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GRAFT
KPK zeroes in on
Setya Novanto p4
Cowardly attack: Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief investigator Novel Baswedan arrives at the Jakarta Eye Center on
Tuesday for eye treatment. Novel was attacked with acid by two assailants on his way home after performing dawn prayers at a mosque
near his house.
Top KPK agent
victim of acid attack
Winda A. Charmila
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
In November last year, senior
Corruption Eradication Com-
mission (KPK) investigator Novel
Baswedan was riding his motor-
bike to the antigraft commission’s
headquarters in South Jakarta,
when a car suddenly veered to-
ward him and hit him. Novel only
sustained minor injuries in the
hit-and-run accident.
In early 2012, Novel was speed-
ing on a motorbike in hot pursuit
of Buol regent Amran Batalipu,
who had been named a bribery
suspect, when a car driven by
Amran’s supporters crashed into
him. Novel emerged unscathed
from the incident.
On Tuesday, Novel’s luck
seemed to have run out.
The 40-year-old KPK inves-
tigator had just finished early
morning prayers at the Al Ihsan
Mosque near his home in Kelapa
Gading, North Jakarta, when the
attack happened.
At 5:10 a.m., two unidentified
assailants on a motorbike threw
acid in his face before speeding off.
Upon hearing Novel’s pained
screams, members of the Al Ih-
san congregation quickly came
to his aid and rushed him to the
nearby Mitra Keluarga Hospital,
where he received intensive care
to clean his face from traces of
acid. Doctors at the hospital said
Novel had suffered injuries to his
forehead, face and eyes.
Inside
CITY | p5
Ahok, Anies gear up for
final election debate
SPORTS | p9
Garcia no favorite for US Open
BUSINESS | p13
RI urged to firmly oppose
EU palm oil resolution
Two assailants throw acid
at Novel
Novel leading KPK probe
into e-ID case involving
Setya Novanto
At around 2 p.m., Novel was
transferred to the Jakarta Eye
Center (JEC) in Menteng, Cen-
tral Jakarta, after complaining
about blurred vision.
Later in the day, KPK spokes-
man Febri Diansyah revealed that
Novel would need to undergo sur-
gery on his left eye.
Former Constitutional Court
chairman Mahfud MD, who visited
Novel at the JEC, said the investi-
gator remained in stable condition
but had lost vision in his left eye.
“Doctors will continue to ob-
serve him for two to seven days
to determine what will happen to
his left eye. His right eye is fine,
though,” Mahfud said.
Mahfud added that Novel told
him he was suspicious of a person
who had frequented his neighbor-
hood in the past few days. Novel
even took pictures of the uniden-
tified man.
“I don’t know if that photo could
be considered as evidence, but it
could indicate that someone had
been stalking him,” Mahfud said.
The attack came as the Jakarta
Corruption Court continues its
trial on the embezzlement of state
funds allocated for the e-ID pro-
gram, which incurred Rp 2 trillion
PROPERTY
Govt backs down from taxing vacant apartments
Farida Susanty
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
When it comes to fiscal policy,
as with so much else, timing is key.
With the property market con-
tinuing to cool, the government
has come to realize that it may
not be the most opportune time
to levy taxes on owners of vacant
apartments.
The plan, prepared in support
of its land reform program, was
aimed at optimizing the use of
land and assets as well as curbing
the purchase of land for specula-
tive purposes, the cause of recent
skyrocketing prices.
Bowing to pressure from prop-
erty business players, Agrarian
and Spatial Planning Minister So-
fyan Djalil announced on Tues-
day that taxes on unoccupied
apartments would not be imple-
mented this year given the on-
going slowdown in the domestic
FESTIVAL
Officials say Phuket ready to
deal with Songkran influx p10
(US$150 million) in state losses
and has implicated a number of se-
nior politicians, including Golkar
Party chairman Setya Novanto.
Novel appeared in court late
last month to give his testimony
as a KPK investigator in charge of
the case.
In his testimony, Novel said
former House of Representatives
member Miryam S. Haryani, who
was questioned as a witness in the
case several times, had received
threats from at least five House
members. Novel claimed those
lawmakers were Golkar Party pol-
iticians Bambang Soesatyo and
Aziz Syamsuddin, Desmond Jun-
aidi Mahesa of the Gerindra Party,
Masinton Pasaribu from the Indo-
nesian Democratic Party of Strug-
gle (PDI-P) and Hanura Party pol-
itician Sarifuddin Sudding.
Novel, who is also leader of the
KPK workers’ union, is one of the
antigraft body’s most senior investi-
gators. He has led investigations into
numerous high-profile graft cases,
including a bribery case involving
39 members of the House who col-
luded to pick Miranda Goeltom as
Bank Indonesia (BI) senior deputy
governor. He was also in charge of
the investigation that led to the ar-
rest of then National Police Traffic
Corps chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susi-
lo, who was accused of embezzling
funds meant for the driving-simu-
lator procurement project.
Former KPK chairman Busy-
ro Muqoddas said Novel had
survived six murder attempts
property market.
“We will postpone the imple-
mentation. The economy is still
growing slowly, so the introduc-
tion of that kind of [tax] policy
would exacerbate the situation in
the property sector,” Sofyan told
journalists.
Along with the delay of the tax
on vacant apartments, the govern-
ment also postponed the imple-
mentation of taxes on idle land,
with Sofyan describing the mea-
sure as “not the current option.”
Earlier, the government dis-
cussed applying a progressive tax
on idle land as an incentive for
land owners to make their prop-
erty more productive.
Instead, it would opt to focus
on speeding up land certification
as part of its agrarian reform, So-
fyan said, citing sluggish econom-
ic growth as the major reason.
Indonesia’s economic growth
has struggled to pick up after fall-
JP/Dhoni Setiawan
because of his role as a senior in-
vestigator in the agency.
“All the attempts against Nov-
el’s life bore similar indications
of terrorist acts because they
were systematic, repeated and
planned,” Busyro said during a
press briefing held by the KPK in
response to Tuesday’s attack.
KPK deputy chairman Laode M.
Syarif said the latest incident would
not deter investigators from ramp-
ing up their investigations into
graft cases, including the e-ID case.
“Any investigation is team
work and not one individual’s re-
sponsibility. Targeting only one
person is unfair,” Laode said at
the KPK headquarters.
KPK chairman Agus Rahard-
jo referred to the attack as a
“terrorist” act.
“We strongly condemn the act
of terror [against Novel]. We af-
firm that the KPK will not surren-
der or be affected by such a terror-
ist act,” Agus said.
Meanwhile, the National Po-
lice responded to the attack by
establishing a special task force
comprising officers from the Ke-
lapa Gading Police, the Jakarta
Police and the National Police for
a joint investigation.
“For now, we have deployed
officers to secure the hospital
and [Novel’s] home,” said Na-
tional Police chief Gen. Tito
Karnavian. (dea)
RELATED STORY p2
EDITORIAL p6
ing to its slowest pace in five years
in 2015, expanding by only 5.02
percent last year.
The slow economic growth has
weakened people’s purchasing
power, which in turn has reduced
purchases of apartments, a previ-
ously much sought-after invest-
ment choice.
According to prominent prop-
erty analyst Cushman and Wake-
field, the apartment market is
now mostly dominated by inves-
tors, as shown by an occupancy
rate of around 60 percent.
This is despite the fact that
many people in the country still
struggle to own their own home,
with the housing backlog stand-
ing at 11.8 million houses as of last
November.
Since 2015, the property mar-
ket has expanded at a rate of be-
low 10 percent, down from the
normal rate of between 10 and 15
percent each year.
IMAGES
Preserving Karia’a tradition
in Wakatobi p24
SYRIAN WAR
G7 presses Russia
to break ties with Assad
Steve Scherer and
Crispian Balmer
REUTERS/LUCCA, ITALY
United States Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson carried a unified
message from world powers to
Moscow on Tuesday, denouncing
Russian support for Syria and tak-
ing up America’s traditional role
as leader of the West on behalf of
Donald Trump’s administration.
Tillerson met on Tuesday in It-
aly with foreign ministers from the
Group of Seven major advanced
economies, joined by Middle East
allies to forge a united position on
Syria, which has been catapult-
ed to the top of the international
agenda since a poison gas attack
killed 87 people a week ago.
Western countries blame Syr-
ian President Bashar al-Assad
for the gas attack, and Trump re-
sponded by firing cruise missiles
at a Syrian air base. That has put
his administration in open con-
flict with Russian President Vlad-
imir Putin, who has stood firmly
by Moscow’s ally Assad, who de-
nies blame.
Tillerson’s role as messenger
for a united G7 position marks
a turning point for Trump, who
in the past alarmed allies by ex-
pressing scepticism about the
value of US support for tradition-
al friends, while calling for closer
ties with Moscow.
Tillerson himself is a former
boss of the oil company Exxon
Mobil which has gigantic projects
in Russia. He was awarded Rus-
sia’s “Order of Friendship” by Pu-
tin in 2012.
On Monday, British Prime
Minister Theresa May spoke to
Trump, with both agreeing that
there was “a window of opportu-
nity” to persuade Russia to break
ties with Assad, May’s office said.
Trump also spoke by telephone
with German Chancellor Ange-
la Merkel about the US strike on
Female empowerment
Actress Dian Sastrowardoyo (seated, center) takes a selfie with TV pre-
senter Najwa Shihab (seated, second right) and visitors during a pro-
motional event for the movie Kartini at the Bank Indonesia Museum
in West Jakarta on Tuesday. Dian plays Kartini in the movie, which
celebrates the idealism and courage of Raden Adjeng Kartini.
The Indonesian Real Estate As-
sociation (REI) had earlier hoped
that the recent tax amnesty could
boost the property market through
an inflow of repatriated overseas
funds, which did not occur.
Sofyan declined to specify the
length of the postponement, but
said the policy would remain
an option subject to economic
growth, which is expected to hit
7 percent in 2019. The tax also
serves as an instrument to pre-
vent overheating in the property
market, which is marked, among
other signs, by a significant jump
in apartment prices.
“For the time being, we will let
the market mechanism work. But,
if the market overheats as hap-
pened in Singapore, we will do as
they [the Singaporean govern-
ment] did [and raise taxes],” So-
fyan said.
Cushman and Wakefield has
revealed that the apartment pric-
a Syrian airbase last week and
thanked her for her support.
“I think we have to show a unit-
ed position and that in these ne-
gotiations we should do all we can
to get Russia out of Assad’s cor-
ner, at least to the point that they
are ready to participate in finding
a political solution,” German For-
eign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said
on Monday.
“It is the right moment to talk
about this, how the internation-
al community, with Russia, Iran,
Saudi Arabia, Europe, with the
US, can drive forward a peace
process for Syria and avoid fur-
ther military escalation of the
conflict.”
Britain and Canada said finan-
cial sanctions, imposed on Rus-
sia in 2014 over its annexation of
territory from Ukraine, could be
tightened if Moscow continued to
back Assad. Multi-billion dollar
Russian oil projects by Tillerson’s
former firm Exxon are among the
biggest deals held up by sanctions.
The US said its strike on the
Syrian airbase near Homs on Fri-
day was a one-off, and not a stra-
tegic shift. But the White House
has also said Trump could au-
thorize more strikes if Syria uses
chemical weapons again.
White House spokesman Sean
Spicer indicated on Monday that
Washington could also retaliate
if Syria uses “barrel bombs” —
oil drums packed with explosives
dropped from aircraft.
“When you watch babies and
children being gassed, and suffer
under barrel bombs, you are in-
stantaneously moved to action,”
he said. “I think this president’s
made it very clear that if those ac-
tions were to continue, further
action will definitely be consid-
ered by the United States.”
Retaliating for barrel bombs
would require a major shift in US
policy since rebels say the weap-
ons are used almost daily.
JP/Bagas Rahadian
es have gradually declined since
2015. After surging by 20 percent
in 2015, they rose by only 10 per-
cent last year.
Indonesian Chamber of Com-
merce and Industry (Kadin)
chairman Rosan P. Roeslani said
business players in the proper-
ty sector welcomed the govern-
ment’s decision to postpone the
taxes on apartments and land.
“The property sector is still in
a recovery phase. The middle and
high-end markets are still very
tough,” he said, adding that the gov-
ernment might even need to come
up with an incentive, such as reduc-
ing the property transfer fee from 5
percent to 1 percent.
Separately, property developer
Intiland Development corporate
secretary Theresia Rustandi said
in spite of the postponement, the
plan had already created a distor-
tion, resulting in the drop in prop-
erty shares.
2 | HEADLINES WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

EU moves to wipe out palm oil from the European economy

T
he European Union has
since 2013 been slapping
anti-dumping counter-
vailing duties on Indonesian ex-
ports of palm oil-based biodiesel,
despite a lower EU court ruling
last year that annulled the duties.
Then early last week, the Eu-
ropean Parliament voted over-
whelmingly to totally ban bio-
fuels made from palm oil by
2020 to prevent the EU target of
sourcing 10 percent of its trans-
port fuels from renewables from
inadvertently contributing to
deforestation.
While the motion is not yet le-
gally binding, EU lawmakers are
now drawing up amendments to
EU legislation that would be le-
gally enforceable if approved by
the European Commission.
We see this move and its ob-
jective simply as an illusion. Cer-
tainly, the EU cannot take a farm
commodity out of its economy
and think that would solve its
problems. The political move
would instead only damage EU
ties with Indonesia and Malaysia,
which together supply more than
80 percent of the world’s palm oil,
and many other smaller produc-
ing countries in Africa and Latin
America.
Yet more worrisome, the palm
oil issue could become a perpetual
thorn in the side of Indonesia-EU
relations at a time when they are
negotiating a comprehensive eco-
nomic partnership agreement.
The EU Parliament’s motion
seems to have been prompted
mostly by the strong lobbying of
the EU vegetable oil (soybean,
rapeseed and sunflower) indus-
try, which naturally would never
be able to compete with palm oil.
Palm oil, which now accounts
for almost 50 percent of glob-
al vegetable oil consumption,
has increasingly been leading
the market as its yield per hect-
are is estimated by agronomists
at nine times as high as soybean,
five times as high as rapeseed and
eight times as high as sunflower.
Palm oil is now the most wide-
ly used vegetable oil in the world.
It is almost impossible for most
consumers to go a day without us-
ing or eating something that con-
tains palm oil. Some analysts in
Europe have even predicted that
palm oil will steadily grow to be a
US$88 billion industry by 2022.
Palm oil has been developing
as one of the biggest non-oil ex-
COMMENTARY
Vincent Lingga
THE JAKARTA POST/
JAKARTA
ports from Indonesia and a very
important part of the economy,
as 40 percent of the estimated 11
million ha of oil palm estates are
owned by smallholders. Indone-
sia exported around 26 million
tons last year, or almost half of the
global palm oil trade.
In fact, data submitted to the
EU Parliament showed that palm
oil lately accounted for two-fifths
of all global trade in vegetable oils,
and the EU is the second largest
consumer, with annual imports
of 7 million tons. Almost half of
these imports are used to make
biofuels.
True, in the first decade af-
ter the beginning of the palm oil
boom in Indonesia in the mid-
1990s, oil palm estate devel-
opment had caused deforesta-
tion and sometimes community
conflicts.
But due to strong pressure from
international consumers with the
full support of green NGOs and
the increasing awareness on the
part of the government of climate
change impacts, the industry has
been subjected to much tougher
rules designed to make the com-
modity sustainable economically,
socially and environmentally.
Palm oil producers are now
overseen and ruled under the sus-
tainability standards of the In-
donesian Sustainable Palm Oil
(ISPO) program, which is legally
compulsory; and the internation-
al multi-stakeholder Roundtable
on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO),
a market-driven certification
scheme.
A nationwide sustainability
certification program has been
implemented since the early
2000s under RSPO and ISPO
principles and criteria by accred-
ited certifying bodies supported
by independent social and en-
vironmental auditors. In fact,
oil palm cultivation is arguably
the most transparent industry
now, as its farm practices are pe-
riodically examined by auditors
and constantly scrutinized by
green NGOs.
Chain Reaction Research
(CRR), which is partly funded by
the Norwegian Agency for De-
velopment Cooperation (Norad),
concluded after a study last year
of the 10 biggest oil companies
listed in the Indonesia Stock Ex-
change (IDX) that major palm oil
growers have increasingly found
that what is bad for the environ-
ment is also bad for business.
The financial risk of losing
buyers committed to sustainable
supply chains has helped moti-
vate four of the biggest planters
to mend their ways, according
CRR, which conducts sustainabil-
ity risk assessment for financial
analysts and investors in envi-
ronmentally intensive commodi-
ties, especially palm oil, and pulp
and paper.
The survey shows the No De-
forestation, No Peat, No Exces-
sive Exploitation (NDPE) poli-
cies do have an effect on suppliers
to strengthen their sustainability
policies and practices.
Despite the progress, green
NGOs have constantly attacked
the sustainability campaign, ei-
ther motivated by real concern
about environmental damage or
influenced by lobbyists funded by
EU and United States vegetable
oil producers who are afraid of the
palm oil competitive advantage.
Certainly, the achievement of
the sustainability campaign is still
short of expectations as the pro-
gram is an ongoing development
process, especially as the industry
also involves millions of small-
holders with complex poverty
problems. The problem has been
made more complex by the huge
gap in land titling in the country.
But a blanket ban, as the EU
Parliament recommended, is de-
structive, only reflecting a stance
of bad faith that tends to see a
glass-half-empty situation in-
stead of half full.
A constructive engagement
modeled on the scheme EU and
Indonesia have established under
the EU Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade (FLEGT)
is much more productive for the
global economy. This program
audits the entire supply chain in
Indonesia, up from the source of
timber to downstream process-
ing until the point of exports to
ensure social and environmental
sustainability.

Trial paused, Ahok lies low

Tour worthy: People cherish the scenic view of the Mandalika
Special Economic Zone in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
(NTB). The region will host Tour de Lombok Mandalika 2017, which
will run from Thursday to Sunday featuring 22 cycling teams from
21 countries. The administration hopes the event will help realize
tourist numbers set at 4 million in 2018.
TOURISM
Lombok welcomes cyclists of
the world to Tour de Lombok
Panca Nugraha
THE JAKARTA POST/MATARAM, WEST
NUSA TENGGARA
As many as 22 cycling clubs from
21 countries are gearing up for the
Tour de Lombok Mandalika 2017,
which will be held from April 13 to
16 in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara
(NTB).
The tour is sanctioned by
the local tourism board and the
Union Cycliste Internationale
(UCI), which has granted the lo-
cal organizers a license. The event
offers a total cash prize of Rp 800
million (US$60,000).
“We have designed the route
and the security scenarios. All has
been set up,” NTB Tourism Agen-
cy chief Lalu Mohammad Faozal
said in Mataram recently.
Faozal added that the organiz-
ers would provide rest areas and
mobile medical clinics during the
upcoming race.
NTB Police spokesman Adj. Sr.
Comr. Tribudi Pangastuti said a
force of 1,173 personnel had been
assigned to safeguard the event.
She added that the personnel
would be deployed to all spots of
the race.
“We will not close any roads for
this route, as that could disrupt
public [services]. We will halt traf-
fic temporarily when the cyclists
pass by,” she added.
Besides five local cycling clubs,
clubs from Laos, Malaysia, South
Korea, Japan, Thailand, China,
Philippines, Germany, Nether-
lands, Australia, France, Colom-
bia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Singa-
pore, New Zealand, Luxemburg,
Italy, Switzerland and Spain will
participate.
The race will be divided into
four stages, each of which comes
with its own challenges and
unique scenery. The first stage
stretches 126.3 kilometers from
the province capital of Mataram
to the Mandalika Special Eco-
nomic Zone, located in Central
Lombok. The first stage is mostly
flat, offering cyclists a more en-
joyable start to the race.
During the first stage, partici-
pants will be spoiled with views of
traditional rural landscapes and
WEATHER FORECAST: APRIL 12, 2017
Sunny Banda Aceh
Rainy 23 - 33 °C
Medan
Cloudy
24 - 33 °C
Pekanbaru
Source:
Meteorology, Climatology
And Geophysics Agency
25 - 30 °C
JP/Ricky Yudhistira
paddy fields along the route. The
participants will finally complete
their first day as the beauty of Ku-
ta’s beach greets them at the end
of the first stage.
The second stage, from Kuta
to Sembalun in eastern Lombok,
is slightly shorter at 112.1 km,
but the route will be mostly up-
hill and thus could be the hardest,
especially when the cyclists ap-
proach the Sembalun forest area.
Sembalun is located at the foot of
Mount Rinjani, Indonesia’s sec-
ond-tallest volcano, which stands
3,726 meters above sea level.
The next stage is 113.3 km and
runs from Bangsal Port to Senaru,
also at the foot of Mount Rinjani.
Another hilly route awaits the cy-
clists on this stage, while they en-
joy the scenery of paddy fields and
villages by the roadside.
“The final stage will be a sprint
race of another 112 km in Mata-
ram,” Faozal said.
Faozal said he was optimistic
that the race would boost Lom-
bok tourism by luring more visi-
tors to the island. He added that
the agency, in cooperation with
other parties, was looking to
sport events like this one as an
alternative to existing tourist
attractions.
“We are targeting 3.5 million
tourists visiting this year. This
race makes it possible to achieve,”
he said.
NTB National Sports Council
chief Andi Hadiyanto noted that
the province had staged many ex-
treme sport events in the past. He
cited as an example the Sumbawa
cross-country long-distance run
of 320 km on April 5, which was
jointly organized by the Tourism
Ministry and Kompas daily.
“The region offers a great land-
scape and ideal contours for ex-
treme sports. There is massive
potential,” he said.
Indonesia is widely known for
its international-scale races and
has gained a reputation as one of
the best landscapes for cycling.
Tour de Singkarak in West Su-
matra, which is usually held be-
tween April and June, for exam-
ple, has been widely praised for
its breathtaking scenery.
Batam Semarang
24 - 32 °C 25 - 32 °C
Jakarta Yogyakarta
24 - 31 °C 23 - 32 °C
Bandung Surabaya
21 - 29 °C 24 - 33 °C
as Anies woos Christians
Callistasia Anggun Wijaya
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The blasphemy trial of incum-
bent Jakarta Governor Basuki
“Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was put
on hold on Tuesday, and the gov-
ernor decided to lie low for the
day, passing election-campaign-
ing duties to his running mate,
Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
And Djarot had a busy day.
First, he visited neighborhoods
in East Jakarta, where he prom-
ised to mitigate endemic flooding
in the area, and then met with Ja-
karta soccer club Persija in Cen-
tral Jakarta.
In Cipinang Melayu, East Ja-
karta, Djarot promised residents
that the administration would
dredge the Kalimalang River to
mitigate the flooding should he
and Ahok be re-elected in the gu-
bernatorial runoff election on
April 19.
“After dredging the Kalimalang
River, we will install high sheet
piling,” Djarot told the residents.
Djarot met with Persija in Cen-
tral Jakarta and promised to de-
velop a stadium in BMW Park,
Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.
CORRUPTION
Novel leads charge in war on graft
Haeril Halim, Safrin La Batu
and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
In December 2014, when the
Corruption Eradication Com-
mission (KPK) planned to arrest
cleric Fuad Amin, known as the
most powerful politician in Bang-
kalan, East Java, a man who com-
manded thousands of supporters,
the antigraft body put its trust in
Novel Baswedan to lead the risky
operation.
The operation was a success
with Novel able to bring the for-
mer Bangkalan regent to KPK
headquarters in Jakarta for ques-
tioning without any incident.
Novel has been the go-to inves-
tigator when the antigraft body
decides to launch an investiga-
tion involving political bigwigs.
Indeed, Novel has risked his own
life at times in the pursuit of end-
ing corruption in Indonesia.
The acid attack on Tuesday is
the most serious assault he has
experienced thus far and could
force him to take a long break
from his work so he can fully re-
cover from the eye injuries he
sustained in the attack.
Prior to Tuesday’s attack, Nov-
el had been subjected to threats
and violence.
Members of his family report
that they have received many
threats over the years, often when
Novel took up a job investigating
high-profile graft cases. The most
obvious type of threat is the pres-
ence of strangers taking pictures
of Novel’s house in Kelapa Gading
in North Jakarta.
Denpasar
25 - 32 °C
Samarinda
24 - 30 °C
Palangkaraya
24 - 32 °C
Ahok’s trial adjourned until
April 20, after polling day
Djarot campaigns solo,
while Anies camp gains
support from Christian
group
Meanwhile, his gubernatorial
rivals, Anies Baswedan and run-
ning mate Sandiaga Uno, chose to
appeal to religious groups.
On Tuesday, Sandiaga met
with the Interdenominational
Christian Church Community in
Senayan, Central Jakarta.
During the meeting, the com-
munity voiced its support for
Anies and Sandiaga, with 12 pas-
tors signing a note that stated their
commitment to support the pair.
The church community is re-
portedly managed by Hashim
Djojohadikusumo, the chairman
of Gerindra Party’s management
board and the brother of the par-
ty’s chairman, Prabowo Subianto.
Gerindra has backed Anies and
Sandiaga from the very beginning
of the campaign.
After the declaration, Sandi-
aga said that if he and Anies were
In 2015, an attack came from
the National Police, the institu-
tion he left in 2007 to join the an-
ti-graft body.
Following his move to launch a
probe into three-star police gen-
eral Budi Gunawan for alleged
bribery, the police in Bengkulu
arrested Novel on allegations he
shot a civilian while serving as a
local police chief in 2004.
The KPK moved to investi-
gate Budi soon after President
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo decided
to nominate him as National Po-
lice chief.
In 2012, the police also decided
to reopen the Bengkulu assault
case when the KPK opened an in-
vestigation into former national
traffic police commander Insp.
Gen. Djoko Susilo for alleged cor-
ruption.
Novel led the investigation into
Djoko and took charge of a raid
on Djoko’s office in East Jakarta.
During the raid, Novel was inter-
cepted by his seniors and other
high-ranking police officers. Novel
refused to give in and continued to
search the headquarters of the na-
tional traffic police despite warn-
ings from senior police officials.
In 2009, Novel risked his life
when trying to arrest former Buol
regent Amran Batalipu, who was
accused of taking bribes from
businesswoman Siti Hartati Mur-
daya. A car driven by a supporter
of Amran rammed into Novel’s
motorbike. Novel suffered minor
injuries in the incident.
In August 2011, Novel made
headlines after successfully repa-
triating graft fugitive Muhammad
Makassar Ternate
24 - 3310 °C 24 - 31 °C
Manado Ambon
23 - 31 °C 25 - 31 °C
Gorontalo Jayapura
24 - 33 °C 26 - 31 °C
elected, they would become lead- the hearing at the Agriculture
ers for all citizens regardless of Ministry’s auditorium in Ragu-
their religion, race or background. nan, South Jakarta, on Tuesday.
“Today, we feel so much love The prosecutors’ request to
and peace. This is the Jakarta that postpone the hearing came after
we long for. A Jakarta that is har- Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen.
monious, friendly, safe and peace- Mochamad Iriawan had sent a let-
ful,” Sandiaga said during the ter to the North Jakarta District
meeting, which was also attended Court dated April 4, suggesting
by Hashim and Prabowo. the court delay the hearing until
Ahok’s blasphemy trial was after the runoff vote, on security
adjourned after prosecutors re- grounds.
quested a postponement to allow However, Ali insisted that
them to prepare their sentence the delay was not related to that
demand. letter.
Initially the prosecutors had Ahok’s lawyer Trimoelja D.
thought they would be ready Soerjadi said the postponement
with their demand. However, it would disadvantage the embat-
turned out that they were unable tled governor in the runoff as it
to complete the document by late meant that Ahok would not get
Monday.
Therefore, during a hearing on
the chance to read his defense
on April 17, as initially scheduled,
Tuesday, when the prosecutors which, he claimed, could straight-
had been expected to read the de-
mand, they asked the judges to
en out public misconceptions
about the case.
postpone the hearing until April Regardless of whether or not
20, one day after polling day. Ahok benefitted from the post-
“A week is not enough for us [to ponement, the executive direc-
prepare the sentence demand] tor of Voxpol center, Pangi Syar-
because there are lots of addition- wi Chaniago, said the delay could
al witnesses and experts in the contribute to a fair election and
case dossier. It takes time,” pros- reduce the already heightened
ecutor Ali Mukartono said after public tension.
Nazaruddin, who had fled to Co- earlier this month soon after the
lombia to escape prosecution. KPK nixed the proposal for the
In 2012, the Jakarta Corrup- formation of the task force.
tion Court sentenced Nazarud- In February 2016, he was offered
din to four years and 10 months the chance to pick a commissioner
in prison for embezzling money post at any state-owned enterprise
from a state project. in exchange for his departure from
Within the KPK, Novel is also the KPK. Novel rejected the pro-
seen as an independent-minded posal and maintained his commit-
investigator who has no qualms ment to serving in the KPK.
about challenging the leadership Former KPK chairman Abra-
of the KPK. ham Samad said the attack on
In late March, the KPK lead- Novel should serve as a warning
ership reprimanded Novel, who and propel the government to
also serves as chairman of the provide better protection to KPK
KPK workers’ union, for going investigators.
public in his opposition to hiring “I urge the government to en-
an active police officer to lead a sure the protection of those on the
task force set up to help amplify front line in the fight against cor-
the KPK’s antigraft campaign. ruption. If it doesn’t do this then
He was issued a second warn- no one will have the courage to
ing letter, which was revoked fight corruption,” Abraham said.
THIS ODD WORLD
Mayor talks about potholes, interrupted by cat
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK: The mayor of Latvia’s capital, Riga, was talking
about the city’s efforts to fix potholes during his weekly online question-
and-answer show when he got interrupted ... by his cat Dumka.
City Hall spokesman Viktors Smirnovs says the black-and-white fluffy
feline decided to have a sip from Nils Usakovs’ mug while he was record-
ing the video that was posted Sunday on Facebook.
Smirnovs said Friday “we thought it was funny,” so the City Hall decided
to re-publish the clip Tuesday of the animal strutting into the frame and
boldly starting to drink out of mug as Riga’s 40-year-old mayor calmly
watched. Usakovs tried to pet the cat but it jumped off the desk. — AP
Man gets $190 fine for snake without leash
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA: A man who was fined for allowing his pet
snake to slither freely in a South Dakota park said an animal control officer
suggested he use a leash to restrain the reptile.
Jerry Kimball said he initially thought the recommendation was a joke
because it was April Fool’s Day when he was fined US$190 and ticketed
last week for “animals running at large.”
“He was literally asking me to put a rope around my snake,” Kimball
said. “I was like, ‘Dude, no.’ I was dumbfounded.”
Kimball was approached by the officer after a woman complained that
his Fire Bee Ball Python was roaming freely at Falls Park in Sioux Falls.
Animal Control supervisor Julie DeJong said a city ordinance requires all
pets to be leashed or restrained in public. She said pet snakes can be held
or kept in a container to comply.
Kimball said he plans to fight the ticket in court. — AP
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 | 3
4 | NATIONAL WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

CYBER LAW
ISLAND FOCUS Empowered
Facebooker
Medan acquitted of
defamation
Jakarta
Semarang charges
Andi Hajramurni
THE JAKARTA POST/MAKASSAR

