Indonesian minister calls for Miss World to be axed

Google – AFP, 30 August 2013

A Muslim woman wearing a veil sits in front of foreign tourists wearing

bikinis on Kuta beach in Bali on June 6, 2013 (AFP/File, Sonny Tumbelaka)

JAKARTA — Indonesia's religious affairs minister has called for the Miss World beauty pageant to be cancelled, as opposition in the Muslim-majority country mounts the week before the contest opens in Bali.

Suryadharma Ali said that the organisers should follow the advice of the nation's top Islamic clerical body, which last week called for the contest to be scrapped even after organisers agreed to axe the bikini round.

"The Indonesian Ulema Council has expressed strong opposition to Miss World because it doesn't fit with Islamic teachings that say Muslim women should cover immodest parts of their bodies," the minister said in a statement late Thursday.

The minister is the first government official to publicly voice opposition to the pageant, dealing a fresh blow to the Britain-based organisers.

Miss Indonesia 2013, Vania Larissa (L),

 and Miss Maluku Marsha Pical at a

 party on March 20, 2013 (AFP/File, 

Romeo Gacad)

His statement came the same day a commissioner from the country's National Human Rights Commission said he opposed an event that "put women's bodies on display".

The local organisers were not fazed by the minister's comments however, saying the issue was not his domain and that "the show must go on".

"This is not an Islamic country and this event is an issue of culture, not religion," Adjie S. Soeratmadjie, corporate secretary of broadcaster and local organiser RCTI, told AFP, adding several other ministers supported Miss World.

While Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation, its constitution is not Islamic and recognises several religions.

The organisers revealed in June that the famed bikini round was being axed for the pageant in Indonesia in a bid to avoid causing offence, and contestants would instead wear Balinese sarongs.

Nevertheless, hardline group Islamic Defenders Front has not been appeased and still plans to hold protests on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, where the pageant's final will be held on September 28.

The competition opens on September 8 in Bali, a Hindu-majority island known for its many beaches where female tourists from around the world sunbathe in skimpy bikinis with few problems.

Hardline groups in Indonesia have forced the cancellation of events deemed "un-Islamic" in the past.

Last year pop star Lady Gaga pulled out of the Indonesian leg of her tour after hardliners threatened to burn down the venue and criticised her for wearing only "a bra and panties".

Related Articles:

Religious Intolerance ‘Cannot Be Justified’: SBY

"THE RECALIBRATION OF BELIEF"– Aug 18, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

Drug-trafficking British woman in Bali loses appeal against death sentence

Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced for trafficking cocaine with a street value of £1.6m on a flight from Thailand to Bali

The Guardian, Caroline Davies, Thursday 29 August 2013

Lindsay Sandiford inside a cell at a court in Denpasar, Bali. Photograph:
Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images

A British woman facing a firing squad for trafficking drugs into the Indonesian island of Bali has failed in her attempt to get her death sentence overturned, and now must fight for a judicial review or hope for a presidential pardon.

Lindsay Sandiford's appeal was unanimously rejected by three judges sitting in a closed hearing at the supreme court in Jakarta on Thursday.

The decision was reported in a text message by the chief judge, Artidjo Alkostar, which said: "Her appeal has been rejected. The decision is unanimous" and added there was "no dissenting opinion".

Sandiford, 57, a former legal secretary originally from Redcar, Teeside, was sentenced in May for trafficking nearly 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine with a street value of £1.6m in her luggage on a flight from Thailand to Bali. Prosecutors said she was at the centre of a drug ring which involved three other Britons.

They had recommended she should serve 15 years in prison, but Denpasar district court handed down a death sentence. She appealed in the Indonesia high court and lost. That decision was upheld in Thursday's ruling. She must now apply for a judicial review from the same court. If that fails, her only hope is for clemency by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Sandiford, a grandmother who has two sons aged 24 and 22, has insisted that she was a drug mule forced to transport the cocaine to protect her children. She is being held in Kerobokan jail, nicknamed Hotel K by inmates, where she shares a cramped cell with 12 other women, and is said to be in a state of deep depression.

