Raja Ampat's deep-sea treasures

“It was fun,” 2006 Miss Universe runner up Kurara Chibana exclaimed after a three-day dive trip in Raja Ampat, Papua. 

Deep-sea enthusiasts around the world agree Raja Ampat is a diving paradise, where beautiful coral reefs and exotic sea creatures can be spotted.

Coral reefs at Miskon diving site.

Giant clam, pygmy seahorse, nudibranch, coral fish, and tasseled wobbegong can all be seen amid the coral. If they’re lucky, divers can also spot whales. 

Watching manta rays swimming with their “wings” spread out up close is the highlight of Raja Ampat. The Jakarta Post was invited by the marine and fishery ministry to Raja Ampat to see the activities being conducted in the second phase of coral reef rehabilitation and management (COREMAP II) in Papuan waters.  

Sites such as Batu Lima, Miskon, Chicken reef, Cape KRI and Manta Point are some of the most popular diving spots, drawing divers back to Raja Ampat time and again. 

“I’ll come back next year for my vacation,” Kurara said. 

(Text and photos by Arief Suhardiman)

Bali developing into center of international arts conventions

Denpasar (ANTARA News) - Bali is increasingly developing into a center of meetings and interaction among artists and culturalists from all parts of the world, a lecturer at the Denpasar-based Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI), Prof. Dr. I Wayan Dibia, MA, said here Friday.

IAt different times and in different contexts, artists and culture experts from various countries meet in Bali for inter-cultural dialogs in an effort to create art works of good quality, Dibia said.

They intentionally come to Bali to absorb new aesthetic inspirations and adopt Balinese art concepts and elements to produce new inventions, he said.

"In order to prevent Bali`s local arts and cultural heritage from experiencing unexpected things, they need to be protected by such things as copyrights," he said.

Therefore, Bali`s artists should always produce original works and at the same time improve the quality of their creations, he said.

Balinese arts and culture are changing rapidly from traditional to recreational works as well as new inventions in various forms, he said.

The artistic tastes are dynamically changing and this was making the Balinese people proud, he said.

However, he said, there was no legal protection for Bali`s arts and culture which had been bequeathed to the Balinese people from one generation to the other, Dibia said.

Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines start sharing journeys

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 06/21/2008 12:22 PM

Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have signed an agreement under which the carriers will benefit from joint marketing and promotion, code sharing and special rate agreements.

The memorandum of understanding was signed Friday in Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia president and chief executive officer Emirsyah Satar and SIA chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng.

"The industry has become more competitive and the increasing fuel price has put extra pressure on us, so we have to cooperate to increase efficiency and service (quality)," Emirsyah said in the press conference.

The airlines will begin the code sharing with an additional daily flight between Denpasar and Singapore starting August 2.

Initially, SIA will assume the role of operator by providing the flight, while Garuda will act as marketer and sell the seats. In the future, the companies will share the services.

"(The new flight) will increase our capacity, so our passengers from Saigon or Beijing can go directly to Bali from Singapore. The new schedule is also an improvement," Garuda Indonesia commercial director Agus Priyanto said.

Currently, Garuda operates 11 flights per week for the Denpasar-Singapore route, while SIA operates eight per week.

Garuda will also benefit from a special arrangement on ticket rates referred to as the special prorate agreement (SPA) for flights between Indonesia and Singapore that continue to Europe, China, India, Japan, the U.S. or Southeast Asia.

SIA is similarly entitled to the SPA for flights between Singapore and Indonesia that continue to Australia or north Asia.

SIA's Chew said he was especially pleased to be able to tap into Indonesia's tourist destination routes.

The two company chiefs said air traffic between the countries remained high.

Chew said air traffic from Asia, the EU, Australia and New Zealand remained busy, but that trans-Atlantic flights to the U.S. had seen a huge reduction in tourist travelers.

"Instead of traveling across the Atlantic, people travel regionally. We have seen more travelers from Japan and Australia," Agus of Garuda said.

Garuda recorded a 7 percent increase in passengers in this year's first quarter compared to in the same period last year.

Agus said Garuda was currently experiencing a load factor of 85 percent of capacity, and that the airline was preparing an additional 70,000 seats for the holiday season, 40 percent of which will be designated for regional travelers.

Having received two new airplanes in the last two months, Garuda plans to add one extra trip to its existing five flights per week to Sydney and one to its three flights per week to Melbourne. The agreements and pricings will be reviewed seasonally in March and October.(mri)

DANCING ON THE WATER

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 06/20/2008 7:11 AM

Local residents with bows and arrows stage a war dance on a boat during the opening of a culture and arts festival at Lake Sentani in Jayapura, Papua, on Thursday. The festival, officially opened by Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, will last until Saturday. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)

First Lady presents two "smart boats"

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono was expected to present two `smart` boats functioning as mobile libraries, in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province, here on Monday.