Saldi Isra inaugurated as new MK justice The Makassar District Court

in South Sulawesi cleared on
JAKARTA: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated on Tuesday Sal- Tuesday a woman of defamation
di Isra, a law professor at Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, charges for comments she made
as the new Constitutional Court justice, replacing the disgraced former in a Facebook post.
justice Patrialis Akbar, who is in detention for alleged corruption. Yusniar, a resident of Makas-
Saldi will serve in the post for the next five years. sar, had earlier been detained and
The author of numerous books on good governance and constitu- charged with defamation under
tional laws, Saldi has received awards in the past decade as a result of the Electronic Information and
his active participation in various civil society movements. Transactions (ITE) Law for writ-
In 2004, as an activist from the West Sumatra Care Forum, he ing a comment that offended a lo-
received the prestigious Bung Hatta Anti-Corruption Award for his cal councilor.
role in revealing corruption cases centered around the West Sumatra The acquittal of the 27-year-
Legislative Council’s deliberation of the state budget, dating back to old housewife came as surprise
1999. amid the frequent guilty verdicts
Born on Aug. 20, 1968, Saldi is currently head of Andalas Univer- that have been handed down in
sity’s doctoral program in its School of Law. cases involving the ITE Law.
He also teaches constitutional law at the Padang-based university. — JP “The charges are not proven.
Therefore, she is now fully at liber-
ty to go,” said presiding judge Ka-
Diponegoro Military Command gets new chief sianus while reading the verdict.
SEMARANG: Maj. Gen. Tatang Sulaiman was sworn in as commander The case embroiled Yusniar
of the Diponegoro IV Military Command replacing Maj. Gen. Jaswandi after Sudirman Sijaya, a council-
at a ceremony in the Diponegoro Military Command in Watugong, or on the Jeneponto legislative
Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday. council in South Sulawesi, who is
Tatang said he was honored to lead the Diponegoro Military Com- also apparently a lawyer, filed a
mand with the best members of the Indonesian Military (TNI). He report against her over remarks
called on all personnel to be solid in maintaining the country’s security. she made on her Facebook page.
“Soldiers must step up their discipline and professionalism,” he said She wrote on March 14, in
in his opening speech. Makassarese, “Thank God. The
Tatang previously served as the Iskandar Muda military commander problem is finally over. Stupid
in Aceh. — JP [lawmaker], stupid lawyer. [You]
want to help a guilty person, [but
it is] clearly my parents’ land [that
Student’s suicide over exam cheating probed you] came to and disturbed.”
The post came a day after
MEDAN: The Culture and Education Ministry has sent a team to investi- her parents’ house on Jl. Sultan
gate the death of Amelia Nasution, a 12th-grader at a vocational school Alauddin was attacked by 100
in Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra, who committed suicide after people, allegedly including Sudir-
exposing alleged exam malpractices at her school. man. Yusniar did not mention any
The student reportedly drank poison after she was threatened by a names in her post.
teacher who had allegedly leaked answer keys to the national exams Yusniar was charged with vio-
to some final-year students at the school. lating the ITE Law, which carries
Daryanto, the ministry’s inspector general, said the team would JP/Tarko Sudiarno a maximum penalty of six years in
investigate the case and punish any perpetrators. Comedian Mamok carries Yati Pesek on stage during a fashion show on Monday to commemorate the birth prison. She had earlier been de-
“If it is proven that [a teacher] threatened Amelia and caused her of Kartini, an icon for women’s emancipation, in Yogyakarta. tained but was later released on
death, there will be sanctions against them,” he told The Jakarta Post bail during the trial.
on Tuesday. Kasianus said Yusniar was not
Amelia and two of her friends took to Facebook after discovering proven to have slandered Sudir-

KPK zeroes in on
that there appeared to have been a leak of the exam materials at the man in her Facebook post since
school. They alleged that the leak came from a fellow student who she did not mention any names or
was also the daughter of one of the teachers. refer in any way directly to him.
The student’s mother later threatened the three students, saying “The defendant mentioned ‘a
that they would be jailed and fined Rp 750 million (US$56,460) for lawmaker,’ while Sudirman Sijaya
exposing cheating at the school. — JP

UNREST
Setya Novanto
Haeril Halim, Safrin La
Batu, Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
Yogyakarta street and Margareth S. Aritonang
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Setya banned from
traveling abroad for six
months
Court told that Setya
is not a member of the House of
Representatives. He is a Jenepon-
to councilor,” he said.
Yusniar and her lawyer team
received the verdict with delight.
tician to discuss the e-ID project. Abdul Aziz Dumpa, one of her
Several witnesses during the
hearing said Setya was close with
Andi, but the politician said he had
only met the businessman twice
lawyers, said he appreciated the
panel of judges’ decision.
“This is a true form of justice
for the defendant and other peo-

musicians protest After his name was frequently

mentioned in a colossal corrup-
tion case, House of Representa-
has business ties with
e-ID graft suspect Andi
Narogong
and had no business ties with him.
Separately, Setya said he had
just been informed about the
ple who are threatened with the
ITE Law,” he said.
First enacted in 2008, the ITE

busking ban tives Speaker Setya Novanto has

Bambang Muryanto
THE JAKARTA POST/YOGYAKARTA
Street musicians playing the
traditional musical instrument
angklung in Yogyakarta have
lambasted the provincial admin-
istration for violating their rights
by banning their performances
at traffic lights.
Grouped under the Yogyakar-
ta Angklung Association (PAY),
as many as 15 angklung bands
staged a rally on Monday in
front of the provincial legislative
council building on Jl. Malioboro
to protest the ban.
They sang “Wakil Rakyat,”
(People’s Representatives) a
song composed by noted com-
poser and singer Iwan Fals, to
demand that Yogyakarta law-
makers fight for the people’s in-
terests.
“[These angklung musi-
cians] are not homeless, nor are
they beggars. They possess ID
cards and play music dressed
in neat attire to entertain mo-
torists waiting at red lights,”
Sugiyarto, director of the Pan-
dawa Legal Aids and Consulta-
tion Institution (LKBH), said at
the rally.
The Yogyakarta governor is-
sued through the Public Order
Agency (Satpol PP) a decree ban-
ning angklung bands from play-
ing on city streets, categorizing
them as beggars who disturb mo-
torists and pedestrians.
Angklung is a traditional mu-
sical instrument from West
Java that is fashioned from
bamboo.
The decree was issued based
on the 2004 Bylaw on traffic, and
the 2014 Bylaw on homeless peo-
ple and beggars.
Sugiyarto argued that ang-
klung bands have performed in
Yogyakarta’s thoroughfares for
years and are now considered an
iconic fixture of the city.
These musicians do not dis-
turb pedestrians on sidewalks as
they never stay in one place for
too long, he added.
“They are simply trying to
make a living, which is guaran-
teed by the 1999 Law on human
rights,” Sugiyarto said.
Yogyakarta provincial leg-
islative council deputy speak-
er Dharma Setiawan, who met
with protestors at Monday’s ral-
ly, spoke in defense of the musi-
cians, saying they did not belong
in the same category as beggars
and the homeless.
And as a daily commuter of
Yogyakarta’s streets, he claimed
he never felt disturbed by their
performances.
For Widi Ariska and her fel-
low Ariska angklung group band
members, busking is her main
line of work and source of income.
Ariska comprises six musi-
cians who usually play at one
of the traffic lights on Jl. Sultan
Agung.
“This is my full-time job. I
work every day from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m., and can earn up to Rp
100,000 [US$ 7.52] a day,” said
the mother of two, who hails
from Purbalingga, Central Java.
She was worried that if the city
continued to ban musicians from
playing on roadsides, she and her
band members would lose their
daily income.
Most of the city’s angklung
street buskers come from Banyu-
mas, Centra Javal, she conceded.
However, some 40 percent is
originally from Yogya.
Other angklung bands attend-
ing Monday’s protest echoed
Ariska’s concerns, further ar-
guing that banning them would
only add to Yogyakarta’s unem-
ployment rate and place a heavy
burden on the city.
Angklung musicians usual-
ly perform in areas frequented
by tourists, such as Yogyakarta’s
iconic tourism spot Malioboro,
the Tugu railway station and the
North and South Squares.
Head of Yogyakarta Satpol PP,
GBPH Yudhaningrat, said the
administration is staying firm
on its ban on angklung street
bands.
He also disagreed with protes-
tors’ arguments, equating street
buskers with beggars because
they ask people for money.
“If we do nothing about them
[angklung musicians], then we
are the ones breaking the law,”
said Yudhaningrat.
been barred from traveling abroad.
The Corruption Eradica-
tion Commission (KPK) has
slapped a six-month travel
ban on the Golkar Party chair-
man so that it can intensify its
probe into him as a witness in
a corruption case related to the
e-ID project that is estimated
to have caused Rp 2.3 trillion
in state losses.
Witnesses in the trial of two
defendants in the case, former
Home Ministry officials Irman
and Sugiharto, have alleged that
Setya was deeply involved in se-
curing House approval for the
project’s Rp 5.9 trillion budget
and rigging the project at the
ministry in favor of a consortium
of companies owned by business-
man Andi Narogong, another sus-
pect in the case.
Setya was further implicated
in the case after the Jakarta Cor-
ruption Court on Thursday heard
that Setya co-owned several com-
panies managed by Andi.
Whether any of those compa-
nies are related to the project,
however, has yet to be clarified.
KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo
ASSAULT
Cleaver-wielding man attacks Banyumas Police post
Agus Maryono
and Suherdjoko
THE JAKARTA POST/BANYUMAS,
SEMARANG
The police have started a probe
into the motorcycle riding, cleav-
er-wielding man who allegedly at-
tacked Banyumas Police person-
nel in Banyumas, Central Java,
injuring three officers on Tuesday
morning.
The man, identified as 22-year-
old Muhammad Ibnu Dar, a resi-
dent of Karangaren Village, Pur-
balingga regency, allegedly broke
into the field of the Banyumas Po-
lice headquarters at high speed
and steered his motorcycle into
police officer Adj. First. Insp Ata
Suparta at 10 a.m.
Witness Driyanto, 45, said Ata
instantly fell to the ground after
being hit.
“Another policeman, Karsono,
confirmed that the antigraft body
had asked immigration authori-
ties to prevent Setya from traveling
overseas in the next six months.
“Yesterday [Monday], [we]
signed a letter requesting [the Im-
migration Office] to slap a travel
ban [on him],” Agus told The Ja-
karta Post on Tuesday.
The issuance of a travel ban on
a witness is at times followed by a
decision by the KPK to name that
person a suspect, but Agus said
any future move on Setya would
be based on evidence from fur-
ther investigation in the case.
KPK spokesman Febri Dian-
syah said that the issuance of a
travel ban allowed KPK investiga-
tors to focus on questioning Setya.
In addition to Setya, the KPK
also issued a travel ban on An-
di’s wife Inayah and her brother
Raden Gede.
The antigraft body grilled Setya
in December, and the Golkar Par-
ty chairman testified in the case’s
hearing on Thursday.
Setya denied knowing Irman
and Sugiharto despite the two
saying they had met with the poli-
tried to help Ata but he too was
[allegedly] attacked by the perpe-
trator with a cleaver,” Driyanto, a
journalist at local newspaper Ke-
daulatan Rakyat, said.
Another policeman named
Chief. Brig. Irfan also suffered an
injury to his thigh as he tried to
help his partners.
Around 10 policemen then
swarmed and arrested Ibnu not
long after the attack. When the at-
tack occurred, Banyumas Police in-
vestigators were conducting a press
conference on a robbery case.
When searched, Ibnu allegedly
had an attribute associated with
the Islamic State (IS) group in
his possession, Banyumas Police
chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Azis Andrian-
syah said without giving further
details.
“We are investigating who he
really is,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Police also seized a fabric with
travel ban and promised to obey
the entire legal process.
“As a citizen who adheres to the
law and hopes this matter can be
solved soon, I’ll be patient to do
the best I can,” Setya said.
The House’s ethics council ex-
pressed concern that the travel
ban would disrupt Setya’s duty as
House speaker.
“It will disrupt his work very
much, given his role as a speaker
who is a bridge for parliamentary
relations with other countries,”
said the council’s deputy chair-
man, Sarifuddin Sudding.
The case started in 2009 when
Andi learned that the government
was planning the e-ID project.
Andi asked former home minister
Gamawan Fauzi to ask the House
to allocate budget funds for the
project.
According to prosecutors, Andi
then met with Setya to discuss the
budget of the project.
They reportedly agreed that
the House would allocate Rp 5.9
trillion to the project, but un-
der one condition: 49 percent or
Rp 2.5 trillion of that money
would be used to bribe House
lawmakers and ministry officials.
the IS logo imprinted on it from
Ibnu’s house as well as books,
sand-like material and sharp
weapons.
He is undergoing intensive
questioning by investigators.
“He does not say much. He only
says thogut [infidel] to the investi-
gators questioning him,” Azis said.
All three injured policemen
were admitted to Purwokerto
Hospital for medical care.
Separately, Central Java Po-
lice spokesman Sr. Comr. Djarod
Padakova confirmed the arrest of
an alleged terrorist named Irsyad,
aka Syeh, 40, by the National Po-
lice’s anti-terrorist squad Densus
88 on Monday morning in Kendal
regency.
Irsyad, a resident of Randusari
village was arrested while driving
his wife and baby to a local mid-
wife. Irsyad showed no resistance
during arrest, he added.
Law has become a scourge of the
country’s internet users.
According to data from the
Southeast Asia Freedom of Expres-
sion Network, 200 people have been
prosecuted using the draconian
law since it was first implemented.
The number of people crimi-
nalized has increased in recent
years, reaching 62 people in 2015,
compared to just two in 2008, the
data showed. Roughly 90 per-
cent of the cases were defamation
cases.
The most infamous case was
housewife Prita Mulyasari, who
was imprisoned for complaining
about OMNI International Hos-
pital in 2009 in a private email
that went viral.
The most recent case involved
a man in Medan, North Sumatra,
who was sentenced to 14 months
in prison in August for being
tagged in a story on Facebook.
Upon hearing her acquittal,
Yusniar immediately broke down
and expressed her gratitude by
falling to her knees and kissing
the ground.
“Thanks to all of you who have
supported me,” she said while
wiping away her tears.
Several areas in Central Java
are known to contain terrorist
networks.
The incident at the Banyumas
Police headquarters adds to the
list of attacks on the country’s po-
lice personnel.
Last Saturday, traffic police in
Tuban regency were attacked.
The attack, launched by six al-
leged terrorists, fizzled and did
not cause any harm to the police
members, but it prompted shoot-
out that led to the deaths of the six
alleged terrorists.
The National Police revealed
that the attack was allegedly
launched in retaliation for the ar-
rest of members of IS-affiliated
local terrorist group Jamaah An-
sharut Daulah (JAD) in Lamon-
gan a day earlier. One of the three
arrested is Zainal Anshori, be-
lieved to be the newly appointed
leader of the JAD.
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 CITY | 5

Ahok, Anies gear up for GREATER JAKARTA

Rawa Badak stadium to be renovated

final election debate

Indra Budiari
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Millions of eyes will be fixated
on Bidakara Hotel on Gatot Sub-
roto, South Jakarta, on Wednes-
day night when Anies Baswe-
dan and Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja
Purnama are set to square off in
the last official gubernatorial
election debate.
Wednesday’s debate will be the
candidates’ final chance to per-
suade more than 7 million voters
on the same stage.
After the debate, both Anies
and Ahok will only have three
days of campaigning left as the
gubernatorial race enters its cool-
ing off period.
Both camps are aware of the
magnitude of the debate, with
Ahok saying he was busy collect-
ing data to support his arguments
during the debate.
His running mate, Djarot
Saiful Hidayat, said on Tues-
day that they would also exam-
ine their findings during the
campaign trail.
Meanwhile, Anies’ running
Ahok, Anies prepare for
final debate
Both camps target swing
voters
Swing voters to be game
changer
mate, Sandiaga Uno, said the one
and only official debate in the
runoff would be a golden oppor-
tunity to attract the ever-elusive
swing vote, estimated to be in the
hundreds of thousands.
According to Sandiaga, Anies
will focus on themes related to
human interest while answering
economic and infrastructure-re-
lated questions.
“We will focus our debate on
the issues considered most im-
portant, especially to undecided
voters,” he said on Monday.
Swing voters may be the game
changer in an election race, de-
scribed by many, as one of the
tightest in the capitals history.
Under the theme “from resi-
dents to Jakarta,” the pair of can-
didates are expected to clash over
their different points of view on a
number of basic issues in Jakarta.
Among the topics included in
the debate are transportation,
housing, reclamation, educa-
tion and business, with some of
the questions drafted by Jakarta
residents.
Regarding housing, for in-
stance, Ahok has pledged to build
more vertical housing for margin-
alized and middle-class residents
if reelected, with a large part of
the apartments to be located in
transportation hubs.
On the other hand, Anies con-
tinues to promote his zero down
payment program to make hous-
ing affordable for low and middle-
income residents.
Anies and Ahok also have op-
posing opinions on reclamation
issues with the incumbent gov-
ernor believing that reclamation
of North Jakarta Bay is necessary
to revitalize the bay area as well
save residents from future major
disasters.
On the other side, Anies has
pledged to stop the controver-
sial project as it would affect
the livelihoods of those living
around the bay.
Jakarta General Elections
Commission (KPU Jakarta)
commissioner Moch. Sidik said
marginalized communities, in-
cluding street vendors and low-
cost apartment residents, were
among the people who would
be given the opportunity to ask
questions to the candidates at
Wednesday’s debate.
“Marginalized residents have
struggled to get access to share
their aspirations. We hope to
give them that in this debate,”
Sidik said.
The inclusion of residents in
a town-hall debate format might
put both candidates on unfa-
miliar ground as it is a difficult
format wherein the candidate
who connects most with the in-
dividuals asking the questions
fairs best.
A recent poll showed Ahok
had lost his frontrunner status to
Anies as the former is being tried
for a blasphemy case at the North
Jakarta District Court.
JAKARTA: The Jakarta Youth and Sports Agency has allocated Rp 4.2
billion (US$315,980) to renovate the Rawa Badak stadium in Koja,
North Jakarta.
The agency’s head, Ratiyono, said the administration would
renovate the roof of the bleacher section, which had decayed, the
bleacher itself, the field and the drainage.
“The decaying roof will be replaced and we will also add addition-
al seating,” he said on Tuesday as quoted by beritajakarta.com.
Ratiyono said the renovations had entered the final stage of
planning and that the agency would soon hold a tender to choose a
contractor for the project.
“After the winner of the tender is chosen, construction will start
immediately. We aim to begin the construction as soon as possible so
that it is finished this year,” said Ratiyono. — JP
S. Jakarta to have disabled-friendly sidewalks
JAKARTA: The Jakarta administration is aiming to revamp all side-
walks in South Jakarta to accommodate disabled people by the end
of this year.
South Jakarta Bina Marga road agency head Agustio Ruhuseto
said that the design for the disabled-friendly sidewalk had been
finalized.
He added that the construction would begin at the end of April.
“We will make guiding blocks along the sidewalk. This year, all
sidewalks in South Jakarta must be disabled-friendly,” said Agustio as
quoted by beritajakarta.com on Tuesday.
He added that the first stage of the project will consist of revamp-
ing sidewalks in Tebet, Pasar Minggu, Prapanca and Kebayoran Lama.
“After that, we will proceed with other areas,” Agustio said.
Last year, incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Pur-
nama announced a plan to widen the sidewalks of Jl. Sudirman and
Jl. MH Thamrin by 9 to 10 meters.
After the sidewalks are widened, Ahok expects the added space
to include small cafes, which will serve as hangout spots for Jakar-
tans. — JP

TRAFFIC WOES

Commuters stuck for hours after Karang Tengah toll gate closure
The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA
The Karang Tengah toll gate
in Tangerang, Banten, has been
closed since Sunday as it is
deemed to be the cause of dai-
ly congestion on the Jakarta-
Tangerang toll road.
The toll gate used to be the only
payment gate on the toll road,
but now that the payment booths
have been closed, commuters
have to pay when they exit the
toll road, either in Alam Sutera,
Tangerang or Karawaci.
The closure turned out to be ill-
advised, as it caused massive traf-
fic jams at the exits of the Jakar-
ta-Tangerang toll road, severely
hampering access to premium
business and residential areas
like Alam Sutera and Lippo Kar-
awaci in Tangerang.
The congestion is believed
to be caused by a lack of pay-
ment booths at each exit, with
most of the booths still under
construction.
Toll road operator Jasa Marga
has announced plans for a mini-
mum 51 payment gates on the toll
road, but on the first day of the
closure, only 24 payment booths
were ready.
As a result, congestion built up
as early as 5 a.m. on Monday.
Agustina Elyn, a 23-year-old
Tangerang resident, was unfortu-
nate enough to be one of the peo-
ple stuck in the traffic on the way
to her office on Jl. Sudirman, Cen-
tral Jakarta.
“It was only 5 a.m., but there
was already congestion at the toll
road entrance in Karawaci,” she
said, adding that the congestion
was caused by the road’s partial
closure leading to the toll road
due to construction work at the
toll gate.
Agustina said she had heard
from her friend that the traffic
had got worse in the afternoon as
the line of vehicles had reached 1
kilometer in length.
42-year old Erwin Panigoro,
meanwhile, got stuck in traffic on
his way home in Alam Sutera on
Monday afternoon.
“I have to spend an additional
25 minutes to exit the toll road in
Alam Sutera due to the unusual
congestion,” he said.
Erwin added that the heavy
traffic had begun at a nearby rest
area in Karang Tengah located
around 1.6 km from the Alam
Sutera exit.
Another commuter, Andy
Tanamas, was also baffled by the
fact that the closure could cause
such bad traffic on a weekend,
which usually saw less traffic than
working days.
“Good job PT Jasa Marga
for creating traffic jam on Sun-
day!” he wrote on his Twitter
account.
According to several reports,
the congestion also caused sev-
eral high school students to come
late for the national exam on
Monday as they were trapped in
traffic in Karawaci.
Conditions finally got better
on Tuesday morning, as Agusti-
na said she found minimum con-
gestion on the road leading to the
toll road.
“I only got stuck at the Karang
Tengah gate, as vehicles were
slowing down when approaching
the defunct gate.”
To prevent further congestion
at the exits, officials will acceler-
ate the construction of the pay-
ment toll gates, which is now ex-
pected finish on April 23.
“If there’s any congestion again
in the future, we will open ad-
ditional toll booths. We will also
deploy more officers to do trans-
actions on the road instead of
waiting for cars to come to the
booths,” said Herry Trisaputra
Zuna, the head of the Indonesian
Toll Road Authority (BPJT), on
Monday.
Herry added that the operator
would let toll road users to pass
for free should additional booths
and officers fail to ease congestion
at the toll road exits. (kuk)

O
ver the past two decades, laparoscopy has become an
increasingly popular option for patients in Indonesia
who need to undergo some form of abdominal surgery.
“Now, innovations have made it even less invasive,”
claims Dr. Seno Budi Santoso, who is a digestive surgery consulta-
tion specialist at Siloam Hospitals TB Simatupang.
Patients typically undergo a laparoscopy when doctors are trying
to find problems such as cysts, adhesions, fibroids and infections in
the abdominal area. Using thin tubes inserted through small inci-
sions in the belly, tissue samples can be taken for a biopsy.
In contrast with a laparotomy – the typical surgical solution that
involves a large cut across the abdomen – a laparoscopy only re-
quires small incisions and consequently, a short recovery period.
Because of this, Dr. Seno claims that a laparoscopy is less stress-
ful to patients, has fewer potential complications and is more cost-
efficient.
“It can often be done without needing to stay overnight in the
hospital. Even when patients have to be hospitalized, their recovery
period is faster,” explained the doctor.
For instance, gallbladder removal through laparotomy requires
patients to be hospitalized for about a week. With a laparoscopy,
however, their hospital stay can be as short as just two to three days.
A laparoscopy also minimizes the risk of intestinal constriction, a
potential complication of laparotomy, as well as the risk of infection
because it requires smaller incisions.
The tool typically used to perform the procedure is called a multi-
port laparoscope. It has three instruments, each with its own port:
one for the camera and two for each of the surgeon’s hands. This
means the procedure requires three small incisions to be made in
the abdomen.
Now, single-port laparoscopes are available, where all three in-
struments are in one port. This means only one incision needs to be
made on the patient’s body, although one to two centimeters lon-
ger than the ones for the multi-port laparoscope to accommodate
all three instruments.
“The single-port laparoscope is now available in Indonesia, in-
cluding in Siloam Hospitals. This equipment has a cosmetic advan-
tage – patients who use it will only have one small scar after the
operation,” Dr. Seno says.
Studies have also shown that patients recover faster and report
less pain after a procedure using a single-port laparoscope.
Regardless of whether the single or multi-port laparoscopes are
employed, the technique is increasingly being used for a wider
range of medical problems.
When the technique was first used in Indonesia in 1996, it was
only used to treat appendicitis and gallbladders. Today, laparoscopy
is commonly used to treat tumors, particularly those that affect the
intestines and liver.
“Laparoscopy is usually used to treat or diagnose digestive prob-
lems, but it can actually be used for different types of illnesses, depend-
ing on the skills and proficiency of the surgeon,” Dr. Seno explains.
Cutting-edge
“Obstetri-
cians, for example,
have started using it to
surgical solutions for
Indonesians
treat tumors that affect the repro-
ductive organs.”
The procedure is also beneficial for treat-
ing inguinal hernias, where the intestine or the blad-
der protrudes through the abdominal wall or into the ingui-
nal canal in the groin. Through a laparoscopy, the protrusion is dure is
pulled from the upper stomach area, minimizing the risk of re- not advised
lapse among patients. for patients who
There are, however, a number of contraindications. The proce- suffer from heart or respi-
ratory problems, as it requires the
stomach to be inflated with gas in order
for the surgical instruments to operate properly.
Laparoscopies also cannot be used for tumors that have
already grown too big.
According to Dr. Seno, despite the benefits of laparoscopic sur-
gery, a number of factors still hamper its adoption among Indone-
sian patients.
The first is the biggest problem that hampers the successful
treatment of most diseases in Indonesia: The lack of awareness of
the importance of early detection. As a result, many patients are
diagnosed only when their diseases are already at advanced stag-
es, during which a laparoscopy is not recommended. When more
complex surgical solutions are required, doctors can still conduct a
laparotomy.
The second obstacle relates to the perception that laparoscopies
are costly.
“When patients ask how much it will cost, the first information
they will get is the cost of the surgery package. When we look at it,
the surgery package for a laparoscopy is admittedly more expen-
sive because it requires skilled surgeons, not to mention the equip-
ment,” Dr. Seno explained.
However, in terms of the overall treatment costs, a laparos-
copy turns out to be more cost-efficient than a laparotomy. Be-
cause the minimally invasive type of surgery involves shorter
recovery and hospitalization periods, the final bill often comes
out cheaper.
Treatment costs, obviously, vary from patient to patient.
“If a particular patient has a number of exacerbating factors
that slow down his or her recovery period, such as diabetes or
malnutrition, the hospitalization and medication fees will of
course still be high despite undergoing the laparoscopic surgical
procedure,” Dr. Seno said.
If you would like to know more about laparoscopy or have a per-
sonal consultation with Dr. Seno, you may schedule an appoint-
ment by contacting our call center at 1-500-181 or by reserving an
appointment online through www.siloamhospitals.com.

Online Appointment: www.siloamhospitals.com

221-05/*05
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6 | OPINION WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

Terrorizing graft busters

uesday’s shocking acid attack on Novel Off-grid green energy:
T Baswedan was the latest, most crude assault
against top graft investigator and the Cor-
ruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
An unidentified person on a motorcycle Revolution to evolution
threw acid in Novel’s face as he was walking home from
attending morning prayers at a nearby mosque in Kelapa

I
Gading, North Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ndonesia has reached a
ordered National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian nearly 97 percent ratio of
to investigate what the President rightly described as villages with electricity, in
“brutal” crime. which over 2,500 villages
had no electricity in 2014.
Activists said the attack was not an isolated incident, The plan of state-owned elec-
citing earlier threats and physical intimidation of KPK tric company PLN to build more
investigators such as Novel, including reported attempts power plants is merely to cover
to run his motorcycle off the road. Few were surprised at 504 villages up to 2019 (Central
what has become persistent attempts to undermine the Statistics Agency [BPS], 2015),
KPK, its bold leaders and its investigators shortly after which implies that more than
the commission’s establishment in 2002. 2,000 villages will still not be elec-
trified by 2019. This poses both a
Because the KPK has managed to convict hundreds of challenge and an opportunity.
local leaders and politicians, it has faced various lawsuits Then comes off-grid renew-
that have led to the ouster of its leaders, attempts to end its able energy (RE) development.
wiretapping powers, quite apart from brazen assaults like It is where developers create
the one on Novel early on Tuesday. new supplies and micro-grid so-
Novel led a probe into the recent electronic ID scandal lutions that are disconnected
that has implicated top lawmakers such as House of Rep- from PLN’s grid. Based on the re-
cent statistics published by the
resentative Speaker Setya Novanto. International Renewable Ener-
Enemies of the KPK and Novel, a police officer sec- gy Agency (IRENA) titled “Re-
onded to the anti-graft body, became crystal clear after the thinking Energy 2017,” the RE
ugly face-off with his National Police colleagues in 2012, electricity generation in Indone-
which occurred when Novel was tasked to search the sia in 2014 was 33,750 gigawatts
Police headquarters in relation to a case involving driving per hour (GWh).
This is diminutive com-
simulators. The search led to the conviction of then traffic pared to China’s RE genera-
police chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo. tion of 1,253,230 GWh, India
That same year, police attempted to ensnare with 185,569 GWh, and nearly
Novel for the alleged shooting of a thief in 2004, in a sus- half of Vietnam’s generation of
pected effort to stop his investigations into cases involving 66,489 GWh.
police officers. Ministerial Decree No.
This latest attack on Novel caused injuries to his eye 38/2016 was devised to help ex-
pedite electricity development
and face. “We cannot let individuals with steadfast princi- in the remote villages across the
ples be [attacked] in such uncivilized ways,” Jokowi said in nation. Shortly after, Ministerial
response to the incident. Regulation No. 12/2017 on new
Fearless individuals are indeed rare. Apart from and renewable energy was intro-
reminding us of the terrifying resistance against corrup- duced, which put price caps on
tion investigations, the attack is also a painful reminder RE rates.
of the unresolved murder of leading rights defender As such, the capping of RE
Munir, who was poisoned on a flight to Amsterdam
in 2004
Jokowi cannot afford to let such criminals walk free
right under his nose. Novel’s attackers clearly planned
to terrorize and maim one of our most respected inves-
Banks’ hiring suggests they trust Trump
tigators. The assault also signaled the strong belief that Mark Whitehouse
BLOOMBERG VIEW
Jokowi’s government is fairly powerless in capturing
these masterminds — given the chronic impunity that
Aretha Aprilia
JAKARTA
rates may challenge profitability
and sustainability of RE provid-
ers. Some have argued that incen-
tives should not be offered and
further suggested that Indone-
sia should also be able to reduce
the high prices in the sector to
encourage further development,
especially in remote regions (The
Jakarta Post, Jan. 25).
However, despite this senti-
ment, the reality is that the In-
donesian archipelago includes
many remote regions that are
not easily accessed. The chal-
lenges of rural off-grid RE are,
among others, due to the high
cost of equipment and person-
nel mobilization to remote sites,
high costs for operation and
maintenance personnel costs
and battery replacement (partic-
ularly for solar photovoltaic). Vi-
able business plans are required
to ensure the sustainability of
off-grid community renewable
energy.
There have been many prior
community-based projects that
have failed owing to insufficient
funds to operate and maintain
the infrastructure. The commu-
nities must be preconditioned
to have ownership of the power
plant, through shares or other
That’s the fastest quarter-on-
quarter pace of growth since
2006, and compares with an an-
types of contributions. Despite
the “warm glow” of communi-
ty RE projects, business is busi-
ness and must be profitable; es-
pecially so if the private sector is
involved.
The RE-based electricity rate
price caps promoted through
Ministerial Regulation No.
12/2017 is a top-down measure;
which appeared to have missed
the points on the significance of
taking into account bottom-up
measures such as the commu-
nity’s willingness (and ability)
to pay, as well as viable business
plan that takes into account the
expenses to be incurred and the
projected streams of revenues —
not merely for consumption but
also for establishing lucrative
production of goods and services.
Further to the discourse on
the off-grid electrification to
more than 2,000 unelectrified
villages, the government could
help to provide investment in the
following ways.
Central and provincial govern-
ments should support projects
that ease access for mobilizing
equipment and personnel for en-
ergy development. In this regard,
road/sea/air infrastructure are of
quintessential requirements.
The government would need
to have sound establishment of
inter-ministerial and inter-sec-
toral coordination in to priori-
tize villages to be electrified and
the associated port, road, bridge
investment.
This is also in sync with what
rhetoric, bank lobbyists and Con-
gressional Republicans have put
forth proposals that range from
was suggested in IRENA’s recent
report, wherein the higher tech-
nology and financing risks asso-
ciated with RE implies the wide-
ly required public support for
the development. It is especially
so in the developing countries,
usually in the form of syndicated
loans that involve multiple de-
velopment banks (IRENA, 2017).
In addition to the above
points, proper incentives should
be prepared to lure investors in
this sector. Otherwise, the busi-
ness may not be able to sustain
given the high capital and opera-
tion expenditures that should be
incurred to mobilize, construct,
and sustain the power plant.
In a similar line of statement
by Ralph Nader; the shift of fossil
fuel energy to green energy is not
yet much-tapped, because the in-
dustry sectors do not own the sun,
the wind, or the rivers. Turning
from fossil fuel to green is a fore-
seeable future, however all stake-
holders must share the same level
of determination to achieve this
overarching goal.
Moving beyond the green ener-
gy revolution that has already tak-
en place, we shall move forward to
evolution for further development
and widespread application.
The writer is the lead of commu-
nity renewable energy program —
CDM Smith, Jakarta, and
a doctorate alumnus of Kyoto
University, Japan. The views
expressed are her own.
to rewrite the 2010 Dodd-Frank
Act will face a battle in Congress.
It’s also possible that change will