Most people sentenced to death for drug offences in Indonesia fail to have their sentences reduced on appeal. They face a long wait in jail before being executed by firing squad. The country has one of the strictest drug policies in the world, with about 40 foreigners on death row convicted of drug crimes, according to a March 2012 report by Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Five foreigners have been executed since 1998, all for drug crimes, according to Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy. There have been no executions since 2008, when 10 people were put to death.

In 2011, Scott Rush, a member of an Australian drug smuggling gang known as the "Bali Nine", had his death sentence reduced to life after a judicial review.

Last year President Yudhoyono pardoned two Indonesians convicted of drug smuggling, reducing their death sentences to life in prison.

Related Article:

British grandmother gets death for drugs in Indonesia

Pancasila Plan to Affect Foreigners

Jakarta Globe, Edi Hardum, August 29, 2013

Students visit the Pancasila Monument in East Jakarta on April 3, 2013.
(JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Foreign workers in Indonesia must comply with local regulations and follow cultural norms based on Pancasila, the philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state, a government official said on Wednesday.

Irianto Simbolon, the director general in charge of industrial relations and workers’ social security at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry said the department was rolling out socialization training necessary to help foreigners adapt to Indonesia and to prevent intercultural conflict that could hurt foreign investment.

“Regulations and norms that apply in Indonesia are all based on Pancasila,” Irianto said at his office.

He said foreign workers in Indonesia must understand how to behave as prescribed by the principles of Pancasila.

Promulgated by President Sukarno in 1945, Pancasila features prominently in the national discourse, and espouses five principles aimed at uniting the diverse archipelago.

The principles of the Pancasila fuse together elements of socialism, nationalism and monotheism.

Irianto said foreign workers were expected to understand the five principles in order to maintain communication ethics between themselves and local workers.

“If this can be done, it could synergize industrial relations between the workers at their work places,” Irianto said.

The ministry has so far rolled out the socialization guidelines in regions with the highest number of foreign workers such as Cikarang and Bogor in West Java and Batam in Riau, where clashes between foreigners and locals have occurred in the past.

Irianto said several multinational companies in Indonesia had held cross-cultural training programs.

He added that the training and guidelines would work to prevent intercultural friction and conflict at workplaces and at home between foreign and local workers, adding that such conflicts could lead to social unrest which would eventually affect the business and investment environment in the country.

In a pilot program in Batam last week, the Pancasila socialization training was attended by 175 people.

The ministry is targeting workers from Asian and European nations, who form the bulk of foreign workers in the country.

The largest number of foreign nationals in Indonesia are reportedly Japanese, Korean, Indian and Chinese.

“It was issued as a social interaction guideline for foreign workers in Indonesia so that they can adjust easily when interacting socially at work in accordance with Indonesian law,” Irianto said.

Indigenous Peoples Vow to Map Customary Forests

Jakarta Globe, August 27, 2013

A shaman from the Salakhirat group of the indigenous Mentawai tribe
 searches for leaves for a traditional herbal remedy in Siberut, Mentawai
Islands, West Sumatra, on April 4, 2013. (EPA Photo)

An organization representing Indonesia’s indigenous people is determined to map out the country’s customary forests in order to save them from the encroachment of palm oil companies and other development projects.

A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court which acknowledged that indigenous communities — and not the state — have rights over some 40 million hectares of customary forests influenced the decision to chart such lands, the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) said in a statement on Friday.

“We have already mapped seven million hectares of land, but that took us 15 years. We need to take advantage of new mapping tools like GPS and 3D mapping to accelerate the process of charting the more than 30 million hectares we have left to document,” Abdon Nababan, the secretary general of the alliance that represents some 17 million indigenous peoples, said.

Abdon told the Global Conference on Participatory Mapping of Indigenous Territories, which was held in Samosir, North Sumatra, over the weekend, that AMAN is aiming to map out all contested forests by 2020.

