Thai police target 'passport ring' in vanished flight probe

Google – AFP, 9 March 2014

People stand beside the arrival board showing the missing Malaysia Airlines

 Boeing 777-200 plane (on top and in red) at Beijing Airport on March 8, 2014 

(AFP/File, Mark Ralston)

Bangkok — Thai police said Sunday they were investigating a "passport ring" as details emerged of bookings made in Thailand with stolen European passports for the vanished Malaysia Airlines flight.

Two European names -- Christian Kozel, an Austrian, and Luigi Maraldi of Italy -- were listed on the passenger manifest of the flight MH370, but neither man boarded the plane, officials said.

Both had their passports stolen in Thailand over the past two years.

Malaysia has launched a terror probe investigating the suspect passengers and the United States has sent in the FBI to assist.

Flight information seen by AFP shows that tickets were booked in Maraldi and Kozel's names on March 6, 2014, and issued in the Thai city of Pattaya, a popular beach resort south of the capital Bangkok.

The e-ticket numbers for their flights are consecutive and both were paid for in Thai baht.

Each ticket cost THB 20,215 (US$625).

Kozel was booked to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, then on to Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Maraldi was booked on the same flights until Amsterdam, where he was to continue to Copenhagen.

Interpol confirmed that "at least two passports" recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database were used by passengers on board the flight, which was carrying 239 people.

"The Austrian and Italian passports were added to Interpol's SLTD database after their theft in Thailand in 2012 and 2013 respectively," it said in a statement.

A senior Thai police official told AFP that authorities were probing a passport racket on the resort island of Phuket, where Maraldi's passport was stolen.

"A police team combined with local police and immigration are working to track down a passport ring," southern police commander Panya Mamen said.

A district official in Phuket said that Maraldi had presented himself to police there on Sunday.

"An Italian tourist, Luigi Maraldi, has met southern police commander today in Phuket to say he was not on the plane and his passport had been stolen since last year," district police lieutenant colonel Akanit Danpitaksart told AFP.

He said they had no information on Kozel's passport but Austrian foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Weiss, said Sunday that it had been stolen on a flight from Phuket to Bangkok.

Related Articles:

Thailand exposed as crime hub over MH370 stolen passports

Missing MH370 likely to have disintegrated mid-flight: experts

UNESCO recognizes Javanese alphabet

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/02/2009 11:52 AM

UNESCO has ranked the Javanese alphabet among other internationally accepted sets of characters used to write in computers like Latin, Chinese and Arabic.

“The Javanese alphabet has been recognized by UNICODE, an organization under UNESCO that deals with alphabetic code standard in computers,” Aryo Tumoro, chief editor of the oldest Javanese magazine Penyebar Semangat told Antara on Monday.

UNICODE awarded the international status to the Javanese alphabet on Oct. 2, the day when UNESCO accepted batik as part of Indonesian cultural assets. The status was proposed by Javanese literature expert Ki Demang Sokowaten from Yogyakarta on Sept. 9, 2007.

“Thanks to the world’s recognition, we can ask our computer programmers to introduce Javanese alphabet as computer fonts,” Aryo said.

Sukowaten launched in January 2006 his Javanese language website www.ki-demang.com, which contains, among other things, Javanese philosophy, short stories, folklores and recipes.

Festivals promote Jakarta as regional cultural capital

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Behind the visible poverty, endless traffic jams and nauseating polluted air, Jakarta has hidden treasures that are unrivaled by other big cities in the country, and possibly even in Southeast Asia.

They go together to make up the city's arts and culture scene.

Jakarta has a wide range of arts and cultural events, both of national and international importance, that have been thriving while gaining support from an increasingly wider audience, both from Jakarta and outside the city.

In addition to the older festivals, this year saw two new arrivals: the Urban Festival, or Urbanfest 2007, and the Jakarta International Photo Summit 2007.

