'Burkini' bans good for sales, says Australian designer

Yahoo – AFP, August 23, 2016

Australian-Lebanese designer Aheda Zanetti claims the trade mark on the name
burkini after creating her first swimwear for Muslim women more than a decade ago
(AFP Photo/Saeed Khan)

Burkini bans in France have boosted sales and interest in the full-bodied Islamic swimsuit, particularly from non-Muslim women, the Australian credited with creating the design said Tuesday.

The burkini has sparked huge controversy in France, with bans in 15 towns in the country's southeast amid high tensions following a string of deadly jihadist attacks.

But Australian-Lebanese Aheda Zanetti, who claims the trademark on the name burkini and burqini and created her first swimwear for Muslim women more than a decade ago, said the furore in France has attracted more publicity for her products.

"It's just been so hectic," she told AFP.

"I can tell you that online on Sunday, we received 60 orders -- all of them non-Muslim," the 48-year-old Sydneysider said, adding that she usually received 10 to 12 orders on Sundays.

Islamic clothing and the French position on their use in public (AFP 

Photo/Iris ROYER DE VERICOURT)

Zanetti did not have sales figures for the rest of the past week but said she had also received numerous messages of support -- and only one disparaging email -- since the French bans.

They include messages from cancer survivors and other swimmers who use her light-weight, quick-drying two-piece garments as protection from the sun.

There are other Islamic swimsuits but Zanetti has said her designs are the first to be streamlined into two-piece swimwear with a head covering.

"A lot of the correspondence... was that they are survivors of skin cancer and they've always been looking for something like this, saying, 'Thank god we've found someone like this producing such a swimsuit'," she said.

"The support I'm getting is somehow about empowering women... I feel like I've been a counsellor. It's a cry of need that they want to have this enjoyment.

Muslim models display burkini swimsuits in Sydney where burkinis are generally

accepted as a means of covering up on the beach (AFP Photo/Saeed Khan)

"Women are standing together on this. It doesn't matter what race or religion."

She said the one critical email questioned why Zanetti wanted to cover up women in France, noting "we prefer our women to be naked".

Australia is grappling with a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment after a series of attacks by radicalised youth but the burkini has not attracted strong criticism in a country where people regularly cover up at beaches to protect their skin under the harsh sun.

While there are divisions over the burkini in France, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday dismissed the idea of a ban in his country, saying Canadians should rise above the controversy as he called for the respect of individual rights and choices.

Some lawmakers in Canada's Quebec province have called for outlawing "burkinis"

-- body-concealing Islamic swimsuits -- following bans in at least 15 towns in

France's southeast (AFP Photo/Fethi Belaid)

Related Articles:

France's top court suspends burkini ban - New
Canada's Justin Trudeau defends the burkini

German state lifts headscarf ban for public school teachers

Dutch cabinet backs partial Islamic burqa ban
Police Change Rules on Female Recruits Wearing Headscarves


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

Yudhoyono to Joko: Don’t Force Indonesia to Enter TPP

Jakarta Globe, Hayat Indriyatno, October 31, 2015

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was 'A thousand friends, zero enemies,'
has cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the
 TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.
(Antara Photo/Prasetyo Utomo)

Jakarta. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has cautioned his successor against signing up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, insisting the justifications he gave for refusing to join the trade pact while in office are still valid today.

In a series of tweets sent on Friday, Yudhoyono said President Joko Widodo had every right to commit Indonesia to the US-initiated pact, but warned that “If Indonesia is not ready and is forced to enter the TPP, then our nation will suffer. Such is the ‘law of globalization.’”

The essence of the TPP, he wrote, “is trade and investment liberalization.”

“The TPP is actually a good thing, if all the member states are ready, their interests are accommodated and there are real benefits all parties,” he said.

“But if we’re not ready for it, our market will be flooded with goods and services from other countries, while our exports will fail to be competitive abroad.”

Yudhoyono said his reasons for refusing to sign up to the TPP when he was in office included the fact that Indonesia was preparing for a similar agreement on a Southeast Asian scale: the Asean Economic Community, which comes into force at the end of this year.

He added that Indonesia also needed time to see the benefits from another trade pact, the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement, which saw Jakarta’s trade deficit with China doubling within a year of coming into full force in 2010.

Yudhoyono also pointed out that the three other Asean countries that had signed up to the TPP – Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam – had fundamentally different economic models from Indonesia. “The economies of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam […] are ‘export-oriented.’ Indonesia is not. We have a large domestic market,” he tweeted.

