Holiday island mourns after bus crash kills 29 German tourists

Yahoo – AFP, Jerome Pin, April 18, 2019

The bus plunged down a 10-metre slope with around 50 people on board
(AFP Photo/STRINGER)

Caniço (Portugal) (AFP) - Portugal and Germany mourned on Thursday after 29 German tourists died when their bus tumbled down a slope and crashed into a house on the tourist island of Madeira.

Drone footage showed the mangled wreckage lying against a building on a hillside near the town of Canico, the vehicle's roof partially crushed and front window smashed.

Rescue workers attended to injured passengers on the grass where the bus rested nearby, some of them bearing bloodied head bandages and blood-stained clothes.

A woman who survived the accident said on the TVI television channel that the bus crashed after hitting a wall.

"It happened just after the bus started, one minute or a few seconds later. People were flying through the windows," said the woman, who was not named.

"Some people were crying for help and we could immediately see some people were dead," said her husband, who also survived the crash. "Help arrived very fast."

Rescue workers helped survivors at the crash site (AFP Photo/RUI SILVA)

Local authorities said most of the dead were aged in their 40s and 50s. Twelve men and 17 women were among the victims, an official at the Nelio Mendonca hospital, Tomasia Alves, told reporters.

They were among the more than one million tourists who visit the Atlantic islands off the coast of Morocco each year, attracted by their subtropical climate and rugged volcanic terrain.

"It is with sadness and dismay that I think of our compatriots and all the other people affected by the terrible bus accident in Madeira," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement.

"My sincere condolences go above all to those families that have lost loved ones in this tragedy," she added, thanking the Portuguese emergency services for their efforts.

The bus was only five years old and has been recently inspected, officials 

said (AFP Photo/RUI SILVA)

Investigation launched

Witnesses and officials said the 50-odd tourists had left their hotel on their way to the regional capital Funchal for dinner when the bus crashed on Wednesday.

Local media said two Portuguese nationals survived the crash: the driver and a tour guide.

Prosecutors have opened a probe. The vice-president of the regional government Pedro Calado said it was "premature" to attribute the cause of the accident.

He said the bus was five years old and had been recently inspected.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he would travel to Madeira on Thursday with a team of doctors and psychologists to "speak personally with those affected".

The injured were "in a state of shock, with memories of terrible images. An injured woman said she had lost her partner," Ilse Everlien Berardo, the pastor at the German Evangelical church in Madeira, told Germany's RTL network.

Wellwishers left flowers for the victims (AFP Photo/MIGUEL RIOPA)

Frankfurt-based tour operator Trendtours said 51 of its customers were involved in the accident. Another company, Schauinsland, said it also had two customers in the crash.

The companies sent their condolences to victims' families and said they were sending teams to Madeira to offer support.

Trendtour said the bus had been hired by a local operator and crashed off the road "for a reason still unknown".

Makeshift morgue

A makeshift morgue has been set up at the airport in Funchal, local media reports said. Medical teams will be flown in from Lisbon to carry out autopsies.

German holidaymakers were the second largest group after British tourists to visit Madeira in 2017, according to Madeira's tourism office.

Madeira lies in the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco (AFP 

Photo/Maria-Cecilia REZENDE)

Known as the Pearl of the Atlantic and the Floating Garden, Madeira is home to just 270,000 inhabitants.

The Portuguese government decreed three days of national mourning.

"I express the sorrow and solidarity of all the Portuguese people in this tragic moment, and especially for the families of the victims who I have been told were all German," President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told Portuguese television.

Alves said the hospital hoped to begin returning victims' bodies to their families by Saturday.

The last serious bus accident in Madeira occurred in December 2005, killing five Italian tourists in Sao Vicente.