Nababan added that the need to map these lands has become more urgent since the Constitutional Court’s decision in May, which determined that a line in the country’s 1999 Forestry Law — which stated that customary forests are state forests — was not constitutional.

To take advantage of the landmark decision, Nababan said it’s crucial for indigenous peoples to put these forests on paper.

“Based on mapping technologies we have used so far and the lack of government support for our mapping efforts, it would take us 30 years to map all indigenous territories,” he said.

“But we don’t have that luxury. We need to learn [about mapping technology] from other indigenous peoples in Asia, Latin America and Africa about how to map more quickly and effectively,” Abdon added.

Kasmita Widodo, the national coordinator of the Participatory Mapping Network (JPKK), an organization that supports indigenous peoples’ mapping efforts, said the government has never mapped customary forests, which often overlap with concessions the government has handed out to palm oil and pulp and paper companies.

“Some 70 percent of forest areas in Indonesia are located in areas with overlapping permits,” he said.

Under its one-map policy, the government hopes to create a single map of all forests in order to clarify overlaps.

“It will be a challenge for the entire country… [but it is necessary] to facilitate a fair decision making process for indigenous peoples and to reduce conflicts,” Widodo said.

At the Global Conference, representatives of indigenous communities from across the globe who have mapped their lands using advanced technology gathered to discuss how to ramp up efforts to protect their forests and lands against development, climate change and other threats.

Indigenous peoples from Nepal, the Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua and Kenya attended the event to share their maps and experiences.

The conference was organized by AMAN and the Phillipines-based the Indigenous Peoples’ International Center for Policy Research and Education (Tebtebba)

Female students in Indonesia may be forced to undergo 'virginity tests'

Indonesia's education chief Muhammad Rasyid has drafted plans to 'protect children from prostitution and free sex'

TheGuardian, Kate Hodal, Bangkok, Wednesday 21 August 2013

Schoolgirls in Sumatra: the plan for mandatory virginity tests has been
denounced by MPs, activists and rights groups. Photograph: Heri Juanda/AP

A plan to make female high school students undergo mandatory virginity tests has been met with outrage from activists, who argue that it discriminates against women and violates their human rights.

Education chief Muhammad Rasyid, of Prabumulih district in south Sumatra put forward the idea, describing it as "an accurate way to protect children from prostitution and free sex". He said he would use the city budget to begin tests early next year if MPs approved the proposal.

"This is for their own good," Rasyid said. "Every woman has the right to virginity … we expect students not to commit negative acts."

The test would require female senior school students aged 16 to 19 to have their hymen examined every year until graduation. Boys, however, would undergo no investigation into whether they had had sex.

The plan has met with some support from local politicians, who said the test would help cut down on "rampant" promiscuity in the district.

"Virginity is sacred, thus it's a disgrace for a [female] student to lose her virginity before getting married," Hasrul Azwar of the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told the Jakarta Post.

The proposal seems to be in response to increasing cases of premarital sex, local website Kompas reported, including the recent arrest of six senior high school students for alleged prostitution.

It is the third plan of its kind in Muslim-majority Indonesia, where similar drafts were proposed in West Java in 2007, and again in Sumatra in 2010, but dropped after a public outcry.

Local and national MPs, activists, rights groups and even the local Islamic advisory council have all denounced Rasyid's plan as potentially denying female students the universal right to education, in addition to targeting girls for an act that may not have even been consensual, such as sexual assault.

"There are female students who may have lost their virginity due to an accident − it is not their fault," South Sumatra legislative council deputy speaker HA Djauhari told local media.

The National Commission for Child Protection also denounced the plan as an attempt to curry "popularity" among religious conservatives, and called the move "excessive".

"Loss of virginity is not merely because of sexual activities," said Arist Merdeka Sirait of the commission. "It could be caused by sports or health problems and many other factors."

Just how the test would be implemented − and what consequences it could incur were it to be passed − is not yet clear, prompting local teachers to question whether those without intact hymens would still be allowed to attend classes.

Indonesia's education and culture minister, Muhammad Nuh, condemned the plan and said the district needed "a wiser way to address the issue of teen sex".