The Urban Festival, a two-day festival in late August, involved a list of events, mostly beginning with the word "urban": Urban Distro, Urban Photo Exhibition, Urban Dancing, Urban Tattoo, Face Painting, Local Comics Exhibition and many others.

Held at the Ancol Dream Park in North Jakarta, the maiden Urban Festival did not gain much recognition. However, it is too soon to say it was a flop.

The ten-day Jakarta International Photo Summit 2007, from Dec. 3 to Dec. 13, also did not see many people turning up at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta. However, the curators and the summit's promoters, Oscar Motuloh and Alexander Supartono, still plan to hold the summit once every three years.

The summit itself boasted 150 images from international art photographers.

On top of the newcomers, the city has a list of established festivals, national and international, big and small. One of the most popular is the Jakarta International Film Festival, or Jiffest.

Now in its 9th year, the festival is seeing growing audiences, number of movies screened, and, perhaps most importantly, popularity, and is increasingly attracting visitors from outside Jakarta.

The smaller Q! Film Festival has also thrived by creating its own niche. The Sixth Q! Film Festival's organizers reported a growth in audience numbers this year.

Besides Jiffest, the more commercial and glamorous Java Jazz festival is also gaining greater popularity.

Meanwhile, the community-based and longer-standing Jakarta International Jazz Festival, or JakJazz, is also showing a determination to survive by staging its second revival after years of hiatus. This year's festival received a warm reception from jazz buffs around the country.

These festivals are only a few of the many cultural and arts festivals in Jakarta.

Some of the festivals are initiated by young people who only have dreams, extensive networks, cultural capital and marketing skills to work on, but little money.

Names like Shanty Harmayn and John Badalu, for example, are household names among the country's film buffs.

Besides the large festivals, young people are also at the forefront of smaller exhibitions and performances. Communities like Ruang Rupa and those hanging out at the Aksara Record also help shape the city as a cultural capital of the region.

Not only as initiators. Young Jakartans also contribute to shaping Jakarta as a cultural capital by being enthusiastic supporters of the festivals. Among audiences, young Jakartans in their 20s and early 30s are predominant.

They are hip, trendy and have tastes that differ from the mainstream. They belong at least to the middle-income bracket and are mostly university educated, whether at home or abroad.

Without them, these festivals would not exist or thrive. And without these festivals, Jakarta would be just another dirty, overcrowded city.

"As far as I know, Jiffest, for example, was the best in Southeast Asia. Last year, it attracted 63,000 enthusiasts with funding of US$500,000. Meanwhile, the Bangkok Film Festival cost US$5 million and attracted only 23,000 people. And I don't even want to compare Jiffest with festivals in Singapore or Manila; they're not in the same league," said Marco Kusumawijaya, an urban planning expert and chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council.

Marco added that although Jakarta lagged behind Singapore in infrastructural development, the Indonesian city was awash with artists.

He complained, however, that the festivals received little support from the government.

"Actually, the more independent a festival, the better it is. However, the city should see such festivals as investments. They attract visitors who spend money in hotels and restaurants in the city," Marco said. "The city administration should set targets in return for its financial support; a festival gets some funding but has to attract so many people from abroad, for example."

Some festivals in 2007

Festival Time, frequency Organized by

• Java Jazz March, annual Private
• Q! Film Festival Aug.-Sept. annual Private
• Arts Summit Nov. triennial Ministry of Culture
• Konfiden Short November, annual Jakarta Arts Council, Konfiden
• Jiffest December annual Private supported by city Jakarta International Photo Summit (December, triennial) Private
• JakJazz (November, annual) Private
• International Literary Biennial (August, biennial) Private
• Urbanfest (August, planned to be annual) Private
• Jakarta Theater Festival (December, annual) Jakarta Arts Council
• Schouwburg Festival (September, annual) City
• Jakarta Anniversary Festival (June, annual) City

Jakarta to host tourism summit

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta is set to host the Jakarta Tourism Summit from Nov. 6 to 9 in conjunction with Jakarta's sister cities.

