officials said . Freeport employees and American officials said the killings could have been part of a turf war between the military and the police , each of which wanted access to Freeport payments . An initial report by the Indonesian police pointed to the Indonesia military , and some Freeport and Bush administration officials have said they suspect some level of military involvement . The police report suggested that the motivation was that Freeport was threatening to cut its support to soldiers . Soldiers assigned to Papua have " high expectations , " the report said , but recently , " their perks , such as vehicles , telephones , etc . , were reduced . " Questions of Accountability Freeport has resisted nearly any detailed disclosure of its payments to the military , saying they are legal and even required under Indonesian law . Marsillam Simanjuntak , who was minister of justice and later attorney general in one of the first governments after the fall of President Suharto , said it was a violation of Indonesian law for soldiers or police officers to accept payments from a company . " Of course , it ' s illegal , " he said . But many companies do it , he said . The better question to ask , he said , was , " Is it allowed by the laws of the United States ? " This year , the New York City pension funds submitted a shareholder resolution asking Freeport to review its policy on paying the police and military . They argued that it could violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act , which forbids American companies from paying bribes to foreign officials . Freeport opposed the resolution . In 2002 , the funds submitted a similar resolution demanding that Freeport disclose how much it was paying to the military . Freeport kept it off the ballot . In later filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission , Freeport reported that it had paid the military a total of $ 4 . 7 million in 2001 , and $ 5 . 6 million in 2002 . The company did not indicate whether the money was paid into commanders ' personal accounts , or what the money was used for . Freeport , in its responses , said it was complying with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights , a set of guidelines drawn up by the State Department . They recognize that natural resource companies " may be required or expected to contribute to , or otherwise reimburse , the costs of protecting company facilities . " The principles do not address the question of direct payments to individual officers . Nor do they require companies to account for the payments . Freeport has also said that the payments were required under its Contract of Work , its basic agreement with the government of Indonesia , first signed in 1967 and updated in 1991 . The company declined to provide a copy of the contracts to The Times . A copy of each was provided by Denise Leith , author of " The Politics of Power : Freeport in Suharto ' s Indonesia . " They contained no language requiring payments to the military . S . Prakash Sethi , head of the International Center for Corporate Accountability , which recently concluded a report on Freeport ' s development policies in Papua , said that the company had told him that it made " in - kind " contributions to the military , for housing and food , but that he had not been given access to accounting records . Any direct payments to military officers would be illegal , said Mr . Sethi , an expert on business ethics and corporate social responsibility and a professor at Baruch College . " It ' s corruption , " he said . " It ' s bribery . " Mine Waste in the Rivers All the while Freeport sealed its relations with the military , the country ' s fledgling environment ministry could do little but watch as waste from the mine piled up . This year Freeport told the Indonesian government that the waste rock in the highlands , 900 feet deep in places , now covers about three square miles . Down below , nearly 90 square miles of wetlands , once one of the richest freshwater habitats in the world , are virtually buried in mine waste , called tailings , with levels of copper and sediment so high that almost all fish have disappeared , according to environment ministry documents . The waste , the consistency and color of wet cement , belts down the rivers , and inundates and smothers all in its path , said Russell Dodt , an Australian civil engineer who managed the waste on the wetlands for 10 years until 2004 for Freeport . About a third of the waste has moved into the coastal estuary , an essential breeding ground for fish , and much of that " was ripped out to sea by the falling tide that acted like a big vacuum cleaner , " he said . But no government , even in Indonesia ' s new democratic era , has dared encroach on Freeport ' s prerogatives . The strongest challenge came in 2000 , when a feisty politician , Sonny Keraf , who was sympathetic to the Papuans , was appointed environment minister . Again , Mr . Moffett flew out to Jakarta . Mr . Keraf initially refused to see the Freeport boss , but eventually agreed , and on the day kept him waiting for an hour and a half . " He came in so arrogant , " Mr . Keraf recalled of the meeting in a recent interview , " sitting with his legs crossed . " Freeport refused to comment on the meeting . The American ambassador to Indonesia at the time , Robert Gelbard , said in an interview : " It was a terrible meeting . " Mr . Keraf said that Mr . Moffett had said that his company had never polluted . " I told him that he should spend the money he spent on paying off people not to talk about the mine to properly dispose of the waste , " Mr . Keraf said . Behind the scenes , Mr . Keraf kept up the pressure , angered that the company was using the rivers , forest and wetlands for its mine waste , a process allowed during the Suharto years . An internal ministry memorandum from 2000 said the mine waste had killed all life in the rivers , and said that this violated the criminal section of the 1997 environmental law . In January 2001 , Mr . Keraf wrote to the coordinating minister for economic affairs , arguing that Freeport should be forced to pay compensation for the rivers , forests and fish that its operations had destroyed . Six months later , one of his deputies , Masnellyarti Hilman , wrote to Freeport , saying a special environmental commission had recommended that the company stop using the river as a waste chute , and instead build a system of pipes . She also told Freeport to build sturdier dam - like walls to replace the less solid levees that it used to contain the waste on the wetlands . That practice has continued . Freeport says that local and regional governments have approved its waste management plans , and that the central government has approved its environmental impact statement and other monitoring plans . But in a blistering July 2001 letter , Mr . Keraf took the governor of Papua to task for granting Freeport a permit in 1996 to use the rivers for its waste . The governor , Mr . Keraf said , had no authority to grant permits more lenient than the provisions of national laws . Despite all these efforts , nothing happened . Mr . Keraf was unable to secure the support of other government agencies or his superiors in the cabinet . In August 2001 , a new government came to power , and a less aggressive minister , Nabiel Makarim , replaced Mr . Keraf . At first , he , too , talked publicly of setting stricter limits on Freeport . Soon his efforts petered out . The Environment Ministry has begun trying to put teeth into its rules where it can . It brought a criminal suit against the world ' s largest gold company , Newmont Mining Corporation , for alleged pollution , including a charge of not having a permit for disposing of mine waste into the sea . Newmont has fought the charges vigorously . But in the case of Freeport , the ministry has had no traction . Freeport still does not hold a permit from the national government to dispose of mine waste , as required by the 1999 hazardous waste regulations , according to Rasio Ridho Sani , assistant deputy for toxic waste management at the ministry . Mr . Arkin , Freeport ' s counsel , said that the company cooperated well with the environment ministry and that Freeport would not otherwise comment . " Freeport says their waste is not hazardous waste , " Mr . Rasio said . " We cannot say it is not hazardous waste . " He said his division and Freeport were now in negotiations on how to resolve the permit question . ' A Massive Die - Off ' The environment ministry was not the first to challenge Freeport over how it has disposed of its waste in Papua . The Overseas Private Investment Corporation , a United States government agency that insures American corporations for political risk in uncertain corners of the world , revoked Freeport ' s insurance policy in October 1995 . It was a landmark decision , the first time that the agency had cut off insurance to any American company for environmental or human rights concerns . In doing so , two environmental experts , Harvey Himberg , an official at the agency , and David Nelson , a consultant , after visiting the mine for several days , issued a report critical of Freeport ' s operations , especially the huge amounts of waste it had sent into rivers , something that would not be allowed in the United States . The company went to court to block the report from being made public , and only a redacted version was later released . A person who thought it should be made public provided an uncensored copy to The Times . Freeport says the report reached " inaccurate conclusions . " The company says it has considered a full range of alternatives for managing and disposing of its waste , instead of using the river , and settled on the best one . A storage area would not be large enough and would require a tall dam in a region of heavy rainfalls and earthquakes , it said . A waste pipeline , rather than the river , would be too costly , prone to landslides and floods . To the American auditors , such arguments were not convincing . Freeport " characterizes engineered alternatives as having the highest potential for catastrophic failure when the project otherwise takes credit for legendary feats , " the audit noted , like the pipelines more than 60 miles long down the mountains to carry fuel and copper and gold slurry . At the time , the waste was jumping the riverbanks , " resulting in a massive die - off of vegetation , " the report said . The company threatened to take the agency to court over the cancellation of its insurance . After protracted negotiations , the policy was reinstated for a few months , as a face - saving gesture to Mr . Moffett , according to the head of the agency then , Ruth Harkin . It was not renewed . Today , many of the same problems persist , but on a much larger scale . A perpetual worry is where to put all the mine ' s waste - accumulating at a rate of some 700 , 000 tons a day . The danger is that the waste rock atop the mountain will trickle out acids into the honeycomb of caverns and caves beneath the mine in a wet climate that gets up to 12 feet of rain a year , say environmental experts who have worked at the mine . Stuart Miller , an Australian geochemist who manages Freeport ' s waste rock , said at a mining