Virginity is a prized possession among many Indonesians, particularly in rural areas, and rapidly changing mores in a population of 240 million can sometimes create tension among the country's more conservative elders and its large, more moderate youth.

Last year saw lawmakers propose a ban on miniskirts because "provocative clothing makes men do things", while in the shariah-law province of Aceh, women have been ordered to sit side-saddle on motorbikes in order to better obscure the "curves of a woman's body".

Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono speaks

 with reporters at a press conference. The minister urged the Ministry

 of Education to shoot down a plan by a South Sumatra education

board to test girls’ virginity before allowing them to attend school.

JG Photo/Afriadi Hikmal)

Related Article:

Agung Shoots Down School Virginity Test Plan

Indonesia Speaks Out Against Egypt Bloodshed

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, August 15, 2013

An Indonesian Muslim youth lies on the ground in a simulation of a dead
Egyptian demonstrator during a protest against the Egyptian government's
crackdown on supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi,
in Jakarta on Aug. 15, 2013. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday spoke out against a crackdown against Islamists in Egypt by the country’s military, urging conflicting sides to compromise and calling on the international community to take measures to put an end to the bloodshed.

Yudhoyono said he understood that the situation in Egypt was “extremely complex and difficult, with not many options.”

“[But] I hope that all sides in Egypt, whether they be the government, military, or Muslim Brotherhood, can exercise the utmost self-restraint and avoid further bloodshed,” the president said in Jakarta. “In my view, the use of force, or worse, excessive military arms is contradictory to the democratic values and human rights.”

Yudhoyono urged the conflicting sides to compromise and find a “win-win solution” to the problem. “What is most critical, however, is to ensure the cessation of violence and the avoidance of more casualties.”

Egypt could learn from a similar situation in Indonesia more than a decade ago, the president dded.

“Indonesia also went through similar processes of reforms and political transformation 15 years ago. With a spirit of collaboration and cooperation between the civilian and the military, Indonesia was able to safely navigate this challenging process.”

Yudhoyono ended his speech with a call to the UN to instigate dialogue and reconciliation between conflicting parties in Egypt, and to the international community to support the measures.

“Indonesia will take an active role, along with other members of the international community, to prevent the situation in Egypt from taking a worse turn of events,” the president pledged.

Separately, House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie criticized the military crackdown on members of the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood, following the toppling of Brotherhood-backed president Mohammed Morsi by the military early last month.

“We’re wondering why the democratization in Egypt has now reversed, with [the emergence] of a tyrant regime slaughtering its people,” Marzuki said in Jakarta. “We don’t know yet exactly why the military chose to take power using a non-democratic way. If Morsi did violate their law, surely there is a constitutional path that they could have taken.”

Marzuki further reminded the Egypt military to respect the remains of dead victims in the military crackdown targeting Brotherhood members by ensuring Islamic burials for them. “Bury them well, according to the religion,” he said.

Indonesians showed their support for victims of bloodshed in Egypt on Thursday as an Egypt health ministry official put the official death toll of Wednesday’s security crackdown at 525, most of whom were Brotherhood supporters.

Several Islamic groups in Indonesia staged small protests in Jakarta, Bandung and other cities, while #PrayforEgypt and #SaveEgypt tags were frequently posted to social media sites.

Related Articles:

Indonesia, Malaysia Protest Over Deadly Egypt Crackdown

European Union plans 'coordinated response' to Egyptian violence

Obama condemns Egyptian violence and cancels joint military drills


"2013 - A Difficult Year" – July 14, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… You Can See It In Your News

The final item is this: All around you, dear ones, is proof of what I'm telling you. You have two countries currently in turmoil at the moment, and a third one about to go. All three have been stable for a very long time. Who would have thought that Egypt would be part of this? Egypt seemed to be in balance for decades - or was it? Syria ruled itself with an iron hand and created a stability of power that was absolute. What would then cause these to erupt the way they did and at this time? If you take a look at why, and why now, you'll see the timing is all around 2013 and 2012. And it's around Human consciousness that is starting to be more transparent and saying, "We don't want what we now understand and see is continuing unbalance in our country. We see it never getting better, and now we want finality and we want resolution." That is what you're looking at.