He said that in order to protect its interests, Indonesia would have to be “tough” in its negotiations – but that the current TPP members had concluded their negotiations on Oct. 5.

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was “A thousand friends, zero enemies,” also cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.

“Let us ensure that we remain friendly with all our partners, including America, China and Japan,” he wrote. “Let us maintain a free and active foreign policy […] an all-directions foreign policy. Avoid allying with one country and distancing others.

“Let us also ensure that, whichever side we partner with, Indonesia’s national interests will be prioritized above all else.”

He then called on the Indonesian people to help Joko reach an “appropriate and clear decision for the interests of the people and the nation.”

Pastikan Indonesia mendapatkan keuntungan nyata ~ dlm pertumbuhan ekonomi, lapangan kerja & pengurangan kemiskinan. *SBY*

— S. B. Yudhoyono (@SBYudhoyono) October 30, 2015

Joko’s announcement, following a visit to the White House on Monday, that he was committed to signing Indonesia to the TPP has met with concern from the business community and the political establishment alike.

Yudhoyono’s own statements follow his Democratic Party’s warning that Indonesia is not yet ready to face the competition that joining the pact would entail, citing inadequate infrastructure and low public awareness about the TPP and its costs and benefits.

“Are Indonesians and the national economy really ready for this?” asked Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, the former president’s son and a senior member of the Democratic Party.

“How about our domestic infrastructure? Has the government asked for the public’s opinion, especially those involved in the national economy, about the possible impact of the TPP on Indonesia in the future?”

Wrong step

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), chaired by Joko’s rival in last year’s presidential election, Prabowo Subianto, has also criticized the president’s stance on the TPP.

Fadli Zon, a Gerindra deputy chairman and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said the TPP would only benefit Indonesia “if we had competitive businesses.”

Without adequate infrastructure and strong supporting education, welfare and legal systems, he warned, Indonesia would only be a “passive player” in the trade agreement.

“It would be a wrong step to join the TPP,” Fadli said on Wednesday.

Economist Lana Soelistianingsih of the University of Indonesia said separately that “Countries with manufacturing-based exports will be able to perform better in this partnership.”

“Our exports are mainly raw materials like oil and gas. If we can we get our commodities into a market like Chile” – which has signed up to the TPP – “can we compete with Brazil, which is much closer to Chile than Indonesia is? That’s the concern,” Lana said on Wednesday.

“How can we improve our manufacturing sector without electricity? It’s not that we should refrain from entering the partnership, but we need a clear blueprint on what products we want to sell, which raw materials we need to manufacture the products, and what kind of infrastructure we need,” she said.

The TPP, forged by the United States and other 11 countries around the Pacific Rim, including Australia and Canada, has a stated goal to “to promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in our countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections.”

In practice, the biggest impact will be the lowering of trade barriers, including tariffs.

The #TPP - a 12-nation free trade agreement pic.twitter.com/1h82wFRF68

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 5, 2015

Related Article:

German frustration builds over TTIP secrecy from US

Indonesia school staff freed after abuse convictions quashed

Yahoo – AFP, Dessy Sagita, August 14, 2015

Canadian school administrator Neil Bantleman (R) is reunited with his wife 

Tracy Bantleman (L) following his release from Jakarta's Cipinang prison on 

August 14, 2015 (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

A Canadian and an Indonesian jailed for sexual abuse at an elite Jakarta international school walked free from prison Friday to an emotional reception from supporters after unexpectedly being cleared.

School administrator Neil Bantleman, who also holds British nationality, and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were released from jail in the capital after winning their appeals due to a lack of evidence against them.

Canadian school administrator Neil 

Bantleman (L) and Indonesian teaching 

assistant Ferdinand Tjiong are held in a cell 

on April 2, 2015 (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

Bantleman hugged and kissed his wife Tracy, who could not stop crying, as he walked out of the prison gates, and told a scrum of supporters and journalists: "Everybody, thank you for your support."

The pair were jailed for 10 years each in April and ordered to pay a hefty fine after being found guilty of abusing three young children at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), which has been popular with expatriates and wealthy Indonesians for decades.

They maintained their innocence and received backing from the school and parents, with supporters accusing police of a botched investigation and alleging that the men's trials were unfair.

Hopes that the men might be released rose this week after a $125-million sex abuse lawsuit against the school was dismissed, a suit that supporters believed was the main reason the pair were being pursued.

But the Jakarta High Court ruling in the men's favour -- which was handed down earlier this week but only passed to their legal team late Thursday -- and the speed of their release still came as a surprise after months of frustrated attempts to challenge their convictions.