conference in 2003 that the first acid runoffs began in 1993 . The company can curb much of it today , he said , by blending in the mountain ' s abundant limestone with the potentially acid producing rock , which is also plentiful . Freeport also says that the company collects the acid runoff and neutralizes it . But before 2004 , the report obtained by The Times by Parametrix , the consulting company who did the study for Freeport , said that the mine had " an excess of acid - generating material . " A geologist who worked at the mine , who declined to be identified because of fear of jeopardizing future employment , said acids were already flowing into the groundwater . Bright green - colored springs could be seen spouting several miles away , he said , a tell - tale sign that the acids had leached out copper . " That meant the acid water traveled a long way , " he said . Freeport says that the springs are " located several miles from our operations in the Lorentz World Heritage site and are not associated with our operations . " The geologist agreed that the springs probably were in the Lorentz park , and said this showed that acids and copper from the mine were affecting the park , considered a world treasure for its ecological diversity . In the lowlands , the levees needed to contain the waste will eventually reach more than 70 feet high in some places , the company says . Freeport says that the tailings are not toxic and that the river it uses for its waste meets Indonesian and American drinking water standards for dissolved metals . The coastal estuary , it says , is a " functioning ecosystem . " The Parametrix report shows copper levels in surface waters high enough to kill sensitive aquatic life in a short time , said Ann Maest , a geochemist who consults on mining issues . The report showed that nearly half of the sediment samples in parts of the coastal estuary were toxic to the sensitive aquatic organisms at the bottom of the food chain , she said . The amount of sediment presents another problem . Too many suspended solids in water can smother aquatic life . Indonesian law says they should not exceed 400 milligrams per liter . Freeport ' s waste contained 37 , 500 milligrams as the river entered the lowlands , according to an environment ministry ' s field report in 2004 , and 7 , 500 milligrams as the river entered the Arafura Sea . Freeport would not comment on the measurements . The company says it spent $ 30 million on environmental programs in 2004 , and planted 50 , 000 mangrove seedlings last year as part of its reclamation efforts . It says cash crops can be grown on the waste with the addition of nutrients , and has begun demonstration projects . An Uneasy Coexistence If the accumulating waste is the despair of critics , for Freeport it signals expanding production . To keep its mine running , the company has increasingly had to play caretaker for the world that it has created . After the 1996 riots , Freeport began dedicating 1 percent of revenues annually to a development fund for Papua to pay for schools , medical services , roads - whatever the people wanted . The company built clinics and two hospitals . Other services include programs to control malaria and AIDS and a " recognition " fund for the Kamoro and Amungme tribes of several million dollars which , among other things , gives them shares in the company as part of a compensation package for the lands Freeport is using . By the end of 2004 , Freeport had spent $ 152 million on the community development fund , the company said . Mr . Sethi , of the Center for Corporate Accountability , commended Freeport for commissioning the report on the company ' s development programs , saying that it was the first mining company to do so . The report , which was released in October , concluded that the company had successfully introduced a human rights training program for its employees and had doubled the number of Papuan employees by 2001 . The company was poised to double the number of Papuans in the work force again by 2006 , the audit said . Still , Thom Beanal , the Amungme tribal leader , says the combined weight of the Indonesian government and Freeport has left his people in bad shape . Yes , he said , the company had provided electricity , schools and hospitals , but the infrastructure was built mainly for the benefit of Freeport . Mr . Beanal , 57 , a vocal supporter of independence for Papua , has fought the company from outside and inside . In 2000 , he decided that harmony was the better path , and joined the company ' s advisory board . In November , he and other Amungme and Komoro tribesmen met with Mr . Moffett at the Sheraton Hotel in Timika . In an interview in Jakarta not long afterward , Mr . Beanal said he told Mr . Moffett that the flood of money from the community fund was ruining people ' s lives . When the company arrived , he noted , there were several hundred people in the lowland village of Timika . Now it is home to more than 100 , 000 in a Wild West atmosphere of too much alcohol , shootouts between soldiers and the police , AIDS and prostitution , protected by the military . Still more soldiers are on the way . Having negotiated an end to a separatist insurrection this year in another province , Aceh , the government is redeploying soldiers to Papua in a move to defeat the growing enthusiasm for independence , once and for all , and to watch over the province with the world ' s biggest gold mine . Freeport says its gold ore has 35 years to go . Mr . Beanal said he was increasingly impatient with the presence of the soldiers and the mine . " We never feel secure there , " he said . " What are they guarding ? We don ' t know . Ask Moffett , it ' s his company . " Evelyn Rusli contributed reporting for this article . Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Kontak : Chalid Muhammad , Executive Director of WALHI National [ chalid @ walhi . or . id ] Torry Kuswardono , WALHI Campaigner on Mining [ torry @ walhi . or . id ] For more information , please contact : Halid Muhammad National Director Telepon kantor : + 62 - ( 021 ) 791 93 363 Mobile : Fax : + 62 - ( 021 ) 794 1673 Created : 27 Dec 2005 | Updated : 29 Dec 2005

Objective : Able to function in daily situations using language skill beyond “ survival needs ” . The Beginner Program has been designed to provide a general understanding of the Indonesian language . The program aims to prepare students in the following skills : to understand simple conversation in daily situations to read simple texts to write simple texts to learn the expressions Indonesian people generally use to make sentences , questions and requests to invite or prohibit someone from doing something to move beyond the basic structures and expressions to understand daily conversation beyond the classroom Intermediate Objective : Able to communicate effectively in most informal and semi - formal settings . In the Intermediate Program students will be trained to conduct the following activities : to converse with Indonesian associates to increase their own vocabulary through greater use of the dictionary to become more familiar with the features of Indonesian grammar to read in a more advanced level to write on a more complex level to communicate on topics of particular interest and special fields of interest Note : the topics chosen will closely related to the students ’ professional needs or requirements . Advanced Objective : Able to utilize Indonesian in the course of normal professional duties such as clarifying points , conducting meetings , or giving speeches . In the Advanced Program the main focus is on the degree of complexity of language use . Having completed the program , students will be able : to master the use of affixes in Indonesian language to converse with , understand and get along with Indonesian people in daily situations to write increasingly complex texts to read articles in newspapers and magazines to participate in most formal and informal conversations on practical social and professional topics to discuss topics of particular interests or fields of specializations Specialized Objective : Able to use the language as well - educated bilingual native speaker . Speaking proficiency reflects Indonesian cultural standards , i . e . , communication skills are at the same level as a well - educated bilingual native speaker able to speak fluently and appropriately in the most formal of settings . While the classification is based on the degree of complexity of language use , the Specialized Program prepares students : to understand and participate in discussions or seminars to conduct meetings to make speeches to conduct interviews to prepare written reports to translate authentic texts and to be an interpreter to use the language to satisfy professional needs in a wide range of sophisticated and demanding tasks to use the language fluently and accurately at all levels normally relevant to professional needs Note : The topics chosen will be beyond students ’ professions and vary quite widely . LB Colorado offers programs based on students ’ levels of proficiency in the language . It provides both instruction in the Indonesian language and exposure to the socio - cultural aspects of Indonesia . The programs in more detail are as follows : LEVELS * RATING SCALE LEVEL DURATION Beginner 1 30 contact hours 2 60 contact hours 3 90 contact hours Intermediate 4 150 contact hours 5 210 contact hours 6 270 contact hours Advanced 7 330 contact hours 8 390 contact hours 9 450 contact hours Specialized 10 540 contact hours 11 630 contact hours 12 720 contact hours * Students average time to master the objectives of each level LB Colorado offers intensive Indonesian language courses for students with moderate , little or even no proficiency in the language . Students will undertake a placement test on their first day of language training to determine their level of proficiency . If required students may progress through all levels offered by LB Colorado . The length of the study depends on the students ’ individual competence and requirements . All programs pay special attention to listening and speaking skills , reading skills and vocabulary building as well as basic knowledge of grammar and structure . Writing skills are optional and provided at the students ’ requests . Practicing Bahasa Indonesia in Real Life Students , either through course work or in outside activities , also have the opportunity to be involved in Yogyakarta ’ s vigorous cultural and social life . Students gain language skills associated with day - to - day living through making telephone calls , asking direction from Indonesian native speakers , bargaining with “ becak ” drivers or local traders , shopping at the supermarket or traditional market and interacting with household staff . Excursions and Social Outings Traditional market and bird market Factories : batik , leather puppet , silver and ceramic Sultan Palace , Water Castle and Imogiri Music , dance and wayang performances : Ramayana Ballet , “ wayang kulit " , special occasions Temples : Borobudur , Prambanan , Ratu Boko Recreational sites : Parangtritis beach , Mt . Merapi , Kaliurang , Dieng Plateau