It's ugly to look at this, for there is death, suffering, sorrow and turmoil. There is frustration, and the resolution of it all may take longer than you want it to. But someday you will look back and see the results clearly. Mass Human consciousness is starting to change and demand what it expects in the way of integrity. Governments often want the old ways of power, but their people want schools, hospitals, safe streets and parks, and peace with their neighbors.

So expect more of this, especially this year. The more turmoil you see, the more the puzzle is being worked with. So we close this message the way we started it. I know who you are, magnificent one. I sit at your feet in awe. Do not miss this point! Old souls have been here through all of the transitions of humanity. Do you understand that? Four times you came close to this shift you are today experiencing and four times you missed it. Four times you died in the process of trying. This time you didn't.

Do not miss this: There is something within your Akash, a "remembrance button", that is being pushed and plays an emotion that says, "We've felt this before and it didn't turn out well." Don't let this energy define you. It's the button of duality and fear that says things are always the way they are and they will repeat themselves because that's just the way life works. No it isn't! You are magnificent and you have the ability at this point to finally begin to see it, and to cast all the fears and the voices in the back seat of life and tell them you are in charge now and you are the one driving the car of your reality. That's the message of the day. ….”

"TIME TO SAY GOOD-BYE" - The Last 18 years – Dec 8, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Who is Kryon, God, Love, Great Central Sun, (Old) Soul, Benevolent Design, 1987 - Harmonic Convergence (11:11), 36 years galactic window (Precession), 26.000 years cycle, Mayan Calendar, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, “TIME TO SAY GOOD-BYE”  song – Composer, Human Consciousness, Conceptional Thinking, Old and New energy, Middle East, Protest against the new leader in Egypt because he is of an old energy, Syria is a Nightmare, Libya, People of Iran, Israel, Higher Self, You did it !, Change of Paradigm, 2012,  US/Russia, Global Unity, ... etc.)

Religious Intolerance ‘Cannot Be Justified’: SBY

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, August 16, 2013

Members of a Protestant congregation watch as local-government security
 personnel demolish the under-construction Taman Sari Batak Christian
Protestant Church in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta. (AFP Photo/Adek Berry)

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sought on Friday to defend Indonesia against accusations that the republic was descending into greater religious intolerance.

“It cannot be justified if an individual or a group forces its beliefs onto others,” the president said in an speech prior to Independence Day. “And certainly not with threats, intimidation or violence.”

The president called on the country’s rich diversity, emphasizing that discrimination on religious grounds was contrary to the interests of the country.

“I want to remind all Indonesian people that the state fully guarantees the existence of individual or minority groups,” he said. “We have to prevent violence that disturbs the social fabric and national unity.”

Human rights organization the Setara Institute recently criticized the government for a lack of grit in cases of religious intolerance, allowing the branches of discrimination to spread and vigilantism to take root.

National agencies were behind only 60 of the 160 responses to incidences of religious intolerance, while citizens instigated the remaining 100, the report said.

In March, the HKBP Taman Sari church in Bekasi district was demolished by Bekasi Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) following objections from a hard-line group, Taman Sari Islamic People’s Forum (FUIT). The church was still in the process of obtaining a building permit.

In the same month, Satpol PP sealed the Al Misbah Ahmadiyah mosque in Bekasi under the authority of the city’s mayor, Rachmat Effendi, citing a regulation by the West Java government and joint-ministerial decree on the embattled sect. The decree prohibits the Ahmadiyah from proselytizing, but does not preclude the minority religious group from conducting activities pursuant to their religion.

“Violent conflicts happened because of weak leadership and regulations,” Maruarar Sirait, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker, said on Friday. “Data show there are problems with the Ahmadiyah, conflict between Sunni and Shiites in Madura, [embattled church] GKI Yasmin and others. Upholding tolerance should be implemented with real action in the field.”