T
ime and again, Presi-
they still enjoy. dent Donald Trump and
The ensuing outrage will hopefully inspire instead of administration officials
discourage more graft busters. Indonesians are sickened have promised to cut regulations
by the predatory instincts of those pursuing any oppor- that they say hold back the finan-
tunity to milk cash out of local and nationwide projects. cial industry. The latest jobs data
suggest that bankers might be
May Novel have a speedy recovery and may the state buying it.
better protect its steadfast guardians of public funds. In an otherwise mixed jobs
report for March, finance was
among the sectors that outper-
OTHER OPINION formed. During the three months
through March, employment in
the category (which includes real
Serbian election erodes democracy estate and insurance) averaged an
estimated 8.4 million, up an an-
nualized gain of 1.5 percent for
nonfarm employers overall.
Here’s a chart:  relief for community banks.
The hiring doesn’t seem to be
primarily a Wall Street phenom-
enon. State-level data, which go
through February, suggest that a
lot of the job growth is happen-
ing outside New York, in states
such as Illinois, Texas and Ohio.
Here’s a chart showing the states
with the largest gains since Octo-
ber, the month before Trump was
elected:
So why the hiring? Well, banks
have been getting pretty fired up
defanging the Financial Stability
Oversight Council to providing
Granted, financial companies
may have other reasons to add
jobs. For one, profitability has
been on the rise: The industry’s
profits amounted to about $114
billion in the fourth quarter of
2016, up 22 percent from a year
earlier, according to the Bureau
of Economic Analysis. That said,
cost-cutting has played a signifi-
cant role.
Beyond signing memos and
meeting with executives, the pres-
be more radical than what banks
expected: White House economic
adviser Gary Cohn, for example,
has come out in favor of restoring
the Depression-era Glass-Stea-
gall Act, which separated bread-
and-butter commercial bank-
ing from high-octane investment
banking.
So to the extent that financial
companies are getting excited
about deregulation, their enthu-
siasm might be premature.
The author writes editorials on

W
ith Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic’s victory in the nualized 2.7 percent — or 56,000 about the prospect of deregu- ident hasn’t yet done much to put global economics and finance for
presidential election on April 2, Serbia has edged jobs — from December. lation. Encouraged by Trump’s his words into action. Any efforts Bloomberg View.
closer to autocracy. Vucic can handpick his successor
and consolidate his power, since Parliament and the judiciary
are all but locked up by Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party.
Though Vucic won more than 50 percent, the election was
marred by accusations of voter intimidation and a near total
domination of Serbia’s media by Vucic and his party.
Jokowi’s cross-border facilities upgrade
Every day since the election, thousands of protesters have
turned out. Vucic could show a commitment to democracy by Kurniawan Hari part of the government’s effort to We must not forget Dec. 17, The court considered that In-
restoring freedom of the press and ordering an independent in- JAKARTA boost economic growth. 2002 when this nation lost the donesian authorities had never
vestigation of allegations of voter intimidation. The two were among seven Sipadan and Ligitan islands to protested the construction of

T
European leaders who see in strongmen such asVucic a force he dates of March 16 and 17
for stability — and who hope Vucic will make good on his prom- were historic, particularly
ise to keep Serbia on track to join the European Union — must for residents living around
avoid the temptation to look the other way as Vucic and his al- Nanga Badau in Kapuas Hulu re-
lies seize monopoly control over the country’s political institu- gency and Aruk in Sambas regen-
tions and its press. cy, both in West Kalimantan.
To accede to such control by Vucic would be a betrayal of the After several decades, locals
EU’s core values, and of the many Serbians who look to the EU finally saw major renovations
as a beacon of democratic rights and freedoms at a time when of the integrated cross-border
Eastern and Central European leaders are turning their backs posts (PLBN), followed with up-
on democracy. grades of immigration check-
— THE NEW YORK TIMES, NEW YORK points and customs offices.
The projects also included
improvement of trade facilities,
Humanity at sea the electricity power supply and
road quality, which would halve
posts to be upgraded this year.
The five other cross-border posts
were in West Kalimantan, East
Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Papua.
The development of the cross-
border posts are strategic for,
among others reasons, defense,
security and the economy.
A more sophisticated immi-
gration checkpoint would help
reduce the potential inflow of il-
legal migrants.
The upgraded security checks,
including the availability of
proper animal and plantation
quarantines, would mean in-
Malaysia following years of legal
wrangling at the International
Court of Justice.
The court learned that In-
donesia’s claim to sovereignty
over Sipadan and Ligitan was
based on the 1891 Convention
between Great Britain and the
Netherlands, which defined the
boundaries between the then
Dutch possessions on Borneo
and the territories under British
protection.
Meanwhile, Malaysia claimed
sovereignty over the two islands
as an inheritance from the Sultan
lighthouses by Malaysia and con-
cluded that Malaysia has sover-
eignty over both islands.
Learning from the Sipadan
and Ligitan case, the government
should continuously show its ex-
istence and activities in the bor-
der areas.
Otherwise we could lose other
territories to neighboring coun-
tries as the international court
could issue similar rulings based
on the scale of activities of an-
other claimant on a disputed
territory.
History aside, I wonder why

C
onfirmation of the theory that the seas unite as much as travel time to and from the bor- creased security to tackle the of Sulu, who passed the sover- all the development of cross-
they divide has just been underscored by ships of the In- der posts. possible spread of diseases. eignty first to Spain, then to the border areas happened during
dian and Chinese navies conducting a joint operation to On those dates President Joko Meanwhile, the improved in- United States, the United King- the Jokowi administration. May-
counter an attempted act of piracy off the African coast. “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated frastructure and customs offices dom and ultimately to Malaysia. be it has something to do with his
Both responded to a “distress call.” The joint action may not the cross-border posts and the could facilitate easy exports and The country backed its claim choice of sports: archery — a solo
have amounted to much, but that was not known to the naval new facilities nearly two years imports along the borders. by the number of British and Ma- game.
commanders when they responded to a call from the United after he issued an executive or- That is not to mention the laysian effectivites (acts by the There are indeed many chal-
Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization about a merchant ship der for the projects. growing pride and dignity of In- state) over the islands. lenges that could make him miss
having come under pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden. So remote was Nanga Badau donesians living in border areas, Among such acts Malaysia the target, Jokowi said, as he
The Chinese and Indian warships adhered to long-standing that President Jokowi and his as many previous border check- mentioned were its control of opened the Bogor Archery Com-
protocols and acted immediately. And that re-emphasizes the entourage, which included First points were said to be in worse turtles and its collection of turtle petition one windy January day.
reality that when left free to act of their own accord, military Lady Iriana, Public Works and condition than the average vil- eggs, believed to be the most im- “But I wouldn’t blame the
personnel respond positively to crisis situations at sea. Some- Public Housing Minister Basu- lage administration office. portant economic activities on wind,” he said, adding he had
thing both Beijing and New Delhi must applaud: the “baggage” ki Hadimuljono and Coordinat- Two years ago, people cross- Sipadan for years. been practicing on weekends for
of history must not determine every course of action. ing Human Development and ing the Indonesia-Timor Leste The neighboring country also the preceding several months.
Recent events point to a revival of Somali-based pirate activi- Culture Minister Puan Mahara- border would have seen the bet- mentioned the construction of Despite the gusts the Presi-
ty. The pirates seem keen to “loot” the cargo, rather than extort ni, found it impossible to locate ter immigration checkpoint in a bird sanctuary on the island dent focused on his target and
ransom money. However, the situation merits close monitor- a proper restaurant for lunch. Timor Leste. in 1933 and the development of with a few dozen arrows he man-
ing for the menace to shipping can easily resurface. The Indi- Eventually, the President and The better-equipped cross- lighthouses by British colonial aged to hit at least one bulls-eye.
an Navy had played its part in — it must be ready to once again his entourage enjoyed a meal at a border infrastructure would also authorities on Sipadan and Ligi-
shoulder the international responsibilities that befall a major modest food stall. trigger more activities and eco- tan in the early 1960s. All those
maritime power. The upgrade of the two posts nomic growth in the surround- structures still exist and are The author is a staff writer
— THE STATESMAN, KOLKATA bordering with Malaysia was ing areas. maintained by Malaysia. at The Jakarta Post.

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WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
The temptation
of Theresa May
Robert Harvey
PROJECT SYNDICATE/LONDON
T T
he three great Theresas in
history are all saints. The
most recent to be canon-
ized was Mother Teresa, a tireless
charity worker and controversial
campaigner for the poor; the first
was Teresa of Ávila, one of the
Catholic Church’s most dynamic
and powerful personalities dur-
ing the 16th century. And in the 19th
century, Thérèse of Lisieux spoke
to animals, cultivated gardens,
performed good works, and be-
came known as the Little Flower.
British Prime Minister The-
resa May is, at times, as philan-
thropic as Mother Teresa, as am-
bitious as Teresa of Ávila, and as
modest as the Little Flower. But
will she be remembered as well as
any of them?
Like the Little Flower, May is
so discreet that even many mem-
bers of her own party have doubts
about what she actually believes.
She has pandered to America’s
toxic president, Donald Trump,
and courted Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Both gestures have eclipsed
even former British prime minis-
ter David Cameron’s kowtowing to
Chinese President Xi Jinping dur-
ing Xi’s visit to the United King-
dom in 2015.
But there seems to be some-
thing deeper to May. By invoking
Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon,
her government has now pushed
Britain’s narrow Brexit referen-
dum decision past the point of no
return with minimal controversy,
while remaining extraordinarily
popular.
Of course, very little has actu-
ally happened in the nine months
since the referendum took place.
Investors are apparently banking
on the fact that nothing signifi-
cant will happen for at least an-
other year, because Europe will
be in the throes of its own elec-
tions in France, Germany, and
probably Italy.
Incumbent European govern-
ments will not want to risk em-
powering their populist right-
wing rivals by accommodating
British bluster. On the other
hand, the Dutch populist avatar
Geert Wilders recently suffered
an electoral defeat, relative to
what many expected.
And in France, a mainstream
candidate such as Emmanuel Ma-
cron or François Fillon will like-
ly win the presidency in a run-
off against the far-right National
Front’s Marine Le Pen.
After that, German voters will
either reelect Chancellor Angela
Merkel, or give the job to the pro-
European Union Social Democrat
Martin Schulz. And the next Ital-
ian leader will surely be anyone
but Beppe Grillo, the eccentric
Five Star Movement leader.
When the election dust final-
ly settles, a phony war between
Britain and the EU will ensue.
In a replay of British prime min-
ister Margaret Thatcher’s own
fights with Europe three decades
ago, both sides will huff and puff,
threaten to withdraw from the
talks, and then reach a last-min-
ute compromise.
Ultimately, the deal that
emerges will most likely resemble
Norway’s membership in the Eu-
ropean Economic Area, but it will
be labeled “bespoke” for Britain.
In this scenario, the UK’s access
to the European market will be
Strategy – not weapons – wins wars
Bernard F.W. Loo
RSIS COMMENTARIES/SINGAPORE
I
n a meeting with state gover-
nors before his first speech
to Congress, President Don-
ald Trump declared: “We never
win, and we don’t fight to win.” As
a consequence, President Trump
argued in Congress for a defense
budget totaling US$603 billion,
which represents an increase of
$54 billion beyond what the Bud-
get Control Act has capped for fis-
cal year 2018.
The purpose of this proposed
defense budget is to provide the
United States military with the
tools to maintain its deterrent
posture and, where necessary, “to
start winning wars again.”
Interestingly, the chairs of the
House and Senate Armed Servic-
es committees, Mac Thornberry
and John McCain respectively,
criticized the proposal as insuffi-
cient: “With a world on fire, Amer-
ica cannot secure peace through
strength with just 3 percent more
than president Obama’s budget.”
The proposed budget increase
highlights two sets of issues: the
capacity for US military forc-
es to maintain peace and secu-
similar to what it has today, with
somewhat more control over mi-
gration from the EU and an end to
deference to EU institutions such
as the European Court of Justice.
In exchange, the UK will forfeit
most of its influence in determin-
ing how the European single mar-
ket operates.
By accepting such a compro-
mise, May would certainly fulfill
her promise to those who voted for
Brexit, and possibly unite the dif-
ferent camps within her own Con-
servative Party. But a lot could go
wrong. If European countries do
not lurch to the right, and if Schulz
emerges as Germany’s leader —
and the EU’s de facto president —
the EU will have less tolerance for
British demands.
By appealing to Trump and
Erdoğan, May’s current strategy
seems to be geared toward ap-
peasing right-wing Brexiteers and
Euroskeptics. But if she concedes
too much to them, she could
make it impossible to reach a final
agreement with Europe.
Either way, Europhobes such
as Liam Fox, May’s trade secre-
tary, will denounce any deal as a
Cameron-style sellout, and push
for a “pure,” off-the-cliff Brex-
it. This would entail acceding to
World Trade Organization rules
with respect to Europe, which
would put Britain at a significant
disadvantage.
The fact that May is facing
the weakest domestic opposi-
tion imaginable may actually
compound her difficulties. Labor
Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is
sticking with his old far-left ex-
tremism, except on immigration,
where he is compromising one
of Labor’s most sacred principles
to curry favor with the shrinking
electorate once claimed by Os-
wald Mosley and other far-right
leaders, and now represented by
the UK Independence Party.
Corbyn, like a true Leninist, be-
lieves that any strategy is accept-
able in the pursuit of power. In a
career spanning nearly 35 years,
he has always taken the long view.
He now seems to think that he
could emerge, Trump-like, as an
unexpected victor in 2020, espe-
cially if Brexit sends the economy
into a downward spiral.
But with even trade union
leaders such as Unite’s Len Mc-
Cluskey now criticizing Corbyn,
a more moderate replacement
could be found. If former shad-
ow chancellor Ed Balls or former
foreign secretary David Miliband
takes the reins, Labour might
have a real chance at victory in
2020.
Still, May could frustrate La-
bor by holding an election this
fall, which would strengthen her
position vis-à-vis her party’s Eu-
rophobic fringe and whoever
governs Europe next year. For
now, she seems to have ruled out
calling an early election ahead
of the Brexit negotiations. But,
equipped with a popular mandate
of her own, and with the vision,
strength, and courage of her three
namesakes, she could secure a
deal with Europe that serves both
Britain and the cause of global
stability.
The writer, a former member of
the House of Commons Foreign Af-
fairs Committee, is the author of
Global Disorder and A Few Bloody
Noses: The Realities and Mytholo-
gies of the American Revolution.
rity throughout the world; and
the capacity of the US military to
win wars. The efficacy of military
power in both is at best mixed.
In the first instance, military
power is used for deterrent and
peacekeeping purposes. For the
US military, this translates into
a range of missions around the
world, from the Baltics and the
Black Sea to the South China Sea.
Such missions require presence,
and this demands that capabili-
ties be available.
For countries such as the Bal-
tic states, South Korea and Ja-
pan, the continued presence of
US military forces is regarded as
desirable, even essential, for the
maintenance of peace and stabil-
ity in the respective regions.
Arguably, the US military is
overstretched. Its military pres-
ence is truly global, deploying
personnel and equipment from
all three armed services. For a
number of countries around the
world, a continuing US military
presence is regarded as contrib-
uting positively to the mainte-
nance of security and stability in
the respective region.
This military presence is re-
garded as evidence that the US
New face of business
competition
he market is a meeting
place for supply and
demand. It is where
companies — as value
suppliers — compete to win the
minds and hearts of customers —
as value demanders.
In the business world, the
market is also like an estuary for
changes that occur at the mac-
ro scale. The technological revo-
lution further drives economic,
political-legal and sociocultural
changes, all of which culminate in
the market.
Several ASEAN countries have
experienced structural changes
in the market, inevitably result-
ing in greater competition. The
development of technologies,
which have increased informa-
tion availability, has prompted
profound changes in the politi-
cal systems of several countries,
while the more open economy has
meant the boundaries of monop-
oly restrictions have diminished
to a large extent.
In a number of important in-
dustries such as telecommuni-
cations and banking, we have
witnessed an influx of private
players entering the markets,
both indigenous and from out-
side the country.
The increasingly competitive
business environment has en-
couraged players to continue to
innovate and improve efficiency.
The customer has largely ben-
efitted from this phenomenon,
not least with a more varied se-
lection of products and services.
And technology continues to
evolve. The emergence of inter-
net and related technologies has
made the “whole world flat,” as
claimed by Thomas Friedman
(2005).
The barriers between coun-
tries are seemingly engulfed in
the wave of change. In this con-
text, Harold Sirkin (2008) stated
that the business world would be
faced with a phenomenon called
“globality,” in which a compa-
ny will compete with everyone,
from everywhere, for everything.
However, the disruption
caused by technology does more
maintains an interest in the se-
curity and stability of the particu-
lar region. An increase in military
spending is potentially desirable
in this regard, if it results in a US
military that is better able to ful-
fill its global security missions.
But there is a rub. It is difficult at
best to ascertain the effectiveness
of such operations by the US mili-
tary. Much of the problem relates
to the issue of deterrence: in any
given situation, just because noth-
ing happens does not necessarily
mean that deterrence has held.
Similarly, the absence of an
outbreak of armed conflict be-
tween otherwise adversarial
states in any region cannot be ab-
solutely attributed to the pres-
ence of US military forces.
However, it is the second is-
sue — the capacity of US military
forces to win wars — that is even
more problematic. Simply put, as
the title suggests, weapons alone
do not win wars. If it were so, the
US should not have lost the war in
Vietnam; the Soviet Union should
not have withdrawn from its
failed intervention and occupa-
tion of Afghanistan in 1989.
Indeed, the history of wars tells
us that every once in a while, a
Please send your articles to opinion@thejakartapost.com.
Hermawan Kartajaya and
Ardhi Ridwansyah
JAKARTA
than eliminate the boundaries
of competition between coun-
tries. Digitalization has also ren-
dered irrelevant the boundaries
between industries. Competition
today can emerge from any indus-
try or sector.
Look no further than the hos-
pitality industry. Hotels are not
just competing with other hotels,
but are also under threat from
websites such as Airbnb, which
simply aggregates a list of lodg-
ings in a city that can be rented
by users.
The website, which gives a vir-
tually unlimited range of options
to travelers based on price, qual-
ity of accommodation and loca-
tion, has over 1.5 million listings
in 190 countries and 34,000 cities.
Conventional transportation
companies are also panicking in
the face of a very real threat. The
emergence of online transporta-
tion networks such as Uber, as well
as other ASEAN counterparts —
Malaysia’s Grab and Indonesia’s
Go-Jek — has aroused a string of
negative reactions from conven-
tional transportation organizers,
especially taxi operators.
Governments have also come
under pressure and face a unique
dilemma. While these emerging
online transportation networks
are growing increasingly popular
among customers, the question
remains whether they should be
allowed to thrive at the expense
of conventional transportation
companies, which feel disadvan-
taged by the convenience and af-
fordability of these alternative
transportation players.
Similar disruptions have long
been experienced in other indus-
tries. Craigslist, a classified adver-
tisements website, which puts lo-
smaller power will defeat its mili-
tarily stronger adversary in war, if
not in battle.
Superior weapons capabilities
can result in victory in battles.
The capability to locate adversar-
ial military forces is essential to
any armed forces ability to wage
battle; and if one side can locate
its adversary before the adversary
can do likewise, this confers on
the first side a potentially signifi-
cant tactical advantage.
Second, if the first side can then
bring accurate and devastating ki-
netic force to bear against that
adversarial force, the adversarial
force faces the distinct prospect
of being destroyed in battle.
However, the winning of bat-
tles, while desirable and even
essential in war, does not itself
guarantee strategic success — or
victory — in war. The US, arguably,
did not lose any battle against its
North Vietnamese and Vietcong
adversary; yet this is clearly stra-
tegically irrelevant.
Arguably what caused the US
to lose the war in Vietnam and
the former Soviet Union to lose
in Afghanistan was the absence of
sound strategy. A sound strategy
is one that takes into consider-
OPINION
cal buyers and sellers together,
has made this role of newspapers
obsolete, Amazon.com has dis-
rupted publishers and bookstores
and Google and Baidu have made
libraries less relevant.
The list goes on and on. In fact,
even conservative sectors such as
banking are no longer immune
from disruption. Banks now have
to deal with new competitors
from telecommunication oper-
ators and financial technology
companies.
However, rather than seeing
these new players as a threat,
some banks have found ways to
forge new, and profitable, part-
nerships with them. The tradi-
tional limitations faced by these
new players — both legal and
technical — have in turn opened
up collaboration opportunities
with conventional financial in-
stitutions.
Examples include the provi-
sion of funding for alternative
business finance providers or re-
ferral arrangements, whereby
small business customers, who
do not qualify for a loan, can be
referred to the bank’s associated
peer-to-peer lenders.
The trend is already catching
on in the United Kingdom where
it has received encouragement
from the government. Another
example is the collaboration be-
ation the following factors, none
of which is more important than
the other.
A sound strategy first identi-
fies a political stake involved that
is unequivocally important to the
national interests of the country
such that the country has to re-
sort to the use of military force.
As long as the national interest
at stake is clearly important, and
this importance is recognized not
just by the political elites but by
the rest of the population as well,
this provides a firm foundation
for the crafting of sound strategy.
Next, the country’s resources
will need to be mobilized to en-
sure that the armed forces has the
necessary wherewithal to wage
war successfully. And there can
be no half measures: no country
should go to war while handicap-
ping itself.
However, as long as the nation-
al interest at stake has been clear-
ly articulated to the population,
and the population unequivocal-
ly accepts this articulation, the
mobilization of resources can be
achieved with a minimum of po-
litical fuss.
Third, a coherent causal argu-
ment has to be constructed that
| 7
tween Telenor Pakistan and Ta-
meer Microfinance Bank to offer
mobile money for the unbanked
sector in Pakistan.
In some Asian countries, the
regulator acts as the facilitator of
collaboration by requiring tele-
com firms and banks to work to-
gether, with banks holding licens-
es for transaction platforms.
In India, the country’s larg-
est private sector bank ICICI has
teamed up with Vodafone India
to bring Africa’s famed mobile
payment service M-Pesa to cus-
tomers, while Indonesia’s cen-
tral bank has invited commercial
banks and mobile network opera-
tors to introduce hybrid products
in certain rural areas.
Market disruption will inargu-
ably continue as a consequence
of the continuing development of
digitalization.
Business players must be pre-
pared to adapt and find new ways
to break through.
Governments, as the regula-
tors, must also act intelligently
to ensure policies do not hamper
technological innovation in the
business world.
Hermawan Kartajaya is founder
and chairman of MarkPlus Inc. Ar-
dhi Ridwansyah is director of EMBA
SBM-ITB/MarkPlus Institute.
relates the application of military
power to the attainment of the
political interests at stake.
In other words, sound strategy
must be able to show how the use
of military power can achieve the
political end-states that the coun-
try seeks to establish.
And sound strategy can be
crafted only when political elites
and military planners are in-
volved in the process.
However, there is a final rub.
Even sound strategy does not
guarantee strategic success. War
is just too non-linear: the law of
unintended consequences always
applies, and actions will not nec-
essarily result in the intended
outcomes.
The combination of over-
whelming military power applied
in a sound strategy merely increas-
es the probability of a successful
outcome. Just do not expect weap-
ons per se to get the job done.
The writer is associate profes-
sor at the Institute of Defense and
Strategic Studies of the S. Rajarat-
nam School of International Stud-
ies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore.
8 | SPORTS WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

PUTTING IT BRIEFLY ARGENTINA SACKS COACH BAUZA,

Anichebe hopes to save Black Cats
LONDON: Rock bottom Sunderland have to do whatever it takes to
grind out results if they are to stand any chance of avoiding relega-
lines up Sevilla’s Sampaoli

Reuters/Marcos Brindicci
tion from the Premier League, striker Victor Anichebe said.
Anichebe, who was out with a knee injury, returned to the starting we’ve told Bauza
w trip to play Uruguay in Montevi- Tapia won last month.
side for the first time since January in the 3-0 loss to Manchester he’s ceased to be
h deo. Messi had quit international
United on Sunday and he is keen to find his best form as soon as the national team
th Tapia has announced a news football after Argentina’s second
possible for the final seven matches. ccoach,” the Argen-
co conference for Tuesday to give successive Copa America final
“It’s going to take me a couple of games, I wish I had time, or we ttine FA’s recently details of Bauza’s departure and defeat on penalties by Chile in
had time, but we don’t [...] we haven’t had a good week,” Anichebe elected president his possible successor. the United States in June, having
told British media. Claudio Tapia told The new AFA leadership made missed the opening spot kick in
“We just have to go out every game and try and perform. I need rreporters after a the decision to dispense with the shootout.
to just keep going and so do the team, just grind out results any way Edgardo Bauza meeting at the organiza- Bauza after Argentina were lucky Bauza persuaded Messi to re-
we can. It’s not good enough, let’s be honest, we need to improve as tion’s Buenos Aires headquarters. to beat Chile 1-0 at home with a turn in August and the captain re-
a team.” Argentina, whose captain Li- Messi penalty then lost 2-0 away sponded with a goal in a 1-0 home
Sunderland’s loss to United left them winless in seven games and Rex Gowar onel Messi has been banned to Bolivia at high altitude in La win over Uruguay on Sept. 1.
10 points adrift of safety ahead of Saturday’s home match against REUTERS/BUENOS AIRES for four matches for insulting Paz last month. The 59-year-old’s team was un-
th
14 -placed West Ham United. — Reuters a match official, are fifth in the Argentina, who had Messi sus- convincing, though, with draws
Twice World Cup winners Ar- South American group with four pended before the Bolivia game, away to Venezuela and Peru, loss-
gentina sacked coach Edgardo qualifiers remaining. could be without their talisman es to Paraguay and Brazil and a
United must improve home form: Mata Bauza on Monday after a string The top four in the 10-nation in Uruguay and at home to Peru win over Colombia between Sep-
of poor results in South American group go through to the 2018 finals and Venezuela later this year un- tember and November.
LONDON: Manchester United have won just six times at home in the qualifying rounds left them strug- in Russia, while the fifth-placed less they manage to get the ban Messi missed all but the Brazil
Premier League this season and midfielder Juan Mata says they must gling to reach the 2018 finals in country qualifies for a playoff reduced on appeal. and Colombia matches through
start converting draws into victories at Old Trafford if they are to fin- Russia. against a team from Oceania. If the appeal fails, Messi would injury.
ish in the top four. Media reports suggest Sevilla’s Bauza presided over eight only come back for the final, po- Sampaoli quit as Chile coach
United are fifth and trail fourth-place Manchester City by four Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli, matches, all 2018 World Cup tentially decisive qualifier away to after lifting the 2015 Copa Amer-
points, albeit with a game in hand. United have drawn nine of their who has never disguised his qualifiers, with three wins, two Ecuador at high altitude in Quito ica but had just taken charge at
16 home league games and collected more points on their travels ambition to take charge of the draws and three defeats. in October. Sevilla when the Argentina job
than at home. national team and steered neigh- If the AFA can successfully Bauza was appointed last July became vacant last July after Ge-
Mata hopes United’s home fortunes change when they host lead- boring Chile to the Copa Ameri- prize Sampaoli away from Sevilla by Armando Perez, who headed rardo Martino resigned.
ers Chelsea on Sunday. ca title in 2015, will step into the at the end of the season, he would a FIFA committee that admin- The AFA would have to pay
“We will fight until the end to be in the top four, and in order to vacancy. have until Aug. 31 to prepare for istered the AFA and prepared it a buyout clause to trigger Sam-
do so we need mainly to get better at Old Trafford, at home,” Mata “We’ve reached an agreement, Argentina’s next qualifier, a tricky for the presidential election that paoli’s release from Sevilla.
wrote in his blog.
“We have an opportunity the next weekend against the leaders
Chelsea. It’s one of those games that everybody wants to play.” WORLD CUP
Mata might not play again this season after he underwent groin
surgery last month but the Spain midfielder hopes to make a swift
return.
FIFA changes
hanges me
mean
ean no rival yet for Nort
North American bid
While a top-four finish secures participation in next season’s
Champions League, they could also get there by winning the Europa Simon Evans month-long event,
event but the orga- at this stage.
League. United travel to face Belgian side Anderlecht on Thursday in REUTERS/MANCHESTER
STER nization’s president
preside Gianni In- There are however some po-
the quarter-final first leg of Europe’s second-tier club competition. — fantino has been vvocal in his sup- tential pitfalls for Gulati’s effort
Reuters The bidding process
rocess has yet to port for the idea. to achieve what he could not man-
nt proposal from
begin but the joint The US, with its many modern age in 2010 when a solo US bid
the United States, es, Canada and stadiums, mainly usedu by the Na- was beaten by Qatar.
EPL Mexico to host the 2026 World tional Football Lea
League (NFL), has Some in FIFA may be reluc-

