Bali declares 'garbage emergency' amid sea of waste

Yahoo – AFP, Bagus SARAGIH, December 28, 2017

The Indonesian holiday island has become an embarrassing poster child for the
country's trash problem (AFP Photo/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

Kuta (Indonesia) (AFP) - Bali's palm-fringed Kuta beach has long been a favourite with tourists seeking sun and surf, but nowadays its golden shoreline is disappearing under a mountain of garbage.

Plastic straws and food packaging are strewn between sunbathers, while surfers bobbing behind the waves dodge waste flushed out from rivers or brought in by swirling currents.

"When I want to swim, it is not really nice. I see a lot of garbage here every day, every time," Austrian traveler Vanessa Moonshine explains.

"It's always coming from the ocean. It's really horrible," she adds.

Often dubbed a paradise on earth, the Indonesian holiday island has become an embarrassing poster child for the country's trash problem.

The archipelago of more than 17,000 islands is the world's second biggest contributor to marine debris after China, and a colossal 1.29 million metric tons is estimated to be produced annually by Indonesia.

The waves of plastic flooding into rivers and oceans have been causing problems for years -- clogging waterways in cities, increasing the risk of floods, and injuring or killing marine animals who ingest or become trapped by plastic packaging.

Officials in Bali have declared a "garbage emergency" across a stretch of coast that 

includes Jimbaran, Kuta and Seminyak beaches (AFP Photo/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

The problem has grown so bad that officials in Bali last month declared a "garbage emergency" across a six-kilometre (3.7-mile) stretch of coast that included popular beaches Jimbaran, Kuta and Seminyak.

Officials deployed 700 cleaners and 35 trucks to remove roughly 100 tons of debris each day to a nearby landfill.

"People with green uniform were collecting the garbage to move it away but the next day I saw the same situation," said German Claus Dignas, who claimed he saw more garbage with each visit to the island.

"No one wants to sit on nice beach chairs and facing all this rubbish," he added.

Bali's rubbish problem is at its worst during the annual monsoon season, when strong winds push marine flotsam onto the beach and swollen rivers wash rubbish from riverbanks to the coast, according to Putu Eka Merthawan from the local environment agency.

"This garbage does not come from people living in Kuta and nearby areas," he told AFP.

"It would be suicidal if Kuta people were doing it."

War on waste

Some 72 kilometres from Kuta, Mount Agung has been threatening to erupt for two months, prompting tourists to cancel visits and displacing tens of thousands of villagers living within a 10 kilometre-radius of the volcano's crater.

Indonesia is the world's second biggest contributor to marine debris after 

China (AFP Photo/SONNY TUMBELAKA)

But the island's waste problem is no less of a threat, said I Gede Hendrawan, an environmental oceanography researcher from Bali's Udayana University.

"Garbage is aesthetically disturbing to tourists, but plastic waste issue is way more serious," he told AFP.

"Microplastics can contaminate fish which, if eaten by humans, could cause health problems including cancer."

Indonesia is one of nearly 40 countries that are part of UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign, which aims to halt the tide of plastic trash polluting the oceans.

As part of its commitment, the government has pledged to reduce marine plastic waste by 70 percent by 2025.

It plans to boost recycling services, curb the use of plastic bags, launch cleanup campaigns and raise public awareness.

Still, the scale of the problem facing Indonesia is huge, due to its population of more than 250 million and poor waste processing infrastructure.

Hendrawan, who says both locals and tourists are responsible for the island's rubbish problem, urged authorities to invest more resources to tackle the problem.

"The Bali government should spare more budget to raise people's awareness to take care of local rivers, not to dump waste," he said.

"The central government should boost the campaign to reduce use of plastic packaging and ban free plastic bags at convenient stores."

Bali's palm-fringed Kuta beach has long been a favourite with tourists seeking sun and surf, but nowadays its golden shoreline is disappearing under a mountain of garbage. pic.twitter.com/Y27qrxapmy

— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 28, 2017

Dutch FM: Confront Painful Parts of Indonesia-Netherlands History

Jakarta Globe, Bastiaan Scherpen, March 24, 2016

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, left, with his Indonesian counterpart
Retno Marsudi in Jakarta on Thursday. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)

Jakarta. Indonesia and the Netherlands must have the courage to confront the difficult periods and events in their common past to be able to move forward together, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told students in Jakarta on Thursday.