Pope Francis reaches out to Muslims at end of Ramadan

BBC News, 11 August 2013

The Pope has chosen to continue working at the Vatican during the summer

Pope Francis 

• Vast crowd for Brazil Mass
• Pope's daily routine
• Church's road ahead
• New priorities

Pope Francis has urged Christians and Muslims to work together to promote mutual respect, particularly by educating new generations of believers.

He greeted Muslims around the world during his Sunday blessing of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square in Rome.

He said that "our brothers'' the Muslims had just concluded their holy month of Ramadan, dedicated to fasting, prayer and alms-giving.

The Pope spoke from his studio window overlooking the square.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says Pope Francis, who has made caring for the poor the landmark theme of his pontificate, addressed tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in scorching summer heat.

Unlike his predecessors who spent their summers in the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo outside the Italian capital, where the weather is slightly cooler, the Pope has chosen to continue working at the Vatican during the summer holidays.

Our correspondent says he is preparing major reforms of the Vatican bureaucracy as a result of scandals involving Vatican finances and clerical sexual abuse of minors.

Related Articles:

Pope Francis tightens Vatican bank controls

Archangel Michael on the World’s Movement into the Golden Age, March 24, 2013 – Part 1/2  (An Hour with an Angel with Archangel Michael)

goldenageofgaia.com, Steve Beckow,  March 24, 2013

“… GW: Well, let’s move over to Italy, then. And Pope Francis met with leaders of the various world faiths in this last week. In his humble style that he is becoming noted for, he chose not to sit on the usual papal throne, but rather in a simple armchair, a beige armchair.

Some of the other leaders had expressed optimism in the change of style of Francis. Are the other religious leaders now aware of the information that Francis is aware of? The higher information. And will they collectively be starting to change the tune of religious faiths around the world? Will this become a song sung by Francis and the faiths?

AAM: It has begun. They are humming. They are finding that it is a catchy tune, that is attractive, that it has a beautiful melody and refrain that sings in their hearts. Francis has basically thrown away the throne. He is not over-lighted to proceed in such a manner.

And what he is first and foremost doing is that he is reminding those others of all faiths that their role is to serve and that leadership is service, that they are shepherds of all ilks, all stripes, all colors. But their role is to collect and to show the way, in humility and patience, in forgiveness and compassion.

So, what Francis has begun to do is to say we do not need to be in control. We cannot find the middle way, the pathway of peace and true brotherhood and sisterhood through trying to control people. And this has been a gift. Oh, and dear heart, he has only just begun.

You have been asking for signs. Well, you are seeing them, are you not, on many fronts. But pay attention to this one. And might I give you a hint? Follow the money.

GW: Hmm. Intriguing. Okay. Well, at this point, then, now you have said previously, or it has been said previously, that Francis is over-lighted with the soul of St. Francis, and that he will be stepping forward in his role and that he is aware of and in contact with our galactic family.

That wasn’t clear previously; maybe you can clarify that. Has that knowledge and awareness been imparted to the leaders of the other faiths at this time? Are they aware of that and openly embracing that?

AAM: It has not been fully disclosed. It has been fully implied. And so… [laugh] I’m sorry. I laugh because it is a beautiful time that we have waited for. Now, let me suggest to you — no, let me simply tell you flat out, my friend, because you are a newsman. There were several galactics present at this gathering. The presence of the galactics was fully implied. And in side conversations it was a full point of discussion.

But the first focus of Francis is not to push the agenda of the galactics, but simply rather to let everybody know that they have been part of this enclave and part of the knowledge of the papacy for a long time. But his first agenda is bringing communion, community and peace amongst the different faiths and sects, amongst the human beings.

So that is his primary agenda. But he is weaving many things into it. Is he aware of the galactics? He has been aware of them for a very long time. He has been aware of them most of his life, actually. And so it is not that it is not on his agenda; it is. It is just not the first thing on his agenda.  …”

Indonesian widows get Dutch compensation, apology over 1946-47 killings

Google – AFP, 9 Aug 2013

An Indonesian widow visits the tomb of her husband in West Java

province on September 15, 2011 (AFP/File, Romeo Gacad)

THE HAGUE — The Dutch government said Thursday that it had compensated 10 women whose husbands were executed by its army between 1946 and 1947 on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

In a statement released in The Hague, the Dutch state said it will also publicly apologise for the crimes.