Allardyce factor the difference

for Palace, says Townsend
Tom Hayward
REUTERS/LONDON
The ‘Sam Allardyce factor’
has been driving Crystal Pal-
ace’s resurgence, midfielder An-
dros Townsend said after a 3-0
win over Arsenal boosted their
improving Premier League sur-
vival bid.
Allardyce, who has developed a
reputation over the years as a sur-
vival specialist and last season led
Sunderland to an unlikely escape
from the drop, has been the driv-
ing force behind the stunning up-
turn in fortunes experienced by
Palace.
He initially struggled to turn
things around after joining
the south-London side in Decem-
ber, but since late February Pal-
ace have collected 15 points from
a possible 18, to climb three places
to 16th.
“Sam Allardyce has been in-
credible,” Townsend, who scored
Palace’s first goal on Monday, told
Sky Sports.
“I was on the wrong end of
the [then Sunderland manag-
er] Sam Allardyce factor when
I was at Newcastle last season
but he looks to have worked
his magic again and hopefully
we can keep these performanc-
es up and get enough points to
survive.”
Allardyce’s tactics have not
always been the most subtle but
under his stewardship Palace
SCOREBOARD
Soccer
EPL
Results from the English premier league
matches on Monday
Crystal Palace 3 Arsenal
La Liga
Results from the La Liga matches on Monday
Real Sociedad 3 Sporting Gijon
Baseball
Results from the MLB games on Monday
(home team in CAPS)
San Diego 5 COLORADO
CHICAGO CUBS 3 LA Dodgers
Cincinnati 7 PITTSBURGH
NY Mets 4 PHILADELPHIA
WASHINGTON 14 St. Louis
have become formidable oppo-
nents — particular at their rau-
cous Selhurst Park ground.
Their form is built on a strong,
well-organized defense, a physi-
cal target man in Christian Ben-
teke and the skill and coun-
ter-attacking ability of French
playmaker Yohan Cabaye — scor-
er of their second goal — Wilfried
Zaha and Townsend.
Combative Serbia internation-
al Luka Milivojevic, who added
the third, has looked like an astute
acquisition since he arrived from
Olympiakos Piraeous in January.
“Tactically the players were
aware of how to beat Arsenal,” Al-
lardyce told Sky Sports.
“The first thing was to defend
and frustrate them, keep them
playing sideways, then use the
space behind the full-backs.
“Arsenal have been weak de-
fensively, they leave the centre-
backs exposed. We won a lot of
possession off them and created
lots of chances.
“Cabaye’s goal, what a finish —
and that was down to us pressing
them. It wasn’t a shock for me be-
cause we played Chelsea and won
that game [2-1 away on April 1].
“The result might be a shock,
but we did that again and
did it better. We all know Arse-
nal are going through their worst
spell for years, but the only way to
take advantage is by playing well.
Everything worked perfectly for
us today.”
SEATTLE
SAN FRANCISCO
6
4
Houston
Arizona
Oakland 2 KANSAS CITY
DETROIT 2 Boston
0 NY YANKEES 8 Tampa Bay
Basketball
1 Results from the NBA games on Monday
(home team in CAPS)
LA CLIPPERS 125 Houston
Utah 105 GOLDEN STATE 99
PORTLAND 99 San Antonio
3
CHICAGO 122 Orlando
MILWAUKEE 89 Charlotte
2
Washington 105 DETROIT
1
BOSTON 114 Brooklyn
3 season, however, with the team
MIAMI 124 Cleveland 121 (OT)
6
Indiana 120 PHILADELPHIA 111
Cup is already the
he heavy favorite
to win.
A series of decisions
cisions made by
the sport’s governing
erning body
FIFA, since the scandal over
the voting for thehe 2018 and
2022 editions, have loaded
the dice heavily in favor of the
North American bid.
In October, FIFA’s
FA’s ruling body
decided that no country
ountry could bid
for the 2026 hosting
ing if their conti-
nental confederation
ation had hosted
one of the two preceding
receding tourna-
ments.
The controversial
rsial 2010 deci-
sion awarded 2018 18 to Russia and
2022 to Qatar meaning, unless
there is a major change of heart
from FIFA, no European
uropean or Asian
country can compete
mpete with the
North American bid.
That leaves Africa, South
America and Oceaniaania as poten-
tial bidders, but no candidate
has emerged so far, although the
Confederation of African Football
has talked, in vague terms, about a
possible Moroccan bid.
FIFA have also voted to expand
the World Cup to 48 teams for the
2026 edition, requiring more fa-
cilities to handle the increase to
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Real’s trio out to reignite spark against Bayern
Richard Martin
REUTERS/MADRID
Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema
and Cristiano Ronaldo will be
looking to rekindle some of the
magic they once served up under
Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday
when they face their old coach in
the latest edition of Real Madrid’s
0
1 rivalry with Bayern Munich.
0 Real’s “BBC” trident enjoyed
1 one of their most productive
1 nights under Ancelotti the last
time they were in the Allianz Are-
na, running riot in a 4-0 win to in-
flict the heaviest ever defeat on a
96
side coached by Pep Guardiola.
The expensively assembled trio
98
75 have frequently been blamed by
79 the Spanish media for Real’s un-
101
105 convincing attacking displays this
relying on other parts of the team,
Reuters/Andrea De Silva
Gianni Infantino
80 games, while also opening the
door to joint bids.
FIFA had been against joint
bids since the only time such an
approach was tried in 2002, when
South Korea and Japan held the
not least defender Sergio Ramos,
for goals.
The spotlight will be on the out-
of-form trio in Wednesday’s quar-
ter-final first leg in Germany as
Real resume their bid to become
the first team in the Champions
League era to retain the trophy.
Bale, albeit while missed three
months of action through inju-
ry, has endured his worst season
since joining Real with nine goals
in all competitions, while Ronaldo,
with 19 in the league, is on course
for his worst domestic tally since
2010.
Benzema, meanwhile, has also
been far less prolific in domes-
tic matches this year but is the
team’s top scorer in the Champi-
ons League with five goals to only
two each from his Portuguese and
Welsh team mates.
There will be extra pressure on
the capacity to host
ho an expanded
tournament alone but Infantino’s
multi-national host-
opening to multi
ing provided a han
lution for US Soc
handy political so-
Soccer Federation
president Sunil Gulati.
Gu
Gulati, who is al
also a FIFA coun-
cil member and played
pl a key role
Infantino win the pres-
in helping Infantin
idency of FIFA in February, 2016,
is a wily operator and
a by bringing
Mexico and CanaCanada into his bid
has eliminated fro from the process
rivals.
two potential riva
Mexico has h hosted twice be-
fore, in 1970 and 1986, but
had made noinoises about a solo
bid and Ca Canadian Soccer
Federation president Vic-
Montagliani, who is also
tor Montagli
vice-president and
a FIFA vice-
president of regional
regio confedera-
tion CONCACAF, has long talked
of his country eventually
eve hosting
a World Cup.
A split within the CONCA-
CAF region could have encour-
aged other potential bidders,
but although Canada and Mex-
ico will only get 10 games each,
they will share in the glory and
their support helps the North
American bid look so formidable
Reuters/Michael Dalder
Carlo Ancelotti
the forwards because of the ab-
sence from the Real defence of the
injured Pepe and Raphael Varane,
while Bayern will be missing de-
fender Mats Hummels with an an-
kle problem.
Bayern’s top scorer Robert
Lewandowski should be able to
start, despite being forced off
with a shoulder injury towards
the end of the 4-1 win over Borus-
sia Dortmund in the Bundesliga
tant to let Mexico have a third
World Cup when so many coun-
tries have yet to enjoy the tour-
nament even once. The violence
of Mexico’s “drug wars” may also
be a concern to some FIFA voters.
The political rhetoric of US
President Donald Trump regard-
ing immigration and travel from
certain Muslim-majority coun-
tries could also play on some
minds.
There are also some in FIFA
who are unhappy at the leading
role the US Department of Jus-
tice and FBI played in investigat-
ing FIFA corruption and arrest-
ing several FIFA figures.
And while soccer has grown
in popularity in the US since the
country’s hosting of the 1994
tournament, the sport remains
outside of the mainstream, still
overshadowed by American foot-
ball, basketball and baseball.
But FIFA’s recent financial
troubles mean the huge revenue
potential of a North American
tournament will be very attractive
to Infantino and the leadership.
And so far, in the post-scandal
FIFA, what Infantino has wanted,
he has received.
on Saturday.
Satu
Games between the most suc-
Game
cessful clubs from Germany and
Spain have
h thrown up plenty of
violent scenes in the past, from
Bayern
B
Ba yern goalkeeper Sepp Mai-
breaking Roberto Martinez’s
er brea
nose in 1976 to Juanito stamping
Lothar Matthaus’s head in 1987.
on Loth
Bayern’s Arjen Robben, howev-
er, thought there would be no re-
sidual hard feelings left over from
the thumping his side suffered in
2014.
“Not at all, it is part of the past
and not important anymore, we
are only interested in the future,”
the former Real Madrid winger
told Spanish daily AS.
“We are playing to reach the
semi-finals against a team of the
size of Real Madrid and our objec-
tive is to progress. Nothing else
interests us.”

CRICKET

Metro Indians, Jakarta Barbarians, both Yadavas teams secure hard-fought wins
Suresh Subramanian
CONTRIBUTOR/JAKARTA
Teams showing mental resolve
and a strong team-spirit pre-
vailed in this weekend’s match-
ups in the Texmoda JCA League.
Ceylon CC’s batting woes con-
tinued as tight bowling from Ya-
davas Chairos Tigers’ Agi Sap-
tiazi, followed by wickets from
Rizky Nugraha at the other end,
left the Ceylon batsmen to cool
off in the shade of the Cibubur
Pavilion.
It needed a fantastic knock
from Rajeev Kumar, who in part-
nership with Kesavadas put on
more than 70 runs for the 9th
wicket to give Ceylon a fighting
chance.
However, the young Indone-
sian duo of Aditya Haryanto and
Repan Desnika showed gump-
tion, putting on 98 runs for the
2nd wicket, guiding Yadavas to a
comfortable 6 wicket win with 12
overs to spare.
Elsewhere, the senior Yada-
vas side took on Menara CC in
what should have been an easy
game. However, Menara CC were
prepared to put up a fight. Their
openers, Ishaq Khan and Deepak
Khullar, started off solid, but the
introduction of Manbhir Singh
and Lucky Kusuma triggered a
collapse and yet another low to-
tal loomed.
However, in what was to be
a weekend of late-order fight-
backs, Prakash Kewlani and
Amit Bhat got together to put on
70 runs, taking Menara to a score
of 164 in 35 overs.
Menara showed fight when
Faheem Butt got rid of Viraj
Bhammar and Manbhir Singh
fluidly, and two further wickets,
including one to Deepak Khullar,
kept them within range of their
first win. Gamantika, who has
started to show form recently,
then partnered beautifully with
Raj Kapadia to resurrect the
Senayan innings.
When bowled by Vipul, Lucky
Kusuma then took on the man-
tle of batting sensibly to take his
team home with 4 wickets and 5
overs in hand.
WPP India XI self-destruct-
ed in the last couple of overs of
the game to hand Metro Indi-
ans a last-ball win in their T20
game. Electing to bat first, Kiru-
basankar anchored Metro’s in-
nings with help from Dhanasek-
ar. But WPP India XI fought back
through Anish Param and Gau-
rang Kapadia.
However, accurate batting by
Sakthi and Murali with help from
plenty of dropped catches saw 30
runs come in the last 3 overs for
Metro. The tall Rakhitha start-
ed well by accounting for Pallav,
but Naidu and Anish Param too
played well to give WPP India XI
a strong start, putting the pieces
in place for a victory.
However, with 12 needed of
the last 2 overs, careless batting
ensued, gifting Dhanasekar 3
wickets for the 19th over. Needing
8 off the last over, Sakthi bowled
tightly to help Metro steal an un-
likely win.
Ben Burgess ended his very
successful season in style with a
classy 94 not out and his knock,
with some help from Jon Baker,
carried the Jakarta Barbarians to
a score of 151 in their 20 overs.
In response, Bilal Qureshi and
Riaz Hyder powered Jaguar CC
to a 97 run opening stand. Mo-
hib Hussaini then struck with 4
wickets and Ben Burgess contin-
ued his form to limit Jaguar CC
to only 129 runs in their 20 overs,
short by 22 runs.
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 SPORTS | 9

NO SHANGHAI SURPRISE PUTTING IT BRIEFLY

Kings dump Sutter, Lombardi

but Ferrari confirms challenge
Abhishek Takle
REUTERS/SHANGHAI
Lewis Hamilton may have tak-
en the spoils in Sunday’s Chinese
Grand Prix but Sebastian Vettel’s
second-place finish provided clear
evidence that Ferrari appear more
than capable of taking the fight to
the Briton’s Mercedes tam.
Vettel sprung something of
a surprise when he won last
month’s season opener in Austra-
lia and despite racing on a vastly
different layout in much cooler
weather, there was little to choose
between the pair for the second
weekend in a row.
The results in Melbourne and
Shanghai have raised hopes that
the early-season rivalry between
a duo with seven Formula One
championships between them
and locked on 43 points apiece in
the overall standings, could be-
come a full-blown title duel.
The China performance in par-
ticular also erased any lingering
doubts about the championship
credentials of the sport’s most
successful team, for whom the
season-opening triumph marked
a welcome return to form after a
winless 2016.
“On a track and in conditions
which were very different from
those we had in Melbourne, we
proved that we have a strong car,”
Ferrari team principal Maurizio
Arrivabene said.
Ferrari have looked competi-
tive since pre-season testing and
there was very little to choose
between Germany’s Vettel and
Hamilton in terms of pace and
performance throughout the
Shadow: Ferrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel drives his car into the pit lane during the Formula
One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Saturday.
Shanghai weekend.
Mercedes non-executive
chairman Niki Lauda went so
far as to suggest that Vettel had
the speed to seize Ferrari’s first
pole position since the Singapore
Grand Prix in 2015 but Hamilton
did just enough in qualifying to
secure top spot.
“The explanation is that Ferra-
ri grew up in the Barcelona tests,
won the first race and is still on
the way up,” said the 68-year-old
Austrian, a three times Formula
One world champion.
The outcome of the race could
also have been different had Vet-
tel’s gamble to pit under the vir-
tual safety car on the opening lap
not been undermined when the
actual safety car was deployed fol-
lowing crash a few laps later.
The strategy left him bottled up
behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo
and Ferrari team mate Kimi Raik-
konen, but the four-times champi-
on was able to match Hamilton lap
for lap once he found a way past
the cars in his path.
“In the mixed conditions it felt
Reuters/Andy Wong
like we were the quickest, we were
the quickest, man,” the 29-year-
old enthused to his team over the
radio. “Couldn’t prove that but
next time we will.”
Mercedes, who have swept to a
hat-trick of both driver and con-
structor titles over the last three
years, are certainly feeling the
heat from their Italian rivals.
“I hope they’re feeling the spir-
it,” triple champion Hamilton
said after Sunday’s race, referring
to his team. “I hope they’re feel-
ing the fight [...] because it’s on.”
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Kings made huge changes to their
front office on Monday as they fired coach Darryl Sutter and general
manager Dean Lombardi, who helped guide the team to its two NHL
Stanley Cup titles.
Luc Robitaille was named club president, and fellow former Kings
standout and Hockey Hall of Famer Rob Blake was selected as vice
president and general manager.
The Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 but missed the
playoffs for the second time in three years this season.
Dan Beckerman, president and CEO of AEG, the Kings’ parent com-
pany, said in a statement the moves were made with a view to the
team’s future.
“This was an extremely difficult decision and was made with an
enormous amount of consideration for what we have accomplished in
our past,” said Beckerman. “But the present and future of our organi-
zation is the highest priority.”
Sutter was hired in December 2011 and led the team to a memo-
rable title run as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. He also
guided the Kings to the Western Conference Final in 2013.
Sutter and Lombardi, hired in 2006, depart after recording the most
wins for a Kings coach and general manager. — Reuters
Walker ends Evans’ bid for appearance
LONDON: Reanne Evans’ bid to become the first woman to reach the
final stages of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre
in Sheffield ended after she lost 10-6 to Lee Walker at Ponds Forge in
the second round of qualifying on Monday.
Evans trailed 6-1 on resumption but fought back gallantly to make
the score 9-6 before world number 91 Walker wrapped up the low-
scoring encounter at the end of the evening session to advance to the
third and final round of qualification.
“I was in control of most of the frames,” Evans, who made the only
three 50 breaks of the match, told the BBC. “I think I should have won
every frame in the second session. I think if I’d have pulled one more
back, I’d have been the favorite.”
The 31-year-old Briton, an 11-times women’s world champion, won
her first ever qualifier against the men when she beat Finland’s Robin
Hull 10-8 last Wednesday.
“The buzz off winning [the first qualifying round] was immense and
I couldn’t wait to play again. Maybe if it was a day later, I’d have been
more on the ball. I still felt really good out there,” Evans added.
Evans will not be eligible for entry into next year’s tournament un-
less she receives a wild card entry as Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee won the
World Women’s Championship in Singapore last month to earn a first
qualifying round berth for 2018.
Welshman Walker advances to face Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham
in a best-of-19 encounter. Briton Mark Selby is the reigning world
champion and will begin the defense of his title at the 32-player finals
starting on April 15. — Reuters

Reanne Evans
Victorious

Reuters/Yong Teck Lim

SKATING

Japan’s Asada retiring, has lost

‘will to compete’
Reuters
TOKYO
Japanese figure skater Mao
Asada, a silver medalist from the
Courtesy of KBRI Beograd 2010 Winter Olympics and three-
Members of Indonesia’s paragliding team pose for a photograph after securing gold and silver medals in the men’s and women’s categories at the time world champion, is retiring
Paragliding Accuracy World Cup, which was held in Vrsac, Serbia, from April 3 to 7. from the sport after a disappoint-
ing season, saying she has lost the
will to compete.
The 26-year-old took a year off
GOLF from competition after the Sochi
Olympics before resuming train-
for silver while Kim claimed gold.
The only woman to land the
complicated triple Axel jump
three times in competition, Asada
was tipped as a leading medal con-
tender at the 2014 Sochi Olympics
but had a disastrous short pro-
gramme, although she rebounded
with a strong free skate to finish
sixth overall.
She won her third world cham-
pionships title a month later, set-
ting a world record with the same

Garcia no favorite for US Open
Andrew Both
REUTERS/NORTH CAROLINA
Sergio Garcia’s victory at the
United States Masters on Sunday
was received with delight through-
out the golf world, but it seems un-
likely to lead to a subsequent flood
of major titles for the Spaniard.
That is not to say 37-year-old
Garcia will fail to add to his first
major win, but the best players
are too evenly matched in the
post-Tiger Woods era to realisti-
cally expect him to suddenly run
up his major tally in his late 30s.
The top 20 or so players are
all eminently capable of winning
when in top form. Woods may
have been capable of winning
with his “B” game, but no-one else
is, not even current number one
Dustin Johnson.
Rory McIlroy
Since Rory McIlroy and Jordan
Spieth combined to win four con-
secutive majors at the end of 2014
and start of 2015, seven players
have shared the spoils in the past
seven majors, much as it used to
be before Woods.
Garcia and Masters runner-up
Justin Rose were ranked 11th and
14th respectively in the world last
week, but it was hardly a surprise
they ended up separating them-
selves from the field, especially
in the absence of Johnson, who
pulled out at the last minute with
a back injury.
A little luck is often required to
win, and if Rose’s seven-foot bird-
ie putt at the 72nd hole had toppled
in instead of grazing the cup, the
Englishman probably would be
celebrating getting halfway to the
career grand slam, after winning
the 2013 US Open.
Indeed, Garcia’s victory hardly
elevated him to the top echelon
of favorites in betting for the next
major, the US Open at Erin Hills
in Wisconsin in June.
Betting website Centrebet on
Monday had Dustin Johnson a 7/1
favorite, followed at 8/1 by McIl-
roy and Jason Day, with Jordan
Spieth at 9/1.
on Sky Sports.
“It was kind of difficult,” Mc-
Ginley said on Golf Channel on
Monday. “To be honest I had a big
lump in my throat.
“I was so happy for him I can’t
tell you how happy. I’ve been
through so much with him. I felt
his pain [after previous near-
misses]. He’s an emotional per-
son. I know how much it hurts
him.”
It seemed as though most of
the gallery at Augusta felt the
same way, as the Garcia who
made a rude hand gesture to a
spectator who heckled him at
the 2002 US Open was trans-
formed into an almost beloved
figure who seemed to feed off the
crowd’s affection.
“Sergio often feels like he’s not
supported the way he would like
to be here in America,” said the
vanquished Rose.
“It was encouraging to see the
crowd get behind him. I think
they realised that he paid his
dues, he’s been close so many
times and they probably were
pulling for him to pull through
on this occasion.”
McGinley, meanwhile, admit-
ted that he was starting to wonder
ing in 2015, but said on her blog
late on Monday that this time she
was quitting for good.
“After coming back to com-
petition, I have not been able to
achieve either the techniques or
the results I wanted, and the num-
ber of things I worried about in-
creased,” wrote Asada, known in
Japan by the affectionate nick-
name “Mao-chan.”
“After last year’s Japan nation-
als, all the goals that had kept me
going disappeared, along with my
will to compete.”
Plagued by knee pain this past
season, Asada finished 12th at the
national championship in Decem-
ber, the lowest finish of her career.
She had previously won the event
six times.
Asada began skating at the age
of 5, lured into the sport by her old-
er sister Mai, and began to draw at-
tention while still a junior, sharing
the limelight with South Korea’s
Kim Yuna at the start of a long ri-
valry.
This climaxed at the 2010
Games, when Asada had to settle
short programme that had been
her undoing at Sochi, but wrote
that she did not regret either tak-
ing a one-year break or coming
back for another go.
“I have no regrets about my
skating career,” she added.
“This was a huge decision for
me, but I regard it as only one stage
of my life and will find new dreams
and goals going forward.”
The announcement was met
with surprise in Japan, where
Asada is a household name and
has appeared in a range of adver-
tisements from chocolate to cold
medicines.
Even the staid Japanese govern-
ment joined in, with chief cabinet
secretary Yoshihide Suga telling a
news conference: “I am very sur-
prised and think that it’s too bad.”
Others appreciated her dedica-
tion to figure skating and deliver-
ing so many eye-catching routines.
“She has worked so hard and
shown us many great perfor-
mances,” said Tokyo resident Nor-
iko Yamaguchi. “So I just want to
thank her.”
Reuters/Charles Platiau/File Photo

Garcia was 33/1, similar to his
pre-Masters odds.
But he will not care as he cel-
ebrates an occasion that he
thought might never come. He
was not the only one.
Former European Ryder Cup
captain Paul McGinley struggled
to retain his composure during
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson the live television commentary
whether Garcia would ever close
the deal.
“I think his career deserved a Losing appetite:
major and we were all worried his Mao Asada of
career wasn’t going to end with Japan competes
one,” the Irishman said. during the ISU
“And to see it be done on such Grand Prix of
a grand stage, in such an impres- Figure Skat-
sive way, anyone who knows Ser- ing Trophée de
gio would have felt the same.” France 2016/2017.
10 | WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

AROUND THE REGION

Riau Islands to be economic diplomacy hub
INDONESIA: The Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with the Riau Islands
provincial administration, plans to make the archipelagic province a
hub for Indonesia’s economic diplomacy.
Riau Islands province comprises 2,408 islands, including Natuna Islands,
a stretch of resource-rich islands jutting at the frontiers of the South China
Sea and bordering Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia.
During a promotional event highlighting the province on Tuesday,
Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir announced that the government
would make Riau Islands a hub for Indonesia’s foreign dealings.
“Last year we organized the first ever event in Riau Islands, where
we managed to gather ambassadors from Jakarta and Singapore,”
Fachir said in his opening remarks.
“This will become our annual event, with the blessing of Pak Gover-
nor,” he added, referring to Riau Islands Governor Nurdin Basirun, who
will host a gathering of envoys in October.
Fachir stressed the important role foreign ambassadors played in
helping promote Indonesia in their home countries.
Meanwhile, Nurdin said his administration was well aware of its
proximity to Indonesia’s neighbors, particularly its maritime borders in
the South China Sea.
He thanked the ministry for helping them to promote Riau Island’s
potential in a green economy, tourism and other business sectors such
as the maritime industry. — JP

King to be asked to name three new subs

THAILAND: Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn will be asked to name the
Reuters/Chaiwat Subprasom
three submarines Thailand orders from China, Royal Thai Navy spokes-
man Adm. Jumpol Lumpikanon said on Tuesday. Merry spray: An elephant sprays tourists with water in celebration of the Songkran Water Festival in Ayutthaya province, north of Bang-
He said the purchase of the three Yuan-class S26T submarines for kok, Thailand, on Tuesday.
US$1 billion was still in the process of examination of the procurement
Thailand bought four submarines in 1937, becoming the second

Officials say Phuket ready

country in Asia to have submarines. They were decommissioned from
service in 1951.
The four were Matchanu, Wirun, Sinsamut and Phlai-chumphon, all
named after literary characters known for their mythical diving abili-
ties. — The Nation/ANN

Junta rejects conditional peace talks

THAILAND: Thailand’s military junta on Tuesday rejected a conditional
to deal with Songkran influx
offer from the main Muslim separatist group fighting in southern Thai- The Nation/ANN Phuket adminstration gation Department deputy direc- to be up this year, especially at the
land to enter into formal peace talks. PHUKET ready to welcome tor-general Kobchai Boonyaora- beach areas,” Wal Brown, founder
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) said on Monday that it would Songkran influx na said the reason for ramping up and coordinator of the Region 8
be willing to enter into formal negotiations on the decades-old insur- Phuket International Airport traffic law enforcement was that Police Volunteers, said.
gency if certain conditions were met by the Thai government. director Monrudee Gettuphan Traffic safety is top statistics showed that the main “Subsequently, there will be
Among its demands were mediation by a neutral third party and has confirmed that an in-line priority for newly cause of road accidents in Thai- more officers on duty than in pre-
the participation of international observers. screening system was recently appointed governor for land was lack of traffic discipline. vious years and they will be fo-
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha rejected the offer and said peace added to the airport, which will the New Year festival “We have learned from previ- cused on the safety of everyone
talks were an internal matter and required no international mediation help ease passenger congestion, ous traffic accident monitoring — both locals and foreigners. Ev-
or observation. make processing times faster and periods that we have a problem ery year, we see far too many ac-
“Why do they need to come mediate? Can we not fix these prob- highlighting and alleviating any from Tuesday until midnight next in our traffic law and law en- cidents, especially on the roads.”
lems ourselves? And if they do come what guarantees do we have ‘suspicious circumstances’ that Monday. forcement. So, this Songkran we Brown also requested party go-
that they would understand the issues?” Prayuth said. might affect the island. “Our aim is always to meet the had to come up with many tight- ers not to throw water at law en-
The insurgency in the largely ethnic-Malay, Muslim-majority south- Newly appointed Phuket Gov- ‘zero deaths’ target during Song- er measures, such as requiring forcement officers and volunteers
ern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat has claimed more than ernor Norraphat Plodthong em- kran, but sometimes, even despite all passengers in the car to wear in uniform.
6,500 lives since it escalated in 2004, says independent monitoring phasized Songkran safety as his top our best efforts, we cannot change their seatbelts all the time and “From previous years, we know
group Deep South Watch. — Reuters priority on his first day in office on people’s reckless behavior. If every- forbidding passengers to sit in that it’s really problematic to pa-
Tuesday. Phuket Vice Governor Sa- one follows the rules of the road, it the back of [pickup] trucks,” Ko- trol when drenched,” he said.
nit Sriwihok has similarly revealed will certainly help reduce the num- bchai said. Brown also said that police
the safety measures that will be im- ber of accidents and deaths,” added Tourism Authority of Thailand would be focusing on dangerous
SECURITY plemented during Songkran. Vice Governor Sanit. Phuket director Anoma Wongyai actions with the use of water as
“Every year, the [central] gov- Police and military agencies, as said that at least 5 billion baht will well as unsafe driving and alco-
Philippine troops, suspected ernment provides us with addi-
tional support to prepare for Song-
well as public and private sector
groups have also joined forces to
be added to Phuket’s economy
during the Songkran festivities.
hol abuse.
“Everyone over the blood alco-
kran. Safety measures include campaign for safer roads, includ- “About 76 percent of the hotel hol limit will be arrested, charged
militants clash; 6 dead stricter police patrols at check-
points to force people to drive
ing setting up more traffic check-
points and tighter law enforce-
bookings are from Chinese and
other Asian visitors, as well as Eu-
and put through the courts — no
exceptions. This can lead to de-
safely, as well as strict measures to ment, especially against drunk ropean tourists, as Songkran also portation and a ban on re-enter-
Jim Gomez have crossed the sea border with prevent drunk driving. Most im- and speeding drivers. coincides with the Easter holi- ing Thailand,” Brown said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS/MANILA Malaysia on powerful speedboats portantly, I ask people to be pa- After a deadly New Year festi- days,” said Anoma. When asked about a potential
and kidnapped scores of foreign tient, have discipline and cooper- val, which saw a national death toll She added that several cultural shortage of water during Song-
At least six people have been tourists in past years. ate with officials,” Vice Governor of 478 and some 3,919 accidents, shows will also be held through- kran, Sayan Wareearoonroj, man-
killed in battle between Philip- “If we were not able to moni- Sanit told the Phuket Gazette. the government aims to slash the out Phuket for visitors to enjoy, ager of Phuket Provincial Water
pine forces and suspected Abu tor this and engage them with our He also spoke about the is- number of deaths and accidents including food and art festivals, Supply, said that he was not ex-
Sayyaf militants on a central re- government forces, it’s a cause for land’s semi-annual “Seven Days for the upcoming holiday. games and parades. pecting water shortage to pose a
sort island, far from the extrem- alarm if they were able to carry of Danger” campaign, to be held Disaster Prevention and Miti- “Visitor numbers are expected serious problem in Phuket.
ists’ southern jungle bases and in out kidnappings,” dela Rosa said.
a region where the United States Military chief of staff Gen.
government has warned the gun- Eduardo Ano told The Associ-
men may be conducting kidnap- ated Press that military intelli- MINORITY GROUP
pings, officials said. gence operatives had been try-
The national police chief said
a soldier died, and the military
ing to track down the movements
of the suspected militants, who Myanmar reiterates no ethnic cleansing of Rohingya people
chief of staff reported that at least first traveled from Sulu to south-
five gunmen were killed in an on- ern Zamboanga peninsula. Intel-
going gunbattle in Inabanga town ligence later indicated the gun- Reuters crimes against humanity. His comments come amid sev- signed by one ethnic or religious
in Bohol province. men landed ashore in Inabangan, YANGON The military has denied the ac- eral ongoing investigations into group to remove by violent and
National Police chief Direc- prompting military and police of- cusations, saying it was engaged the allegations, including one terror-inspiring means the civil-
tor General Ronald dela Rosa said ficials to deploy their forces, the A senior Myanmar government in a legitimate counter-insurgen- mandated by Suu Kyi’s govern- ian population of another ethnic
troops and policemen attacked the official said. official on Tuesday denied there cy operation. ment and chaired by the vice- or religious group from certain
gunmen early Tuesday in coastal The US Embassy recently ad- was ethnic cleansing against Ro- Thaung Tun, a recently ap- president and former head of mil- geographic areas.”
Inabanga, where the gunmen had vised Americans to take precau- hingya Muslims in the troubled pointed National Security Advis- itary intelligence, Myint Swe. Thaung Tun said the govern-
arrived aboard three boats. The tions amid “unsubstantiated yet northwestern state of Rakhine, er, reiterated the claim made by Last month, the top UN human ment needed time and space to
gunmen took cover in three hous- credible information” of possible where a military operation aimed Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi rights body agreed to send an in- address the issues and “where
es as the firefight broke out. kidnappings by terrorists in Bo- at the minority has forced 75,000 during a recent interview when ternational fact-finding mission there is clear evidence of wrong-
The more than 10 militants have hol, nearby Cebu province and people to flee to Bangladesh. she said “ethnic cleansing is too to investigate the allegations — a doing, we will take firm action in
either been forced out or killed in other central areas. Attacks on Myanmar border strong an expression to use for move that Myanmar has opposed. accordance with the law.”
the two houses and the others were The US and the Philippines guard posts in October last year by what is happening.” While the UN February report He added the government had
holed up and surrounded by gov- have separately blacklisted the a Rohingya insurgent group ignited “There is no ethnic cleansing stopped short of explicitly labelling initiated the process of closing
ernment forces in the third house, Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organi- the biggest crisis of country leader of Muslim minority in Rakhine,” the actions of the security forces down some of the camps where
dela Rosa told reporters. zation for bombings, kidnappings Aung San Suu Kyi’s year in power. Thaung Tun told a group of dip- as ethnic cleansing, it said the vio- tens of thousands of Rohingya
If it is proven that the gunmen for ransom and beheadings. Some A United Nations report in Feb- lomats in Myanmar’s largest city, lence committed against the Ro- internally displaced people have
were from Abu Sayyaf, it may be Abu Sayyaf commanders have ruary said Myanmar’s security Yangon. “It is a matter of people hingya “has been described in oth- lived since clashes with ethnic Ra-
the group’s first known attempt to pledged allegiance to the Islamic forces had committed mass killings on different sides of the divide er contexts” as ethnic cleansing. khine Buddhists in 2012, but did
carry out ransom kidnappings deep State (IS) group. and gang rapes against Rohingya and the government is striving It also expressed “serious con- not provide any specifics of what
into the heartland of the central President Rodrigo Duterte has during their campaign against the to overcome the situation and to cerns” that the attacks were a re- is likely to be an extremely com-
Philippines, far from its jungle lairs ordered troops to destroy the ex- insurgents, which may amount to close the gap.” sult of a “purposeful policy de- plex process.
in the southern provinces of Sulu tremists in Sulu and in outlying
and Basilan. Abu Sayyaf militants island provinces.
CAMBODIA