NRM Headline News is a free , weekly e - mail news service in English , covering the issues of natural resources governance and policy in Indonesia . Headline News contains selected news items from the Indonesian press , information about upcoming events and employment opportunities , and regular updates on the activities of the Natural Resources Management ( NRM ) Program . Funding is provided by the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) . T he NRM Headline News is available in plain text or HTML formats . Contributions from readers are always welcome . Please e - mail us at headline @ nrm . or . id Story No . 1 : Ten Billion Rupiah for Sungai Wain Protected Forest An example of how a regional government can be committed when saving its forests and environment ..... more Story No . 2 : Bunaken National Park Village Radio Network now Up and Running The installation of the village radio network has brought Bunaken NP one step closer to truly world - class management , and NRM / EPIQ ’ s important goal of fostering an active and conservation - minded Bunaken NP “ community ” is well on its way to reality ..... more Story No . 3 : Notes from a Meeting between West Kutai Regency and the Ministry of Forestry on Forest Management Meeting to discuss future collaborations ..... more Story No . 4 : Update on Mitra Kutai Report on Mitra Kutai ’ s activities in 2001 and plans for 2002 ..... more Story No . 5 : Partnership in Conservation for Higher Achievement The likelihood of a conservation campaign to be successful is greater when it is implemented as joint efforts with experienced partners ..... more Story No . 6 : Update Kerinci Seblat National Park Website Revised version of the website ..... more Story No . 7 : Britain and Indonesia Sign Agreement to Combat Illegal Timber Trade Friends of the Earth forest campaigner , Ed Matthew , said more than 70 percent of logging in Indonesia was illegal and the contract should help ..... more Story No . 8 : All Wood Used by KIMPRASWIL for the Construction of Temporary Housing in Poso , Central Sulawesi , Known to be Illegal Team YAKIS , considers it very regrettable that the woods used for constructing temporary housing in Poso do not possess legal documentation ..... more Story No . 9 : Illegal Fishing at Alarming Level Dahuri said that the total amount of fish catches taken through illegal fishing practices in Indonesia reached over 1 . 5 million of tons a year ..... more Story No . 10 : Illegal Logging Troubles Plywood Industry " Around one third of 115 local plywood factories have closed their operations mainly due to the rampant illegal logging , " Martias , Apkindo chairman told reporters ..... more Story No . 11 : NGOs Join Forces in Forest Management Hapsoro of Telapak Indonesia , an Indonesian NGO , said non - governmental organizations were seriously concerned about the level of destruction and degradation of forest resources , caused by misguided forest management policies over many years ..... more Story No . 12 : Gorontalo Governor Urged to Preserve Ecosystem of Togean Islands " We ask the governor not to exploit Tomini Bay for his project , " said Sudirman Suhdi , the director of Civil Society non - governmental organization ( NGO ) ..... more Story No . 13 : Sustainable Development Meeting Planned in Bali " The ministerial - level meeting in Bali will be very important . It is not meant to be a talkfest but an action - oriented meeting which is expected to yield political declarations , action agenda and partnership documentation , " said JoAnne DiSano , the director of the United Nations division for sustainable development ..... more Story No . 14 : Governor Lashes Out at Illegal Logging " The local forestry offices and security authorities in the four provinces must take strict action against all sides who are involved in the illegal logging , " Zulkifli said ..... more Story No . 15 : Former Minister Emil Salim , a Champion of the Environment Presidents come and presidents go but the work of Professor Emil Salim will go on forever . The 70 - year - old former state minister for population and environment left Soeharto ' s government in 1993 but he is still on his toes trying to find ways to make ecology and economy compliment each other ..... more Story No . 16 : Indonesian Public Policy Forum ( Reminder ) The Public Policy Forum aims to encourage awareness and discussion of major public policy issues facing Indonesia . Ultimately the goal is to support the resolution of policy issues and channel conclusions into action ..... more Story No . 17 : Land Management and Biodiversity in Southeast Asia A symposium jointly organized by The Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science , Hokkaido University and The Research Center for Biology , The Indonesian Institute of Sciences will be held in Bali on September 17 - 20 , 2002 ..... more Story No . 18 : Vacancies at TNC East Kalimantan Office The Nature Conservancy ' s East Kalimantan Program seeks candidates to fill the following positions : Awareness Outreach Officer and Accountant ..... more Story No . 1 : Ten Billion Rupiah for Sungai Wain Protected Forest On March 15 , 2002 , the Balikpapan city legislature ( DPRD ) passed the 2002 municipal budget ( APBD ) , of which almost 10 billion rupiah was allocated for the management and preservation of the Sungai Wain Protection Forest ( HLSW ) . This allocation was the result of continuous lobbying and campaigning carried out in the year since the Sungai Wain Declaration of March 15 , 2001 . In this era of regional autonomy , the common perception is that the regions are currently trying to maximize exploitation of natural resources to raise local revenue . Therefore , it is especially encouraging to see the example of Balikpapan city that is willing to allocate significant finances to preserve its last remaining tract of forest . Ten billion rupiah is approximately 2 . 1 % of the total APBD of 486 billion rupiah , and represents a relatively high investment to preserve a 10 , 000 ha forest . While 3 . 7 billion is allocated from the DAK DR 2001 ( special funding that is allocated from the reforestation fund ) , the remaining 6 . 3 billion is allocated directly from municipal finances . Balikpapan city is probably unique amongst the more than four hundred kabupatens and cities in Indonesia in allocating such a large sum of money for forest preservation . Following the Sungai Wain Declaration , made on March 15th at a workshop on the management of Sungai Wain organized by the city government , many concerned government officials , local press , researchers , NGO ’ s donor - funded programs such as NRM / EPIQ , have been lobbying for a contribution for the management of the Sungai Wain forest in the municipal budget . However , it is probably fair to say that the size of the actual allocation was a pleasant surprise for even the most optimistic lobbyist . The funds will be managed and monitored by a special agency , the Badan Pengelola Hutan Lindung Sungai Wain / BP - HLSW ( Sungai Wain Protection Forest Management Board ) . The Management Board consists of two components , namely a multi - stakeholder Steering Committee ( Dewan Pengarah ) , and a professional Management Unit ( Unit Pelaksana ) . Recruitment of staff for the Management Unit is currently underway and positions advertised both in the local and national mass media , and on the internet ( see previous issue of Headline News ) . The Steering Committee will monitor the implementation of management , and has representatives of many different groups including several local government departments , NGO ’ s , local communities , the Municipal Legislature , the private sector and the local media . The Steering Committee is accountable to the Mayor , who is in turn accountable to the local legislature . Through this chain of reporting and monitoring , it is expected that the management system will become more professional , accountable and transparent . Currently the legal basis for establishment of the Management Board is the Mayoral Decree No . 6 , year 2001 . The provision of a stronger legal basis through the formulation of local legislation ( a Perda ) is currently underway , with an emphasis on the use of public consultation mechanisms to ensure improved understanding and compliance . Will the allocation of these municipal funds automatically guarantee the preservation of HLSW ? One would think so , but we also need to be realistic about the size of the issues and threats to Sungai Wain such as illegal logging , forest fires , and especially encroachment which now occupies more than 1 , 500 ha and has already impacted the quality and quantity of water in Sungai Wain . These issues are not easy to resolve because they are linked to other issues such as finding economic solutions for encroachers . Nonetheless , there still is room to be optimistic . The strategic plan ( RENSTRA ) and the program guidelines formulated by the Management Board aim at achieving a comprehensive solution to preserve Sungai Wain , at the same time providing benefits to local communities . The Municipal government ’ s commitment to allocate funds and to involve all stakeholders in preserving its forest is a ray of hope in the midst of uncertainties and ignorance often encountered when trying to find solutions to save the forests . The ten billion rupiah is expected to draw more funds from other sources and will be an example of how a regional government can be committed when saving its forests and environment . Maybe the time has come for a kota or a kabupaten to become role models for other levels of the government . At the very least there is no harm in hoping . Satria Iman Pribadi Outreach and Education Specialist NRM / EPIQ Kalimantan Timur satriai @ samarinda . org Top Story No . 