The Future Is Bright for Europe, Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Giacomo Tognini,  May 23, 2014

According to data from the Ministry of Manpower, 6,351 Europeans currently
call Indonesia their temporary home. (JG Photo/Boy T. Harjanto)

Jakarta. Indonesians and Europeans don’t always get along. When asked how they felt about one another, one source asserted that “British people keep to themselves,” while another exclaimed that “Indonesians are rude.” Stereotypes abound whenever diverse cultures meet, even in the supposedly globalized world we live in today. Indonesia and Europe are no exception, yet trade, travel, and cooperation between the two continue to grow.

The two cultures made contact for the first time when Portuguese explorers reached the Sunda Kingdom in 1512, leading to centuries of Dutch and Portuguese colonization of the archipelago. Nowadays, an estimated 6,351 Europeans live in Indonesia, 13.8 percent of all the expatriate residing in the country, according to a May 10 report from the Ministry of Manpower and Transportation.

While the history between the two is hardly pleasant, Indonesia’s rapid economic development and the advent of the European Union have led to strengthened ties and increased cultural exchange. According to a December 2013 report by the Indonesia Diaspora Network, 185,512 Indonesians make the Old Continent their home, in addition to approximately 700,000 people of mixed or Indonesian descent in the Netherlands.

In the post-war era, Europeans arrived to work in diplomacy and Indonesia’s expanding industries, and many more traveled to experience its natural and cultural wonders. Conversely, some Indonesians emigrated to seek a better life in Europe during economic trouble at home.

Whereas Europeans continue to come to Indonesia for the same reasons, today people increasingly move in the opposite direction for higher education. The European Union’s recent push to attract more foreign students to study in its renowned universities by providing scholarships through its Erasmus Mundus education outreach program has been successful. Around 7,000 Indonesians studied in the EU as of 2013, many of whom receive financial aid from the European Commission.

However, a clear cultural divide remains between Indonesians and Europeans across the continent.

“I definitely love living here, but I have to say it takes a lot of effort to make friends,” said an Indonesian student in London. “My closest friends here aren’t British.”

When it comes to other nationalities, she had a different perspective: “French people are a bit condescending, I feel like Italians are the friendlier bunch.”

Europeans in Jakarta mention a similar experience adapting to their host culture.

“We have a completely different mentality because we are separated by centuries of history,” said an Italian woman who has lived in Indonesia for a year. While she admires the natural beauty of the country, she “cannot stand the traffic that paralyzes this city and the complete lack of respect for the environment.”

The EU and the Indonesian government have long collaborated on a variety of bilateral projects to aid in the resolution of significant issues. The Blue Book on EU-Indonesian Development Cooperation published in 2013 outlines six areas of partnership: education, economic cooperation, the environment and climate change, good governance and human rights, disaster preparedness and conflict prevention and health, water and sanitation. Many of these target specific regions of the island nation that require more help in certain areas and less in others to maximize efficiency.

Along with the EU as a whole, Indonesia is among the members of the G-20, an organization that represents the world’s 20 largest economies. Indonesia is now the 10th largest, as revealed in a World Bank report published in 2014. As a result of Indonesia’s growing economic clout, the EU is seeking a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), a deep free trade agreement. The union was Indonesia’s second largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) behind Japan in statistics released by the Indonesia Investment Coordination Board in 2012, although it has fallen in the rankings since due to slower yearly increases of investment compared to South Korea and Singapore.

As the second-largest democracy and the world’s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia has tremendous geopolitical importance. This is likely to increase, given the archipelago’s strategic location in a region witnessing the ascent of China and India. Europe is taking note: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited at least four European countries in his second term, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Indonesia between 2012 and 2013. These are signs of the country’s rise as an influential player in the international arena.

In the future, a continent emerging from an economic crisis and still searching for its place in a global chessboard dominated by the United States and China could gain from increased cooperation with a nation seeking a role commensurate to its massive demographic and economic expansion.

The two have much to learn from one another. Sarah Braga, a Portuguese-Luxembourg student in Jakarta, believes that “Europe has become a very individualistic region, whereas in Indonesia it’s more about a sense of community.”

“Indonesians are a people that know how to laugh and be happy even in times of difficulty,” said an Italian resident of Jakarta. “This is something that Europeans should learn from.”