"Ten widows have received compensation for the executions of their husbands by the Dutch military," said the statement.

"The ambassador of the Netherlands, on behalf of the state, will present apologies for the summary executions," it added.

The move brings to an end a battle for justice for relatives of the victims.

On December 20, 2011, lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld said that the widows were seeking justice for the deaths of their husbands.

It was not possible to bring criminal proceedings as the crimes took place too far back. But a civil suit was launched and a settlement was finally reached, on the basis of a September 2012 ruling of another case on a similar atrocity.

Zegveld said that Sulawesi inhabitants claim that between December 1946 and February 1947, approximately 40,000 Indonesians were killed on the island by the Dutch army.

Investigations carried out by the Dutch media claimed however that between 3,000 and 5,000 people lost their lives.

"We're happy, but it is only one step in a larger process: the Netherlands must apologise for all the massacres and executions committed in Indonesia. They cannot simply apologise case by case," Zegveld told AFP.

"The widows have already received the money, it is a similar amount awarded in the Rawagedeh case" in which compensation reached 20,000 euros ($27,000) per person, said Zegveld.

In that case eight widows and one survivor seized by the Dutch in 1947 in Rawagedeh, a village on the island of Java, were awarded compensation following a ruling in The Hague last year which held the Dutch state responsible for the atrocity.

The Netherlands also apologised for the attack on Rawagedeh. Dutch officials say some 150 people were killed in that attack, but a support group and the local community say the death toll was 431.

Indonesia gained its independence in 1949.

Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan (C) accompanied by

 local officials, offers flowers to Rawagede massacre victims after he formally

 apologized Friday on behalf of the Dutch government for the 1947 killings.

(AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

Related Article:

Indonesian Widows Get Dutch Compensation, Apology Over 1946-47 Killings

Music to combat hopelessness

Deutsche Welle, 8 Aug 2013

The world's only pan-Arab youth orchestra met in Berlin to make music together. But the young musicians also discussed the situation in their home countries - politics, hopes and fears.

Around 60 musicians from seven different Arab nations followed Bremen-based conductor Heiner Buhlmann as he led them through Dvorak's Symphony No. 8. It was the orchestra's first major performance at the Young Euro Classic Festival in Berlin's Konzerthaus at the beginning of August.

With support from Germany's Federal Foreign Office, the Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra - made up of musicians from Egypt, Algeria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and the Palestinian territories - met for the first time in Berlin to rehearse for their performance.

Harpist Toaa Salah El-Deen can't help
but show her pride and joy

Their repertory includes classical European works and traditional pieces from the Arab world. "We play Claude Debussy's 'Dances for Harp' since the harp was originally an Egyptian instrument," said 22-year-old harpist Toaa Salah El-Deen of Cairo. "I'm so proud to be able to perform as a soloist for the first time with an orchestra. The experience is priceless."

A vision of peace

"The Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra symbolizes a vision for harmony and peaceful cooperation in the Arab world - something that's become uncertain there," said orchestra founder Fawzy El-Shamy, former director of the Cairo Music Conservatory. "That makes this vision even more important."

"Of course the musicians talk a lot about politics during rehearsal breaks because they all want to live in peace," the conductor noted.

Fostering intercultural understanding

through music

"They talk about the history and background of conflicts in the Arab world and things they've seen on television but don't completely understand. This exchange helps to cultivate peace within our own little group. And then we bring that positive energy to the stage," the optimistic El-Shamy told DW.

Escape to music

"Really bad news." That's how cellist Somar Ashkar of Damascus described the current situation in his home country. He's perplexed. "Life is becoming incredibly difficult for us. Nothing is like it used to be. But nobody knows what we can do. We just wait. But for whom? Something has to happen…the misery has to be brought to a halt. The fighting and conflicts and everything. We truly want that - peace!"