2 : Bunaken National Park Village Radio Network now Up and Running During the month of March , radio antennas began appearing everywhere in villages throughout Bunaken National Park . Are Bunakenites preparing for extraterrestrial communications ? No , this is simply the realization of a long - standing request to increase communication capabilities amongst the 22 villages in the park . NRM / EPIQ has provided a total of 26 base VHF radio stations and 8 handheld marine VHF radios in order to facilitate communications between villages and provide radio contact for the 24 hour joint patrol system . Working closely with the Bunaken Concerned Citizen ’ s Forum ( FMPTNB ) , the BNP Management Advisory Board ( DPTNB ) has overseen the installation of these radios in all 22 villages ( including several isolated enclaves ) , the Bunaken patrol posts , and on patrol boats . For each village station , ten villagers have been trained in proper radio use , and the system is now operating flawlessly . The radio network is operating on Marine VHF Channel 01A ( corresponding to a frequency of 156 , 050 MHz ) , with a secondary frequency of 153 , 450 MHz . Already , the radio network is greatly simplifying communications between villages , the patrol system , dive operators , and the DPTNB secretariat . Communications between the secretariat and the patrol system are now instantaneous and allow tight monitoring of the entrance fee system , while village conservation leaders separated by 10 ’ s of kilometers of ocean are now regularly chatting with each other . Although the network is active 24 hours a day , FMPTNB leaders have instituted their own tradition that every morning at 5am , the day is opened with a five to ten minute prayer for Bunaken National Park , with a subsequent day - end prayer at 8pm . Village stations take turns in leading the prayer . Perhaps the most important improvement is in the area of enforcement against illegal fishers , as demonstrated in the following incident . On 20 March 2002 , a dive tourist staying on Bunaken Island noticed a cyanide compressor boat beginning operations on Bunaken ’ s reef at approximately 10pm . Within minutes , she had contacted a dive operator who promptly notified the patrol post on Liang Beach . The patrol post directed the nearest patrol boat to the site of the compressor activities . As it turned out , the cyanide boat had quickly moved from Bunaken once it realized it was under watch , but the village network was listening and 12 island stations promised to keep vigil and report if the boat began operating on their respective reefs . Mark V . Erdmann Marine Protected Areas Advisor NRM / EPIQ Sulawesi Utara erdmann @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 3 : Notes from a Meeting between West Kutai Regency and the Ministry of Forestry on Forest Management A closed meeting between representatives from West Kutai Regency and the Ministry of Forestry was held in Jakarta on April 23 , 2002 . The meeting was chaired by Ir . Wahyudi Wardoyo , MF , Secretary General , Ministry of Forestry . Speakers included Ir . Rama A . Asia , regent of West Kutai and drs . Juan Jenau , MBA , Head of DPRD in West Kutai . Other participants included directors and the forestry minister ’ s expert staffs , representatives from NRM / EPIQ , Ford Foundation , USAID and NGOs . Ir . Rama Asia presented the vision and mission for West Kutai ’ s forest management . West Kutai is planning to implement sustainable forest management for the benefit of the local community . Local traditional cultures , customs and wisdoms will always be considered prior to any decision - making . Included in the presentation were future strategies and current ongoing collaboration with foreign institutions , such as NRM / EPIQ Program , CIFOR , Ford and GTZ . Drs . Juan Junau provided full support to the role that has been chosen by West Kutai , i . e . to develop collaboration with institutions and the local community in West Kutai . In the meeting , Ir . Wahyudi stressed the fact that there are no activities that become the sole responsibility of one stakeholder . Each activity needs the active support and participation of relevant stakeholders . The regent of West Kutai expects that the Ministry of Forestry will be more responsive toward the rapid developments occurring in the region . To date West Kutai ’ s government has always been responsive towards local community ’ s aspirations . The regent cannot afford to act slowly when responding to the community ’ s aspirations , particularly when it concerns the uncertainty of the current forest management . In this regard , Ir . Rama Asia hopes that after the meeting the Ministry of Forestry will give its commitment to continue the collaboration between the central and regional governments in future activities . The discussions went very well in a transparent manner . Several follow - up actions were agreed upon , for example the reactivation of the Ministry of Forestry ’ s “ Gugus Tugas ” ( task force ) to facilitate decentralized forest management initiatives , such as the Perda Kehutanan ( regional regulation on forestry ) that is being formulated by multistakeholders in West Kutai . For more information please contact : C . Yan Sinyal Head of the Kelompok Kerja Program Kehutanan Kutai Barat ( KK - PKD ) c / o Sekretariat KK - PKD , Kantor CDK Mahakam Ulu Jl . A . Yani , Melak Ulu Kalimantan Timur Tel : 0545 - 41035 or Erwinsyah SFM Specialist NRM / EPIQ Program Jakarta Gedung Ratu Plaza lt . 17 Jl . Jend . Sudirman 9 Jakarta 10270 021 - 720 95 96 esyah @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 4 : Update on Mitra Kutai Since it was first initiated in 1994 when the Department of Forestry signed an agreement with eight companies operating in the areas surrounding Kutai National Park , Mitra Kutai ( Friends of Kutai ) had completed quite a number of activities . In its development , Mitra Kutai became a formal institution that accommodates other companies / organization wishing to contribute to the development and preservation of Kutai National Park . Other organizations that contributed to the foundation include NRM / EPIQ , IFFM - GTZ , UNESCO , WWF Sundaland Bioregion Balikpapan and Bikal . In addition to the fund allocated from the government , Kutai National Park also receives funding from Mitra Kutai for the development and preservation of Kutai National Park . From 1996 - 1998 , most of Mitra Kutai ’ s activities were implemented as single projects and were considered as the company ’ s responsibilities and contribution to Kutai National Park . In the past two years Mitra Kutai ’ s activities were concentrated on promotional activities , facilities development and habitat management . Through these promotional activities it is expected that people will become more aware of Kutai National Park ’ s existence and therefore establishing it as one of the representative areas to develop tourism , germplasm and ecology studies in East Kalimantan that corresponds with Kutai National Park ’ s vision until 2005 . At the end of 1998 , Mitra Kutai entered a more democratic phase . The previous repressive security measures that were enacted did not provide significant results , and only succeeded in generating the community ’ s animosity toward Balai Taman Nasional Kutai . Based on the opinion survey that was carried out in the park , it was found that Kutai National Park still needs to be publicized more often . Without support and involvement of stakeholders , the development and preservation of Kutai National Park will not succeed . On the other hand , the stakeholders ’ involvement can only be realized when these stakeholders are aware , understand and have some knowledge about Kutai National Park . Mitra Kutai ’ s activities in 2001 Most of the activities completed in 2001 were based on the commitment that was agreed upon in the meeting held in Jakarta on July 27 - 28 , 2000 . These activities include : 1 . Planned annual activities : Vocal group and poetry reading contests for SMU pupils in Bontang and Sangatta . The contest was held on January 27 , 2001 . These activities were aimed at channeling the pupils ’ creativity in producing environmentally - friendly messages Quiz on environmentally - linked subjects for SLTP pupils . The aim of this activity was to have competitions on environmentally - linked subjects for pupils from different SLTPs . Also to observe how school teachers were motivated in developing and disseminating basic environmental education subjects to their pupils . The quiz was held on March 31 - April 1 , 2001 in Bontang . Essay writing contest for SMU pupils in East Kalimantan . The purpose is to enhance the students ’ writing ability . The pupils were asked to express their personal opinion on the preservation of Kutai National Park . These opinions can be based on available publication materials or they can be based on the pupils ’ own experience and aspirations . Football matches between villages . These matches were aimed at improving the current communication gap between company management and community members . These matches were held in June - July 2001 . Kutai Cross - country contes t . Held for the second time the contest was sponsored by Mitra Kutai and was held in Sangkima on September 7 , 2001 . 105 teams from Bontang , Sangatta , Samarinda , and Balikpapan participated in the contest . 2 . Promotional Activities Radio Program . As part of the promotion programs , it was broadcasted through a “ blocking time ” contract with three radio stations : Radio Suara Khatulistiwa FM , Radio Nada Bontang Indah ( Bontang ) and Radio Gema Wahana Prima in Sangatta . This was an interactive radio program that involved listeners in discussions on various environmental issues , particularly on efforts to develop and preserve Kutai National Park Fliers and banners . Fliers with information on the development and preservation of Kutai National Park were disseminated . Billboards . Two billboards were put up in front of Bontang gas station and in Sangatta - PT KPC intersection . Kutai National Park comic book . Comic books were produced as a completion of a promotional training program organized by NRM / EPIQ . This activity was held in Sangatta ’ s elementary schools ( SD ) . Information Board and Shelters . Construction of Information Board and Sangkima post . 3 . Volunteer Program The volunteer program was aimed at enhancing the capacity of the human resources who manage Kutai National Park and at improving the networking with national and international institutions . Duration of the volunteer ’ s contract is from January 2000 - December 2002 . 4 . Ecological Studies Post Forest Fires Although Kutai National Park had gone through two major forest fires in 1997 , there were still some areas considered ecologically significant for wildlife habitats . Dr . Suzuki from Kyoto University ’ s research institution carried out studies on orangutan ’ s habitat and behavior . 5 . Boys / Girls Scouts Activities Boys / girls scout activities through Saka Wana Bakti were considered quite effective in introducing Kutai National Park . Activities include participation in cross country contests organized by Universitas Mulawarman and camping in Pandan Bay . 6 . Repair of car donated by UNESCO 7 . Outbound Recreation Establishment of outbound facilities in Sangkima for nature lovers who like challenges , they include boardwalk , hanging bridge , tree house , shelter , etc . 8 . Educational Aids Media on education is considered very effective in establishing positive relationship with the local community . This is one of Mitra Kutai ’ s programs that directly provide benefits to the community . 9 . Construction of Sangatta Sub - section Office Was first initiated through the proposed allocation of funds ( from the Reforestation Fund ) but was difficult to realize under the present economic crisis . It was only made possible after PT KPC made their commitment in 2000 to lend a section of their land within PT KPC ’ s office area to be used by Mitra Kutai . 10 . Construction of an Education Center The center was built close to the area where Dr . Suzuki ’ s is doing his research on local orangutan . The prevab area will be proposed to become a center for tourism education . The center was also built with boardwalk and wood bridges directed toward areas where orangutans can be found . 11 . Nursery and Tree Labelling The nursery is located in Sangkima and the tree labeling is done in Sangkima and Prevab ( PT KPC ’ commitment in 2000 ) . 12 . Security Measures Routine and joint patrols in Kutai National park areas were implemented through the funding from Mitra Kutai in addition to the limited Reforestation funds and APBN received from the government . Security measures are implemented in Tanjung Limau , Sanggata and Menamang . 