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News Focus: Kisar Traditional Dances To Grace Sail Banda Launch

Antara News, Otniel Tamindael, Thursday, March 18, 2010 10:24 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Traditional dances from Kisar island in Southwest Maluku (MBD) district will highlight the launch of Sail Banda in Ambon on April 2010.

Maluku provincial administration assistant Pieter Norimarna said in Ambon recently that the traditional dances from Kisar would be performed in Ambon on April to highlight the launch of Sail Banda 2010, scheduled for July to August this year.

"Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu wants the traditional dances from Kisar performed to mark the launch of Sail Banda in order to convince the international community that the small island in MBD actually has valuable cultural assets to support tourism in the district," Norimarna said.

He said Kisar was during the pre-independence era once controlled by the Portuguese and therefore necessary arrangements had been made to promote the island to the international community during the Sail Banda event.

"The traditional culture of the people in Kisar in general is also very similar to that of Timor Leste which was once also a Portuguese colony," Norimarna said.

Norimarna said he had coordinated with Acting Southwest Maluku district head Frangky Renyaan to make the necessary preparations for the traditional dances from Kisar island to be performed at the launch of Sail Banda next month in Ambon, following its launch in Jakarta on February 3, 2010.

"We are going to optimize the preparations for the cultural performance and typical dances from Kisar both during the launch of Sail Banda in April and its peak event in Kisar which is to be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on August 3, 2010," Norimarna said.

Meanwhile, Maluku Culture and Tourism Office spokesperson Florence Sahusilawane said the Sail Banda event would also be highlighted by an Archeology Exhibition in Ambon and Banda.

She said the "Life in Ambon and Banda in the 17th Century" exhibition would display photos or pictures and documents depicting life on the two islands at the time. In Banda, the exhibition would also feature illustrations and stories by Des Alwi, a noted local figure who has built up an archive on Banda`s history.

Des Alwi was also a wealthy film producer, a consummate diplomat, and Indonesian independence fighter. Now he is also the owner of two luxury hotels on Banda, called the Maulana Inn and Laguna Inn which have wide white verandas with arched colonnades overlooking a sparkling blue lagoon.

Florence said in Maluku, the participants of Sail Banda could visit many interesting and amazing places such as a Sea Garden, the Belgica Fort, the house where Indonesia`s first vice president and one of the country`s founding fathers, Mohammad Hatta, lived during his political exile, the house of another exiled independence fighter, Iwa Kusuma Sumantri, agro tourism objects in Banda, Natsepa Beach, Hunimua Beach, Pintu Kota Beach, Manuala Beach, Namalatu Beach, Pasir Putih Beach in Alang), Fort Amsterdam , Old Mosque (Kaitetu), Hila Old Church, Siwalima Museum in Ambon, Historical and megalithic sites and villages in Kisar.

The participants would also be able so see some of the more remote parts of Indonesia as they cross the country, away from the well worn tourist areas.

Events that have been prepared by f Moluku`s provincal government were divided in three places, namely in Banda Island the events that have been prepared are : Welcome Party, Kora-Kora (traditional boat) Attraction, City Tour, Marine & Agro Tourism, Cultural and Art Night in Belgica Fort.

While in Ambon city the events that have been prepared are Welcome Party, Traditional Ships Parade, City Tour/Marine Tourism, "Ambon Tempo Doloe" (Ambon in Olden Times), "Jujaro Mongare" Election, "Layang-Layang" (Kite) Festival, Cultural Carnival and Farewell Party.

In Kisar Island the events that have been prepared are: Welcome Party, City Tour, and Celebration of The Anniversary of Republic of Indonesia in the Southwest Maluku district town of Wonreli.

Meanwhile, Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu said Sail Banda was expected to be the"Entry Point" for Maluku province to build win-win cooperation with neighboring countries.

Ralahalu said the upcoming international marine event would be the entry point for the province to knit a win-win cooperation with neighboring countries such as Australia, Timor Leste, and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

"I have just returned from Australia and Papua New Guinea to accompany President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his state visits to the two countries," Governor Ralahalu said in Ambon recently.