Symbolic show
Police seek shoe-throwing critic
Sopheng Cheang
ASSOCIATED PRESS/PHNOM PENH
Police in Cambodia are seeking
to arrest a woman who was seen
on a video clip on Facebook show-
ing her throwing a shoe at a bill-
board of the ruling Cambodian
People’s Party.
Sam Sak, a police chief in west-
ern Kampong Speu province, said
Monday that his force was look-
ing for 38-year-old Sam Sokha,
who he said was understood to be
a labor activist and supporter of
the opposition Cambodia Nation-
Reuters/Romeo Ranoco al Rescue Party.
An activist wearing a costume of Jesus Christ reenacts his crucifixion The provincial prosecutor’s of-
as part of a symbolic protest against the numerous killings in connec- fice issued a summons on Saturday
tion to the Philippine government’s anti-drug campaign during a Holy for her to appear for questioning,
Week Lent rally outside the presidential palace in metro Manila, on but when she did not show up and
Tuesday. apparently fled her home, it asked
police to arrest her. The original
charges against her carry a punish-
ment of up to three years in pris-
on, though it appears her arrest is
sought for ignoring a summons.
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s
Cambodian People’s Party has
been aggressively prosecuting
critics and political opponents
ahead of nationwide local elec-
tions this June, and a general
election next year.
Hun Sen has been in power for
three decades, and while maintain-
ing a framework of democracy, tol-
erates little opposition. But his grip
on power seemed shaken in 2013’s
general election, when the Cambo-
dia National Rescue Party mount-
ed a strong challenge, winning 55
seats in the National Assembly and
leaving Hun Sen’s party with 68.
“Over the last 18 months we
have seen repeated examples of
the criminal justice system being
used to threaten and punish those
critical of government as the elec-
tions approach, which has already
had an alarming and chilling effect
on freedom of speech in Cambo-
dia,” said Chak Sopheap, executive
director of Cambodian Center for
Human Rights, commenting on
the billboard case.
“People have every right to criti-
cize, insult, and satirize their gov-
ernment or political leaders with-
out fear of retribution,” she said. “It
is unacceptable and unlawful for
state authorities to subject individ-
uals to judicial harassment and po-
tential criminal charges simply for
expressing their negative opinion
of those in power.”
The 13-second video clip of
Sam Sokha shows her looking at
a roadside ruling party billboard,
then throwing one shoe at the im-
age on it of Hun Sen, followed by
another at a picture of his par-
ty colleague, National Assembly
President Heng Samrin.
“This man even came here to
destroy the nation,” Sam Sokha
can be heard saying in the video.
It was not immediately known
who originally posted the clip, but it
was widely shared on social media.
Kampong Speu provincial
court prosecutor Keo Sothea is-
sued a summons Saturday seek-
ing to question Sam Sokha on
charges of “insulting and inciting
discrimination,” crimes that car-
ry a total of up to three years in
prison if convicted.
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
Big bang
Firefighters and rescue workers work at the site after an explosion which killed one man and injured a number of other people in Diyarbakir,
Turkey, Tuesday. The explosion on occurred inside a workshop where a police armored vehicle was being repaired, officials said.
CHURCH ATTACK
State of
emergency
approved in
Egypt
Osama Naguib
and Amina Ismail
REUTERS/ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
Families of victims of Sunday’s
bombing at Alexandria’s Coptic
cathedral gathered at the Mon-
astery of Saint Mina under heavy
security on Monday as Egypt’s
cabinet approved a three-month
state of emergency ahead of a
scheduled trip by Pope Francis.
Coffins of the 17 killed were
lined up on the tiled square out-
side the monastery ahead of the
funeral. Police checked cars as
they entered the grounds, with
hundreds of people gathered out-
side, and dozens of tanks lined
parts of the road from Cairo.
The blast in Egypt’s second
largest city came hours after a
bomb struck a Coptic church in
Tanta, a nearby city in the Nile
Delta, killing 27 and wounding
nearly 80.
Both attacks were claimed by
the Islamic State (IS) movement,
which has waged a campaign
against Egypt’s Christian minority,
the largest in the Middle East. The
Copts, whose presence in Egypt
dates to the Roman era, have long
complained of religious persecu-
tion and accused the state of not
doing enough to protect them.
Coming on Palm Sunday, when
Christians mark the arrival of Je-
sus in Jerusalem, the bombings
appeared designed to spread fear
among Copts, who make up 10
percent of Egypt’s population.
They also raised security fears
ahead of a visit to Cairo by Roman
Catholic Pope Francis planned
for April 28 and 29.
Coptic Pope Tawadros, who was
leading the mass in Alexandria’s
Saint Mark’s Cathedral when the
bomb exploded, was not harmed,
the Interior Ministry said.
The nationwide state of emer-
gency declared by President Ab-
del Fattah al-Sisi and agreed by
the cabinet on Monday is expect-
ed to be approved by parliament
within seven days in order to re-
main in place.
“The armed forces and police
will do what is necessary to con-
front the threats of terrorism and
its financing,” the cabinet said
in a statement. Measures would
be taken to “maintain security
across the country, protect public
and private property and the lives
of citizens,” it said.
In Tanta, where many fami-
lies buried their dead on Sunday,
members of the Coptic commu-
nity expressed anger at the lack of
security, saying that despite warn-
ings of an attack, police had not
stepped up efforts to protect them.
A senior police official told Re-
uters a bomb was discovered and
disabled near the Tanta church
about a week ago.
“That should have been an
alarm or a warning that this place
is targeted,” said 38-year-old
Amira Maher. “Especially Palm
Sunday, a day when many people
gather, more than any other time
in the year [...] I don’t know how
this happened.”
At Tanta University hospital
morgue, desperate families were
trying to get inside to search for
loved ones. Security forces held
them back to stop overcrowding,
enraging the crowd.
N.Korea media warns
of nuclear strike
Park Ju-min
REUTERS/SEOUL
North Korean state media on
Tuesday warned of a nuclear at-
tack on the United States at any
sign of a US pre-emptive strike as
a US Navy strike group led by a nu-
clear-powered aircraft steamed
towards the western Pacific.
Tension has escalated sharp-
ly on the Korean peninsula with
talk of military action by the US
gaining traction following its
strikes last week against Syria
and amid concerns the reclusive
North may soon conduct a sixth
nuclear test.
North Korea’s official Rodong
Sinmun newspaper said the
country was prepared to respond
to any aggression by the US.
“Our revolutionary strong
army is keenly watching every
move by enemy elements with
our nuclear sight focused on the
US invasionary bases not only in
South Korea and the Pacific op-
eration theatre but also in the US
mainland,” it said.
South Korean acting Presi-
dent Hwang Kyo-ahn warned of
“greater provocations” by North
Korea and ordered the military
to intensify monitoring and to
ensure close communication
with the US.
“It is possible the North may
wage greater provocations such
as a nuclear test timed with vari-
ous anniversaries including the
Supreme People’s Assembly,”
said Hwang, acting leader since
former president Park Geun-
UNITED NATIONS
UN peace messenger Malala
will promote girls’ education
Edith M. Lederer
ASSOCIATED PRESS/UNITED NATIONS
Nobel Peace laureate Malala
Yousafzai, newly designated as
a UN Messenger of Peace, said
Monday that extremists tried to
kill her but did not succeed and in
her second life she is keeping up
her fight for education especially
for girls — and hoping men and
boys will become advocates for
gender equality.
The 19-year-old Pakistani ac-
tivist called herself a proud Mus-
lim, stressed that Islam means
peace, and expressed great dis-
appointment that the media re-
fers every day to “Islamic terror-
ists and Islamic jihadists” fighting
in the name of Islam. “And then
people blame the whole Islam,”
she said.
“People should look at me and
the Muslims who are living in
peace and believe in peace rath-
er than looking at the few terror-
ists,” Malala said.
“But Muslim people also
need to unite and stand strongly
against the extremists and against
the terrorists [and say] that they
are not us. We don’t believe in
anything that they’re doing,” she
said.
Malala answered questions
from young people after Secre-
North Korea media warns
of nuclear strike on US if
provoked
US warships head for
Korean peninsula
South Korean acting
president warns of
“greater provocations”
hye was removed amid a graft
scandal.
The North convened a Su-
preme People’s Assembly ses-
sion on Tuesday, one of its twice-
yearly sessions in which major
appointments are announced
and national policy goals are for-
mally approved.
But South Korean officials
took pains to quell talk in social
media of an impending security
crisis or outbreak of war.
“We’d like to ask precaution
so as not to get blinded by exag-
gerated assessment about the
security situation on the Kore-
an peninsula,” Defense Minis-
try spokesman Moon Sang-kyun
said.
Saturday is the 105th anniver-
sary of the birth of Kim Il-sung,
the country’s founding father
and grandfather of current ruler,
Kim Jong-un.
A military parade is expect-
ed in the North’s capital, Pyong-
yang, to mark the day. North Ko-
rea often also marks important
anniversaries with tests of its
nuclear or missile capabilities in
breach of United Nations Secu-
tary-General Antonio Guterres
officially bestowed on her the
highest honor the UN chief can
give a global citizen, calling her “a
hero” and an inspiration for de-
fending the rights of all people to
education and equality while put-
ting her life at risk.
The secretary-general, once
an assistant professor of physics,
spoke with emotion when he told
several hundred people at the cer-
emony: “Can you imagine what it
is for a frustrated professor to be
facing the most famous student in
the world?”
Malala became the youngest-
ever Nobel laureate in 2014 when
she was recognized for her advo-
cacy of the right of all children to
education.
Her campaign led to a Taliban
assassination attempt near her
home in the Swat Valley in north-
west Pakistan that left her severe-
ly wounded.
She also became the young-
est UN Messenger of Peace, join-
ing a distinguished group includ-
ing actors Michael Douglas and
Leonardo DiCaprio, primatolo-
gist Jane Goodall and musicians
Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma.
Malala said the most difficult
time she faced was living “in the
situation of terror in Swat Valley
from 2007 to 2009” and deciding
AP
rity Council resolutions.
The North’s foreign minis-
try, in a statement carried by its
KCNA news agency, said the US
navy strike group’s approach
showed America’s “reckless
moves for invading had reached a
serious phase.”
North Korea and the rich, dem-
ocratic South are technically still
at war because their 1950-1953
conflict ended in a truce, not a
peace treaty. The North regular-
ly threatens to destroy the South
and its main ally, the US.
North Korea is emerging as
one of the most pressing for-
eign policy problems facing the
administration of US President
Donald Trump. It has conduct-
ed five nuclear tests, two of them
last year, and is working to devel-
op nuclear-tipped missiles that
can reach the US.
The Trump administration
is reviewing its policy towards
North Korea and has said all op-
tions are on the table, including
military strikes, but US officials
said non-military action appears
to be at the top of the list if any
action were to be taken.
The U.S. Navy strike group
Carl Vinson was diverted from
planned port calls to Austra-
lia and would move toward the
western Pacific Ocean near the
Korean peninsula as a show of
force, a US official told Reuters
over the weekend.
US officials said it would still
take the strike group more than
a week to arrive near the Korean
peninsula.
to speak out.
“What I realized is if you re-
main silent, you are still going to
be targeted by these people,” she
said.
“You’re still going to live in a
situation of terrorism for your
whole life. So it’s better to speak
out because you do something
from your side. You try your
best.”
Malala said she faced a second
challenging moment after the
Taliban attack, which she doesn’t
remember, and woke up in a hos-
pital in Birmingham, England.
“I had to make a strong deci-
sion how I want to lead the rest of
my life,” she said.
“This is a new life, a second life,
and it is for the purpose of educa-
tion,” and working especially for
girls education, said Malala, who
expects to attend university in
the fall to study philosophy, poli-
tics and economics.
She said “it is important for girl
to realize that their action and
their voice is important, and it is
needed right now.”
Malala paid tribute to her fa-
ther, who attended the ceremony,
and said unlike many fathers he
never stopped her.
“Men should not clip the wings
of women, and let them fly and let
them go forward,” she said.
WORLD | 11
AROUND THE WORLD
2,328 workers halted from going abroad
INDONESIA: The country’s immigration agencies have in the last three
months prevented the departure of more than 2,000 Indonesian work-
ers seeking employment overseas through illicit channels, officials say.
As many as 2,328 Indonesians have had their passport requests
blocked by immigration agencies across the country, according to a
statement from the Immigration Directorate General at the Law and
Human Rights Ministry.
Directorate General of Immigration spokesperson Agung Sampurno
said the operation to foil the departure of non-procedural workers was
carried out in 92 regional immigration agencies nationwide.
“The preventive measures taken to prevent non-procedural migrant
workers is a priority program of the Immigration Directorate General in
2017,” Agung said in the statement on Tuesday.
He said the majority of blocked requests were recorded at the
Batam Immigration Office in Riau Islands province with 223 rejected
applications, followed by the Jember and Tanjung Perak agencies in
East Java, with 157 and 120 rejected applications, respectively.
The Foreign Ministry’s director for the protection of Indonesian nation-
als and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, welcomed the initiative
to prevent non-procedural migrant workers from going abroad. — JP
Official punished for not daring to smoke
CHINA: Authorities in China’s restive Xinjiang region have punished a
local official for declining to smoke in front of Muslim elders, seeing
that as a sign he was insufficiently committed to the region’s fight
against religious extremism, according to a government report and
state media Tuesday.
Jelil Matniyaz, Communist Party head of a village in Hotan Pre-
fecture, was demoted for “not daring” to smoke in front of religious
figures, said the report, issued Saturday and reproduced by official
newspapers and websites. Matniyaz, identified as a member of Xinji-
ang’s indigenous Uighur ethnic minority, was cited by the report as not
having a “resolute political stance.”
The state-run Global Times newspaper on Tuesday quoted other
local officials as saying that government leaders should push back
against rather than comply with religious prohibitions against smoking
to demonstrate their “commitment to secularization.”
The punishment appears to be the latest extreme measure by the
authorities to exert their will in Xinjiang, particularly its southern portion
including Hotan where Uighur culture is strongest. Chinese authorities
and the state-controlled media have increasingly equated religious
expression with extremism in their official rhetoric, partly in response to
a bloody insurgency blamed on Uighur Islamic militants. — AP
Unexploded mortar round kills 4 children
AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan official says a group of children were playing
with an unexploded mortar round when it blew up, killing four of them.
Police spokesman Mafuz Akbari says the deaths took place Monday
in a remote district controlled by the Taliban in the northern Kunduz
province. He says another six children were wounded and brought to a
hospital in the provincial capital.
Afghanistan is littered with unexploded munitions left over from
decades of war, which along with roadside bombs kill or wound an
estimated 140 people every month. — AP
HUMAN RIGHTS
Executions in China
said to outpace world
Matthew Brown were limited to “an extremely
ASSOCIATED PRESS/BEIJING small number of criminals for ex-
tremely serious offenses.”
China’s use of the death pen- China has faced longstanding
alty remains shrouded in secrecy pressure from the international
and still outpaces the rest of the community to curb its use of the
world combined, even after the death penalty, which reached a
nation’s execution rate fell sharp- frenzy in 1983 with 24,000 ex-
ly over the past decade, human ecutions after provincial courts
rights activists said Tuesday. were given powers to mete out
Amnesty International report- capital punishment, according to
ed 1,032 state-sponsored execu- Dui Hua.
tions worldwide in 2016, exclud- The nation also has faced criti-
ing China, where the true number cism for harvesting organs from ex-
is unknown because the govern- ecuted inmates, including for sale
ment considers it a state secret. to patients from overseas. China
The group said it believes China banned the practice in 2015 but Be-
executed thousands, but it did not quelin said it’s impossible to know
offer a more precise estimate due whether organ harvesting for profit
to a lack of accurate information. has ceased because the legal system
The human rights group Dui operates within a “black box” with
Hua estimates about 2,000 ex- little transparency.
ecutions took place in China last “China is trying to have it both
year, down from a 6,500 a decade ways, both getting credit and al-
ago, said the group’s executive di- laying international pressure
rector, John Kamm. over the death penalty in the
The tally was based on research county, while maintain and en-
into lower-level court cases and
contacts with government offi-
cials and Chinese and Western le-
gal scholars, Kamm said.
forcing an elaborate system of se-
crecy,” Bequelin said.
Oversight of death sentence
cases was returned to China’s high-
Amnesty said its figure for
worldwide executions exclud-
ing China represents a 37 percent
est court, the Supreme People’s
Court, in 2007. Since that time, the
government has narrowed which
drop from 2015. The United States crimes can bring capital punish-
recorded 20 executions, its fewest ment but still lists more than three
in 25 years, in part because of court dozen eligible offenses, including
rulings and shortages of chemicals treason, separatism, spying, arson,
used in lethal injections. murder, rape, robbery and human
Yet as other countries shift away trafficking.
from capital punishment, China Chinese legal scholar Hong Da-
increasingly is seen as an outlier, ode contended that 90 percent of
said Amnesty International East executions last year were for ho-
Asia director Nicholas Bequelin. micide cases.
Government officials did not “There has been a long tradition
immediately comment on Am- in China that the one that has taken
nesty’s report. But China’s chief people’s lives should pay with his
justice, Zhou Qiang, told the na- own life,” said Hong, a professor of
tional legislature last month that criminal law at China University of
over the past decade executions Political Science and Law.
WORLD
BILATERAL MEETING
Angola to support
RI in UNSC bid
Tama Salim
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Angola has announced after bi-
lateral consultations in Jakarta
that it will support Indonesia in
its bid for a non-permanent seat
on the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) for the 2019 to
2020 period.
The vote of confidence was
jointly announced by Foreign
Minister Retno LP Marsudi and
her Angolan counterpart, Georg-
es RP Chikoti, after a bilateral
meeting on Tuesday, which saw
the two countries ink agreements
encompassing a wide array of co-
operation initiatives.
The move was part of a push
for greater political cooperation,
which was formalized under a
memorandum of understand-
ing (MoU) on political consul-
tations, Retno said after signing
the agreement.
“Our two countries have
shared views on a number of in-
ternational issues and indeed,
one of them is our cooperation
on the [UN] Security Council,”
Minister Chikoti said in the joint
press statement.
“We are more than glad to sup-
port Indonesia to join the Securi-
ty Council in 2019-2020, [and] we
will formalize that in writing in
the next few days.”
Indonesia last served on the
UNSC in 2007 to 2008 and is
seeking another term to assert
its influence on the global stage.
To win a seat, Indonesia needs to
secure 129 votes from UN mem-
ber states.
While a nod from Luanda will
boost Jakarta’s confidence in
seeking more support in Africa,
the ministry’s outgoing director
general for multilateral affairs,
Hasan Kleib, urged more caution.
“It is uncommon for African
countries or members of other re-
gional groupings like Latin Amer-
ica or Europe to endorse a candi-
date [for the UNSC] from outside
of their region, so we usually ap-
proach them individually,” Hasan
told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
“But of course, there is hope
that such support will positive-
ly affect the decision that other
countries from that region make.”
In addition to formalizing po-
litical consultations through the
MoU, Chikoti also revealed a plan
to open an embassy in Jakarta.
“As soon as we have the next
possibility of opening an embassy,
definitely Indonesia will be one of
Closer cooperation: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (right)
exchanges documents after signing three memorandums of un-
derstanding (MoU) with her Angolan counterpart Georges Rebelo
Pinto Chikoti in Jakarta on Monday. The MoUs cover economic,
scientific, technical and cultural cooperation; political consultation;
and visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and service passports.
VIOLENCE
Brief marriage precedes fatal San Bernardino shooting
Christopher Weber
and Michael Balsamo
ASSOCIATED PRESS/LOS ANGELES
A brief marriage and quick es-
trangement came before a man
walked into his wife’s elemen-
tary school class and opened fire
without saying a word, killing her
and an 8-year-old student and
wounding a 9-year-old student
before fatally shooting himself,
authorities said.
Some six weeks earlier,
53-year-old Cedric Anderson was
a newlywed calling his 53-year-
old wife Karen Smith an “angel”
in one of many social media posts
professing his love.
San Bernardino police have
said nothing of what might have
motivated Anderson to open fire
in the special-education class-
room at North Park Elementary
the countries where we do intend
to have an embassy,” he said with-
out specifying a time line.
Angola currently maintains
ties with Indonesia through its
mission in Singapore, while In-
donesia has an envoy based in
Namibia.
Retno and Chikoti also signed
two other agreements: one on
a visa exemption for holders of
diplomatic and service pass-
ports, and another on economic,
scientific, technical and cultural
cooperation.
The latter will encompass in-
formation and expertise exchang-
es in at least nine sectors, includ-
ing energy and water; agriculture;
oil, gas and minerals; culture and
tourism; and small and medium
enterprises.
Furthermore, Indonesia
sought to eliminate a number
of trade barriers with Angola,
which Minister Retno said were
one of the reasons for the sharp
decline in the two-way trade vol-
ume last year.
According to ministry data, In-
donesia’s trade with its third-larg-
est partner in Sub-Saharan Africa
was valued at US$292.8 million in
2016, down 62 percent from 2015.
“Our two countries are set to
explore options to increase trade,
one being the possibility of a
preferential trade agreement, to
which the Angolan foreign minis-
ter responded kindly,” Retno said.
Jakarta also encouraged Lu-
anda to explore trade relations
outside of the oil and gas sector,
including in the strategic indus-
tries. Minister Chikoti is expected
to visit facilities of state-owned
aircraft-maker PT Dirgantara In-
donesia and weapons-maker PT
Pindad Thursday.
Angola’s top diplomat mean-
while showed interest in pur-
chasing railway cars from state-
owned manufacturer PT Industri
Kereta Api and also offered Indo-
nesian firms to invest in Angola’s
agro-industry, which will be fur-
ther discussed during his meeting
with Indonesia’s Industry Minis-
ter Airlangga Hartarto.
Chikoti expressed Angola’s in-
tention to partake in next year’s
Indonesia-Africa Forum, a busi-
ness-matching event, and the
2018 Maritime Dialogue, which
will focus on law enforcement
cooperation.
Before leaving Indonesia,
the Angolan minister will pay a
courtesy call to President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo.
JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
School on Monday.
“No one has come forward to
say they saw this coming,” Police
chief Jarrod Burguan said, though
Anderson had a history of weap-
ons, domestic violence and pos-
sible drug charges that predated
the marriage.
What appears to be his Face-
book page features many public
declarations of his love for Smith
between statements of religious
devotion before his last public
post on March 15.
“She knows when to ignore me,”
Anderson said with a laugh in a
short video posted Feb. 27. “Well, it
makes a happy marriage.”
Anderson had posted that he
“loved being married to Kar-
en Smith-Anderson!” and post-
ed a photo of the two of them on
March 4 in what he described as a
date night.
Caring hands
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, watched by Prince Philip, feeds an elephant during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo, where she opened the new Center for
Elephant Care, in Dunstable, Britain, on Tuesday.
‘Washington Post’, ‘New
York Times’ win Pulitzers
Daniel Trotta
REUTERS/NEW YORK
The Pulitzer Prizes on Monday
honored The Washington Post for
hard-hitting reporting on Donald
Trump’s presidential campaign
and The New York Times for re-
vealing Vladimir Putin’s covert
power grab, praising their probing
of powerful people despite a hos-
tile climate for the news media.
The Daily News of New York
and ProPublica, a web-based plat-
form specializing in investiga-
tive journalism, won the prize for
public service journalism for cov-
erage of New York police abuses
that forced mostly poor minori-
ties from their homes.
Other winners included an in-
ternational consortium of more
than 300 reporters on six conti-
nents that exposed the so-called
Panama Papers detailing the hid-
den infrastructure and global
scale of offshore tax havens used
by the high and mighty.
The Pulitzers, the most pres-
tigious honors in American jour-
nalism, have been awarded since
FRANCE
Hundreds of migrants at large after fire ravages camp
Jean-Baptiste Guilbert
and Angela Charlton
ASSOCIATED PRESS/GRANDE-
SYNTHE, FRANCE
Authorities and aid workers
are searching for several hundred
migrants who disappeared after a
fire ravaged their camp in north-
ern France, a shocking blaze that
exposed anew the challenges and
tensions around Europe’s mi-
grants just 12 days before France’s
presidential election.
Police cordoned off the largely
destroyed camp in the Dunkirk
suburb of Grande-Synthe on
Tuesday and investigators in-
spected the site to try to deter-
mine the cause of the Monday
night fire, which broke out follow-
ing a fight between rival groups of
migrants.
Three mobile police units were
The page also had several pho-
tos of his wedding to Smith and
their honeymoon among the sce-
nic red rocks of Sedona, Arizona.
But Smith left him about a
month and a half after their late-
January marriage, police and
family members said.
Smith’s mother, Irma Sykes,
said her daughter had been friends
with Anderson for about four
years before they got married.
“She thought she had a won-
derful husband, but she found out
he was not wonderful at all,” Sykes
told the Los Angeles Times. “He
had other motives,” Sykes said.
“She left him and that’s where the
trouble began. She broke up with
him and he came out with a differ-
ent personality. She decided she
needed to leave him.” She did not
elaborate further.
Sykes said her daughter was a
‘Washington Post’, ‘New
York Times’ among winners
of Pulitzer Prizes in 2017
Another winner is
consortium of some 300
reporters exposing so-
called Panama Papers
1917, often going to famed pub-
lications such as The New York
Times, The Washington Post and
The Wall Street Journal.
But they are also won by small-
er, lesser known publications
across the country whose work
does not always gain national at-
tention when it is published.
Reporter Eric Eyre of Charles-
ton Gazette-Mail in West Virgin-
ia took the prize for investigative
reporting for exposing a flood of
opioids in depressed West Vir-
ginia counties with the country’s
highest overdose death rates.
The staff of the East Bay Times
of Oakland, California, won the
breaking news award for coverage
of the “Ghost Ship” fire that killed
36 people at a warehouse party,
deployed in the area to head off
tensions prompted by the camp’s
demise, the government said in a
statement. The interior and hous-
ing ministers headed to the scene
in a sign of the government’s con-
cern about the issue.
Most of the camp near the Eng-
lish Channel is now reduced to
the charred remains of wooden
shelters and sparse belongings
of the migrants, who converged
on northern France in hopes of
reaching Britain as part of waves
of recent migration to Europe.
As many as 1,600 people were
in the camp when the blaze broke
out, according to Grande-Synthe
Mayor Damien Careme and pre-
fect Michel Lalande, the top gov-
ernment official for the region.
Some 500 were taken to three lo-
cal gymnasiums, including one
set aside for children and families
dedicated teacher who took up
the profession about 10 years ago
after her four children grew up.
School staffers knew Anderson,
who followed the proper protocol
and got into the school through
the front office by saying he had
to drop something off for Smith,
school district officials said.
Smith was his target and the two
boys were hit as he was firing at her,
Police chief Burguan said. He emp-
tied and reloaded the gun before
turning it on himself.
There were 15 students in the
special needs classroom ranging
from first to fourth grade, along
with two adult aides, Burguan said.
Eight-year-old Jonathan Mar-
tinez was airlifted to a hospital,
where he was declared dead. The
9-year-old boy, whose name was
not released, remained hospital-
ized Monday night.
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
exposing the city’s failure to take
actions that might have prevent-
ed the disaster.
While the Pulitzer ceremo-
ny highlighted the news media’s
importance to democracy, it has
been challenged by so-called fake
news, which once referred to fab-
ricated stories meant to influence
the United States election but has
become a term used by Trump
to dismiss factual reporting that
is critical. Trump has frequently
excoriated the media and in Feb-
ruary called it “the enemy of the
American people.”
Operating in the glare of the
2016 presidential campaign, Da-
vid Fahrenthold of The Wash-
ington Post took the national re-
porting award. The judges said he
“created a model for transparent
journalism in political campaign
coverage while casting doubt on
Donald Trump’s assertions of
generosity toward charities.”
Fahrenthold found that
Trump’s charitable giving had not
always matched his public state-
ments. He also broke perhaps the
biggest scoop of the campaign, re-
— but most of the other migrants
remain unaccounted-for, the
mayor and prefect told reporters
Tuesday.
Doctors Without Borders,
which set up the site a year ago
to replace filthy makeshift camps
in the region, is holding meet-
ings Tuesday to decide what to do
next. Other aid groups are plan-
ning to distribute meals Tuesday
to migrants in the gymnasiums
and anywhere else they are found
around town.
The first priority is to find mi-
grants dispersed by the blaze, said
Corenne Torre, head of the hu-
manitarian group in France.
“We just don’t know where
they are,” she told The Associated
Press. She estimated that at least
600 migrants remain unaccount-
ed-for. Some are believed to be
hiding because they fear the au-
Solidarity
Demonstrators help a journalist who was injured in a leg while cover-
ing clashes between demonstrators and the Bolivarian National Guard
during a protest in Caracas, on Monday. Opponents of President Nicolas
Maduro protested on the streets of the capital as part of an ongoing pro-
test movement that shows little sign of losing steam.
| 12
Reuters/David Rose
vealing Trump had been captured
on videotape making crude re-
marks about women and bragging
about kissing and grabbing them
without their permission.
The Wall Street Journal col-
umnist Peggy Noonan, a longtime
Republican, took the commen-
tary prize for a series of critical
pieces about Trump during the
real estate magnate’s successful
run for the White House.
The New York Times staff won
the international reporting prize
for articles on Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s efforts to project
Russia’s power abroad, a particular-
ly pertinent story given US intelli-
gence conclusions that Putin’s gov-
ernment actively tried to influence
the US election in Trump’s favor.
The Times revealed “techniques
that included assassination, online
harassment and the planting of in-
criminating evidence on oppo-
nents,” the judges said.
The 19-member Pulitzer board
is made up of past winners and
other distinguished journalists
and academics. It chose the win-
ners with the help of 102 jurors.
thorities or because they fear re-
joining a camp with rival gangs,
she said.
She said that 10 migrants are in
local hospitals with light injuries
following the fire.
The prefect and mayor said au-
thorities believe the fire was set in-
tentionally and was linked to a fight
earlier Monday between Kurdish
and Afghan migrant groups involv-
ing up to 150 migrants.
The camp will remain closed
during the investigation, and local
authorities will consider whether
to open a new camp to replace it.
It’s a sensitive issue in France
ahead of the two-round April 23
to May 7 presidential election in
which immigration is a key issue.
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen
and conservative candidate Fran-
cois Fillon reiterated calls Tues-
day for stricter border controls.
AP/Ariana Cubillos
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT
RI seeks financing from wealth
funds p14
AGRICULTURE
Government says it
is upbeat on food
self-sufficiency
The government says it is up-
beat about its food self-sufficien-
cy target, claiming success in
increasing the production of sev-
eral commodities over the past
two years.
In a statement issued on Tues-
day, Agriculture Ministry plan-
ning bureau head Kasdi Subagio-
no said Indonesia had carried out
effective “food reform” and the
government had used necessary
funds in an effective and efficient
manner.
“Indonesia managed to
boost strategic food production
throughout 2016 so that import
volumes fell,” he said, adding that
the country had already ceased to
import rice, shallots and chili.
The ministry said it recorded
increases in several commodities
and that rice exports had risen by
43.7 percent.
According to its data, rice pro-
duction volumes climbed by 11
percent to 79.1 million tons over
the past two years, corn increased
21.8 percent to 23.2 million tons,
chili surged by 2.3 percent to
2.1 million tons and shallots in-
creased 11.3 percent 1.3 million
tons.
At the same time, beef pro-
duction rose by 5.3 percent to
560,000 tons, chicken eggs in-
creased 13.6 percent to 1.91 mil-
lion tons, chicken meat was up 9.4
percent to 2.14 million tons and
mutton increased 2.5 percent to
110,000 tons.
During the first year of his ad-
ministration, President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo pledged to
achieve food self-sufficiency tar-
gets by the end of his tenure in
2019.
For instance, the rice produc-
tion target is set at 82 million tons
for 2019, while those of corn and
beef are set at 24.1 million tons
and 755,100 tons, respectively.
The government also claims
that it has made sure there is suf-
ficient rice supply to meet de-
mand during this year’s fasting
month of Ramadhan, which falls
in May and June.
In the statement, Kasdi said
rice stocks reached 2 million tons
Compact ride
A worker supervises the unloading of a Toyota New Agya at a relay fa-
cility belonging to PT Toyota-Astra Motor (TAM) in North Jakarta on
Tuesday. TAM, the country’s sole distributor of Toyota products, re-
ported that nearly 200,000 of the entry-level hatchback cars had been
sold as of March.
FISCAL POLICY
Tax authority eligible for semi-autonomous status: Observers
Prima Wirayani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
After the “success” of the tax
amnesty, the Directorate General
of Taxation should be eligible for
a golden ticket to become a semi-
autonomous body, despite wor-
ries with regard to its track record
on integrity and transparency.
Ten watchdog organizations,
including Perkumpulan Prakar-
sa (the Center for Welfare Stud-
ies), Indonesia Corruption Watch
(ICW) and Transparency Inter-
national Indonesia, gathered un-
der the Just Tax Forum, are of the
view that the government should
accelerate the establishment of a
semi-autonomous tax body.
The mandate is outlined in the
2009 General Taxation (KUP)
Law, which is now under revision
with the draft being sent back
to the Finance Ministry for im-
at the beginning of 2017 and this
figure only included stocks under
the management of the State Lo-
gistics Agency (Bulog). “It doesn’t
include rice stocks retained by the
public,” he said.
The ministry estimates that
demand for rice from April to
June will circle around 7.74 mil-
lion tons.
Kasdi insisted the government
had achieved success in boosting
food production despite a lower
budget for the ministry.
The ministry received
Rp 22.1 trillion (US$1.66 billion)
in its budget for 2017, down from
Rp 32.8 trillion in 2015.
However, data from the state
budget shows that overall funding
allocation for food self-sufficien-
cy — disbursed across ministries
and agencies — has remained
above the Rp 100 trillion bench-
mark since 2015. In 2015, the al-
location stood at Rp 121.03 tril-
lion, equal to 6.1 percent of state
spending.
A year later, the figure reached
Rp 118.72 trillion, 5.7 percent of
state spending, and hovered at
Rp 104.02 trillion this year, or 5
percent of state spending.
The ministry is also looking to
develop 1 million hectares of new
paddy fields, including in border
areas, by 2019.
Of that figure, 142,000 hectares
have already been developed over
the past two years and an addi-
tional 125,000 hectares will be de-
veloped this year.
In a national meeting of the
Indonesian Farmers Association
(HKTI) in Jakarta on Monday,
Agriculture Minister Amran Su-
laiman said the work in the bor-
der areas would help jack up rice
exports further.
The President has instructed
several ministries to build 30,000
embung (water deposits) water 4
million hectares of paddy field by
2019.
To realize this, Rp 20 trillion
has been allocated to the Villag-
es, Disadvantaged Regions and
Transmigration Ministry.
—JP/ STEFANI RIBKA
Antara/Ferdi
provement to clear up several is-
sues as part of long-term tax re-
form.
Center for Welfare Studies ex-
ecutive director Ah Maftuchan
said now was the right time to
launch a tax “superbody,” as part
of tax reform. The government
must carry out institutional re-
form given the fact that various
tax laws exist but there is nothing
specific on the tax office.
“The finance minister says the
current [tax office’s authority] is
enough because she doesn’t see
[the need for it] in the next 10 to
15 years. I think she also doesn’t
want to get busy because this task
will add a load of work to the min-
istry,” he said during a discussion
in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The government, he contin-
ued, was in a less confident po-
sition to launch massive reform
despite popular support for the
ENERGY
China opens delayed
Myanmar pipeline p16
Talking business
Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil (right) is greeted by Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) advisory
council head MS Hidayat (second right) as Kadin chairman Rosan P. Roeslani (second left) and acting deputy chairman for property Eddy Hussy
look on during the opening of the lobby group’s national meeting on the property sector in Jakarta on Tuesday. During the event, Kadin called
on the government to help maintain stability in the property market by, for example, offering property and luxury tax exemptions.
RI urged to firmly oppose
EU palm oil resolution
Stefani Ribka
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Palm oil businesses have urged
the government to take strong ac-
tion against the European Union,
including retaliation, in response
to a recent European Parliament
resolution that they regard as det-
rimental to the local industry.
In its resolution last week, the
parliament demanded the bloc
gradually reduce the use of vege-
table oils, including palm oil, that
are not sustainably produced in
biodiesel production, in a bid to
reduce deforestation. Indonesia
is one of the world’s largest pro-
ducers of palm oil.
Indonesia Oil Palm Produc-
ers Association (Gapki) execu-
tive director Fadhil Hasan called
for solid measures ranging from
retaliation to termination of on-
going talks on a comprehensive
economic partnership agreement
(CEPA) with the 27-member bloc.
“The government needs to
think up concrete steps to retali-
ate,” he said during a press con-
ference held by the National Palm
Oil Board (DMSI) on Tuesday.
Fadhil cited wine, aircraft, per-
fume and pharmaceutical prod-
ucts from the region as examples
of goods against which to retali-
ate.
Palm oil producers under the
group view the matter as an issue
that should be addressed at the
government level and urged the
country’s leaders to approach the
EU directly.
On April 4, the EU’s parlia-
ment called for a single certifica-
tion scheme for palm oil entering
the EU market. The non-binding
resolution suggested that only
palm oil supplied through sus-
tainable methods, according to its
criteria, could enter the bloc after
2020.
Despite its non-binding na-
ture, the resolution is likely to af-
fect the EU Commission’s trade
tax amnesty. “A sharp increase in
public faith in the tax office is the
most important lesson garnered
from the tax amnesty,” he said.
The government has deemed
the tax amnesty program a suc-
cess, underscoring the Rp 4.8 qua-
drillion (US$355.5 billion) worth
of previously unreported assets
declared by almost 1 million tax-
payers and raking in more than
Rp 114 trillion in penalty fees in
the process, albeit lower than the
targeted Rp 165 trillion.
However, it failed to achieve
some of its targets such as a lower
than expected amount of repatri-
ated funds.
Although more than Rp 1 qua-
drillion worth of foreign assets
were declared during the amnes-
ty, only Rp 147 trillion in funds
stashed abroad were repatriated.
In response to the govern-
ment’s plan to issue a regula-
Palm oil industry demands
govt to act firmly against
EU resolution
Resolution ‘continuation
of negative campaign’
against palm oil since
1970s
policy-making, according to the
DMSI.
Several senior Indonesian offi-
cials have expressed their disap-
pointment at the resolution. En-
vironment and Forestry Minister
Siti Nurbaya has described the
resolution as an insult to the local
palm oil sustainability scheme,
the Indonesian Sustainable Palm
Oil (ISPO).
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minis-
ter Amran Sulaiman described it
as a “black campaign” against the
domestic palm oil industry.
Voicing similar concerns to
Gapki, the Indonesian Vegetable
Oil Refiners Association (GIM-
NI) also urged the government to
fight hard against the EU’s latest
measure.
GIMNI executive director Sa-
hat Sinaga said the resolution was
a continuation of a negative cam-
paign since the 1970s directed at
the Indonesian palm oil industry.
This was attributed to the com-
petitive edge of palm oil in com-
parison to other vegetable oils as
well as its multi-functionality.
“We knew such a thing would
happen. The EU has launched
various negative campaigns from
time to time. Finally, Indonesian
leaders need to take bold action
to stop this from occurring again
and again,” he said.
On the same day, officials from
Indonesia and its neighbor Ma-
laysia, the world’s biggest palm oil
producer, convened in the fourth
ministerial meeting of the Coun-
cil of Palm Oil Producing Coun-
tries (CPOPC) in Jakarta.
Coordinating Economic Min-
tion in lieu of law (Perppu) that
will allow the tax office to access
banking data easily, Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK)
cooperation specialist Putri Ra-
hayu Wijayanti said such a prac-
tice was acknowledged in inter-
national best practice.
“However, we have yet to is-
sue such authority,” she said. “It
is now possible to provide the ac-
cess, but with a checks-and-bal-
ances mechanism in place.”
Internal reform was also need-
ed so that no tax officials could
abuse their authority in the fu-
ture, Putri said.
As many as five corruption cas-
es involving tax officers have been
prosecuted by the anti-graft body
so far.
The KPK is currently working
with the Finance Ministry, the
Directorate General of Taxation,
Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Fi-
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
JAM SESSION
Overcoming barriers
with music p22
RI oil palm product export 2015-2016
Export destination Volume (in thousand ton)
2016
China 3,227.97
EU 4,370.56
India 5,783.85
US 1,082.93
Pakistan 2,066.50
Bangladesh 922.85
Middle East 1,979.41
Africa 1,521.67
Others 4,156.83
World 25,112.57
Source: Indonesian Oil Palm Producers Association (Gapki)
ister Darmin Nasution co-chaired
the meeting with his counter-
part the Malaysian minister of
plantation industries and com-
modities.
The meeting decided that In-
donesia and Malaysia would carry
out a joint mission to meet EU of-
ficials next month to express their
objections to the resolution and
avert the implementation of the
resolution.
CPOPC ministers expressed
deep concern about the resolu-
tion, which they claim will have
negative repercussions on the
palm oil trade. They also ob-
ject to a number of issues, no-
tably the single palm oil cer-
tification scheme, which they
consider ignores existing certifi-
cation schemes developed sepa-
rately by both countries.
“False allegations that per-
ceive global palm oil production
breaching fundamental human
rights and adequate social stan-
dards neglect the reality that
palm oil is an important econom-
ic enabler and provides employ-
ment opportunities and vital in-
come for poor communities,” the
ministers said in press statement
issued by the CPOPC.
Palm oil is one of the biggest
contributors to Indonesia’s non
oil and gas exports, amounting to
nancial Services Authority (OJK)
to carry out an assessment as a
part of its roadmap to provide a
database on companies’ benefi-
cial owners.
The government appointed a
tax reform team last year to im-
prove the performance of the tax
authority.
It is expected to dig into poten-
tial sectors that remain untapped
by tax collection and enhance
data and information sharing be-
tween regional offices and tax ser-
vice branches.
Tax office examination plan-
ning sub-directorate head Tun-
jung Nugroho said there should
be an effort to strengthen the tax
authority’s function, not limited
only to raising state revenue.
“Why do we see bribes? It’s be-
cause of the absence of a link to
a tax database. If the tax office is
able to control taxpayers and tax
| 13
JP/Jerry Adiguna
Change
2015
3,990.52 -19.11%
4,233.15 3.25%
5,798.78 -0.26%
758.55 42.76%
2,186.88 -5.50%
1,092.18 -15.50%
2,113.08 -6.33%
1,984.64 -23.33%
4,242.71 -2.02%
26,400.47 -4.88%
$18.23 billion, 13.8 percent of to-
tal exports worth $131.3 billion,
last year.
Oil palm plantations span 11.9
million hectares and produce
more than 30 million tons of
crude palm oil (CPO) and kernel
oil each year, affecting the lives
of at least 4.8 million smallhold-
ers, quite apart from those work-
ing in the refinery and processing
sector.
The EU, meanwhile, is Indone-
sia’s second-biggest palm oil im-
porter after India. It imported 4.3
million tons of palm and kernel
oil, or 17 percent of Indonesia’s
total palm oil shipment of 25.1
million tons in the past year.
Indonesian officials have com-
plained that the domestic palm
oil certification scheme, the ISPO,
has struggled to gain global rec-
ognition, which they attribute to
tight competition in the interna-
tional vegetable oil market.
Despite the government’s
claim about the ISPO, local for-
est group Forest Watch Indonesia
said that after four years, the im-
plementation of the scheme was
very slow, with last year around
800 oil palm plantation firms still
awaiting certification, while 115
others were under assessment. As
of December, only 226 firms were
already certified.
data, we can run the checks and
balances […] Our reform in the
near future will focus on elemen-
tary issues, such as transparency
and data access,” he said.
Currently, the tax office has
only around 40,000 officials
across the archipelago, handling
around 30 million individual and
institutional taxpayers, of whom
approximately 21 million are
obliged to file tax returns (SPT).
“From the capacity side, it
is still far behind for a country
such as Indonesia,” Tunjung said,
pointing to the fact that not all re-
gencies in the country had a tax
office.
Indonesia has a tax officer, pop-
ulation ratio of around 1:3,700,
compared with Japan’s 1:1,000.
“The problem is whether we want
to increase the number of taxpay-
ers or not. If yes, then it is impor-
tant to add tax officers,” he said.
14 | BUSINESS WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