Bantleman said he had no idea that he would be released until early Friday.

As the men walked free, a small group of sobbing supporters yelled their names.

Tjiong -- who was carrying his young daughter -- said: "I thank God because the truth still exists in Indonesia. I hope this will never happen again."

Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong (3L) and school administrator 

Neil Bantleman (2nd-R) are reunited with their families after leaving Jakarta's

Cipinang prison on August 14, 2015 (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

They embraced their supporters one by one before being ushered into cars and driven away.

'Baseless' allegations

Their lawyer, Hotman Paris Hutapea, told reporters they were cleared as the High Court ruled there was "no proof", adding that the allegations against them were "baseless".

As well as the decision by a Jakarta court to throw out the multi-million-dollar civil suit, the men's case received a boost last month when the Singapore High Court ruled in favour of the pair in a defamation case against the mother of one of the alleged victims.

JIS is backed by the American embassy -- which helped found the school -- and officials from the United States have repeatedly expressed concern about the case, saying it raised questions about the rule of law in Indonesia.

US ambassador to Jakarta Robert Blake welcomed the men's acquittal.

"The rule of law and an independent judiciary are vital components of any democratic system, and we appreciate the fairness and prudence shown by Jakarta's appeals court," he said in a statement.

Freed Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong (L) and Canadian 

school administrator Neil Bantleman (2nd-R) are joined by their wives Fransiska 

Tjiong (2nf-L) and Tracy Bantleman (R) outside Jakarta's Cipinang prison 

on August 14, 2015 (AFP Photo/Rome Gacad)

The scandal began last year with claims that cleaners committed abuse at the school -- previously known as the Jakarta International School -- before allegations were levelled at Bantleman and Tjiong.

Five cleaners were jailed in December over claims of sexual abuse and remain in prison. Their lawyers claim they are innocent, and several who originally admitted to abuse recanted their confessions, alleging that they were beaten by police.

The expatriate community in Jakarta was initially shocked at the claims of abuse, but horror quickly transformed into concern at what supporters say was an unfair attempt to target Bantleman and Tjiong by Indonesia's notoriously corrupt police and judicial system.

Despite the concerns about the case, the prosecution insisted that the testimony of the alleged victims was the truth.

Canada opens door to jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi

Canada is offering to take in imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, listing him as a priority immigrant on humanitarian grounds. Badawi is serving a 10-year jail sentence and is facing 1,000 lashes in the Gulf kingdom.

Deutsche Welle, 12 June 2015

The Canadian province of Quebec on Friday cleared the way for Raif Badawi to come to the country by offering the blogger an immigration selection certificate.

These certificates are issued "in exceptional circumstances to foreigners in need of protection," Quebec Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil said.

"His treatment is outrageous - it's cruel and unusual punishment," Weil said, in comments carried by state broadcaster CBC and others in Canada.

Courage @raif_badawi et Ensaf Haidar. Tout le Québec est avec vous! http://t.co/D3XfHAZS5v #polqc #assnat

— Kathleen Weil (@Kathleen_Weil) 12 juni 2015

The certificate could fast-track Badawi's immigration application and any steps to bring him from Saudi Arabia to Canada.

The official document will be presented to Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haider, at a ceremony next week. Haider settled in Sherbrooke, Quebec, with the couple's three children soon after fleeing Saudi Arabia in 2012. In an interview with Deutsche Welle last month, Haider said she imagined her family's future in Canada.

Badawi was imprisoned in 2012, and two years later was sentenced to a decade in jail, 1,000 lashes, and fined 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,600 / 236,730 euros) for promoting liberal ideas and criticizing Islam online. The 31-year-old received the first 50 lashes of his sentence - to be delivered in 20 weekly sessions- outside a mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in January, but subsequent floggings have been postponed amid international outrage.

Last week Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court upheld the sentence, meaning the ruling is final and cannot be overturned without a pardon from the country's King Salman. Human rights groups, together with Badawi's wife Haider, have called on the Canadian government to step up efforts to secure the blogger's release.

Quebec's Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said Friday that he was hopeful the offer to help Badawi immigrate to Canada "will allow us to break the logjam and have a happy ending to this."

No flogging for today; I repeat my appeal to his majesty King Salman to pardon my husband #RaifBadawi and stop his flogging.

— رائف بدوي (@raif_badawi) 12 juni 2015

In a statement Friday, Saudi Arabia said it would "not tolerate such outrageous, ridiculous interference in its sovereign justice system."