Governor Fauzi Bowo said Friday the summit was aimed at creating a global tourism network and sharing insights among participating countries.

"We want to learn through the summit what big cities in the world have to improve their tourism sectors," he said at City Hall after a meeting with a number of city officials.

"There will be a Jakarta declaration after the summit concludes."

For the four-day summit, the administration would cooperate with urban tourism networking international organizations.

Those organizations include the Council for Promotion of Tourism In Asia, ASEAN Network of Major Cities 21, Tourist Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities and United Nations World Tourism Organization, according to an official website, http://jts2007.com.

Fauzi said the summit would feature an exhibition and speakers including Indonesian former tourism minister Joop Ave and the secretary general of Tourist Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities.

According to city tourism agency head Yusuf Effendi Pohan, who attended the meeting, nine of the 18 sister cities Jakarta has been engaged with have confirmed their participation.

The confirming sister cities include Turkey's Istanbul, Thailand's Bangkok, Japan's Tokyo, the Netherlands' Rotterdam and South Korea's Seoul.

"Jakarta's tourism sector is still behind other big cities despite the huge potential we have," said Yusuf.

One major obstacle in improving the tourism sector, he said, was the limited budget for promotions which sits at Rp 15 billion (US$1.65 million) this year.

"Ideally, we need at least $10 per tourist arrival for our promotion budget," Yusuf.

"So, we'll need $15 million if we target 1.5 million in tourist arrivals."

The number of tourist arrivals in Jakarta slumped to the lowest point in 1999 to 981,183 as a result of 1998's political and financial crises.

Numbers are slowly rising and figures reached 1,235,514 in 2005 and some 1.24 million last year.

Yusuf said the summit was also meant to show other countries that Jakarta was "conducive".

"Jakarta, which has been a destination for many businesspeople, has the most complete facilities for MICE -- meeting, intensive tour, convention and exhibition -- compared to other cities in Indonesia."

Yusuf said businessmen accounted for 70 percent of a total of 1.24 million in tourist arrivals in Jakarta last year.

"I'm sure this year's figures will surpass last year's as we (have) already recorded some 800,000 in tourist arrivals as of September," he said.

Yusuf said the administration was also targeting a surge in tourist arrivals from India, China and Middle East countries "in years to come, as a long-term consequence of the summit".

Women's club launches charity bazaar

The Jakarta Post

The Women's International Club (WIC) launched a two-day bazaar involving women from over 30 countries at the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.

WIC president Purti M. Reksoprodjo said the annual bazaar, which has been held for 40 years, was primarily to raise money for charity projects.

"We have dozens of charity programs scheduled for the whole year and this is our biggest fund-raising event to finance those programs," she said.

Some 30 embassy stalls and more than 200 stalls operated by local businesses will be present at the bazaar, which is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Most stalls are selling unique types of food, clothing, accessories and household equipment, such as in Thailand's stall (see photo).

First Lady Ani Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who opened the bazaar, the vice president's wife Mufidah Jusuf Kalla and the wives of other high-ranking officials enjoyed shopping at the bazaar on its opening day.

The WIC has supported 14 public institutions including an orphanage, schools for disabled children, nursing homes for the elderly and a hospital with funds raised from such events. The organization also provides scholarships and donates food and other basic items to the needy during regular visits. (JP/LBT)

Sunda Kelapa: The no-frills favorite

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was not yet noon, but the Friday morning heat was such that a group of men had tied shirts around their heads in addition to their caps to protect them from sunburn.

Covered in white dust, the men loaded sacks of cement from a cargo truck into a traditional schooner.

This activity -- a daily routine at the port -- attracted Yannick and Mona, a French couple, strolling along the dock which has a capacity to accommodate 70 schooners.

Photographing and discussing the work, they were also impressed with the long line of vessels with uniquely pointed prows and colorful decorations mooring at Sunda Kelapa Port in North Jakarta.

Sunda Kelapa is the city's most historical port, renowned for phinisi schooners, the traditional vessels of the Bugis people of Sulawesi, still used to deliver goods around the archipelago.