The governor said that during the visits, the Sail Banda event got positive support from the Australian and Papua New Guinean leaders when President Yudhoyono explained it to them in a dialog.

Ralahalu said Sail Banda 2010, scheduled for July to August this year, would be an event to improve the welfare of local people and to create peaceful and conflict-free zones in the province in the future.

Various kinds of international activities will coincide with Sail Banda event which is to be attended by hundreds, even thousands of experts and scientists from many countries.

Governor Ralahalu admitted that during his visit to Australia to accompany President Yudhoyono, he did not have time to explain Sail Banda directly to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, but in diplomatic talks between Yudhoyono and Rudd, it was mentioned and would be discussed further.

"I did not have time to discuss Sail Banda with the Australian prime minister but I did with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, and the PNG leader promised to visit Maluku next August. I also reported it to President Yudhoyono and the president has as well officially invited Somare to visit Maluku during the Sail Banda event," Ralahalu said.

He said the PNG prime minister was glad to meet with the governors from eastern Indonesia and promised to visit Maluku and other provinces in eastern Indonesia later.

Ralahalu said various international agenda would be discussed in conjunction with Sail Band 2010.

Therefore, the governor called on all public elements in Maluku to fully support the success of Sail Banda 2010.

"We have to be a good host for such an international marine event and to make it a success, because it will have a positive impact on the glory of Maluku in the international eyes," Governor Ralahalau said.

Tugu people learn about their roots through song

Mariani Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 11/16/2008 8:23 AM  

“We sang Portuguese songs so often, but I still did not understand them. But thanks to the Portuguese language class we are taking, we now understand,”said Tugu community resident Saartje Michiels. 

Saartje performed a Portuguese song “Rosa Branca”, (white rose), at a cultural show in Tugu village in Marunda, North Jakarta, on Saturday. 

Boys and girls perform a traditional Portuguese dance at the backyard of the Tugu Church in North Jakarta on Saturday. Portuguese descendants in Tugu area held an annual event called Kampoeng Toegoe Festival that day to keep their traditional heritage alive. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

Childhood memory is the only way the Tugu people learn Tugu keroncong songs in Portuguese, and the songs are their only exposure to the language. 

“The elderly banned us from watching them practicing keroncong, so we learned the songs by heart and memory. But we did not understand what they were saying,” Saartje said. 

The Tugu people are descendants of Portuguese soldiers who married locals in Malacca. After a string of turbulent events, the community settled down in the then Batavia area Tugu, hence the name. They converted from Catholicism to Christianity and built the first church in the area in 1738. 

Since then, the community continued to marry people from other cultures and became part of Jakarta’s Betawi community. Now they consider themselves part of Betawi. But Portuguese songs in keroncong are still a part of their daily lives and are performed during celebrations. 

They still use some Portuguese words, but the community has lost most of the vocabulary. So the weekly lesson provided by the Portuguese Embassy, who answered their request for a language class, has helped. 

Saartje’s 7-year-old daughter, Angella, who is in the Junior Tugu Keroncong group, said she enjoyed the music very much and that understanding them made them even better. 

“I like Portuguese and I love keroncong. There is no other music I like,”she said after her performance. 

Maria Emilia Irmler, the language teacher at the Portuguese Embassy, teaches at the community on top of teaching Portuguese dance. 

She said she was pleased with the interest expressed by the community and she welcomed the community’s attitude. 

“They want to learn everything related to Portuguese culture.We have taught them some dances,”she said. 

Arthur James Michiels, the community’s spokesman, said they wanted to embrace all their roots. 

“The koko dress and sarong pants we are wearing show our Betawi side, while the shawl and the hat show our Western side.We want to embrace both,”Arthur said. 

Mulyawan Karim, the head of the Forum for Indonesian Anthropology Studies, which organized the event on behalf of the North Jakarta municipality cultural and museum office, said the aim of the event was to highlight the beauty of unity in diversity. 