13 . Tourism Development in Lombok Bay Implemented as a single project by Pertamina and was planned to be developed as an ecotourism area open to the general public in the future . 14 . Repair of Boardwalk This program was aimed at repairing the 700 m boardwalk in Sangkima . The boardwalk is one of the interesting tourist facilities in Sangkima because it was build into the mixed forests found in Kutai National Park . On the trail , a hanging bridge and outbound facilities have also been added . 15 . Prevention and Control of Forest Fires The activity is carried out in Pertamina areas that are susceptible to forest fires to prevent it from spreading it to Kutai National Park areas . 16 . Comparative study A comparative study was done in Lore Lindu National Park because the park has issues and characteristics that are greatly similar with those found in Kutai National Park . 17 . Accommodation and Transportation Provision of accommodation and transportation to various NGOs The regular Mitra Kutai meeting that was held on February 27 , 2002 was attended by PT . Pertamina , PT . Porodisa , PT . Badak NGL , PT . KPC , Volunteer Mitra Kutai , Yayasan Bikal , Balai TNK , NRM / EPIQ and Kenari ( Kelompok Wana Lestari ) . The meeting discussed the activities and budget implemented in 2001 and planned for 2002 . Activities in 2002 more or less will be continuous of those implemented in 2001 . Head of Mitra Kutai and Balai Taman Nasional Kutai , Ir . Luther T . Papalangi suggested the need of a special meeting to discuss the selection of a team to audit Mitra ’ s finances . It was agreed that it will be discussed further when the attendance of Mitra Kutai ’ s members are more complete . Several programs planned for 2001 were not completed , such as the old Sangatta project , nursery , tree labeling and studies on ecology . Mitra Kutai members requested to be informed of the constraints when realizing those activities . From the 2001 budget there still remains Rp . 106 , 177 , 046 . Conclusions from the meeting : Mitra Kutai ’ s activities that are small - scaled will be implemented by Balai TNK , and the large - scaled ones will involve the participation of other stakeholders . Identification of objectives , targets and good planning are needed to determine potential stakeholders that will be involved . This way the activities can be implemented in a participatory manner and achieve its objectives . Members should be prompt in submitting funds they have committed to contribute for Mitra Kutai . Placement of logos on the almanac should concur with the amount contributed by sponsors . There is a need to produce documentary films on Kutai National Park . To date there are no films or documented audio visual on Kutai National Park . These films will be useful for the eco - tourism and Balai Taman Nasional programs . These films will also be of a great assistance to the environmental awareness campaign and education programs implemented by other institutions such as Kenari ( Kelompok Wana lestari ) and girl / boys scout ( pramuka ) programs . Annaliza I . Chaniago Outreach & Education Assistant NRM / EPIQ Kalimantan Timur aliza @ samarinda . org Top Story No . 5 : Partnership in Conservation for Higher Achievement Partnership in implementing conservation campaign programs has proven to be very beneficial , particularly , in ensuring the internalization of these campaigns into the community ’ s everyday life . To achieve successful partnership , it is important to establish collaboration with existing institutions that are experienced in carrying out these programs . In April 2002 , NRM / EPIQ North Sulawesi developed a partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF - Wallacea Bioregional Program ) , Kantor Balai Taman Nasional ( TN ) Bunaken , Dewan Pengelola TN Bunaken ( DPTNB ) , NSWA ( North Sulawesi Watersport Association ) dan Forum Masyarakat Peduli TN Bunaken ( FMPTNB ) in organizing Coral Fiesta  a series of campaign activities and environmental education in celebration of earth day . The program was aimed at developing and enhancing the community ’ s awareness on the importance of preserving the biodiversity found in Bunaken National Park and surrounding areas . The essence of the awareness campaign was reflected in the slogan , “ Kubuat Bunaken Lestari ” ( Bunaken shall be preserved ) . The slogan also served as the program ’ s theme and provided knowledge and information on how the community can actively participate in conserving Bunaken National Park . Centralized in Bunaken , the program that was aimed for SLTP pupils succeeded in attracting 160 pupils from Manado and from the schools in Bunaken National Park to participate in the activity . The four activities that were programmed included : beach clean - up , observation of coral reefs from a katamaran , drawing contest and reef check . An interesting point to note was that most of the pupils who participated in the activities had never seen coral reefs before . This also applied to those who live in the vicinity of Bunaken National Park . The expression “ Seeing is believing ” becomes critical . A campaign will only be considered successful when the target group believes in the campaign message . One of the activities that need to be considered when carrying out the campaign to save coral reefs is to present and introduce underwater life to the target group . This is to make the target group become aware of the existence of underwater life and realize how this underwater life can affect and be affected by them . Transfer of information implemented in the form of enter - education is applicable to children . In a fun and entertaining atmosphere these children learn and do new things that will remain forever in their minds . Sri Hardiyanti Gunadi Outreach Specialist NRM / EPIQ Sulut gyanti @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 6 : Update Kerinci Seblat National Park website Jeremy Holden ( FFI ) totally revised the Kerinci website at http : // www . kerinci . org / Lots of new photographs have been added too . Jeremy would welcome feedback of readers at pop @ padang . wasantara . net . id CONTENTS Whats New - Frogs in Kerinci - 4 Governors dan 9 Bupatis Declarated their Commitment to KSNP - Profile of Pangkalan Jambu village Adat Forest - Closure the mining and forest concession activies in KSNP and surrounding area - How I can help KSNP ? Visiting Kerinci Geography Park Maps Flora and Fauna Threats Milestones Research ICDP Project Park Management Other Documents FAQ [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 7 : Britain and Indonesia Sign Agreement to Combat Illegal Timber Trade Associated Press April 18 , 2002 LONDON - Britain and Indonesia signed an agreement Thursday to take joint action to combat the trade in illegal timber products between the two countries . The deal commits Britain to revising its current laws with a view to eliminating imports of timber from illegal sources and obliges Indonesia to open its forestry sector to closer independent scrutiny . Environmental groups estimate that 60 percent of Britain ' s tropical timber imports are from illegal sources , representing almost 150 million pounds ( dlrs 210 million ) worth of stolen timber . They believe the agreement signed in London by British Environment Minister Michael Meacher and Indonesian Minister of Forestry Dr . Muhammad Prakosa is vital to prevent the disappearance of tropical forests within five to 10 years . Friends of the Earth ( news - web sites ) forest campaigner , Ed Matthew , said more than 70 percent of logging in Indonesia was illegal and the contract should help . " For the first time the U . K . ( United Kingdom ) government has sat down with a country exporting large quantities of timber and agreed on joint action to stop illegal exports and the destruction of primary forests , " Matthew said . " We hope this deal will be the first of many . We will be watching the U . K . and Indonesian governments like hawks to make sure it is fully put into practice . " Environmental groups have lobbied for changes for some time and have also campaigned against British companies who invest and trade in Indonesian forest corporations . A previous Friends of the Earth campaign in 1999 led to the British government changing its timber - buying policy , after it was discovered that the Ministry of Defense purchased Brazilian ( news - web sites ) mahogany for paneling warships from illegal sources . Submitted by : Timothy H . Brown Natural Resource Economics Policy Advisor NRM / EPIQ Program Jakarta brownth @ nrm . or . id Top Story No . 8 : All Wood Used by KIMPRASWIL for the Construction of Temporary Housing in Poso , Central Sulawesi , Known to be Illegal PRESS RELEASE Palu , April 17 2002 Ways of relieving the burden of community victims in the town of Poso , Central Sulawesi , as a result of disturbances that occurred some time ago , should continue to be encouraged . Assistance to rebuild the town is currently being given by the government , a circle of NGO ’ s , and other parties that care about Poso . It is regrettable , therefore , that the construction of temporary housing , being carried out by KIMPRASWIL on behalf of community members who have lost homes as a result of the conflict , relies on the use of supplies of illegal wood . According to the Head of the Forestry Department , Poso District Branch ( Bapak Ir . Dieng ) , ‘ I do not know the origin of all the wood that is used for repairing houses of worship and the construction of temporary housing in Poso , because there is no information in our notes about the woods mentioned , and at this moment … there are not yet any documents for the wood that has been felled ’ . Additionally , if we uphold the law specifically in the area of forestry , which changes our role to one of safekeeping and the protection of State assets , then the woods identified can be said to be illegal , and it is certain that the regional government is suffering from a financial loss . This issue needs to be raised , otherwise , there are parties which are will profit from means of giving help to community victims in Poso . Team YAKIS , which continues to make serious efforts to inform about illegal logging activities specifically in the Central Sulawesi region , considers it very regrettable that the woods used for constructing temporary housing in Poso do not possess legal documentation . YAKIS does not question the help given to the communities , on the contrary , YAKIS very much supports and welcomes the assistance given by the government and NGO ’ s to victims of the disturbance in Poso . From the results of an investigation carried out by a team from YAKIS on 4 April 2002 , it is known that there are no notes or information at the Forestry Department ( Poso Branch ) about the wood , which means that it is not accompanied by an official letter , and in other words , is illegal . If the wood mentioned is without documentation , i . e . is illegal , then PEMDA ( Pemerintah Daerah , Regional Government ) loses regional income ( Pendapatan Asli Daerah ) from the activity . If we assume that the levy from transportation of wood is around Rp 150 , 000 * per cubic metre , and the quantity of wood involved is around 100 cubic metres , then the amount which should be received by the State Forestry Department is around 15 million rupiahs . Investigations carried out by YAKIS in some villages in Poso , have revealed that the community already harvests wood from village forests around Poso , as they have received an order from the project implementer . For this , YAKIS does not blame the community as we are certain that when no specific orders exist , the community does not want to harvest wood . One thing which YAKIS very much regrets is that there are still officials who seek to make as large a profit as possible from the situation . This means that if wood is purchased in a legal manner , the price of wood ( such as that referred to in this proposal ) rises ; when the project implementers take short cuts , they can buy directly from the community at a lower cost . Also in need of attention , is the planning of the reconstruction program itself ; this program is one which damages forests and the environment , and inflicts a financial loss on local government . It benefits the parties that take wood , the wood ‘ mafia ’ , and those parties engaged in illegal practices . When there are practices like this , only one thing is certain , and that is that some parties profit . * 1 $ USD = approx . Rp 10 , 000 Written by : Alimuddin Paada , Musadat , Amin Panto . English translation by : Lisa Owen Yayasan Katopasa Indonesia Jl . Gunung Loli No . 