An Australian couple, Pat and Jenny, who had been in the country for one week, were also fascinated by the boats.

"We have wooden boats back in Australia, but they're not like these ones," Pat said.

The phinisi ships at Sunda Kelapa are wooden vessels around 40 meters long and 15 meters wide, with two main masts with seven sails each. The boats have diesel engines they can use alternately with the sails. They can carry up to 950 tons of cargo, which varies from cement and timber, to electronic devices and appliances.

The schooners transport goods across the archipelago, but mainly to Batam island or Pontianak in Kalimantan.

The journey takes up to three full days. Some may return laden with timber from Kalimantan but most return empty to Sunda Kelapa to reload.

John (not his real name), a British man, who for 13 years has been coming to Jakarta for business, said he finds the harbor unique.

"This place offers something very traditional and very Indonesian. The boats are remarkable. You can't find them anywhere else in the world," he said.

Sunda Kelapa's history dates back to the 12th century, when it was the most important harbor of the Pajajaran Kingdom (the area now known as West Java), with trading ships from China, southern India, Japan and the Middle East.

In the 15th century it became the source of a conflict. The port was conquered by Fatahillah on June 22, 1527, marking the birth of Jakarta.

Tanjung Priok, a far more modern harbor not far from Sunda Kelapa, was constructed by the Dutch in 1873 and became one of the most prominent seaports in the country, but Sunda Kelapa maintains activity.

For something different, tourists can take a boat ride across the Dutch-made canal.

Despite being popular among foreign visitors, Sunda Kelapa is not a favorite tourist destination for locals, who prefer modern entertainment centers and shopping malls.

While the area does not see many local tourists, Basri, a 50-year-old Buginese man who takes people across the harbor in his small boat every day, said over the Idul Fitri holidays more visitors had come.

"During the holidays I made more money," he said.

Basri, usually charges locals between Rp 6,000 and Rp 10,000 (US$1), and foreigners Rp 25,000 to Rp 30,000 a trip.

As part of Jakarta's old city, the harbor attracts both locals and foreigners with its schooners, but lacks tourism infrastructure.

Attended parking is available for cars but not for motorcycles.

Tourists are permitted onto schooners to get a look at the old sturdy wooden decks or a feel for the seafaring atmosphere, but first must climb a one-meter high concrete dock curb before reaching the ship.

Sunda Kelapa may serve as a loading and storage facility, but it is not tourist friendly.

Except for warehouses and a stock piling area there's not much more for tourists to see on the dock, which is poorly maintained and partly flooded with seawater.

There are no proper restaurants at Sunda Kelapa either, only street vendors selling cigarettes, peanuts and drinks.

Toilets, another vital facility, are nowhere to be found.

The poor condition of the harbor is a concern for some tourists, like John, even though he enjoys Sunda Kelapa's uniqueness.

"It's just too bad. It has so much potential. There is so much that could be done to the place."

International salsa orchestra and dancers to sway Jakarta

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post): Salsa music and dance aficionados, prepare yourselves for Thursday night's evening of entertainment, featuring an international orchestra and international salsa champions Billy Fajardo and Katie Marlow.

The first Indonesian Salsa Festival, which opened on Oct. 20, will be closed with a Dinner and Dance Night, presenting the 2004 Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra from the U.S.

The 13-strong "Hottest Classic Latin Dance Orchestra" will be performing for the first time in Indonesia.

Americans Fajardo and Marlow, and an Indonesian salsa dancer, Venna Melinda, are just a few of the names who will appear at the event at the Ballroom at the Hotel Mulia, Jakarta.

"It's the first salsa festival in Indonesia; it's here to indulge the growing number of salsa fans in this country," said one of the event organizers, PT Julambi Citra Karunia's Nuke Mayasaphira, on Wednesday. (Agnes Winarti)

Bali must be ready for global tourism competition: Expert

The Jakarta Post

An economist said Bali will increasingly have to compete globally for tourists as countries promote their top destinations for a larger share of the lucrative industry.