“The more diversity we have the better because then we are richer socially and culturally,” he said. 

“The Tugu community is very different from the common community. But we should not forget them because they are part of our social and cultural wealth.We hope the event shows that kind of spirit.”

One foot on sea, one on shore

The Jakarta Post, P.J. Leo

Many writers have used references to the vital energy of ports, where workers scramble up masts as ships lie at anchor, taking on and discharging cargo.

Sunda Kelapa Port in northern Jakarta is part of the Old Town heritage site. It was built between 1634 and 1645 by the Dutch governor general J.P. Coen, whose ambition was to recreate Amsterdam in Batavia (Jakarta).

However, long before the Dutch administration reigned the East Indies (Indonesia then), the port had become the docking point for early European merchants, largely the Portuguese.

Now the port is home to inter-city trade, with ships departing and arriving from destinations in Java, as well as Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands, around the clock.

Traditional Bugis schooners or phinisi are a fixture at Sunda Kelapa, their silhouettes creating a distinctive image, from dawn until dusk.

Betawi natives seek greater recognition in multiethnic Jakarta

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Marginalized Betawi natives are still struggling for recognition in the ethnic melting pot that is Jakarta, a discussion in the capital heard Saturday.

During the discussion, which formed part of a five-day conference on issues faced by Betawi people, members of the Betawi Consultative Body voiced their hopes to members of the city administration and City Council.

Many participants said they wanted the city administration to concentrate more heavily on conserving and developing the Betawi culture. Others said they wanted Betawi natives to be included in making decisions about the city's future.

One member of the organization, who identified himself as Taufik, said Betawi representatives should be involved in devising new city bylaws.

"Body members want Betawi natives to sit together with city councillors so as they can join in discussions on new bylaws.

"Betawi natives are part of the city and we want our voice to be heard," he said.

In response, Council Speaker Ade Surapriyatna said he would like Betawi participants to be included in the decision-making process for every new bylaw, but Jakarta was a plural city with other ethnic groups.

"I've heard of inter-faith groups, but not inter-ethnicity groups that represent each ethnic group in the city, including Betawi people," he said, adding that he could not give special treatment to the members of one ethnic group.

Another body member said Betawi symbols could be put in public places, such as bus shelters, as a way to preserve the culture.

"We should also consider paying homage to our Betawi ancestors by naming streets after them, as we did with M. Hoesni Thamrin," he said.

M. Hoesni Thamrin is a national hero of Betawi origin. He established Perkoempoelan Orang Betawi (the Betawi People's Association) in 1923, prompting the Dutch colonial administration to officially recognize the group during the final years of its occupation.

A 2007 law on Jakarta as the Capital of Indonesia requires the administration to conserve the city's heritage, including aspects of the Betawi culture.

A member of the body's political commission, Syahrul Kumala, said he hoped Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo would prioritize Betawi natives when filling strategic positions in the administration and the council.

"I think it's natural to have Betawi people making important decisions in the administration and the council," he told The Jakarta Post at the conference.

According to historian Alwi Shahab, Betawi natives were forced to move to the outskirts of Jakarta in the 16th century when they started spreading Islam across the city, which at the time was known as Batavia.

"Betawi people actually had existed in the city ... long before the Portuguese arrived. Their ancestors once lived in the Pasar Minggu (South Jakarta) and Condet (East Jakarta) areas," he told the Post.

"The Kingdom of Padjajaran that ruled Batavia in the 16th century felt threatened by the presence of Betawi Muslims as they spread their teachings expeditiously," he said.

"The kingdom then joined forces with the Portuguese to force Betawi people out of Batavia."

Betawi natives moved to the outskirts of the city and places further afield, such as Jatinegara Kaum in East Jakarta, Depok in West Java and Tangerang in Banten, Alwi said.

"Their migration was also due to their inability to feed their families. They had to sell their land and move," he said.

"Now Betawi people need our support so as they can be better recognized."