2 Palu , Sulteng 94112 Tel / Fax : 0451 423752 Katopasa @ palu . wasantara . net . id Top Story No . 9 : Illegal Fishing at Alarming Level Source : Jakarta Post , April 17 , 2002 YOGYAKARTA Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri said here on Monday the alarming level of illegal fishing practices here in Indonesian waters had discouraged cooperation with neighboring countries . Due to the rampant illegal fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ) , only two out of six countries invited to cooperate were willing to sign maritime economic agreements with Indonesia . The two countries were China and the Philippines , while the four others refusing to sign an agreement were Thailand , Japan , South Korea , and Taiwan . " It makes sense that they refuse to sign such an agreement because even without doing so they can still fish here , can ' t they ? So why should they bother , " Dahuri said . Quoting FAO data in 2001 , Dahuri said that the total amount of fish catches taken through illegal fishing practices in Indonesia reached over 1 . 5 million of tons a year . According to Dahuri , this was made possible due to a deregulation issued by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1996 . The deregulation was initially aimed at empowering domestic fishermen . To prevent illegal fishing , several techniques have been adopted , including the strengthening of the national marine fleet , law enforcement and fishing control and implementation of strict fishing licenses for foreign fishing vessels . The fishery sector and its processing industry contributed 9 . 7 percent to the national gross domestic income ( PDB ) or Rp 38 . 6 billion in 2001 . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 10 : Illegal Logging Troubles Plywood Industry Source : Jakarta Post , April 17 , 2002 By Adianto P . Simamora Jakarta The Indonesian Plywood Association ( Apkindo ) said rampant illegal logging had created serious difficulties for the country ' s plywood industry with many companies going out of business during the past couple of years . Apkindo chairman Martias said on Tuesday that the logs had been smuggled out of the country particularly to Malaysia and China allowing plywood companies there to enjoy lower production costs because the cheaper illegal logs were not burdened with forestry - related charges . " Around one third of 115 local plywood factories have closed their operations mainly due to the rampant illegal logging , " he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar . He warned that without immediate action to curb illegal logging , more plywood companies would go bankrupt . He said that domestic plywood companies had been losing the market share at home because overseas plywood makers were flooding the home market with cheaper plywood made from Indonesian logs . " Imported ( plywood ) products now control 60 percent of domestic market , " he said . He added that the influx of cheaper imported products from Malaysia and China had put a pressure on the price , now hovering at around US $ 200 per cubic meter . The international plywood price now stands at about $ 250 per cubic meters . Martias also said that the country ' s plywood exports had declined to 6 million cubic meters last year from 8 million in 1997 . " China has became one of the plywood exporters to Indonesia by using logs illegally purchased in this country , " Martias said . China in the past imported around 1 . 1 million cubic meters of Indonesian plywood per year . Illegal logs procured by China are believed to come from Jambi and Riau provinces , while those going to Malaysia come from East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan . According to one estimate , illegal logs sold to Malaysia and China reached 300 , 000 cubic meters per year . Director General of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Trade and Industry Sudar SA said last week that the government was planning to impose a permanent ban on log export to protect forest resources . The government eased restrictions on log exports in 1998 by slashing export tax from 200 percent to 10 percent as part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund . The policy prompted logging companies to sell logs overseas to obtain hard currency . Analysts said that in addition to the illegal logging activity , the plywood industry has also been hit by the global economic slowdown and the lack of funding from domestic banks to provide working capital particularly to replace old machinery . Martias admitted that the lack of bank loans and security disturbances in certain areas had been a problem . " The increase in fuel prices , electricity rates and the regional minimum wage has also hampered the development of plywood industry , " he said . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 11 : NGOs Join Forces in Forest Management Source : Jakarta Post , April 20 , 2002 By Hyginus Hardoyo Jakarta British and Indonesian non - governmental organizations ( NGOs ) dealing with forestry issues have underlined the importance of promoting the sustainable and equitable management of Indonesia ' s forests . Liz Chidley of the London - based Down to Earth ( DTE ) , an international organization campaigning for ecological justice in Indonesia , said on Friday that NGOs in the UK fully supported their Indonesian counterparts in urging the Indonesian and UK governments to take further action to promote the sustainable and equitable management of forests in Indonesia . Chidley made the remarks in response to the signing of a memorandum of understanding ( MOU ) by Indonesia and the UK on the protection of tropical rainforests . The MOU was signed by Indonesian Minister of Forestry M . Prakosa and the undersecretary of the UK Department for International Development , Hilary Benn , in London on Friday . The MOU sets out how the two countries will cooperate on forest law enforcement and governance to combat illegal logging and the international trade in illegally felled timber and wood products . Chidley said her organization welcomed the signing of the agreement , but urged the Indonesian government to recognize the rights of forest dwellers as part of the effort to help save the country ' s disappearing forests . The goal is sustainable forest management and better lives for forest people , she said . Forest dwellers are still being evicted from their land to make way for logging , plantations and mines backed by foreign capital , including British companies , she said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post . DTE hopes the agreement will be a fist step toward more fundamental reforms to stop forest destruction -- legal and illegal -- and to prevent community rights violations , Chidley said . " We feel strongly that the British companies should be held accountable for their involvement in operations in Indonesia , which lead to gross human rights violations against indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities who depend on forest resources for their livelihoods , " she said . Chidley said her organization signed a joint statement by UK NGOs handed to Minister of Forestry M . Prakosa , which called for the recognition of forest - dependent communities ' rights , action on corruption and corporate accountability . Hapsoro of Telapak Indonesia , an Indonesian NGO , said non - governmental organizations were seriously concerned about the level of destruction and degradation of forest resources , caused by misguided forest management policies over many years . Such policies have resulted in massive forest destruction and have negatively affected the livelihoods of millions of local people and indigenous communities living in forest areas , he said . The failure to govern forests properly and the corrupt forest management have led to high levels of demand for timber , triggering uncontrolled logging and the large - scale conversion of natural forests , according to a joint statement by Indonesian NGOs , including Walhi and the Friends of the Earth Indonesia . The destruction of the forests and the resulting ecological imbalances are manifest in various natural disasters throughout Indonesia , such as forest fires , floods and landslides . Furthermore , forestry operations continue to use violence and intimidation against forest dwellers . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 12 : Gorontalo Governor Urged to Preserve Ecosystem of Togean Islands Source : Tempo , April 19 , 2002 Palu Several environmental organizations in Sulawesi have urged Gorontalo governor Fadel Muhammad to prioritize the preservation of Togean islands ' marine ecosystem in carrying out the Tomini mega - project . " We ask the governor not to exploit Tomini Bay for his project , " said Sudirman Suhdi , the director of Civil Society non - governmental organization ( NGO ) , in Palu on Friday ( 19 / 4 ) . According to Suhdi , the governor ’ s measure to develop the marine sector for business should be welcomed by everyone . However , problems could occur as a result of the Tomini project if the governor fails to pay attention on the ecosystem of Togean islands . " We ’ re prepared to face the governor if the islands are destroyed by the project , " Suhdi said . Rijal , member of Palu Ntodea NGO , also made a similar comment on this matter . According to him , the biodiversity in the Togean islands should be preserved . Rijal is worried that the Rp 1 - trillion Tomini project could destroy the ecosystem of the Togean islands and warned the governor to be very careful in developing the Tomini Bay . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 13 : Sustainable Development Meeting Planned in Bali Source : Jakarta Post , April 24 , 2002 By Rita A . Widiadana Nusa Dua Indonesia will host a ministerial - level gathering of the Preparatory Committee Meeting of the World Summit on Sustainable Development next month , with United Nations officials praising arrangements for the event . JoAnne DiSano , the director of the United Nations division for sustainable development , told journalists here on Tuesday a UN team was satisfied with accommodations for the as many as 6 , 000 delegates from 189 countries who are expected to attend the gathering at the Bali International Convention Center ( BICC ) in Nusa Dua from May 27 through June 7 . The Bali meeting will precede the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg , South Africa , from Aug . 26 to Sept . 4 . The aim of the summit is to review how far governments have come in promoting sustainable development , and to seek measures to deal with development - related issues such as poverty , communal diseases and environmental destruction . " The ministerial - level meeting in Bali will be very important . It is not meant to be a talkfest but an action - oriented meeting which is expected to yield political declarations , action agenda and partnership documentation , " said DiSano . She also revealed that it was not merely a meeting on the environment , but an integrated meeting that would deal with economic , social and environmental issues . Bali , as the host of the international gathering , is expected to reap both short and long - term benefits from the meeting . " Bali is a proper place for the meeting , where delegates can concentrate in a leisurely atmosphere . They can also learn about different cultures and religions , " she added . Jakarta was initially tapped to host the meeting , but the venue was changed three months ago , with some sources citing security concerns as the reason . Former minister Erna Witoelar , who will head Indonesia ' s National Committee at the event , admitted that it was a challenge to make all the necessary preparations given the sudden change in venue . " We have been involving the Bali provincial government and the National Police , especially when it comes to security matters , " she explained . " I hope that the meeting will boost the image of Indonesia in the international community , " Erna added . According to the former minister , the Indonesian delegation will raise the issue of debt forgiveness , poverty alleviation and the transfer of technology during the gathering . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 14 : Governor Lashes Out at Illegal Logging Source : Jakarta Post , April 24 , 2002 Jakarta Jambi Governor Zulkiffli Nurdin has hit out at rife illegal logging in the Kerinci Seblat National Reserve , home to large numbers of rare species of flora and fauna . " Many reports have reached me that almost every night , some 30 logging trucks transport logs out of the protected reserve , " he said when opening a bridge project in Muaro Madrasah Village , Jangkat Regency , Jambi on Tuesday . He called on the provincial police and local military to immediately take stern action to stop the logging . The national reserve , covering 1 . 48 million hectares in Jambi , South Sumatra , Bengkulu and West Sumatra , contains millions of hectares of virgin rainforest , rare and protected species such as elephants , rhinoceros , tapirs , tigers , sun bears and clouded leopards . Besides the wild animals and the beautiful scenery , which includes Lake Kerinci and Mount Kerinci , the park has many rare botanical species . A number of international institutions and foundations have donated resources to help the government manage the reserve . Zulkiffli reiterated that the four provinces had long agreed to enhance cooperation to preserve the park . " The local forestry offices and security authorities in the four provinces must take strict action against all sides who are involved in the illegal logging , " he said . He warned that donor countries could stop their donations if the environmental deterioration at the park continued . He called on security authorities to crack down on the mushrooming sawmills operating near the national park which were believed to process logs looted from the protected forest . " The presence of sawmills near the national park is an indication that they get their raw materials from the park , " he said . The Jambi Provincial Police have confiscated hundreds of cubic meters of illegal logs from a number of sawmills while the owners have been arrested for further investigation . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 15 : Former Minister Emil Salim , a Champion of the Environment Source : Jakarta Post , April 27 , 2002 By Mehru Jaffer Jakarta He dreams of the day when industry will be agro - based , tourism will enrich the ecology and the harvest of development will benefit the maximum number of people , instead of just a small minority . He gives the example of a rainforest where life is rich only because every creature , from the tiniest to the mightiest , depends for its survival upon each other . He terms diversity as the strength of the ecological system , adding that this is true of human society as well . " The more diverse a society is , the stronger it is . It is very important to recognize diversity and the inter - dependency of each one of us on the other , " the bird - like Professor told The Jakarta Post before flying off to Brazil for yet another meeting on sustainable development . As the spirit behind the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation and the Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute , Salim is trying to get countries rich in rainforests like Indonesia , Brazil and Zaire to come together under the umbrella of an international organization similar to OPEC . Out of the " Unity in diversity " slogan coined by the country ' s founding fathers , unity is stressed all the time but the benefits of diversity are still to be recognized here , he says , adding that he likes the idea of a thousand flowers always in bloom , everywhere . The most pertinent question before Indonesians today is how to live peacefully with each other in diversity ? A homogenized world is a colorless one as far as Salim is concerned , because different languages , food and clothes make life not just interesting but also give strength to a society . As a champion of the environment , he is not against development . It is possible to be prosperous without damaging the environment . He is saddened to watch the destruction of the environment when there is no need for such thoughtless cruelty . This is happening as the greed of ignorant people is being allowed to walk all over the basic needs of the world . He is against an export - based economy where a country is stripped of all its wealth in raw materials . Instead of logging the forest and selling wood he would like to see medicine made from the bark of the relevant tree and exported . " Make cosmetics out of fish oil and sell the finished product instead of emptying the waters of all the fish , " he explains . Nearly four decades ago when most other developing countries like India , Iran and Turkey were into heavy industries , Indonesia decided to modernize its agriculture . The country was self sufficient in rice by 1983 and only then opened its economy to industry . At that time , policy - makers like Emil Salim were determined not to repeat the mistakes made by countries that had industrialized . Despite lessons in pollution control , Indonesia ' s population and consumption are increasing , deforestation is rapid and fresh water supplies are continuing to diminish . Indonesia is a country rich in biodiversity with 10 percent of the world ' s flowering species , 12 percent of all mammal species and about 47 distinct ecosystems . But today , the country has the longest list of endangered flora and fauna species and is facing a serious depletion of its biodiversity , due to the overexploitation of natural resources and inappropriate agricultural policies . When asked how the country got into this mess , Salim , the environment minister between 1978 and 1993 , points out that the environment is still treated as an ad hoc issue both by national , as well as international financial institutions . Open market moguls and politicians on the lookout for quick returns consider fresh air , beautiful landscape and thick forests as free commodities , which belong to no one and are therefore worthless . There is no immediate profit in taking care of the environment . So forests have vanished at an estimated rate of three million hectares a year , the highest deforestation rate in the world . Air pollution caused by automobiles continue to emit lead pollution at 1 . 3 micrograms per cubic meter in Jakarta , above the World Health Organization ' s ( WHO ) limit of between 0 . 5 and 1 . 0 micrograms per cubic meter . Water pollution is yet another serious problem as the South China Sea is one of the world ' s busiest international sea - lanes with more than half of the world ' s supertanker traffic passing through the region ' s waters . Industry has polluted water and , together with the increase in population and decrease in fresh water supplies , has placed great stress on people and the environment . The main constraint in the implementation of sustainable development in Indonesia has always been the lack of accountability and good governance . So much forest is felled and intentionally set on fire , yet nobody is held responsible . Even timber tycoon Bob Hasan was not jailed for destroying the forest , but for other crimes he committed . What the people in power must do is enforce the rule of law . The existing laws are very sound but they have to be implemented . Otherwise , Salim says , environmental concerns will continue to be treated merely as jargon . Salim suggests a more holistic approach to policy - making where no ministry is considered more powerful than the other and the opinion of civilians and non - governmental organizations are included in the decision - making process . Salim was selected by former president Soeharto as an advisor in the 1960s , along with a group of mostly American educated technocrats , dubbed " the Berkeley mafia " . He fell out with Soeharto in 1993 when the more high - tech ideas and macro approach of B . J . Habibie was favored over the bio , and agro - based , micro - level concerns of Salim . [ Courtesy of the Indonesian Nature Conservation List ] Top Story No . 