The comments echo a letter sent earlier in the week to members of the European Parliament, in which Saudi authorities expressed "strong displeasure and disapproval in relation to some media reports" on Badawi.

"Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to support human rights and respect international conventions which were in accordance with Sharia," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

Deutsche Welle awarded Badawi its inaugural Freedom of Expression Award in February.

nm/msh (AFP)

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with Pope Francis at

the Vatican on 11 June 2015. Photograph: Adrian Wyld/AP

Related Article:

Pope Francis and Canada’s prime minister discuss Catholic school abuse

Saudi supreme court upholds jail, lashes for blogger

10 Years for Canadian JIS Teacher Found Guilty of Abusing Students

Jakarta Globe, Bayu Marhaenjati, Apr 02, 2015

Canadian school administrator Neil Bantleman is hugged by his wife Tracy 

Bantleman shortly before Bantleman's court appearance to face a verdict on 

Thursday. (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

Jakarta. Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman and an Indonesian teaching assistant have both been sentenced to 10 years’ jail for sexually abusing three boys at the prestigious Jakarta International School.

South Jakarta District Court ruled on Thursday both men were guilty of abusing the boys, concluding a controversial and much-criticized trial.

Bantleman and teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were sentenced to 10 years in prison and given a Rp 100 million ($7,700) fine each.

Both have maintained their innocence and say they will appeal the verdict.

Supporters of the two men claim there is no medical or other evidence to suggest the young students were sexually abused, but judges found otherwise.

“This is a complete miscarriage of justice,” Bantleman said in a statement. “We’ll continue to fight and appeal until the truth comes out, and the truth is that Ferdi and I never abused those kids.”

Last July, a parent stepped forward accusing Bantleman and Ferdinand of sexually abusing her son in the school’s administrative office. She also claimed the kindergarten principal had videotaped the assault.

The accusations against the two followed another sexual abuse investigation centering on a group of six janitors, who were accused of raping a 6-year-old boy in a school bathroom.

In December, five janitors were found guilty in this case, and were sentenced to prison terms of up to eight years. Prosecutors had demanded ten-year sentences in this case. Lawyers for the convicts said at the time that they would file appeals.

One among the group of janitors committed suicide in police custody before the trial reached a conclusion.

A prominent child rights activist said earlier on Thursday that prosecutors should have demanded much harsher sentences.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), said Article 82 from Law No. 23 (2002) on child protection calls for a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and a minimum of five.

“If we look at the future impact on children who experience sexual violence, I think this isn’t fair,” Arist said at the South Jakarta District Court. “We’re not getting the most out of this law.”

Stressing that he hoped the court would fairly assess all the facts presented in the case, Arist added that he would prefer a life sentence for people convicted of child abuse.

“Of course the innocent should not be convicted, but for the guilty I want the maximum punishment.”

The court started reading the verdict against Bantleman on Thursday morning, but the process took almost until 6 p.m., due in part to the fact that an English translation was also read out, to help Bantleman understand.

Presiding Judge Nur Aslam Bustaman also on several occasions had to remind people in attendance to remain calm.

JIS, a prestigious institution mainly catering to children of expats and wealthy Indonesians, is currently called Jakarta Intercultural School.

Additional reporting Reuters

Related Article:

US Says ‘Serious Questions’ About Rule of Law in Indonesia as JIS Teacher Jailed

Australians, Canadians held for stripping at Machu Picchu

Google – AFP, 13 March 2014

Police detained four male tourists, two Australians and two Canadians, for 

several hours after filming and taking nude photos at Peru's famed Machu

Picchu, local authorities said (AFP/File, Cris Bouroncle)

Lima — Police detained four male tourists, two Australians and two Canadians, for several hours after filming and taking nude photos at Peru's famed Machu Picchu, local authorities said.

The culture ministry has put up signs at the world-famous Inca site warning that people taking their clothes off there is a "crime against culture" and would lead to immediate expulsion from the area.

The latest incidents came after Peru vowed to step up surveillance at its famous historical sites to counter a growing trend of tourists taking nude photos, including at Machu Picchu, and then posting them online.

The Australians, 22 and 24, used a camcorder and the Canadians, both 20, used an iPhone, police at a local police station told AFP.

It was not immediately clear if the four men acted together, separately or individually.