Speaking Friday at a national seminar on tourism trends and investment prospects at Nusa Dua, economist Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti said tourism will increasingly play a bigger role in the global economy. "Tourism will be grown as a 'clean industry,'" said Kuntjoro-Jakti, a former chief economics minister.

"Indonesian tourism, if managed properly, will have a good chance to replace the oil and gas industry as the country's top foreign exchange earner," he said. He said Bali was known as Indonesia's top tourist destination, but in the future that would not be enough to ensure a steady stream of tourists.

He said more countries were competing in the world tourism market, offering travelers more attractive and dynamic tourism packages. "We should not take it for granted that visitors will come to Bali and other destinations in Indonesia. Indonesiamust make a comprehensive analysis and integrated efforts to attract world travelers to the country." Compared to other Asian countries, Indonesia has a number of negative growth factors.

According to Euromonitor, a prestigious tourism think thank in Europe, there are several factors hampering tourism growth in Indonesia, including terrorism, lack of infrastructure, bird flu and the quality of service. "Indonesia must be active in promoting its tourism services, and provide an in-depth analysis of its future prospects to major tourism agencies and prospective investors," Kuntjoro-Jakti said. Ida Bagus Lolec, one of Bali's most successful tourism entrepreneurs, said the island had a lot of work to do if it hoped to maintain its position as a world-class tourist destination.

"We must be very creative in creating attractive tourism packages to lure back tourists and businesspeople to the island," he said. Tourist arrivals fell drastically after the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2005 attacks. However, arrivals have begun to rebound.

The island annually hosts one to 1.5 million domestic and foreign tourists. Indonesia as a whole attracts about 6 million foreign tourists every year, as compared to Malaysia and Singapore which see at least 11 million foreign visitors annually. Lolec said Bali had the potential to be further developed as a business and leisure tourist destination.

"International meetings and conferences are one potential tourism market for Bali as we have adequate facilities and skilled human resources," he said. Bali is already hosting some national and international conferences. Next December, the island will host a major UN conference on climate change.

Agung Prana, another tourist businessman, views Balitourism in a positive light.

"We still have a large portion of the global marketshare," Prana said. Environmental and spiritual tourism packages could be developed in Bali, he said.

"These are the current global trends in the tourism industry. Bali has abundant natural and spiritual richness. It really depends on us to make it attractive to the international tourism industry," Prana said.

Tour de Indonesia to kick off in Bali

The Jakarta Post

DENPASAR: The international Tour de Indonesia cycling race will start in Bali in November, with cyclists set to pedal through Denpasar, Buleleng and Gilimanuk on their way to Jakarta.

Freddie Tutuarima from the event's organizing committee said hundreds of athletes from 14 countries were expected to take part in this year's event. "The race usually starts in Java, but this year we will start it here to rejuvenate Bali's tourism sector," Tutuarima said.

Bali will hold three out of nine stages. The other three stages will be held in Java, with the race to finish in Jakarta.

The Indonesian team will consist of national athletes Dwi Ratsongko, Ketut Panca Jaya, Wayan Ogik Juniada, Putu Subrata and Jovani Lukman.

Indonesian boy wins UN stamp design award

The Jakarta Post

NEW YORK (Antara): A six-year-old Indonesian boy was presented with the United Nations stamp design award in UN Headquarter on Wednesday.

Bryan Jevoncia was one of the six children whose picture was chosen as the best for 2008 series of UN stamp in a design contest titled “We Can Overcome Poverty” which was conducted to mark the International Poverty Eradication Day. Around 12,000 children aged 6 to 15 from 124 countries took part in the contest.

The presentation of the award was conducted at a park near UN building and was attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Indonesian special representative to UN Marty Natalegawa, and several other foreign representatives.

"Bryan’s dedication to his work is really admirable, because he is the only Indonesian boy elected among thousands of participants as the winner in the contest," Marty Natalegawa said.