Banknote rates Masters of the sea ASSET REDISTRIBUTION

Banknote rates Selling Rp Buying Rp
US dollar 1 13,348.00 13,216.00 Govt upbeat
Australian dollar 1 10,017.67 9,908.04
Swiss franc
Euro
1
1
13,226.32
14,127.52
13,094.22
13,986.49
on start to
British pound
Hong Kong dollar 1
1 16,579.55
1,717.78
16,414.27
1,700.64
land reform
Japanese yen
Korean won
100
1
12,057.81
11.63
11,937.49
11.51
this month
Malaysian ringgit 1 3,009.70 2,977.92
Philippine peso 1 268.60 265.88 Fedina S. Sundaryani
Singaporean dollar 1 9,492.25 9,392.37 THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Thai baht 1 385.78 381.63
President Joko “Jokowi”
Source: BI Widodo is optimistic about start-
ing the redistribution of land in
World benchmarks the next two weeks, after months
Daily Change of discussing how to successfully
Country Index Points % implement his agrarian reform
Indonesia (JCI) 5,627.93 -16.37 -0.29 program.
Agrarian reform is an impor-
S. Korea (Kospi) 2,123.85 -9.47 -0.44
tant part of Jokowi’s ambition to
Thailand (SET Index) 1,583.26 2.07 0.13 Antara/MN Kanwa create a “just economic policy” to
Malaysia (FTSE BM) 1,735.84 -3.68 -0.21 State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) I president director Bambang Eka Cahya close the widening economic and
Singapore (FTSE ST) 3,174.75 -6.70 -0.21 (third right) hands a pilotage certificate over to an officer at a pilotage services launch event for domes- social gap. His administration an-
Japan (Nikkei 225) 18,747.87 -50.01 -0.27 tic and foreign vessels as Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (right) and director general for sea nounced earlier this year that it
Hong Kong (Hang Seng) 24,088.46 -173.72 -0.72
transportation A. Tonny Budiono (second right) look on in Batam, Riau Islands, on Monday. The Transpor- would focus on the land reform
tation Ministry has authorized Pelindo I to provide pilotage services in an effort to improve safety for ves- agenda, which would see 21.7 mil-
China (SSE Comp.) 3,288.97 19.57 0.60
sels sailing accross the Malacca Strait. lion hectares of idle land granted
Philippines (PSE Index) 7,601.40 -16.51 -0.22 to groups of people to improve
India (S&P Sensex) 29,787.70 211.96 0.72 their welfare and to narrow eco-
USA (DJIA) 20,658.02 1.92 0.01 nomic disparity.
“We will have a People’s Eco-

RI seeks financing
UK (FTSE) 7,381.53 32.59 0.44
nomic Congress on [April] 24, and
Australia (All Ordinaries) 5,964.61 15.75 0.26
hopefully we will be able to start
Source: IDX the redistribution. This is the re-
sponsibility of the Agrarian and

from wealth funds

Spatial Planning Ministry and
ECONOMY IN BRIEF the Environment and Forestry
Ministry,” Jokowi said during the
‘No smelter, no export license,’ govt says opening of a closed-door meeting
at the State Palace in Central Ja-
JAKARTA: Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said Anton Hermansyah Top 10 IDB Member Sovereign Wealth Fund (based on assets) karta on Tuesday.
on Tuesday that the government would force PT Freeport Indonesia to THE JAKARTA POST/NUSA DUA The agrarian reform program
No Country Name Total Assets Incorporation will redistribute 9 million hect-
revert back to its contract of work (CoW) should the mining giant fail to
(US$ Billion)
fulfill its promise of building a smelter in Gresik, East Java. Indonesia hopes to attract in- ares of land to citizens under the
1 UAE A ha i A ha i In est ent A thorit 792 1976
The company, a subsidiary of United States-based mining behemoth vestment from fellow member land objects for agrarian reform
2 ait ait In est ent A thorit 592 1953
Freeport McMoRan, was recently awarded an eight-month special countries of the Islamic Devel- (TORA) scheme and 12.7 million
3 Sa di Ara ia SAMA oreign oldings 514 1952
mining permit (IUPK), which will end in October. During this time, the opment Bank (IDB) as it hosts ha to be managed by indigenous
4 atar atar In est ent A thorit 335 2005
miner is expected to continue negotiating disputed terms on its con- the third IDB Member Countries people.
5 UAE ai In est ent Cor oration of ai 200.5 2006
tract conversion, including issues of divestment and smelter construc- Sovereign Investments Forum in The TORA land comprises
6 Sa di Ara ia P lic In est ent nd 183 2008
tion. Nusa Dua, Bali. 4.1 million ha under the super-
7 UAE A ha i M adala In est ent Co an 125 2002
The IUPK status maintains Freeport Indonesia’s right to export semi- Vice President Jusuf Kalla said vision of the Environment and
8 UAE A ha i A ha i In est ent Co ncil 110 2007
processed metals, including concentrates. he hoped members with sover- Forestry Ministry, while 0.4 mil-
9 i a i an In est ent A thorit 66 2006
“If the company insists on not building a smelter, it will have to eign wealth funds would shift lion ha comprises land left idle af-
10 a akhstan a akhstan ational nd 64.7 2000
return to its CoW until the contract expires [in 2021]. If the company their investments from capital ter the expiry of land cultivation
Total 2982.2
doesn’t want [to build a smelter], it should just revert — but that market-based instruments into permits and 4.5 ha is uncertified
direct investments in Indonesia, Source: Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute www.swfinstitute.org, processed land.
means it can not export,” Jonan said on the sidelines of a seminar in
Jakarta. especially in infrastructure. The redistribution plan for
Jonan issued on March 31 Energy and Mineral Resources Ministe- “The world is currently chang- Around $800 billion tries Sovereign Investments Fo- TORA land is already includ-
rial Decree No. 28/2017, a substitute to decree No. 5/2017 on adding ing, especially in Islamic coun- financing gap exists rum was held after the massive ed in the government’s Nation-
value to minerals through domestic processing, just days before the tries. We are now making efforts worldwide drop in oil prices that occurred in al Mid-Term Development Plan
ministry announced that it had awarded Freeport Indonesia the short- so that direct investments will not the middle of 2014. (RPJMN) for the period of 2015 to
term IUPK. only come from European coun- Most investments made The IDB Group’s then group 2019, but it has yet to address the
Under the revised decree, the minister can award miners an IUPK tries,” Kalla said in his remarks by wealth funds are in oil president Ahmad Mohamed Ali root of agrarian conflict, which of-
once they submit a proposal to convert from their CoW. during the opening on Monday. and gas sector Al Madani said there was a need ten occurs between corporations
The short-term IUPK may either last until the CoW’s expiry or a IDB Group president Ban- for the sovereign funds to diver- and local people.
“specific time period to accommodate adjustments to continued opera- dar bin Mohammed bin Hamza sify their investments amid global The current administration
tions.” — JP Asaad Al Hajjar said the forum’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, pressures, such as low oil and gas believes that giving marginal-
focus this year was on helping there are 78 sovereign wealth prices. ized people greater access to land
member countries with wealth funds in the world, with total as- The sovereign investment fo- ownership will reduce poverty in
Bukalapak launches new sharia product funds mobilize their investments sets of $7.37 trillion. More than rum was established to foster co- the country. The poverty rate is
toward member countries with fi- half of the figure, $4.2 trillion, operation among the sovereign expected to decline to 10.5 per-
JAKARTA: E-commerce platform Bukalapak, together with finance por- nancing needs. were oil and gas-based invest- funds, pension funds and invest- cent this year from 10.86 percent
tal Bareksa and investment management company Mandiri Manaje- Hajjar said the total investment ments. ment companies of the member at present.
men Investasi (MMI), introduced on Tuesday a new sharia mutual fund needed for global infrastructure Norway has the biggest sover- countries. Jokowi has also called on his
product to attract retail investors. was expected to be US$3.3 tril- eign wealth fund in the world, its During previous forums, In- Cabinet to increase capital access
The product, called “Reksadana Syariah Mandiri BukaReksa Pasar lion this year, but the amount Government Pension Fund, with donesia presented its massive in- for those in the lower economic
Uang,” aims to reach out to potential investors, primarily beginner of government spending world- total assets amounting to $922.11 frastructure development plan, category in addition to the redis-
investors of a low-risk profile. wide was only $2.5 trillion, leav- billion. which will require Rp 5.5 quadril- tribution of land and assets.
“With this sharia product, people’s interest in investing in Bukalapak ing a $800 billion financing gap. Among the 78 sovereign wealth lion until 2019. The government has been
is expected to increase. The sentiment toward sharia products is very “Our members have an infra- funds, 32 belong to IDB member However, only 40.1 percent, mulling whether it should fol-
positive as Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation,” structure financing gap of $200 to countries with combined assets of Rp 2.22 quadrillion of the funding low in the footsteps of Malaysia’s
Bukalapak chief executive officer and founder Achmad Zaky said dur- 240 billion annually. It will need $3.32 trillion. Similar to the glob- needs can be met using the state Federal Land Development Au-
ing the product launch event at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). cooperation from public and pri- al figure, the assets are dominated budget. thority, which is a government
MMI has not set a high target for its assets under management vate sectors [to address the issue]. by the oil and gas sector, with only In this year’s forum, state- agency founded to handle the re-
(AUM), with investors only needing to put a minimum initial invest- In this context, the IDB is work- 9.31 percent coming from non-oil owned infrastructure financing settlement of rural poor areas
ment of Rp 10,000 (75 US cents) for the sharia product. ing with the sovereign wealth and gas industries. company Sarana Multi Infra- into newly developed areas and to
The investment manager targets to collect Rp 20 billion in AUM at funds, which play a significant Hajjar said the IDB had fund- struktur (SMI) signed a $1 billion help organize smallholder farms
the end of this year, according to MMI director Endang Astharanti. role in mobilizing global assets,” ed developmental projects worth memorandum of understanding growing cash crops.
The largest proportion of the customers’ investment of 60 percent Hajjar said. $127.3 billion since its inception (MoU) with the IDB. Meanwhile, Agrarian and Spa-
would be placed in bonds, whereas the remaining 40 percent would The IDB Member Countries in 1975 until the end of 2016. The MoU covers six areas of co- tial Planning Minister Sofyan
be in time-deposits. Sovereign Investments Forum More than half of the funds operation, including co-financing Djalil said there were several is-
“Although [we are] not certain, the average return is estimated at 6 had been held twice previously. went to the infrastructure sector, using debt structures and co-in- sues that needed to be discussed
percent per year,” Endang said. The first forum was held at the while 10.7 percent was channeled vesting using equity structures, before the government could dis-
According to MMI, since the launch on March 24, around 2,000 IDB’s headquarters in Jeddah, to agriculture and around 9.3 per- as well as technical assistance and tribute the land. He emphasized
people have purchased the new sharia investment product. Saudi Arabia, and the second fo- cent was disbursed to the educa- capacity-building activities, par- that the government’s priority
Bukalapak also introduced in January a conventional mutual fund prod- rum was held in Rabat, Morocco. tion and health sectors. ticularly for SMI’s sharia business was to figure out how to formalize
uct called BukaReksa and recorded 25,000 in existing customers. — JP According to data from the The first IDB Member Coun- unit. unregistered land.