Machu Picchu, an Inca citadel from the 1400s, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Couple's 'holiday' prize to Canada makes them unwitting drug mules

Google – AFP, 25 October 2013

Illustration: an Australian couple were duped into thinking they had won a holiday

 to Canada, but when they returned discovered they had become unwitting drug mules

(AFP/File, Tony Ashby)

Sydney — It seemed like a dream come true -- a free holiday to Canada complete with new luggage -- until the Australian couple involved realised they had unwittingly become drug mules.

Australian Federal Police on Friday said the pair, a 72-year-old man and 64-year-old woman, told Customs officials they had some concerns about their bags when they returned to Perth International Airport on October 13.

On examination, some 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of methamphetamine was found stashed within the lining of each bag, which police reportedly believe were swapped while in Canada.

"The Australian Federal Police will allege the couple were victims of an elaborate scam and were unwitting participants in the drug importation," police said in a statement.

Authorities said the scam by a bogus Canada-based tour company calling itself "AusCan Tours" apparently targeted older people, offering two tickets to Canada, seven nights' accommodation and new luggage as a prize.

"The organisers of this scam went to great lengths to provide a facade of legitimacy," Perth airport police commander David Bachi said.

"Thankfully the travellers contacted Customs and didn't dismiss their concerns, allowing us to make the arrest."

Authorities arrested a 38-year-old Canadian man at the airport the day the couple returned and have since charged him with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

A raid on a hotel in the Perth suburb of Scarborough uncovered documents allegedly associated with the scam, along with electronic equipment, two suitcases (similar to the ones seized at the airport) and Aus$15,000 (US$14,422) in cash.

The Customs director at Perth airport, Jan Hill, warned travellers about carrying someone else's luggage.

"If you've been asked to carry something on behalf of another person, make the right choice and alert local authorities," she said.

"Do not allow another person to pack your bag and do not carry luggage on behalf of another person."

Climate change scientists turn to Inuits for research

Inuit communities in tune with nature note that the weather is changing, scientists concur.

Mother Nature Network, by Katherine Butler, Sat, Apr 10 2010 at 12:15 PM EST

Inuits has long studied nature. Photo from 1854. (Photo by paukrus /Flickr)

Native people have long lived in harmony with nature, following the patterns of the weather for centuries. Now, science is listening. Scientific American reports that climatologists at the University of Colorado used information from two Canadian Inuit communities and scientific data in a recent study on shifting weather patterns.

• Lightning-powered mushrooms could boost food yields
• Curtailing corporate water use
• 2 more glaciers gone from Glacier National Park
• Proof is in the pictures
• NASA gets billions to study Earth

Scientists tracking weather for over a decade recognized that native insight might eclipse the latest weather satellites and computer models. Elizabeth Weatherhead is an atmospheric scientist at the University of Coloradoand lead author for this study. As she told Scientific American, "This is not the first scientific paper on Inuit knowledge. But it is the first paper linking that Inuit knowledge to more scientific approaches."

And just what have they found? The scientists looked at how much weather changes from one day to the next, and how long a weather pattern lasts. The Inuits, located in and near the Arctic, explained to Weatherhead and co-author Shari Gearheard that there are unexplained changes in weather patterns. The natural time scale to a weather event is becoming more erratic. In other words, it could be cold one day, and warm the next – as opposed to usual three weeks of warm weather. Canadian Inuit tribes have noticed that their traditional forecasting measures are becoming less accurate. Inuits believe this is because the weather has become erratic.

Mead Treadwell is the chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and he feels like this report justifies new interest in indigenous observations about our world. As he told Scientific American, "If you lose the language that people have been speaking for 10,000 years as it has evolved, you lose a huge amount of information that is built up in the language…If something is named 'a place where the caribou mate,' that tells you the caribou were once there if they are not there now." After all, a popular though disputed saying notes that Inuits have several worlds for snow. Why should science not pay attention?

This is not the first time scientists have turned to native people for information. According to Treadwell, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration twice changed its report of the Arctic's bowhead whale population based on indigenous people’s report that revealed more whales than counted by the government.

TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER: Researchers credit a combination of scientific data and traditional environmental knowledge from Inuit communities for shedding new light on an overlooked aspect of climate change. (NATIONAL OCEAN & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION)

Related Articles:

Inuit observations offer new tool for climate change scientists

"The tilting of the earth changes everything" - Inuit Elders Speak on Climate Change

Indonesian Expatriate Returns to Help West Sumatra

The Jakarta Globe, Jonathan Walsh

Ismail Sustankayo, center, with the Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia MacKenzie Clugston, right, and Larry Bennett, the first secretary of development. (Photo courtesy of Klirkom)

If you know the West Sumatran culture,” Ismal Sustankayo said, “then you know that we want people to go out and be successful — and then come back and help the village.”