The cellist traveled with fellow Syrian musicians to Berlin via Lebanon. Once in the German capital, they plunged into music. "We used to always be happy during rehearsals, but that attitude has disappeared due to the war. Still, we're not giving up. Music helps me through it all."

Conductor Heiner Buhlmann

"My friends and I always try to make people happy with music and let them forget what's happening in Syria for a while," he added.

Unanswered questions

"Around 30 percent of the musicians in our orchestra come from Syria," explained violinist Jasmin Assom de Meledin El-Serafi, of Alexandria, Egypt. "I asked them: 'Who among you supports Bashar al-Assad, and who's against him? And what's happening there?'"

"They explained that many Syrians are in the army and have acted against countless civilians. None of them understand it," the pensive violinist said.

Music should have the power to change not only the lives of the musicians, believes 22-year-old Egyptian concertmaster Kalim Samie Salé, who has been studying in Berlin with violinist Kolja Blacher for the past four years. "There's no right or wrong in music," he told DW. "Even if we Arabs sometimes want to add a different touch to classical music, we always strike a healthy balance with our conductor Heiner Buhlmann." Salé noted that he and his colleagues often want to play more slowly, but Buhlmann spurs them on.

Music instead of politics

"I don't talk about politics much. People always have different opinions, and everyone thinks he's right," the orchestra leader said. "That makes for bad karma, so I think it's better in times like these to just concentrate on the music."

Gathering for the first time in Berli:
the Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra

To that end, the ambitious young musicians presented a work from their own cultural context: Attia Sharara's "Arab Suite" from 1978, a medley of melodies from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Libya, Syria and Lebanon. After thunderous applause, the musicians came down from the stage refreshed and rejuvenated.

"We're concerned," said musicicologist El-Shamy. "At home, I was always with my students at Tahir Square. When we return, we'll go straight to Tahir."

Concertmaster Salé, for his part, said that being young, he still has hope for the future, but "I think we need more time, much more time."

Related Article:

"2013 - A Difficult Year" – July 14, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… You Can See It In Your News

The final item is this: All around you, dear ones, is proof of what I'm telling you. You have two countries currently in turmoil at the moment, and a third one about to go. All three have been stable for a very long time. Who would have thought that Egypt would be part of this? Egypt seemed to be in balance for decades - or was it? Syria ruled itself with an iron hand and created a stability of power that was absolute. What would then cause these to erupt the way they did and at this time? If you take a look at why, and why now, you'll see the timing is all around 2013 and 2012. And it's around Human consciousness that is starting to be more transparent and saying, "We don't want what we now understand and see is continuing unbalance in our country. We see it never getting better, and now we want finality and we want resolution." That is what you're looking at.

It's ugly to look at this, for there is death, suffering, sorrow and turmoil. There is frustration, and the resolution of it all may take longer than you want it to. But someday you will look back and see the results clearly. Mass Human consciousness is starting to change and demand what it expects in the way of integrity. Governments often want the old ways of power, but their people want schools, hospitals, safe streets and parks, and peace with their neighbors.

So expect more of this, especially this year. The more turmoil you see, the more the puzzle is being worked with. So we close this message the way we started it. I know who you are, magnificent one. I sit at your feet in awe. Do not miss this point! Old souls have been here through all of the transitions of humanity. Do you understand that? Four times you came close to this shift you are today experiencing and four times you missed it. Four times you died in the process of trying. This time you didn't.

Do not miss this: There is something within your Akash, a "remembrance button", that is being pushed and plays an emotion that says, "We've felt this before and it didn't turn out well." Don't let this energy define you. It's the button of duality and fear that says things are always the way they are and they will repeat themselves because that's just the way life works. No it isn't! You are magnificent and you have the ability at this point to finally begin to see it, and to cast all the fears and the voices in the back seat of life and tell them you are in charge now and you are the one driving the car of your reality. That's the message of the day. ….”