"After the birth of the Republik Indonesia on Aug. 17, 1945, we experienced a painful separation, a process marked by terrible violence," Koenders said. "The deployment of military force in 1947 put the Netherlands on the wrong side of history."

"The years after the Proklamasi [declaration of independence] had lasting consequences for those suffering during that time — both Indonesians and Dutch," the minister added. "I believe this is a history that we should have the courage to examine and discuss, lest we forget. And we preferably do this together."

Historical sensitivities

Only in 2005 did a Dutch foreign minister, Ben Bot, openly recognize Aug. 17, 1945 as the date when the Indonesian republic came into existence, clearing the way for better bilateral ties. Previously, Dutch officials had insisted that Indonesia only became independent on Dec. 27, 1949, when the Netherlands formally relinquished sovereignty to its former colony.

Relations between the two countries have improved significantly since Bot's acknowledgement, and the formal apology by the Dutch government in 2013 for massacres committed in South Sulawesi to quell resistance against Dutch rule.

Some experts in Indonesia and in the Netherlands have been calling for a more open-minded approach to the common Dutch-Indonesian past for years.

Koenders insisted on Thursday that "even with all its ups and downs, our shared history offers a sound basis for building a shared future."

Agreeing to disagree

At the Dutch cultural center Erasmus Huis in Kuningan, South Jakarta, where he delivered his speech, the minister told the Jakarta Globe that he believed Indonesia-Netherlands relations currently were "really at a high level."

"They are at a high level because we discuss all issues openly, with a lot of trust in each other," Koenders explained. "As you know, for instance we have different views on the death penalty, so we will discuss that — not only in terms of judging, but also in working, for instance right now, on drugs policy, together."

Koenders also met with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi and other ministers earlier in the day. Human rights, long an important pillar of Dutch foreign policy, were on the agenda, the Dutch government said in a statement.

Last year the Dutch ambassador in Jakarta was briefly recalled to The Hague after the execution of a Dutch drug convict in Indonesia. The move does not appear to have had a major impact on trade ties, however, as the Netherlands still ranked fourth in investment realization in Indonesia for 2015, outperforming economic giants such as China and the United States.

The rejection of the death penalty is a point on which "we agree to disagree [with Indonesia]," the minister told the Globe. He added that "we have questions whether it [capital punishment] can be effective in tackling drugs issues," but that does not prevent the two countries from working together "in a very productive and positive ambiance."

On the rights of LGBT people in Indonesia, which has been a highly controversial topic in recent months, Koenders said: "For me, that's a question of human rights, it's not an issue to be politicized."

"They have the right to be protected [from violence], all over the world, and I think that is also something that your minister of security [Luhut Panjaitan] mentioned in his public statement."

Luhut, Indonesia's coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said last month that LGBT people, as citizens of Indonesia, have the right tobe protected against violence and to be treated humanely, although he also said he believed they needed to be "cured."

Areas of cooperation

In his speech, Koenders identified several main issues that he said are important both for the European Union and for the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is dominated by Indonesia due to the size of its economy and population.

The minister singled out migration crises, foreign terrorist fighters and domestic violent extremists, freedom of navigation and maritime security, and keeping the Internet open and secure. In practical terms, he said Dutch-Indonesia cooperation was centered around the maritime economy, education and issues related to the rule of law.

On the tensions in the South China Sea, where China has been increasingly assertive in staking its claim to almost the entire area, Koenders said that the Netherlands does not take sides in territorial disputes. He added however that "freedom of navigation and maritime security are absolutely vital, not only for your [Indonesia's] safety and prosperity, but also for the rest of the world."

"There are many opportunities for us to deepen our friendship and collaboration even further, for example in the areas of trade and investment, the judicial sector and counterterrorism," he said. "Our relationship should be forward-looking. It should be an equal partnership. We should build on our common past, not be hostages to it."