The two `smart` boats were expected to be symbolically handed to Commander of Regiment 091/ASN Colonel Inf. Ibrahim Saleh and Head of the Regiment 121/ABW Lt. Col. Inf. Aminulla at VI/ Tanjung Pura military district command headquarters here on Monday.

The mobile libraries were donated by wives of the United Indonesian Cabinet members to provide Indonesian children with wider access to books and technologies.

The `smart` boats equipped with text books, computers, televisions, and educational films will cruise along Kalimantan rivers to reach children living in remote areas.

Initiated by the First Lady, the `Smart` Indonesian Program provides boats, vans, motorcycles, and houses functioning as libraries for children.

The First Lady also initiated a "books-drop" program to accommodate books donated by the public.

In addition to the two boats, Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono would also present 28 `smart` motorcycles and 14 `smart` vans to 14 district heads and mayors in East Kalimantan.

On Sunday (15/6), the First Lady visited exhibitions of products of small and medium scale businesses and ornamental plants at Balikpapan Super Block. Accompanied by Helena Nontje Ngayoh, wife of the East Kalimantan Governor, Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono also visited Kebun Sayur market, which is a center of handicrafts and gems.

Dutch govt supports arts, culture conservation in Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Dutch government had promised to continue its financial support to the conservation of arts and culture in Indonesia, and also hold human resources training, under a cooperation between Amsterdam`s Tropenmuseum and the Jakarta Culture and Arts Agency.

Netherlands Ambassador to Indonesia Nikolaos van Dam said at the opening of a "Hidden Inheritance Exhibition at Jakarta`s Museums" at Erasmus Huis on Friday, his country considered arts and culture as a vital part of the life of people, not only because of the external effects of arts like beautifying the environment, but also as a boost to the economy and tourism, as well as an enhancement to a country`s image and reputation.

"Therefore the Dutch government since a long time ago deemed it necessary and important to support and finance the arts sector actively. Not only in the Netherlands itself, but in other countries like Indonesia which has a friendly relationship with the Netherlands as well," he said. 

Nikolaos said arts and culture have high intrinsic values to life itself, provide a purpose for the people and a hope for a better future.

He said that one of the cooperations that had been established for some time between Indonesia and the Netherlands is a cooperation between Tropenmuseum of Amsterdam and the Jakarta Culture and Museum Agency with the support of the Netherlands Embassy and assistance of the Rotterdam City Administration. 

"The project which was launched in 2006, and to last until next year, not only improved the management of exhibitions and museum care and maintenance in Jakarta in an active way, but the exhibition we have opened opened today also has concrete results," he said. 

The museums under the management of the Jakarta City Administration taking part in the exhibition are Maritime Museum, 1945 Independence Struggle Museum, Husni Thamrin Museum, National Monumen, Onrust Island Archaeological Park, Museum of Jakarta History, Epigraphical Museum, Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum, Textile Museum, and Leather Puppet Museum. 

Under this project, all the museums in Jakarta will be holding their own exhibitions in the next couple of months. 

Early in 2009, a group of promising young museum and conservation agency executives will be leaving for the Netherlands where they will follow special training to enhance their capabilities, and visit museums under the sponsorship of Tropenmuseum.

W.Java seeks Rp 100b in tourism transactions

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung | Thu, 06/05/2008 10:12 AM

The West Java Tourism and Cultural Agency aims to garner Rp 100 billion (US$10.7 million) in tourism transactions from its four-day 2008 Travel Exchange event in Bandung, West Java, an official said Wednesday. 

Agency chief Idjudin Budhiana said the annual event, which began Tuesday, had attracted 104 foreign buyers, as well as 70 local sellers from areas outside West Java, including Bali and Makassar in South Sulawesi. 

"West Java has about 40 sellers who will promote some 300 tourism spots, such as Tangkuban Perahu mountain in Lembang and Pelabuhan Ratu beach in Sukabumi," Idjudin said. 

Tourism is West Java's main source of gross domestic income, with the region this year gunning to make Rp 25 trillion from its target of 37.5 million local tourists and 700,000 foreign travelers, equating to 10 percent of the nation's foreign arrival target. 

According to the agency, West Java saw 36 million local and 600,000 foreign tourists last year, lower than the anticipated 40 million local and one million foreign tourists.

Idjudin said the agency planned to form a special government assisted tourism body, which would include travel associations, a collection of hotels and restaurants and other tourism related institutions to help bolster campaigns in the area.