16 : Indonesian Public Policy Forum ( Reminder ) Introduction To encourage high - quality contributions to Indonesia ’ s ongoing public policy debate , the Forum will award a CAD $ 10 , 000 prize to the author of the best Policy Brief received from a citizen of Indonesia during the period January 15 th to June 30 th 2002 . The process begins with a public - spirited Indonesian citizen who has identified a major public policy issue and who , through rigorous analysis , has formulated ideas on how the issue can be addressed . The issue , the analysis and the proposed solution can be expressed in the form of a Policy Brief . The Policy Brief is then submitted to the Public Policy Forum Steering Committee ( the Committee ) who will select the recipient of the Hickling Public Policy Award for best Policy Brief received between January 15th and June 30th 2002 . The winning submission will be announced on July 31st 2002 . The author of the winning submission , as well as the runners up , will be invited to participate in an Indonesian Public Policy Symposium to be held in September 2002 . Members of the Indonesian Public Policy Forum Steering Committee include : Chair : Mr . Ferry de Kerckhove , Ambassador of Canada to Indonesia Vice Chair : Professor Dr . Djunaedi Hadisumarto , University of Indonesia Members : Dr . Umar Juoro , Senior Fellow , Habibie Center Professor Dr . T . Omas Ihromi , University of Indonesia Dr . David Deziel , Chairman , Hickling Eligibility This competition is open to all citizens of Indonesia . Submissions should consist of original work by the authors that has not been published elsewhere , in whole or in part , nor submitted for consideration for publication elsewhere . Group authorship is permitted , provided that all authors are Indonesian citizens . Not more than three ( 3 ) persons should be included as authors of a single Policy Brief . Institutional or corporate contributions are not eligible . The Award The Award is made available through PT Hickling Indonesia , which is the Indonesian subsidiary of Hickling Corporation Canada . Both firms specialize in public policy and management . The Award will be paid directly to the recipient by PT Hickling Indonesia and may be subject to tax in accordance with Indonesian tax regulations in effect at the time of payment . Policy Brief Guidelines The Policy Brief should provide a description of the issue , e . g . some matter on which a new or revised public policy is needed . Any assumptions should be stated , and available policy options should be identified and explained . The analysis should outline the implications of each policy option in terms of its impact in general and on various stakeholders in particular . The author should recommend a preferred policy option and explain the basis for this recommendation along with any suggestions for implementation Language : The Policy Brief may be type written in either Bahasa Indonesia or English . Word Limit : The Policy Brief should be less than 5 , 000 words in length . Abstract : A summary or abstract of the document is required . It should be concise , comprehensive and not exceed 300 words in length . References : These should be in the form : Author ’ s Name . Year of Publication . Title of Article / Book . Journal Title / Publisher ’ s Name . Page Number ( s ) . Acknowledgements : Do not include . Wordprocessing : Documents should be prepared using either MS Word or WordPerfect software in 10 pt Font . Page layout should be set for A4 Portrait , Single Spacing , Full Justification , 2 . 5 cm margins on all sides , and Page Numbering at “ Bottom Center ” . Submitting the Policy Brief Policy Briefs should be submitted in both hard and soft copy [ one ( 1 ) printed original and one ( 1 ) diskette ] . The Committee will assign an accession number to each policy brief received , and send an acknowledgement by return mail citing the accession number . Submissions should include a covering letter , signed by the principal author that provides the return addresses and phone / fax numbers of all the listed authors and should be delivered to : The Indonesian Public Policy Forum Jl . Talang Betutu No . 2 Jakarta 10230 Fax : ( 021 ) 391 - 5517 file66 @ attglobal . net Top Story No . 17 : Land Management and Biodiversity in Southeast Asia Bali , Indonesia 17 - 20 September 2002 A joint symposium organized by The Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science , Hokkaido University and The Research Center for Biology , The Indonesian Institute of Sciences Scope The importance of peatland management and research on biodiversity in Southeast Asia is still increasing since the later half of the 20th century . However , some mismanagement of peatland during these periods have occurred and have lead to destruction of natural resources and increased degraded land . One of the recent serious disasters in Southeast Asia that might relate to the mismanagement of land and biodiversity was the forest fire of 1997 / 98 , which caused serious damages not only to natural resources but also to human life . Some signals of changing global environments due to human impacts including the mismanagement of peatland in the areas have been also detected worldwide . Southeast Asia is expected to be an area of major development of economic activities in the 21st century , and most parts of the area also has enormous biological and ecological resources that relate directly and indirectly to the quality of the global environment . Hence wise use and sustainable management of peatland and natural resources should be applied when accelerating the economic development of the area in the early part of the 21st century . Standing on this point of view , The Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science , Hokkaido University and The Research Center for Biology , Indonesian Institute of Sciences are planning to organize a symposium . Topics : Wise use and sustainable management of peatland in Southeast Asia Biodiversity and bio - resources in Southeast Asia Aquatic ecosystems and resources in Southeast Asia Environmental quality of human settlements in river basins of Southeast Asia Conference language English Sponsored by : JSPS ( Japan Society for the Promotion of Science ) LIPI ( The Indonesian Institute of Sciences ) Supported by : BPPT ( Agency for the Assessment and Development of Technology , Ministry of Research and Technology ) CIMTROP ( Centre for International Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatland , University of Palangka Raya ) EUTROP ( European Union Natural Resource Functions of Tropical Peatlands Project ) IPB ( Bogor Agricultural University ) ITB ( Institute of Technology Bandung ) JICA ( Japan International Cooperation Agency ) , Biodiversity Conservation Project in Indonesia STRAPEAT ( European Union Sustainable Management of Peatlands in Borneo Project ) Important dates : May 15th , 2002 : Deadline for preliminary registration ( name and title ) June 15th , 2002 : Deadline for submission of abstracts June 30th , 2002 : Acceptance of abstracts will be sent to corresponding authors September 17th , 2002 : Registration September 18 - 19th , 2002 : Conference September 20th , 2002 : Excursion 1 ( Botanical Garden , LIPI ) September 21st - 24th , 2002 : Excursion 2 ( Central Kalimantan ) November 30th : Deadline for submission of full paper for proceeding Contact addresses for preliminary registration and submission of abstracts : Dr . Hidenori Takahashi Hokkaido University Sapporo 060 - 0810 Japan troenv02 @ ees . hokudai . ac . jp Tel : + 81 - 11 - 706 - 2221 Fax : + 81 - 11 - 706 - 4867 and Dr . Herwint Simbolon Research Center for Biology , LIPI Bogor 16122 Indonesia herbolon @ indo . net . id Tel : + 62 - 251 - 322035 Fax : + 62 - 251 - 336538 Top Story No . 18 : Vacancies at TNC East Kalimantan Office 1 . Awareness Outreach Officer Location : East Kalimantan , Tanjung Redeb Field Office Purpose The Nature Conservancy ' s East Kalimantan Program seeks an Awareness Outreach Officer to be based in TNC ' s Berau Field Office located in Tanjung Redeb . This individual will focus on conveying a forest and marine conservation messages to a variety of target groups including communities , government , industry , NGOs and the general public in Kabupaten Berau . A majority of the Outreach Officer ' s time will be spent in the field working directly with stakeholders in order to : inform stakeholders on the economic , social and intrinsic value of forest and marine resources ; educate on practices that would lead to sustainability of these natural resources ; and garner support of communities , government and industry for TNC ' s conservation activities Summary of responsibilities The Outreach Officer will work under the supervision of and report TNC ' s East Kalimantan Program Manager . He / She will assist in the design , coordination , implementation , evaluation , and reporting of awareness and outreach activities . He / She will also work closely with TNC outreach staff in Samarinda and Jakarta in order to continually evaluate and design strategies to achieve programmatic goals related to conservation awareness . Prime responsibilities of Awareness Outreach Officer Implement awareness program as a tool to socialize TNC activities Design TNC awareness activities Work closely with local communities in villages in Kabupaten Berau , local and national / international non - government organizations , industry representatives , local government Conduct training for communities and stakeholders in conservation awareness and related subjects . Liaise effectively with TNC ' s Jakarta and Samarinda Field Offices Qualifications Bachelor degree or equivalent number of years of experience Strong interest in conservation Good local knowledge of stakeholders in East Kalimantan and preferably Berau Willingness to spend long periods working under difficult field conditions Experience working in villages and with local communities Experience working with Industry and working knowledge of English a plus 2 . Accountant This position will be based in Samarinda . The candidate selected will provide accurate financial and operating information on a timely basis to support the Program Manager in setting the goals , developing activities and monitoring the finances of the project . S / He is responsible for maintaining good accounting records and reporting on all operational and financial data for the Samarinda and Berau offices . Qualification : A Bachelors Degree in accounting or finance from an accredited college or university . Experience with text and data manipulations using Excel , Microsoft word and electronic mail is essential . Strong organization skills and ability to work under pressure and independently , with attention to detail . Willingness to work long , flexible hours as needed . Excellent oral and writing communication skill in Bahasa Indonesia and English . ( Samples will be required ) . Willingness to make a commitment to nature conservation and the goals and objectives of The Nature Conservancy . Indonesia citizenship or proof of the right to work in Indonesia required . Application should be written in English . Please send your application and C . V . not more than 1 ( one ) week after this advertisement to : Office Manager The Nature Conservancy East Kalimantan Portfolio Office Jl . Kuranji no . 1 Voorvo Samarinda tncsfo @ samarinda . org Only short listed candidates will be contacted Top The views expressed by the authors and organizations contributing to this electronic newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the NRM Program , its partner organizations , USAID , or its government of Indonesia sponsors . The purpose of the NRM Headline News is to provide a forum for a wide diversity of opinion and information on NRM Program activities , selected upcoming events and news . The NRM Program is a collaborative program between the governments of Indonesia and the United States of America . The six partners implementing the NRM Program include : the Environmental Policy and Institutional Strengthening Indefinite Quantity Contract ( EPIQ ) , Yayasan KEMALA , the Coastal Resources Management Program ( CRMP - Proyek Pesisir ) , Conservation International , The Nature Conservancy and the World Wide Fund for Nature - Indonesia .