Remaining true to tradition, Ismal and hundreds of other Indonesians who live thousands of miles away are pitching in to help rebuild Padang after it was devastated by the recent earthquake.

Not many people know that Canada is home to a large population of transplanted Indonesian families, but even fewer are aware of how hard these families are working to help the victims of the earthquake.

Born and raised in Bukit Tinggi, Ismal left Sumatra 35 years ago, like many from his generation, to go abroad with nothing but the prayers of those he would leave behind. His journey took him to the Canadian province of Alberta — first to the town of Athabasca, and then the provincial capital Edmonton, where he has lived ever since, working as an accountant.

Although he is now retired, Ismal still works for Indonesia. As a senior member of the Edmonton Indonesian Community Association, he helps Indonesian immigrants adjust to their new home abroad. And of course, he stays in touch with his old friends in Sumatra.

So it was only natural that when a major earthquake struck West Sumatra on Sept. 30, he and the other members of Canada’s Indonesian communities took action. Within three days, his group raised $1,000, which was donated to the victims through a community member’s relative in the region.

To raise more money, the Indonesian communities in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver decided to host a series of charity dinners serving traditional Indonesian fare to raise funds for relief. The dinners drew hundreds of guests from all backgrounds, received rave reviews, and raised over $30,000.

Roger Bining of Edmonton enjoyed the dual satisfaction of a fine meal and the knowledge that he had helped a good cause. “There was real value for the donation,” he said.

“First there was value because you know that the community is going to use the money wisely, and … in addition to helping the earthquake victims, we as participants enjoyed a really delicious Indonesian meal, which is hard to get here in Edmonton. Second, the Indonesian music and entertainment was first rate.”

Ismal was very pleased with the results.

“It makes me proud as a Canadian with Indonesian roots to see Canadians from all walks of life supporting the people of West Sumatra,” he said. “Canadians were very receptive to the charity events.”

To some, $30,000 might seem like a relatively small sum of money. The Canadian government, for instance, donated approximately $2.35 million through organizations such as World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam and the Red Cross. But Ismal and his community were determined to give whatever help they could. The only question: How could they make sure that the money would be well spent?

The answer was to send a someone to assess the situation and recommend a project to support. Ismal was a perfect choice. So he returned to Indonesia, first to Jakarta for a meeting at the Canadian Embassy, and from there to Padang, giving the members of the communities back in Canada the assurance that their money is being put to good use.

Aside from his knowledge of West Sumatran culture, there was another advantage in sending Ismal. From his days as an accountant, he had gained auditing skills that would serve well in making sure that all of the money would be used appropriately.

“We are currently looking at how we can use these funds to most effectively help rebuild lives and futures,” he said of his group’s goals.

Although Ismal has plenty of contacts in the region, he will not rely on them to choose a beneficiary.

“For example, I know the president of a university in Padang, and of course if I talk to him he will say ‘Oh, give me the money.’ But I need to be objective and impartial. We have to avoid preferential treatment,” he told the Jakarta Globe.

Ismal can’t say for certain where the money will go. But it’s not for lack of research or contacts with NGOs and other organizations. Ismal’s job is to ensure that the money collected is not spread thinly. The Indonesian communities want to spend their money on one project so they can get tangible results.

The communities have also decided that they will not start a new project from scratch. “We’re going to enhance what’s already there,” Ismal said.

Mackenzie Clugston, the Canadian ambassador to Indonesia, met with Ismal at the embassy, where he praised the expatriate’s community’s efforts.

“Times of crisis reveal friendships and in the case of the terrible earthquake in West Sumatra, it is not only the Canadian government that is lending support, but also ordinary Canadians,” he said.

Liza Lidya Erry, an Indonesian living in Vancouver, was delighted by the unity that her community showed in the relief efforts.

“The West Sumatra earthquake saw the Indonesian Canadian community in three different cities … come together to support the victims of a terrible disaster. I am so proud of the Indonesian Canadian community.”

Canada’s Indonesians, an ocean away from their homeland, live out the West Sumatran value of supporting their own from afar.

To Ismal, this duty is a central fact of life. “If you love your village, leave it.” Ismal says with a smile. And by leaving home and then coming back to help his neighbors in a time of need, he has brought his duty full circle.

When he left, his community supported him. Now when his community needs his help the most, he has come home to support them.

Related Artice:

Canada, Australia ranked best places for expats