Equal Partners: Indonesian FM Retno Marsudi Meets Dutch Counterpart Bert Koenders @Portal_Kemlu_RI @DutchMFA pic.twitter.com/2KloUnMOrc

— The Jakarta Globe (@thejakartaglobe) March 24, 2016

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Third-placed Indonesia looks ahead to hosting 2011 Games

Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Vientiane | Fri, 12/18/2009 11:56 PM | Sea Games 2009

After fulfilling its target of finishing third in the medal tally at the recent Southeast Asian Games held in Laos, Indonesia looks forward to hosting the competition in 2011.

“Being ranked third is indeed a good result and is what we expected,” said the State Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng on Friday, after the 10-day sporting event between Southeast Asian nations was brought to a close at the Vientiane National Stadium.

The track-and-field squad won the most gold medals for Indonesia, with a total of seven gold, plus seven silver and seven bronze medals, followed by the weight lifters, who collected five gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the weight lifting arena.

Indonesia brought home a total of 43 gold, 53 silver, and 74 bronze medals to finish third behind reigning champion Thailand, which collected 86 gold, 83 silver and 97 bronze medals, followed by Vietnam with 83 gold, 75 silver and 57 bronze medals.

Indonesia’s gold haul was still below 62, the number of gold medals respective sports associations predicted the country would win.

However, the number three position came as a relief after strong competition from other participants, including Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

After trailing throughout the competition, Indonesia surpassed Malaysia and consolidated its third position on Thursday.

Malaysia remained in fourth place with 40 gold, 40 silver and 59 bronze medals, followed by the Philippines (38-35-51), Singapore (33-30-35) and Laos (33-25-52).

Myanmar (12-22-37), Cambodia (3-10-27) and Brunei (1-1-8) completed the gold-winning countries, while East Timor won three bronze medals.

Indonesia’s push to third place was helped by its 11-gold medal rush on Thursday, with badminton delivering three, and pencak silat, wrestling, fin-swimming, judo, athletics, tennis volleyball and beach volleyball all winning one each.

However, some sports failed to deliver during the Games.

The boxers fell short of winning a gold, winning only three silver and six bronze medals. The pencak silat fighters failed to retain their five-gold haul, bagging two gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

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SAILING CLOSE TO THE WIND

The Jakarta Post, Wed, 11/26/2008 7:23 AM  

 

Lapang islanders in East Nusa Tenggara on Tuesday prepare to board traditional sail boats still widely used in the archipelagic province due to the lack of modern ferries. High waves and strong currents have made the area notorious for fatal boat accidents. (JP/Yemris Fointuna)

Bali gears up for maiden Asian Beach Games

Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Sanur, Bali

Indonesia is betting Rp 300 billion (US$32.97 million) that hosting the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali next year will provide a much needed tourism boost for the resort island.

National Sports Council (KONI) chairwoman Rita Subowo said here Friday the Rp 300 billion budget for the event would come from the central government, Bali administration and the private sector. The money will be used to build the necessary infrastructure and purchase equipment for the event.

The Oct. 18-26, 2008, beach games will feature 14 sports. About 5,000 athletes from 45 countries are expected to compete for the 200 medals on offer.

Among the featured sports will be beach volleyball, beach sepak takraw, paragliding, jet ski and body building. Events will be held in Sanur, Serangan, Kuta, Jimbaran and Nusa Dua.

Rita said Bali was appointed to host the event during an Olympics Council of Asia meeting, which cited Bali's huge popularity as a tourist destination. The next hosts will be Oman, China and the Philippines.

"It is an honor for Indonesia to host such a historical event. Bali is the perfect place for the games," she said, adding that the province has hosted numerous international sporting events.

The Bali administration has high hopes the event will help increase the number of foreign tourists coming to the island, which was hit by terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005.

Organizers have begun to promote the event through the "Look for the Beach Games" campaign.

Despite the preparations, Rita remains modest about Indonesia's medal target at the event.