He said Bryan`s work indicated that Indonesian younger were able to create good work, to build solidarity and to have sensitivity to poverty issue.

The UN stamp, designed by Bryan, depicted children who, after returning from school, help their mothers in the struggle to make ends meet.

Born in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Dec. 16, 2000, Bryan is at present in the second year of elementary school.

He was accompanied by his mother Rosiana Fardimin and his teacher Rosa de Lima in the trip to New York to receive the award.

Bryan said he was delighted with his work and eager to meet one of his country’s prominent figure after returning to Indonesia from New York.

"I want to meet `Pak` President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to show him the present I get from the United Nations," he said.

Association forges unity among overseas Indonesian students

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Groningen, The Netherlands

Encouraged by strong bonds with fellow countrymen, Indonesian students in Groningen, the Netherlands, have maintained to unite among themselves through the formation of a local students association.

From just six members during its inception back in July 1998, the Association of Indonesian Students in Groningen (PPIG) may possibly be the largest and most active Indonesian student association overseas.

The association has around 150 members ranging from undergraduate students to doctorate candidates from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.

According to Salahudin, one of its founders, the setting up of PPIG was initially driven by the need to unite Indonesian students and seek representatives to attend various events in the Netherlands and those organized by the Indonesian embassy there.

"PPIG was a medium at that time to communicate activities internally among the students and externally with other organizations or institutions. It is also aimed at assisting Indonesian students in adapting to their new surroundings," said Salahudin.

He also explained that the association was also active in providing future students of Groningen with useful experiences of past students, strengthening bonds with local people and with other Indonesian students in other cities around the Netherlands.

PPIG is now known as a fairly powerful lobbyist for Indonesian students in relation to administration affairs with the education institutions in Groningen -- the Royal University of Groningen and the Hanzehogeschool of Groningen.

"PPIG is the voice of the Indonesian students in Groningen. It is also a forum where students from various ethnic, professional and religious background can be united," said Joko Tirto Rahardjo, current chairman of the association.

The chairmanship of PPIG is fostered through a democratic annual election by its members.

Aside from providing new students in Groningen with helpful information about daily life and how to adapt to a new environment, PPIG also organizes several major events, such as Groens Cup, an annual Idul Fitri gathering and group travel.

Aside from its website (www.ppigroningen.nl) with comprehensive information about living whereabouts in Groningen, the association also has an Internet-based radio station dubbed Invogro (http://radio.ppigroningen.nl), which features Indonesian music ranging from mainstream pop to traditional music.

Information from association members is passed through an e-mail group (ppigroningen@yahoogroups.com). Aside from functioning as a discussion forum, the members can also share tips for looking for cheap second-hand bicycles, housing, halal food and cool spots to hang out.

'Electric Woman Stars Brainy Beauties'

Report: Woman Chess EWS Cup 2007 in Indonesia

Chessbase.com, 16.06.2007

When a national electricity company in a multi-ethnic and predominantly Muslim country like Indonesia sponsors a chess event for women under this name, we can only give it our warmest approval. Great stuff, people!


Six talented young ladies played the tournament in Jakarta, and WIM Nastja Karolvich sent us a big, beautifully illustrated and eminently readable report from Indonesia.

Read the whole report

Go Dutch!

By EE-LYN TAN., The Star Online

A cosmopolitan country where English is widely spoken, the Netherlands offers a welcoming environment to international students.

The Netherlands is also commonly known as Holland, which is actually the name of the western part of the country and the most heavily populated.

Located in Western Europe, Holland borders Germany on the east and south Belgium on the north and west.

Most international students come from Germany, Belgium, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Royal Netherlands Embassy deputy head of mission Luc Schillings estimates that an average of 50 students from Malaysia go to Holland to study every year.

“It offers an alternative to other European countries with its highly subsidised education and low cost of living.

English is widely spoken and there are about 1,200 courses that are taught in English.”

And the Dutch, Schillings adds are very friendly people who welcome foreigners.

Read More ....