ANALYSIS

Indonesian banking sector: Cautiously optimistic

Andry Asmoro
JAKARTA
Indonesia’s economy is still
presented with mixed figures on
its outlook.
Positive macroeconomic indi-
cators include low inflation and
interest rates, a stable currency
and improving foreign exchange
reserves, boosting optimism
among market players about In-
donesia’s economic outlook. On
the flip side, other indicators,
such as retail, motorcycle and
property sales, posted a weak per-
formance during the first quarter
of the year compared to the corre-
sponding period of last year.
These mixed figures inevitably
affected banks’ loan performance
during the first quarter. Banks
have so far been careful in dis-
bursing loans to avoid additional
pressure from bad debt.
Now, the million-dollar ques-
tion is how banks will respond
to the upcoming domestic situ-
ation? The economy is expected
to improve in the next quarters,
mainly supported by cyclical fac-
tors. In the second quarter, de-
mand for loans should be higher,
driven by rising economic activity
during the harvest season and the
Ramadhan fasting month.
Throughout the second half of
the year, demand for loans will be
driven by a major portion of state
budget funds that is traditionally
disbursed from September to De-
cember.
Currently, despite negative
month-on-month (mom) growth,
loan disbursement increased by
8.3 percent year-on-year (yoy)
in the first quarter. This shows
a continuous improvement in
the last four months, when loan
growth fell below 7 percent, the
rock-bottom level since 2009.
At this juncture, we don’t see
negative mom loan growth as an
alarming signal pointing to an-
other cycle of credit contraction.
It is a normal cycle that happens
every beginning of the year. It
is worth noting that in January
and February, loan disbursement
contracted by 1.8 percent and 0.4
percent on a monthly basis but
recovered quite significantly af-
terwards.
Commodity-based sectors
played a major role in boosting
January’s loan growth. This is de-
picted by loan performance in the
Kalimantan regions, which col-
lectively recorded the highest loan
growth. We believe that this was
supported mainly by the price re-
bound for coal and crude palm oil
(CPO) in the final quarter of 2016,
which spurred confidence among
commodity players to begin to ex-
pand their businesses.
Improvement in heavy equip-
ment sales, especially in the min-
ing and forestry segment, was a
signal that commodity-based sec-
tors could support this year’s per-
formance. However, we should
tone down our expectations,
since the price improvement will
likely not go too far this year and,
hence, will not affect full-year
loan growth too much.
Banks will remain cautious
about disbursing loans to several
sectors and concentrate on seg-
ments that historically were prov-
en to be resilient to downturns,
reflected in low non-performing
loan (NPL) ratios. Our latest data
reveal that the average NPL ratio
increased to 3.09 percent in Jan-
uary from 2.93 percent the pre-
vious month across all types of
banks and regions.
It is worth mentioning that
loans also increased to Rp 218.4
trillion (US$16.4 billion) from
Rp 184.3 trillion in December
2016, providing a signal that there
is still a risk of a higher NPL ratio
in the next couple of months.
It is very interesting that the
regions that contributed most to
higher NPL ratios are Kaliman-
tan and Sulawesi. As mentioned
above, Kalimantan-based busi-
ness players should benefit from
the coal price improvement. Yet
banks should continue to keep an
eye on this sector, since coal pric-
es will stay volatile and be mostly
supported by the supply side.
In January, the NPL ratio of the
mining sector reached 6.29 per-
cent, the highest among all sectors.
Going forward, the NPL ratio is
still expected to trend up based on
the rise of special-mention loans
(SML), which increased by 5.48
percent mom in January, up from
4.51 percent mom in December.
However, we still maintain our
view that the banking sector will
remain resilient this year with a
moderate risk of rising bad loans
amid global economic volatility.
Given this situation, the author-
ities are present in the market and
are ready to mitigate the risks and
avoid further deterioration in the
even of instability. Furthermore,
we are of the view that measures
by banks to restructure their bad
loan portfolios will alleviate pres-
sure on NPL ratios this year.
This is reflected in a growing
number of restructured loans in
January. Average restructured
loans of the 12 banks have in-
creased from 3.9 percent in 2015 to
5.9 percent in 2016. Of the restruc-
tured loans, the portion of perform-
ing loans increased from 2.4 per-
cent in 2015 to 3.6 percent in 2016,
while the portion of NPL also rose,
from 0.7 percent to 1.7 percent.
This means banks have both
downgraded and upgraded spe-
cial-mention loans to NPL and
performing loans.
Loans at risk, which consist of
NPL, special-mention loans and
performing restructured loans,
have started to trend down from
11.3 percent in the third quarter
of 2016 to 10.6 percent in the fol-
lowing quarter.
Meanwhile, the portion of per-
forming restructured loans in-
creased to 3.6 percent from 3.2
percent, indicating that asset
quality will improve in the up-
coming quarters.
Other than bad loans, we be-
lieve another important issue will
be liquidity. In the first quarter of
this year, banks should have no
big issue with liquidity, as shown
by a lower loan-to-deposit ra-
tio (LDR). Faster deposit growth
brought the LDR down to 89.4
percent in January, as opposed to
90.5 percent in December.
Overall, ample market liquid-
ity is expected in the first half of
this year, except in the May-June
period. Currently, liquidity in the
banking sector is quite sufficient.
Banks’ liquidity, reflected in the
Bank Indonesia (BI) open market
operation outstanding stood at
Rp 385 trillion as of March 17. We
see that banks’ liquidity this year
will be supported by accommoda-
tive fiscal policy and foreign flows
into the capital market. Liquidity
is seasonally expected to be tight-
er approaching Ramadhan and
Idul Fitri, when banks prepare an
average of Rp 100 trillion to ac-
commodate massive cash with-
drawal.
Overall, we are of the view
that banks will still have to man-
age bad loans and push for busi-
ness consolidation this year be-
fore boosting loan disbursement.
A significant game-changer for
the banking sector would be fast-
er economic growth that affects
business expectations and spurs
domestic liquidity.
We believe that Indonesia’s
economy strengthen this year
and continue its growth momen-
tum even faster next year. Thus,
we should stay optimistic about
the domestic banking sector.
The writer is an economist at
Bank Mandiri.
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
United tracks
State-owned lender Bank Mandiri senior vice president for transaction banking retail sales Thomas Wahyudi (left to right), state-owned Bank
Tabungan Negara (BTN) digital banking division head Dopo Lastiyomo, airport train operator PT Railink president director Heru Kuswanto,
finance director Eri Dwi Prasetyo, private lender Bank Central Asia (BCA) executive vice president Mira Wibowo and private lender Bank Da-
namon e-channel head of business IG Ngurah Asthika Dhamasatya pose after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Railink
and 10 local banks to support the payment system of the Soekarno-Hatta airport train, the operation of which is scheduled to start in July.
STARTUP
Printerous to expand business with new app
The Jakarta Post
JAKARTA
Technology makes everything
easy nowadays, and that rings
true when it comes to capturing
the best moments in life with just
a simple smartphone camera.
While memories may last for-
ever, pictures saved on gadgets can
completely vanish all of a sudden.
Inspired by his own experi-
ence of losing pictures from his
cell phone, Kevin Osmond, CEO
of digital printing service Print-
erous, invested Rp 100 million
(US$7,501) to develop a smart-
phone application called Printer-
ous Moments.
The investment is part of $1.4
million in funds the company
secured from Singapore-based
Golden Gate Ventures with partic-
ipation from United States-based
CONSTRUCTION
Acset Indonusa revises up contract target
Construction services firm PT
Acset Indonusa has revised up its
target of new contracts as it sees
more business opportunities this
year on the back of the govern-
ment’s massive infrastructure
development programs.
The publicly listed company
previously set a new contract
target of Rp 4.5 trillion in 2017,
mainly from the infrastructure
sector. However, the target has
been revised up to Rp 7.5 trillion
(US$562.5 million).
“There is a target revision.
We aim for Rp 7.5 trillion [in
new contracts]. This target fits
our capabilities,” new presi-
dent director Jeffrey Gunadi
Chandrawijaya said after the
company’s shareholder meeting
on Monday.
In the first quarter of 2017, the
firm sealed Rp 6.9 trillion in new
contracts from the Jakarta-Ci-
kampek II toll road project, the
Terbanggi Besar-Kayu Agung toll
road project and soil improve-
ment work in Central Java.
The Jakarta-Cikampek II toll
road project in Bekasi, West Java,
PLANTATION
Astra Agro sets focuses on downstream sector, alternative businesses
Winny Tang
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Publicly listed plantation firm
PT Astra Agro Lestari is seeking
to strengthen its palm oil down-
stream sector and explore other
related business opportunities to
overcome challenges in the palm
oil sector.
Astra Agro, a subsidiary of di-
versified conglomerate group As-
tra International, has allocated
up to Rp 100 billion (US$7.5 mil-
lion) this year to build a fertilizer
blending plant with a prodution
capacity of 100,000 tons per year
in Sulawesi.
It also plans to construct a palm
firm Sovereign’s Capital and Indo-
nesia’s diversified group Gunung
Sewu Kencana in February.
Kevin said the widespread trend
among Indonesian millenials who
often posted their latest pictures
in social media like Facebook and
Instagram had inspired the start-
up to further digitize its printing
business with a smartphone app.
Previously it had only offered its
services through a website.
“After studying the market for
a few years, we see that about 50
percent of users of our website
access the service through a mo-
bile browser. This is why we de-
veloped this mobile application,”
Kevin said during the launch
event recently.
The app aims to attract
200,000 users this year. With the
app, users can upload photos from
their smartphones to the Printer-
is a joint-operation between
state-owned builder Waskita
Karya and Acset Indonusa worth
Rp 13.5 trillion. Waskita holds a
51 percent stake in the project,
while Acset holds 49 percent.
Acset is currently bidding
for two other projects, namely
the Kunciran-Serpong toll road
project and the Serpong-Balara-
ja toll road project. It submit-
ted bidding documents for both
projects are under its sister com-
pany’s name, Astratel Nusantara.
Apart from the government
infrastructure projects, Acset is
also eyeing a property project
being developed by Astra Group.
The firm, however, did not pro-
vide further details about the
project.
In a bid to seal high-value con-
tracts, the company plans to em-
ploy a joint-operation scheme
with either private companies or
state-owned companies.
In terms of its revenue tar-
get, the firm is looking to real-
ize all the Rp 5.1 trillion carried-
over contracts, in addition to the
Rp 6.9 trillion in new contracts
kernel oil (PKO) refinery in Cen-
tral Kalimantan with an output
capacity of 400 tons per day and
investment cost of Rp 200 billion.
“These facilities aim to meet
the demand of our own planta-
tions, as well as the market de-
mand for plantations,” Astra
Agro president commissioner
Widya Wiryawan said Tuesday
on the sidelines of the company’s
shareholders meeting.
By the end of last year, the
company managed nearly
300,000 hectares of oil palm
plantations scattered across Su-
matra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.
In recent years, the national
palm oil sector has faced chal-
ous system for printing on a wide
range of products, such as photo
paper, phone cases and tote bags.
Kevin claimed that the app
so far had received a positive re-
sponse from customers, as it had
seen 5,000 downloads in An-
droid’s Google Play Store and
Apple’s App Store after its soft
launching a few months ago.
Established in 2012, Printer-
ous is a printing marketplace that
connects users with about 50 on-
line printing businesses.
The startup offers printing
services under three categories,
namely Printerous Business for
business purposes, such as name
cards, Arterous for artistic pur-
poses and Printerous Moments
for personal products, such as
photo albums.
To expand its reach, Printerous
is teaming up with Facebook and
this year. “With a combined
Rp 5.1 trillion in contracts on
hand and Rp 6.9 trillion in tar-
geted new contracts, we will have
a total Rp 12 trillion in contracts.
Hopefully, Rp 3.5 trillion of this
can become revenue,” Jeffrey
said.
In the future, Acset is look-
ing to become a more integrated
construction company that en-
gages in infrastructure, founda-
tion building and construction.
“Infrastructure projects of-
fered more potential after
Jokowi become President,” dep-
uty president director Tan Tiam
Seng Ronnie said, explaining the
reason behind Acset’s strategy to
focus on infrastructure through-
out 2017.
Acset’s revenues jumped 32
percent year-on-year (yoy) to
Rp 1.79 trillion in 2016. Its net
profits grew 63 percent yoy to
Rp 68.33 billion.
During the company’s share-
holder meeting, Acset an-
nounced a plan to funnel 40 per-
cent of its net profits to dividend
payments, equal to Rp 27.3 bil-
lenging conditions, primarily as
a result of long dry seasons, caus-
ing a drop in fresh fruit bunch
production (FFB).
Affected by this, Astra Agro saw
FFB production in its nucleus and
plasma plantations slump by 13
percent to 4.9 million tons in 2016.
As a consequence of declining
FFB production, the company’s
crude palm oil (CPO) production
also decreased by 10.5 percent to
1.55 million tons in 2016.
Fortunately, an increase in the
average CPO selling price con-
tributed to the improvement of
the company’s financial perfor-
mance throughout 2016.
Last year, Astra Agro’s reve-
JP/Dhoni Setiawan
Instagram to connect their users
with its system, enabling them to
directly print pictures from both
social media services.
Despite focusing its business
on Jakarta, its biggest market so
far, Printerous planned to reach
new customers across the coun-
try, Kevin said.
“We aim to expand our business
to other cities, namely Surabaya
and Medan, by the third or fourth
quarter of this year,” he said.
The startup gets 35 percent
of its overall orders for all print-
ing products from old custom-
ers, while the majority of orders
comes from new customers.
The most popular products or-
dered by its customers are photo
albums, canvas art, polaroid photos
and name cards, with prices for its
products ranging from Rp 35,000
($2.63) to Rp 900,000. (ecn)
lion. The dividends will be dis-
tributed on May 9.
In addition to this, sharehold-
ers also agreed to increase shares
in its subsidiary PT Bintai Kin-
denko Engineering Indonesia
(BINKEI) by purchasing new
shares. BINKEI is Acset’s subsid-
iary that focuses on mechanical
and electrical engineering and
plumbing.
Currently, BINKEI is involved
in the development of the MRT
project in Jakarta and the Ge-
dung Indonesia 1 project. On
Monday, Acset also announced
changes to the positions of its di-
rectors and commissioners.
The firm’s current president
director is Jeffrey and its deputy
president director is Tan. Its di-
rectors are Hilarius Arwandhi,
Yohanes Eka Prayuda, Ellyjawa-
ti, while its independent director
is Herjadi Budiman.
The shareholders appointed
Gidion Hasan to be the firm’s
president commissioner from
2017 to 2019.
—JP/ WINNY TANG
nue increased by 8.1 percent to
Rp 14.12 trillion. Meanwhile, its
net profit jumped by 224 percent
to Rp 2.01 trillion.
This year, the company ex-
pects an improved performance
as a result of friendlier weather
conditions.
“According to the Meteorol-
ogy, Climatology and Geophys-
ics Agency’s (BMKG) prediction,
there won’t be a long dry sea-
son in our plantation areas [this
year],” Widya said.
As a strategy to improve its
bottom line this year, the com-
pany also aims to strengthen its
cattle farming business.
The company runs two core
BUSINESS
Pertamina
pushes for
more efficiency
Anton Hermansyah
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
State-owned energy giant Per-
tamina aims to save up to US$100
million through the introduction
of efficiency measures in the com-
pany’s integrated supply chain
(ISC) activities.
Pertamina ISC senior vice
president Daniel Purba said the
company expected to reach the
target by, for example, finding
cheaper suppliers and optimiz-
ing the newly upgraded facilities
in Tanjung Uban and the Sam-
bu islands, both in Riau Islands,
to manage its own fuel blending
process in an attempt to reduce
imports of finished fuel products.
“We will also import more
crude oil from Asia, because we
can obtain better margins there,”
Daniel said recently.
Pertamina’s ISC activities covers
the trading, procurement and dis-
tribution of crude oil, gas and fuel.
Last month, Finance Minister Sri
Mulyani Indrawati issued a ministe-
rial regulation revoking the imposi-
tion of income tax for oil obtained
from Indonesian fields but sold by
a contractor’s trading arm overseas.
Previously, the government
charged 3 percent of income tax
for oil transactions using such a
scheme. However, it is common
for foreign contractors to sell
their oil through trading arm sub-
sidiaries located abroad.
Pertamina sees the change in
regulations as an opportunity to
boost domestic crude oil supply.
Daniel said the company, for this
year, was planning to secure 181.3
million barrels of oil from domes-
tic procurement, a slight increase
from the 176.6 million barrels se-
cured in 2016.
“With the revocation of the in-
come tax rule, we expect there to
be more contractors that are will-
ing to sell their oil to us,” he said.
Pertamina’s ISC unit was estab-
lished in 2015 after the dissolution
of its Singapore-based subsidiary
Petral, the operation of which was
cancelled as a result of allegations
of corruption and illicit practices
in procurement. Daniel previously
served as Petral’s vice president.
According to Pertamina, the
unit has earned $523 million in
efficiency from the introduction
of streamlined fuel procurement.
The full liquidation of Petral,
meanwhile, is still pending the
debt clearance of its two subsid-
iaries, namely Zambesi Invest-
ment Ltd., established in 1979
and based in Hong Kong, and Per-
tamina Energy Services Pte. Ltd.,
which was created in 1992 and in-
corporated in Singapore.
Smart tracker
State-owned logistics company PT Bhanda Ghara Reksa (BGR) presi-
dent director R. Ruli Adi (center), commissioner Wiyardi Saputra
(left) and the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry’s assistant deputy for
energy, logistics, estates and tourism, Agus Suharyono, showcase tab-
lets running the BGR Enterprise Logistics System (BELS) application
during the launching of the customized business process management
software in Jakarta on Tuesday. The application, launched on BGR’s
40th anniversary, allows customers to access various features, such as
the trace-and-track function, customer support and fee information.
businesses in the sector, namely
cattle breeding and cattle fatten-
ing. The cattle business was cre-
ated to take advantage of the beef
market in Indonesia. Currently,
the company has 8,000 cows.
Furthermore, Astra Agro also
planned to focus on its mechani-
zation and automation strategy
to cut unnecessary costs.
“In the next 10 to 15 years, we
will continuously replant [oil
palm trees] in order to have a sta-
ble production,” Widya added.
At present, 70 percent of As-
tra Agro’s revenue is generat-
ed by the sales of CPO and palm
kernels in the domestic market,
while the remaining 30 percent
| 15
Energy giant seeks to save
big from procurement
reform
Domestic fuel blending
expected to reduce
dependency on imports
Although it has been frozen
since May 2015, Petral remains
a legal entity. If it loses the le-
gal entity status, Pertamina will
not have any legal claim to any
remaining receivables. An audit
shows that Petral’s receivables
stand at $50 million.
Data from the Energy and Min-
eral Resources Ministry, mean-
while, suggests that, starting this
year, there will be a gap between
the country’s oil supply and de-
mand. By 2020, supply is forecast
to decline to 1.8 million barrels of
oil per day (bopd) from 2.19 million
bopd in 2015, while demand could
potentially increase to 2.6 million
bopd from 2.19 million bopd.
This year, Pertamina plans to
import around 60 million barrels
from Asian countries such as Ma-
laysia, Thailand, Brunei Darus-
salam and Iran. The number in-
creased by 172 percent compared
to 22 million barrels in 2016.
Daniel said the company was still
waiting for the test of Iranian Light
Crude to be out this week. If the oil
was suitable to be processed in Per-
tamina’s refinery then it would not
have to be processed abroad.
The Iraqi oil, called Basra Light
Crude and Basra Heavy Crude, is
obtained from Pertamina subsid-
iary PT Pertamina Irak Eksplorasi
Produksi’s 10 percent participating
interest in the West Qurna I block.
Pertamina’s refineries, howev-
er, are not suitable for processing
oil from Iraq. They used to be pro-
cessed at Shell’s facilities in Singa-
pore before Pertamina’s contract
with Shell expired late last year.
The company also plans to run
fuel blending activities in Tan-
jung Uban and the Sambu islands,
a move that will reduce its de-
pendency on imported finished
fuel products such as Premium
(RON 88).
Pertamina imports of RON 88
fuel is expected to reach 62.05
million barrels in 2017, down by
15.8 percent compared to 73.7
million barrels coming into the
country the previous year.
“In Tanjung Uban and the
Sambu islands, we can blend
around 1.5 million barrels of oil
per month, so we can reduce the
import of final products by 18 mil-
lion barrels in 2017,” Pertamina
ISC vice president for crude prod-
uct trading Hasto Wibowo said.
Antara/Audy Alwi
comes from CPO derivate prod-
ucts overseas.
“Among our export desti-
nations are Southeast Asian
countries, India, Pakistan, the
Philippines and South Korea,”
outgoing finance director Rudy
Chen said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, As-
tra Agro announced the appoint-
ment of Mario CS Gultom as the
company’s new finance director,
replacing Rudy.
The meeting also saw share-
holders approved the payment
of about Rp 900 billion in divi-
dends generated from the 2016
net profit. The total represents
45 percent of its profits.
16 | WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
FOOD BUSINESS
Delivery
sales drive
up eateries'
revenues
Lee Xin En
THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN/SINGAPORE
Food lovers here are lapping
up home delivery services for
meals despite Singapore's abun-
dance of cheap and accessible
food outlets.
Their appetites have been
whetted by the lure of ordering
in feasts ranging from Michelin-
rated briyani to humbler fare
such as fried chicken and it is all
driving up sales for happy restau-
rateurs.
Some restaurants have seen
revenues rise by 15 percent or
more after partnering food-de-
livery firms.
Arif Salahuddin, founder of
Michelin-rated Bismillah Biry-
ani Restaurant, teamed up with
food-delivery platforms such as
UberEats and Foodpanda last
September. His revenue is up 17
percent.
His daughter Zara, who spear-
heads the company's delivery
business, said that within min-
utes of turning on the UberEats
app last September, the restau-
rant had multiple orders, which
surprised them as there was no
marketing.
The boost to their sales
prompted them to employ more
staff and invest in larger ov-
ens, but Zara said that while
15 percent to 20 percent of
revenue now comes from
delivery, they are still hesitant
to rely on it as delivery sales can
fluctuate daily, based on factors
such as the number of riders and
weather.
Lau Jiaxin, assistant market-
ing manager for fast-food chain
Texas Chicken, said the firm was
initially worried about "canni-
balization", as people who or-
der delivery would not dine at its
outlets.
However, after the firm put
all 13 outlets on the Foodpanda
platform, sales jumped 8 per-
cent, with about 10,000 delivery
orders a month.
Nevertheless, Lau noted that
the company is concerned about
the commissions charged by
food-delivery partners—a refrain
repeated by several restaurants.
Restaurants declined to dis-
close the commissions paid,
owing to non-disclosure deals,
but The Straits Times under-
stands that these can range from
20 percent to 50 percent, de-
pending on sales and the number
of outlets.
Andrei Soen, founder of Park
Bench Deli, acknowledged that
the commissions lower margins,
but said that as delivery makes
up a fraction of his sales, his
margins are not significantly af-
fected.
He added that the delivery
platforms have strong marketing
campaigns that reach out to cus-
tomers, and provide data analyt-
ics, which has been useful as he is
deciding the location of his next
outlet.
Food-delivery companies,
meanwhile, are doing a roaring
trade.
London-headquartered Deliv-
eroo said that since launching in
Singapore in November 2015, it
has grown 30 percent month on
month. It has more than 2,500
restaurants on its platform.
Foodpanda Singapore man-
aging director Aspa Lekka said
awareness "has grown mas-
sively," adding that business has
grown by 600 percent year on
year since the company entered
the market five years ago.
AUTOMOTIVE
PH vehicle sales surged 23% in first quarter
Roy Stephen C. Canivel
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ANN/
MANILA
In spite of sales growing in
the first quarter of the year, the
Chamber of Automotive Manu-
facturers of the Philippines, Inc.
(Campi) said its members were
“cautious” of what the industry
should aim for in 2017.
Based on joint data from Cam-
pi and the Truck Manufacturers
Association (TMA), vehicle sales
surged 23 percent in the first quar-
ter of this year, delivering 94,026
units from 76,473 units a year ago.
The industry groups said that
vehicle sales in March alone
soared 32.9 percent from 27,515 a
year ago to 36,561.
This was a welcome develop-
ment to a rather modest growth
in February, which only increased
by 7.5 percent.
Annyeong haseo!
Generic view of the Show DC Korean-theme mall is seen before an opening ceremony in Bangkok on
Monday. Hoping to capitalize on growing regional interest in South Korean pop culture, privately-owned
SHOW DC Corp. Ltd. opened a US$275-million mall and entertainment complex to get 10 million visitors a
year and become a major attraction in what was the world’s most visited city last year.
China opens delayed
Myanmar pipeline
Bloomberg
HONG KONG/SHANGHAI
A crude pipeline to southwest-
ern China through its neighbor
Myanmar began operations af-
ter years of delays, allowing the
world’s second-biggest oil user to
receive supplies faster from the
Middle East and Africa.
A Suezmax-sized tanker, which
can hold 140,000 metric tons
(about 1 million barrels) of crude,
began offloading oil for the pipe-
line on Monday at Myanmar’s
Made Island, according to China’s
official Xinhua News Agency.
Operations on the line, which
was completed in 2014 and origi-
nally scheduled to start the same
year, are beginning after the gov-
ernment of Myanmar agreed to
lower transit fees, Wang Dongjin,
president of PetroChina Co., said
last month.
The link, which allows China
to import crude from the Middle
East and Africa without having to
ship through the Straits of Malac-
ca and into the South China Sea, is
part of President Xi Jinping’s "One
Belt, One Road" infrastructure and
trade development plan stretching
across Asia to Africa and Europe.
"It may send a message to those
countries that are still hesitating
about whether to participate that
the initiative is China’s top na-
tional strategy and can bring eco-
nomic benefits to participants,"
said Fan Hongwei, an interna-
tional relations professor at Xia-
men University who specializes
in Myanmar.
Trial operations began in 2015
Campi president Rommel
Gutierrez said that the industry
still continued down the path of
motorization. However, he hinted
at caution for 2017.
“While the first quarter perfor-
mance gives us reason to be opti-
mistic, we are still cautious about
our own target for the year,” he
said in the statement without ex-
plaining.
While he did not respond to
questions for comment as of press
time, he previously said that 2017
would be a “challenging” year for
the industry.
Car sales are expected to
dampen following a strong move
in Congress to raise the excise
taxes on automobiles as one of
the expanded sources of govern-
ment revenues to offset losses
that would result from a proposed
lowering of personal income tax
rates, as indicated in the Presi-
on the 771-kilometer pipeline,
which is designed to carry 22 mil-
lion tons of crude a year. Myan-
mar can take 2 million tons of
crude annually from the line, Xi-
nhua reported.
For Myanmar, the initial ben-
efits are probably minimal, said
Suresh Sivanandam, a senior re-
search manager for Asia refining
at Wood Mackenzie Ltd.
The country may get a small
amount of oil and some revenue
from oil storage and pipeline tar-
iff fees, while experience from
China in building energy infra-
structure will be a boon for the
country later, he said.
The Suezmax tanker United
Dynamic arrived at Myanmar
around April 9 after loading oil
from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
terminal in Turkey on March 5,
according to ship-tracking data
compiled by Bloomberg.
The pipeline ends in China’s
Yunnan province, where Petro-
China has built an oil refinery
with the capacity to process 13
million tons a year of crude.
China’s biggest oil and gas com-
pany is in talks with Saudi Arabi-
an Oil Co. about investing in the
plant, which will begin operations
in June, Wang said last month.
PetroChina finished building
the refinery in the provincial cap-
ital Kunming about six months
ago and has been waiting for pipe-
line deliveries to start, according
to Sivanandam.
It will take about 12 million bar-
rels of crude to fill the pipeline be-
fore deliveries can start, he said.
Once the refinery begins, it will
dent Rodrigo Duterte’s adminis-
tration’s first package of the com-
prehensive tax reform program.
“While the first quarter
performance gives us
reason to be optimistic,
we are still cautious
about our own target
for the year.”
Campi, along with the Associa-
tion of Vehicle Importers and Dis-
tributors (Avid), already submit-
ted a position paper requesting for
a watered down increase — a plea
which the Department of Trade
and Industry refused to support.
Both passenger car and com-
mercial vehicle segments in-
Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha
Link will allow China to
import crude without
having to go through the
Straits of Malacca and
into the South China Sea
Trial operations began in
2015
sell products in southwest Chi-
na, displacing gasoline and die-
sel from refineries in central and
southern China, he said. That
will likely increase the country’s
net exports of refined products,
which rose to a monthly record of
2.85 million tons in November.
China and Myanmar on Mon-
day signed an agreement on the
pipeline, as well as eight other co-
operation documents, after talks
between Xi and Myanmar Presi-
dent Htin Kyaw, who is visiting
China from Thursday to Tuesday,
state-run China Daily reported.
China’s crude imports rose al-
most 14 percent last year, the fast-
est annual pace since 2010, and
touched a record in December of
8.6 million barrels a day.
China is also fed by a paral-
lel natural gas pipeline that runs
through Myanmar to Yunnan
province, designed to carry 12 bil-
lion cubic meters annually.
PetroChina’s parent company,
China National Petroleum Corp.,
began to import gas from Myan-
mar in 2013, according to a state-
ment on its website.
Shipments totaled 2.86 million
tons last year, customs data show,
accounting for about 5 percent of
the country’s total imports.
creased sales in the first quarter
in light of new model introduc-
tions, aggressive marketing pro-
motions and attractive financing
offers, Campi and TMA said.
The commercial vehicle cat-
egory, which accounted for more
than half of sales, showed a jump
of 33 percent to 62,075 units sold
for the first quarter from 46,677
units in the same period in 2016.
Passenger car sales, on the oth-
er hand, were up 7.2 percent to
31,951 in the first three months
from 29,796 units a year ago.
Toyota Motor Philippines
Corp. had the biggest market
share at 43.27 percent, followed
by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines
Corp. with 17.56 percent, Ford
Motor Company Philippines Inc.
with 8.27 percent, Honda Cars
Philippines Inc. with 7.82 percent
and Isuzu Philippines Corp. with
6.94 percent.
CORPORATE PLANNING
As succession looms,
a top Thai banker is
off saving trees
Chanyaporn Chanjaroen
BLOOMBERG/SINGAPORE
These days, the head of Thai-
land’s Kasikornbank Pcl spends
much of his time saving trees in
the remote province of Nan and
promoting his romantic novel,
rather than running the country’s
second-largest lender in Bangkok.
“I have the forest to worry
about," Banthoon Lamsam, who as
CEO took over 25 years ago from
his father, said in a March inter-
view at his teak home, built accord-
ing to the influence of feng shui and
characters from his 600-page book,
on nine wooded acres near the Lao
border where he has moved his offi-
cial household registration.
Yet back in Bangkok, it’s suc-
cession at the bank that’s cause
for concern. Banthoon, 64, wants
to retire. None of Banthoon’s
three children wants to take over
the bank, and it’s unclear which, if
any, of the three presidents he has
appointed will take his place.
“The succession issue can be
very problematic given that this is
a big bank with no clear plans on
who will be the next leader,” said
Yupana Wiwattanakantang, as-
sociate professor at the National
University of Singapore’s Busi-
ness School.
What does seem certain is
that Kasikornbank will become
the next of Thailand’s lenders
to pass from family hands, leav-
ing Bangkok Bank Pcl as the only
major family-run bank not to
have succumbed to the business
pressures of modern finance and
disobliging genealogy.
Since the 1997 Asian Financial
Crisis, many of Southeast Asia’s
family banks have either been
merged because of bad debts or
sold to international players.
In the interview, Banthoon
was sanguine about the prospect
of handing over to an outsider,
who would become the first non-
Lamsam family leader since Ka-
sikornbank was founded as Thai
Farmers Bank in 1945.
“It doesn’t matter one bit,”
said Banthoon, wearing a cowboy
hat and giant, angular sunglasses
while sitting in a covered patio at
his Swiss-chalet house on stilts.
Tightening regulations and a
changing industry mean skilled
management and finance profi-
ciency are more valued than the
family connections of old.
“These days, banks do not only
face domestic competitors, but
also non-bank companies looking
to take on their market share in fi-
nancial services and payment sys-
tems, the likes of Alipay and Face-
book,” said NUS’ Yupana.
Banthoon gave up a dream to
become a medical doctor and end-
ed up finding banking interesting
only when he focused on the chal-
lenges of management and organi-
zational structure, he said.
Kasikornbank was founded by
Banthoon’s grandfather at the
end of World War II in order to
help Thailand, then known as
Siam, rebuild its economy.
Banthoon’s main achievement
is having steered the bank through
the 1997 crisis that wiped out a
number of other Southeast Asian
family-run banks and reduced the
Lamsam family’s shareholdings.
Their current level is less than 5
percent, spread among various
family members.
Known as iconoclastic in his
management style, Banthoon
brought in foreign consultants,
aggressively wrote off bad loans
during the crisis, and introduced
a performance culture for em-
ployees, who now number more
than 20,000.
Banthoon grew the bank’s as-
sets from US$14 billion to $79 bil-
Public attraction
A Muslim woman takes photograph of the Smurfs toys displayed in-
side a mall in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Bank Negara Malaysia has
recently announced the official 2017 gross domestic product forecast
for Malaysia at a range of between 4.3 percent and 4.8 percent.
lion as of 2016.
An investor who bought the
bank’s stock 10 years ago would
have seen a 236 percent gain
through March from the invest-
ment, including dividends. That
compares with a 197 percent return
from the Thai benchmark stock in-
dex during the same period.
Banthoon said that despite
spending much of his time in Nan,
560 kilometers north of Bangkok,
he’s still responsible for the bank’s
bottom line, yet leaves the bank’s
day-to-day functioning to his
managers.
He plans to give up the CEO ti-
tle when he has full confidence in
a successor, he said.
Back at the bank headquarters,
a 40-story glass and steel tower
on the Chao Phraya River, there
had been four presidents, all vet-
erans with at least 20 years at the
lender, handling daily operations.
On April 3, one of them, Teera-
nun Srihong, 51, resigned by mu-
tual agreement.
The remaining three presi-
dents are Predee Daochai, 58, who
handles risk management; Kat-
tiya Indaravijaya, 51, who handles
finance operations and human re-
sources; and Pipit Aneaknithi, 49,
who oversees international bank-
ing, including branches and offic-
es in China, Cambodia and Laos.
In an interview in February,
Kattiya, the most senior woman
at Kasikornbank, said she felt for-
tunate to have been able to join
the lender, where women now
outnumber men 2-to-1.
For now, Banthoon is not ready
to choose — nor say whether his
successor will necessarily be
among the three. “It’s still too ear-
ly to decide,” Banthoon said, not-
ing that the presidents get paid
the same salary and bonuses.
Succession probably won’t
change the bank’s strategy, said
chief investment officer Adithep
Vanabriksha at the Thai unit of
Aberdeen Asset Management plc,
one of the top 20 shareholders in
the bank.
One difficulty Banthoon has in
transferring power is that he is
also the bank’s chairman, a rarity
for Thai banks. He assumed the
chairmanship in 2013 when his
uncle, Banyong, retired.
The arrangement for the dual
role came with a six-year permit
from the Bank of Thailand, on the
condition that Kasikornbank has
a board of independent directors.
By the end of 2019, he will need
to relinquish one of the titles. He
will have stepped down down
as CEO, though he may remain
chairman “for a while,” he said. "I
hope it’s not a long while."
Banthoon has been traveling to
Nan province with increasing fre-
quency since 2010, when he pur-
chased a old wooden hotel in the
capital city of Nan that he turned
into high-end boutique lodging
with rooms from about $60 to
$100 a night.
In 2014, he started his cam-
paign to protect the local forest,
engaging Princess Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn, a sister of the current
king, as well as the Thai prime
minister, to raise awareness and
halt deforestation through better
land management.
He said he hopes his presence in
Nan can halt more encroachment
of the forest. Nearly 30 percent, an
area slightly larger than the Uni-
tee States state of Rhode Island,
has been lost as villagers have
cut down trees to grow corn for
animal feed.
Banthoon described the prac-
tice as “a very stupid trade-off ”
that damages the source of Thai-
land’s major rivers.
“The challenge is for me to be
here before I get too old,” he said.
AP/Daniel Chan
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017
CURRENCY
China seen
allowing
bigger yuan
declines
Bloomberg
BEIJING/HONG KONG
China will probably let the
yuan weaken further now that
trade tensions with the United
States are receding and capital
outflow pressures are easing, ac-
cording to Natixis SA and DBS
Group Holdings Ltd.
Last week’s meeting between
the nation’s presidents has re-
duced the chances of the US la-
beling the Asian country a cur-
rency manipulator in the near
term, said Alicia Garcia Herrero,
chief Asia-Pacific economist at
Natixis.
Signs of a stabilizing economy
are adding to the case for Chi-
nese policy makers allowing big-
ger moves, according to DBS.
Expectations that the yuan
will weaken are showing up
in the market, with the off-
shore yuan headed for the lon-
gest stretch of declines since
October and a gauge of onshore
volatility rising to a one-month
high.
The exchange rate has weak-
INTERNATIONAL | 17
Coming in strong BUSINESS BRIEF
UK inflation pickup takes Easter break
LONDON: United Kingdom inflation’s upward trajectory paused in
March as the timing of Easter led to a drop in airfares, offsetting in-
creases in the price of food and clothing.
While the rate was unchanged compared with February, at 2.3 per-
cent, that’s still up from just 0.5 percent a year ago. The increase over
the past year reflects higher fuel costs and the pound’s decline since
the Brexit vote in June.
On the month, prices rose 0.4 percent, the Office for National Sta-
tistics said. Airfares fell 4 percent, compared with a 23 percent jump a
year earlier, when the Easter holiday fell in March.
The inflation pickup is already squeezing workers, and the British
Retail Consortium reported on Tuesday that retail sales fell the most in
six years in the first quarter.
With wage growth forecast to have slowed to 2.1 percent in the
past three months, the situation for households may worsen. The Bank
of England sees inflation hitting close to 3 percent by the end of the
year — well above its 2 percent target. — Bloomberg
Russia may suspend flights to Turkey
MOSCOW: Russia may suspend charter flights to Turkey due to the
“difficult political situation” there, the Federal Air Transport Agency has
warned airlines, a source at one of the companies told Reuters.
Russia and Turkey have a history of rolling trade and financial re-
strictions out against one other in political rows.
Ties between Moscow and Ankara have become strained in recent
Reuters/Bobby Yip days after Turkey called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a staunch
Cars are built at a BYD weld line in Shenzhen in May 2016. China auto sales grew 7 percent in the first quar- Russian ally, to step down.
ter, China’s automakers’ association said on Tuesday, with the strongest January-March period since 2014 The Federal Air Transport Agency declined to comment. If Rus-
setting up the world’s largest auto market for a better-than-expected year. sia goes ahead with the suspension, it could seriously hurt Turkey’s
already battered tourism industry which relies heavily on visitors from
Russia.
The Kommersant newspaper reported that, according to preliminary
data, Russian travel agents have already sold up to 400,000 package
Investors flee risk tours to Turkey. In total, it said 3 million Russian tourists were expected
to visit this year. — Reuters