"I just hope that by being the host, the athletes will be motivated to give their best shot and achieve something next year."

Bali to host Asian Beach Games next year

DENPASAR (Antara): Bali will host the 1st Asian Beach Games on Oct. 18 - 26 next year, spokesman of the event said on Monday.

"Some 5,000 athletes from 45 countrie`s are expected to take part in the event which will compete 13 numbers," Indra Kartasasmita told the press when socializing the event.

All the numbers competed will be held in all beaches in the island, including in Sanur, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran, Kuta and Benoa, he added.

Among the 13 numbers are surfing, wind surfing, wood sport, diving, takraw, marathon swimming and traditional boat.

Lombok tourist island no paradise for full-time residents

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

Many residents of Gili Trawangan, off Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara province, lack access to such basics as education and healthcare, despite the rapid growth of tourism in the area.

Gili Trawangan, an exotic island of some 360 hectares, is famed for its natural beauty and friendly people. Administratively, the island, situated in the waters north of Lombok, is part of Pemenang district in West Lombok regency, along with two smaller islands -- Gili Air and Gili Meno.

"Trawangan has become a major tourist destination in West Nusa Tenggara. More and more foreign tourists are spending their vacation on Trawangan rather than at Senggigi in Lombok or in Bali, despite arriving by plane in Bali," said Akmal, a spokesman for a hotel on Gili Trawangan.

The island offers tourists white-sand beaches and clear seas, where they can dive, snorkel or simply swim.

It also offers visitors tranquility, with motorized vehicles banned from the island. People get around by bicycle or horse-drawn carriages called cidomo.

"This has actually been regulated in the awiq-awiq traditional ordinances. This is one of the reasons why tourists like it here -- the tranquility and no pollution," said a cidomo driver, Nasri.

In many ways, the expansion of tourism on the island has benefited residents. Nasri is one of some 2,900 residents on the island making a living directly from tourism. He can earn up to Rp 150,000 (about US$17) a day as a cidomo driver, far more than he would make doing the same job on Lombok Island.

Despite this, residents do not have the same access to healthcare they would if they lived on Lombok. Nasri, for example, said he and his wife did not know what to do when they were going to have a baby, because there are no midwives on the island.

"There is an auxiliary community health center, but it is seldom manned by health workers. Moreover, they are incapable of assisting in deliveries," he said.

Residents have to cross to Pemenang village on Lombok, where there is a community health center.

"Stories abound of mothers delivering babies on the boat or the moment they arrive at Bangsal jetty in Pemenang. It's bad luck if deliveries occur at night or during bad weather," said a neighborhood chief on Trawangan, Muhammad Alex.

The local administration did build a community health center on Gili Air. However, residents still have to cross in boats from Trawangan, so most prefer just going to Pemenang, because it is easier from there to get to a hospital in the provincial capital Mataram in the event of difficulties.

Healthcare has seemingly been neglected on Gili Trawangan. According to Alex, a floating clinic was operated in the area for a time in 2004, providing services every three days to residents on the three islands, including Trawangan. However, the service only lasted for a few months.

Trawangan residents say officials also have neglected education. There is an elementary school and a junior high school on the island, with the two having been merged to form the one-roof Basic Integrated Education System.

The elementary school was established in 1989 and the junior high school was only opened three years ago. The island also faces an acute shortage of teachers.

"What makes it more difficult is that we only have four teachers, one assistant teacher and two contract teachers, despite the fact that there are 10 classrooms and 390 students. We have never had a religion teacher or a sports teacher ...," said the school's vice principal, H.M. Laduni.

Laduni said the nine employees from hotels on the island helped out by acting as honorarium teachers, for which they are paid Rp 150,000 a month from contributions collected by the hotels.

"However, we still expect the government to look into this matter immediately because we should have at least 16 teachers. We have sent several proposals but still have not received a reply," he said.

According to Laduni, hotels on the island only hire local residents as security guards and gardeners, with the higher-paying positions being filled by people from outside the area.

"We cannot blame anyone because our human resource development is still poor. However, without attention from the government, when will we be able to fill higher positions?" asked Laduni.