Toshiba reports earnings

assets, tensions heat

ened 0.5 percent so far this
month, after recording its stron-
gest quarter in a year.
China’s real effective exchange
rate climbed 36 percent in the
past 10 years, according to a Bank
for International Settlements
gauge.
“China is still motivated
to depreciate the yuan," said
Hong Kong-based Garcia
Herrero.
"The US is unlikely to an-
nounce China a currency ma-
nipulator right after the pres-
idents’ meeting. China has
bought time — maybe one year
— on the currency manipulation
issue."
Presidents Xi Jinping and
Donald Trump agreed on a
“100-day plan” to address the
two nations’ trade imbalance
during a meeting in Florida
last week, with investors
seeing the outcome as
generally positive for bilateral
relations.
This came before the US
Treasury Department is set to
publish a semi-annual report
on trading partners’ foreign-
exchange policy as early as this
week.
Trump has described China
as the “grand champion” of ma-
nipulation and threatened to im-
pose punitive tariffs on the coun-
try’s exports.
The onshore currency’s one-
month implied volatility, which
is used to price options, rose to
3.97 percent on Monday, the
highest since March 10.
The yuan will drop 2.5 per-
cent through the rest of this year
in Shanghai, according to the
median forecast in a Bloomberg
survey.
China’s capital flows turned
positive in February for the
first time since January 2015,
according to a Bloomberg Intel-
ligence estimate, and foreign-
exchange reserves increased
for a second straight month in
March.
“Against the backdrop of stabi-
lizing growth and a calm outflow
picture, China has been more
flexible on the yuan’s exchange
rate and comfortable to see a bit
more depreciation," said Nathan
Chow, an economist at DBS in
Hong Kong.
"The yuan’s weakness in
April also shows the PBOC’s in-
tention to let the yuan become
more market-driven in the
mid-term."
Nichola Saminather
REUTERS/SINGAPORE
Asian stocks fell on Tuesday
as the political tinderbox in the
Middle East and the Korean Pen-
insula added to uncertainty over
the looming French vote, push-
ing nervous investors into safer
assets such as the yen and Trea-
suries.
Even oil, which advanced earli-
er on supply concerns in the wake
of United States missile strikes on
a Syrian air base last week and a
shutdown at a Libyan oilfield, re-
versed to trade lower, breaking its
multi-session winning streak.
European stocks were also on
track for a subdued start, with fi-
nancial spreadbetters tipping
Britain's FTSE 100 and France's
CAC down 0.1 percent, and Ger-
many's DAX off 0.2 percent.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-
Pacific shares outside Japan
dropped 0.3 percent.
"Most Asian markets could be
seen with moderate changes this
morning amid a mixed trend,"
said Jingyi Pan, market strategist
at IG in Singapore.
"Price movements here appear
to be largely mirroring those in
the US, with key corporate earn-
ings due later in the week and
could be the reason that investors
are still holding onto equities."
The heightened geopolitical
risks come at a time when the
global economy has shown steady
improvement, led by the US and
encouraging momentum in ex-
port-reliant Asia.
Tokyo's Nikkei closed 0.3 per-
cent lower, dragged down by a
stronger yen.
Toshiba Corp. was among the
biggest decliners, ending the day
2.7 percent lower, with the con-
glomerate expected to file its
twice-delayed earnings results on
Tuesday, without a full sign-off by
auditors.
Accountants question the
numbers at the company's US
nuclear subsidiary Westinghouse
Electric Co., where massive cost
overruns have pushed the Japa-
nese parent company to the brink.
Chinese shares lost 0.4 percent,
while Hong Kong stocks slumped
0.9 percent.
South Korean shares and Tai-
wan were also lower.
Australian stocks reversed ear-
lier losses to climb 0.3 percent,
after a measure of business con-
ditions hit the highest level in
a decade. They earlier hit their
highest level since April 2015 for
the second session in a row.
The Australian dollar was flat
at US$0.7501, paring earlier gains.
Overnight, Wall Street ended
a choppy session little changed,
weighed down by nervousness
about quarterly corporate earn-
ings later this week.
The depressed sentiment
pulled 10-year US Treasury yields
down to 2.3427 percent on Tues-
day from Monday's 2.361 percent
close.
British Prime Minister The-
resa May spoke on Monday with
US President Donald Trump and
agreed that "a window of oppor-
tunity" exists to persuade Russia
to break ties with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, May's office said.
Trump is open to authorizing
additional strikes on Syria if the
use of chemical weapons con-
tinues in the country, the White
House said on Monday.
Investors are also nervous
about the possibility of US mili-
tary action against North Korea
after the strikes in Syria.
A US Navy strike group headed
toward the western Pacific Ocean
near the Korean peninsula as a
show of force, while South Ko-
rea's acting president ordered the
military to intensify monitoring
of the North's activities.
China and South Korea agreed
on Monday to tougher sanctions
on North Korea if it carries out
nuclear or long-range missile
tests.
In France, polls for many
weeks have been showing centrist
Emmanuel Macron and far-right
leader Marine Le Pen on track to
top the first round of voting on
April 23 and go through to a May
7 runoff.
While Le Pen's plans to ditch
the euro and hold a referendum
on European Union membership
have spooked many investors, re-
cent polls have pointed to a tight-
er race, with support for far-left
candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon
surging recently.
That has sent the spread be-
tween German and French 10-
year government bonds soaring
Asia ex-Japan down,
Nikkei closes lower on
yen strength
European stocks headed
for lower open
Wall Street ended choppy
session, little changed
to the widest since Feb. 22.
"After Britain’s Brexit referen-
dum and the US presidential elec-
tion surprised markets in 2016,
could this event do the same?"
Mark Burgess, global head of eq-
uities at Columbia Threadneedle
in London, wrote in a note.
"As a Le Pen presidency is per-
ceived to increase the likelihood of
France’s withdrawal from the EU,
the uncertainty is likely to con-
tinue about what this could mean
for the euro, along with a potential
wider hit to global markets."
The euro pulled back 0.1 per-
cent to $1.0587, ahead of data in-
cluding German economic sen-
timent, UK price inflation and
Eurozone industrial production
later on Tuesday.
The dollar fell 0.3 percent to
110.65 yen, extending losses from
Monday.
The dollar index, which tracks
the greenback against a basket of
major trade-weighted peers, was
Optimistic
flat at 101.03, failing to rebound
from Monday's 0.16 percent loss.
Federal Reserve chair Janet
Yellen said on Monday the central
bank's plans to raise interest rates
gradually are aimed at maintain-
ing employment and inflation
rather than boost growth.
Crude retreated from five-
week highs hit earlier in the ses-
sion as concerns about rising US
shale production offset a shut-
down at Libya's largest oilfield
over the weekend and the US
strikes against Syria that had sup-
ported prices.
US crude pulled back 14 cents
to $52.95 a barrel, after rising for
the previous five sessions.
Global benchmark Brent fell
10 cents to $55.89, breaking a six-
session winning streak.
The market jitters and a weak-
er dollar supported gold, which
advanced for a third straight day.
Spot gold was 0.2 percent high-
er at $1,256.50 an ounce.
TOKYO: Toshiba Corp. reported earnings on Tuesday after twice failing
to meet deadlines, but the third-quarter figures have not been ap-
proved by its auditor.
The Japanese company said it sees doubts over its assumed going
concern after the bankruptcy filing of its Westinghouse Electric nuclear
power unit in the United States.
It posted an operating loss of ¥576.3 billion (US$5.2 billion) for the
nine months ended Dec. 31, according to an earnings statement that
was not cleared by auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata.
Toshiba’s CEO Satoshi Tsunakawa will address the media at 6:45
p.m. in Tokyo. Toshiba has been at odds with its auditors over internal
controls at its Westinghouse nuclear unit.
The company has said it uncovered reports of “inappropriate pres-
sure” internally to push through the acquisition of a US construction
firm specializing in building atomic plants.
Toshiba had extended the earnings filing deadline twice, intensify-
ing speculation of a possible delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange
and pushing the shares 20 percent lower this year. — Bloomberg
El Salvador defends finances
SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador on Monday defended its financial stability
in response to rating agency Fitch’s assessment it was in default of
debt obligations, after the government failed to secure political back-
ing to service interest payments due in April.
Fitch earlier said it judged the tiny Central American country “to be
in default on its sovereign obligations” for failing to make interest pay-
ments on debt to private pension funds worth nearly US$29 million.
Last week, the government, headed by the leftist Farabundo Marti
National Liberation Front (FMLN), could not get the necessary support
from the conservative opposition to approve a financial package that
covered the interest payments.
The government was solvent, said Ricardo Perdomo, who heads the
Superintendence of the Financial System, a state-run body charged
with overseeing market stability.
El Salvador’s finance ministry said the government had the means
to meet its obligations, and just needed to secure the necessary parlia-
mentary approval to proceed. — Reuters
Reuters/Hannibal Hanschke
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right) and International
Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde at-
tend a news conference following a meeting of the heads of in-
ternational economy and finance organizations at the Chancel-
lery in Berlin on Monday. The IMF sees a more favorable outlook
for the global economy this year and next than in 2016, but it has
concerns beyond the near term, Lagarde said on Monday.

MARKET MANIPULATION

Bond rigging suit quotes cache of chats to boost accusation

Christian Berthelsen and
Matthew Leising
BLOOMBERG/NEW YORK
Hundreds of electronic chat
transcripts prove some of the
world’s biggest banks rigged an ob-
scure, multitrillion-dollar corner
of the bond market, according to an
amended lawsuit from investors al-
legedly harmed by the behavior.
The bonds in question are
known as supranational, sub-sov-
ereign and agency debt — often
called SSA bonds.
A Bloomberg analysis last year
pegged it at a US$9 trillion to $15
trillion market.
Issuers include international
development organizations, gov-
ernment-sponsored agencies like
Fannie Mae, and some sovereign
issuers including German states.
The amended complaint filed
Monday added five more banks
as defendants: Citigroup Inc.,
BNP Paribas SA, HSBC Holdings
plc, Toronto-Dominion Bank and
Royal Bank of Canada, plus a for-
mer trader who worked for Bank
of America Corp., Citi and TD.
They either declined to com-
ment or did not immediately re-
spond to requests for comment.
Dozens of pages of the tran-
scripts are quoted in the filing, but
they were redacted in the publicly
available version.
The investors, led by the pen-
sion plan for an iron workers’
union in Pennsylvania, said they
obtained the chats under a confi-
dentiality agreement.
There was no detail on who
furnished the information or
why. The case has not reached the
stage where the parties exchange
evidence, and it is rare that such
detailed information is made
available at this stage.
“Rare is the antitrust case
where smoking gun evidence ex-
ists, and rarer still does it exist at
the pleading stage,” according to
the lawsuit. “Nevertheless, that is
the situation here.”
The chats are said to cover
more than 300 trading days.
Bloomberg has previously re-
ported that the United States Jus-
tice Department is conducting a
criminal investigation into wheth-
er this bond market was rigged.
The United Kingdom Finan-
cial Conduct Authority and Euro-
pean Union are also looking into
the matter.
Banks have been accused of
manipulating other markets, in-
cluding currencies, interest-rate
derivatives and precious metals.
In some instances, those cas-
es have led to multibillion-dollar
settlements, penalties and crimi-
nal prosecutions.
One of the lead law firms for the
plaintiffs in the SSA case, Quinn
Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
LLP, reached a $1.87 billion set-
tlement in 2015 with banks in-
cluding Goldman Sachs Group
Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
in a case alleging the brokers con-
spired to limit competition in the
market for credit-default swaps.
SSA bonds are fairly illiq-
uid and trade privately between
banks and their customers, giv-
ing financial firms an upper hand
when pricing them.
But investors like them be-
cause they are perceived as high-
quality assets — similar to govern-
ment debt, but with higher yields.
The pension fund’s lawyers
hired experts to review market data
in the SSA market, finding the dif-
ference in prices to buy and sell
the bonds were much further apart
than similarly rated sovereign debt.
The spread on some bonds was
7 basis points, compared with 1.5
basis points if the SSA securities
were traded competitively. A ba-
sis point is equal to 0.01 percent.
The lawsuit — which also ac-
cuses Bank of America, Deutsche
Bank AG, Credit Agricole SA,
Credit Suisse Group AG and No-
mura Holdings Inc. of wrongdoing
— said the collusion between the
traders began as early as 2005, and
that they stayed in constant con-
tact through telephone calls, in-
person meetings and chat rooms
on the Bloomberg terminal.
Some chat rooms were perma-
nent, while others were created
and shut down each day.
The filing accuses the banks of
fixing prices that were quoted to
investor clients, steered business
to each other and shared confi-
dential client information with
each other “whenever it could
help them rip off their custom-
ers,” according to the lawsuit.
“As a direct result of the deal-
er defendants’ agreement not to
compete, investors unwittingly
transacted at prices worse than
one would expect in a normally
operating, competitive market,”
according to the lawsuit.
The individual traders named
as defendants in the case live in the
UK and maintained close social
ties in addition to working togeth-
er, according to the complaint.
“During the period of this con-
spiracy, collusion was rampant at
these Wall Street banks,” accord-
ing to the lawsuit.
“They had a pervasive culture
of pursuing short-term profits at
any cost.”
The case is In re. SSA Bonds
Antitrust Litigation, 16-cv-03711,
US District Court, Southern Dis-
trict of New York (Manhattan).
18 | WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

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Tedi Sofyan 021-89647947 / 085779641777
/ 081314641777
PT. SMS - SIM. Professional driver. Familiar
territory Jakarta and outside. Call: 021
87786477, EMAIL: sarana_sms@yahoo.com
or visit us at pt-sms.com
Best quality and quantity sitter. Don’t hesitate
to contact us,“Yayasan DWI ASIH”. Ph: (021)
- 9824 7515 or Jasman Tedjo Pamungkas
08129566433

BOS: Rolls-royce Ghost Ghost ‘13, automat-

ic, 6.600cc, white pearl, Rp 7 billion, 1.000
KM, 3 TV + 6 camera, airsuspension,
panoramic sunroof, vacum door, power back
door, good condition, nego. Call: Addie
087889864349
169 million, original owner, tax in order, ser-
vice record, good condition. Call: Lily 0816
999 412
JJ MOBIL : Honda Freed SD, 2012, Automat-
ic, cylinder 1.500, silver metallic, Rp 179 mil-
0812 2024 7223 TRANSLATIONS
CV KARYA BUNDA MANDIRI. You call us, we
send you! Male and female sitters and
ABSE TRANSLATION&INTERPRETING SER-
housekeepers to all places in Indonesia. Call: VICE Sworn, Non Sworn for 12 Lngs. Ph:021-
COURSES 021 - 5417671 8352323,8281013 Email: bse@cbn.net.id,
ABSE LANGUAGE COURSE& INDONESIAN

CHRISTIAN AUTO: Mazda CX – 7 GT ‘10,

lion, original owner, tax in order, service
record, good condition. Call: Lily 0816 999
For Foreigner& Local at your place.For further
info call
yestanto@gmail.com
081262876287,
Calico Petshop. Ampera Selatan – Jatiasih,
Bekasi. Cat Food. Dog Food. Accessories.
We has reliable Baby Sitter! LPK MUTIARA 1.
Most from Java. Educated worker. Honest. Surabaya
automatic, 2.300cc, black, Rp 300 millioon,
good condition, nego.Call: Ririn 0817383891
412 Promo of the day. (Dandy) Ph: 0813 1010
5055 PIN BB: 524775AF
Persevering. Call:
0 8 7 8 7 8 8 3 6 2 2 7
Mrs.

CHRISTIAN AUTO: Land Rover Range Rover
Evoque Dynamic Luxury ‘12, automatic,
2.000cc, black, Rp 880 millioon, 25.000km,
Interior Verve, good condition, nego.Call:
Ririn 0817383891
JJ MOBIL : Mercedes Benz C-Class C 200
CGI, 2011, Automatic, km 22.000, cylinder
1.800, Black Metallic, Rp 389 million, original
owner, tax in order, service record, leather
seat, Antique, full electric seat, good condi-
tion. Call: Lily 0816 999 412
FUNERAL HOME
Rumah Duka ABADI Daan Mogot, Jl. Daan
Mogot Km 2 No. 353 Jakarta Barat, 11460.
Call: 021 5671931 ; 568458, Fax: 021
5654872
F. J. PETSHOP. Ruko Pulo Gebang Permai
Blok D5 No. 14, Cakung – Jakarta Timur
13950. Call: 021 – 4601611. Visit us:
www.fjpetshop.com
/lpkmutiaradarma1.blogspot.com
Darma
Scene For our advertising
packages and rates,
call Kristiawan at 0817 345 607
LPK ERA PRIMA. The best educate and deliv- or send an email to
er services nannies, nurses & nursing elderly kristiawanizm@gmail.com /
(Jabotabek & outside city). Call 08787- kristiawan@thejakartapost.com
5958316

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT
YOGYAKARTA
VIT Levite launches new flavor, installs
inflatable water slide CLADS
Mineral water brand VIT has just launched a new green grape fla-
vor for its VIT Levite product line, mineral water with fruit flavors, and For queries on ad placement
marked the introduction by setting up an inflatable water slide.
The 146-meter-long, two-meter-wide water slide was installed on and rates in The Jakarta Post’s
April 9 in the Epicentrum Kuningan shopping center, Jakarta, where
the public could enjoy it. The large slide has been recorded in the Indo- Yogyakarta section,
nesian Records Museum (MURI).
Prior to the launch of its new variant, the VIT Levite product line call Sekar Ardiayosita at 0856
already had several flavors: orange, guava and soursop. Before intro-
ducing new flavor variations, the brand always conducted a number of 296 1644 or send an email to
market research studies to test them on consumers.
sekar@thejakartapost.com/

sekar_ardiayosita@yahoo.co.id

Island Spot

To place your ad LOCAL BEAT

in this section, S. Korean tourism agencies try to attract Muslim RI tourists
contact Opie or Mirah A number of South Korean institutions for the Southeast Asian region, including the Korea Tourism
Organization and KSmile, are now working together in an effort to attract Indonesian Muslim tourists to
travel to the country, particularly to the three provinces of Gyeongsangnam, Ulsan and Busan.
on 0361 265436 In an effort to attract more Indonesian tourists to these three provinces, Korea launched a promotional
program on April 10. This program serves as a strategic action to respond to tourism market diversifica-
or email opie@ tion in light of the termination of Korean tourism products by the Chinese tourism administration on
March 15. Specifically, the program seeks to attract Indonesian Muslim tourists, which has great market
thejakartapost.com potential. Last year, for example, about 980,000 Muslim tourists visited Korea.
By targeting Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, the institutions will deliver a
& mirah.adi@ number of presentations on tourism to Indonesian travel agents, as well as a number of business-to-busi-
ness (B2B) sessions and a number of other marketing activities.
thejakartapost.com The Korea Tourism Organization will also make an effort to promote Muslim-friendly restaurants, as
well as places of worship in its country to further attract Muslim travelers, particularly from Indonesia,
Courtesy of VIT to visit.
 WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 | 19

WHERE TO GO
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FOREIGN CULTURAL Motion Blue Jakarta • Piano Recital by Tobias
CENTERS motionbluejakarta.com Borsboom
April 15 at 7:30 p.m.
•Goethe Institut Jakarta Erasmus Huis, Jakarta
German Language Courses CP: 021-5241069
Registration from Monday at 9
a.m.-5 p.m. erasmushuis@minbuza.nl
Tuesday-Friday at 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday in the 1st and 3rd Satur-
day in the month
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Goethe Institut
Jakarta.
Contact: 021-23550208/021-
3983 0888 or kursus@jakarta. • Harry Toledo & Turbulence
goethe.org of Soul
April 14-15 at 6 p.m.
• Institut Francais Indonesia Motion Blue Jakarta
France Language Courses motionbluejakarta.com • Saturday Night Live:
IFI Thamrin, address: Jl. MH Jay James
Thamrin No. 20, Jakarta Pusat,
CP: 021-23557951/52 April 29
IFI Wijaya, address: Jl. Wijaya I Cascade Lounge, Hotel Mulia
No.48, Jakarta Selatan, CP: 021- Senayan - Jakarta
7247064/7208133 Cp: 021 5747777 ext.4388/4488
kursus@ifi-id.com/ifi-id.com
• Saturday Night Live:
• Erasmus Huis Chris Mann
Dutch Language Courses
Address: HR Rasuna Said Kav.
S-3 Kuningan Jakarta
May 20
Cascade Lounge, Hotel Mulia ‘Raining Cat and Frogs’
Contact: 021-5241069/erasmush- • Wanita Kekinian Senayan - Jakarta
Cp: 021 5747777 ext.4388/4488 April 15 at 7 p.m.
uis@minbuza.nl/erasmushuis-in. by Nonaria feat Danilla Kinosaurus - Jakarta
nlmission.org April 15 at 3 p.m.
Galeri Indonesia Kaya kinosaurusjakarta.com
www.indonesiakaya.com THEATER PERFORMANCE
TOUR GUIDE In this animated feature, the world is engulfed by a mighty flood, and farmer Ferdinand (Michel Piccoli),
his wife, Juliette (Laurentine Milebo), and their son struggle to survive. Ferdinand, a former ship captain,
• Indonesian Heritage Society converts his barn into an ark and rounds up animals from the nearby zoo.
provides free tour at National The rescued animals get along well, until food runs short and the carnivorous creatures began to view
Museum in their companions as lunch. Ferdinand must convince everyone to work together until the waters recede.
English. This movie will be screened at Kinosaurus Jakarta on April 15 at 7 p.m.
Every Tuesday at For more information, visit kinosaurusjakarta.com.
10:30 a.m.
Every Thursday
at 10:30 a.m. and • Panggil Saja Aku Kartini
1:30 p.m. by Annisa Hertami and
FILM SCREENINGS That’s Life Coffee April 26 at the Grand Sahid Jaya
Every second and thatslifecoffee.com in Central Jakarta. This event will
• Perempuan di Bawah Langit Sri Krisna Encik (Script:
fourth Saturday of the month at • ‘Masseria delle allodole’ be the country’s largest sympo-
Lembayung by Mian Tiara Landung Simatupang)
10:30 a.m. with Ine Febrianti April 21 at 6:30 p.m. sium on arbitration and media-
CP: Indonesian Heritage April 29 at 3 p.m.
April 16 at 3 p.m. IIC Auditorium Jakarta tion. It has the support of Indo-
Society Library 021-5725870/ Galeri Indonesia Kaya
Galeri Indonesia Kaya www.indonesiakaya.com nesia’s Supreme Court, Attorney
heritagejkt.org www.indonesiakaya.com General’s Office, the government
• TEDed Club by Beacon as well as various domestic and
EXHIBITIONS Academy international arbitration and me-
April 12 at 1:30 p.m. diation institutions. For more in-
Beacon Theatre formation, please visit: http://
medarbid.org/en/event/up-
comingevents.
• Color Me Purple - HFGM
• Love Box Liga Medika 2017
April 17-19 at 6 p.m. April 29
Motion Blue Jakarta Komunitas Salihara
motionbluejakarta.com Ligamedika.com
• Fashion Nation Eleventh
Edition
April 6 – 15 • Misi Nomor Satu PERFORMANCE
Senayan City Jakarta
by Putri Ayudya
April 30 at 3 p.m.
TALK Galeri Indonesia Kaya
• The Crab www.indonesiakaya.com • ‘Alla luce del sole’
April 20-21 at 6 p.m. April 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Motion Blue Jakarta IIC Auditorium Jakarta
motionbluejakarta.com CLASS

• The Wonderful World of

Disney On Ice
• Angels By The Murky River April 20 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m.
April 22 at 6 p.m. April 21 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m. • Archeological Seminar
Serambi Salihara - Jakarta • Short Films by Yosep Anggi
Noen ICE — Indonesia Convention “Pompeii: life, death and rebirth,
salihara.org the story of a city and of a popu-
April 14 at 7 p.m. Exhibition
Kinosaurus - Jakarta disneyoniceindonesia.com lation through the archeological
MUSIC PERFORMANCES • Leonardo & His kinosaurusjakarta.com and anthropological data”
Impeccable Six • Kelas Fotografi Jalanan SEMINAR April 20 at 4 p.m.
April 22 at 6 p.m. March 8 – May 6 at 2 p.m. IIC Auditorium Jakarta
Motion Blue Jakarta Serambi Salihara e-mail: eventi@itacultjkt.or.id
motionbluejakarta.com salihara.org

rd
3 ANNUAL symposium for ARBITRATORS AND mediators

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motionbluejakarta.com April 14 at 9:30 p.m. VENUE: HOTEL GRAND SAHID JAYA, JAKARTA
For queries on placement of your events
DATE: 26 APRIL 2017
in The Jakarta Post’s WHERE TO GO
Kinosaurus - Jakarta • 3rd Annual Symposium for
kinosaurusjakarta.com section, please send an email to
Arbitrators and Mediators
• Lagu Untuk Perempuan by (ASAM) wheretogo@thejakartapost.com /
Ifa Fachir and His Mini • America Latin Dance Club:
wtgjakarta@gmail.com or
Orchestra Salsa ARTS FESTIVAL The Indonesian Academy for call Endang at (021) 5300478 ext. 2034.
April 22 at 3 p.m. April 11, 18, 25
Independent Arbitrators and Me-
Galeri Indonesia Kaya Salihara - Jakarta • Mixed Feelings 02 diators will be hosting the third
www.indonesiakaya.com salihara.org Illustration Exhibition
• Mister Moonlight Show Annual Symposium for Arbitra-
April 13 at 6 p.m. April 2 – May 6 tors and Mediators (ASAM) on

WHERE TO EAT IN JAKARTA

CAFES
Aphrodite Club Rasuna, Jl. Rasuna Said,
Kuningan, South Jakarta.
Anomali Coffee Jl. Senopati No. 35, South
Jakarta. Telp. 529-20102
Antipodean Hero Kemang Complex, Jl.
Kemang Selatan No. 1, South Jakarta. No
fuss super-fresh brekkies at this laid-back
Aussie-Kiwi Café.
BUNK Pullman Jakarta Central Park Podo-
moro City, Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28
Telp. 021 29 20 00 88
Bloeming FX Sudirman, South Jakarta.
Telp. 2555 4182
Bakoel Koffie Jl. Cikini Raya No. 25, Central
Jakarta. Telp. 3193 6608
CJ’s Bar Hotel Mulia Senayan. Jl.Asia Afrika
Senayan, South Jakarta.Telp. 575 3275, 574
7777 ext. 4008, 4018 Bar and cocktail.
RESTAURANTS
ASIAN FUSION
Chatterbox Plaza Senayan and branches
city- wide. Singaporean and western dishes in
cozy setting. No MSG.
Mamacita The Wine Kitchen Senayan City,
LG Unit 52, South Jakarta. Telp. 7278 1477
CONTINENTAL
Cacaote Jl. Senopati Raya 80, Kebayoran
Baru, South Jakarta. Telp. 293 0612.
Place to see and be seen, melt-in-your-mouth
cakes and pastries
CHINESE
Ah Yat Abalone Mid Plaza 2, LG, Jl.
Sudirman Central Jakarta. Telp. 570 7333
Chiao Tung Hotel Rekso Hayam Wuruk, Jl.
Hayam Wuruk 2F West Jakarta. Telp. 624 8680
ITALIAN
AWkitchen Plaza Senayan
Level P4 Unit No. CP 409
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
Jakarta Pusat 10270
+6221 5790 6071
AWkitchen Plaza Indonesia
Level 2, No. E0206
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Jakarta Pusat 10350
+6221 2992 4325
INDONESIAN
Beautika Jl. Hang Lekir No. 1, South Jakarta.
Telp. 722 6683
A spicy culinary journey to North Sulawesi
(Manado). No frills but you will definitely feel
hot under the collar from the chilli dosage.
Bengawan Solo Hotel Sahid Jaya, Jl. Sudirman
No. 86, Central Jakarta. Telp. 570 4444
Bumbu Hotel Sheraton Bandara, West
Jakarta. Telp. 559 7777
INTERNATIONAL
Alto Restaurant & Bar
Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta
Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav. 18
Kuningan Barat, Jakarta 12710
Opening time:
Alto Bar (Daily) 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Alto Restaurant (Daily) 6 p.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Tel: 021 2277 1888
Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta
WINE & DINE
Bacco Lotte Shopping Avenue, Main Lobby,
LG 38, Kuningan, South Jakarta.
Decanter Wine Lounge Plaza Kuningan,
North Tower, Ground Floor, South Jakarta.
Telp. 5296 3888
Loewy Bar & Restaurant Oakwood Premier
Cozmo, Kuningan, South Jakarta. Telp.
25542378
The Lounge Le Grandeur Mangga Dua,
Jl. Mangga Dua Raya, North Jakarta.
Telp. 612 8811
SAKE+ Jl. Senopati 54, Kebayoran Baru,
South Jakarta. Telp. 7250002. Japanese bar
& lounge.
VIN+ Arcadia Plaza Senayan Arcadia
Lantai 1 Unit 106-108, South Jakarta. Telp.
57901477
VIN+ PIM Street Gallery Pondok Indah
Mall 1st Fl Unit 106 South Jakarta. Telp.
2952 9753
VIN+ PIM soft opening specials: - Get a
glass of sangria if you follow us on twitter
and facebook. @vinplusid and VIN+ wine
and beyond
Lunch promotion.
Buy 2 main courses and get 20 percent off
(food only)
High Tea Promotion: 1 Tapas + 1 Glass of wine
only Rp 100,000 (tax included).
VIN+ Central Park Central Park Mall at
Tribeca Park Ground Floor TG. 03 Jl. Let. S.
Parman Kav. 28, West Jakarta. Telp. 5698 5768
VIN+ Kemang Jl. Kemang Raya No. 45B, AWkitchen
South Jakarta Telp. 7179 2577
20 | ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE WEDNESDAY April 12 , 2017

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD PUZZLER SUDOKU

Instructions:
Fill the cells in such a way so that all rows, columns and every
3-by-3 subsquare contains every digit from 1 to 9, with no rep-
etition of each digit.

ROSE IS ROSE

THE BORN LOSER

CHESSQUIZ
GARFIELD

By Shelby Lyman
FERDNAND
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 TECHNOLOGY | 21

How artificial
life spawned
a billion-dollar Up close: A DNA double helix is seen
in an undated artist's illustration
released by the National Human
Genome Research Institute.

industry Reuters/National Human Genome Research Institute

Betting on synthetic life

Scientists are getting Ben Hirschler industry are today more effective, lower cost, Global investment in synthetic biology.
REUTERS/LONDON more precise and more repeatable. That makes
closer to building life from it easier to extract disruptive value.” $1.5
bln

D
espite ethical and safety concerns, in- Ocko, whose Data Collective firm has in- $1.2 bln
scratch and technology 2016
vestors are attracted by synthetic bi- vested in companies including organism design
pioneers are taking ology’s wide market potential and the firm Gingko Bioworks and bioengineer Zymer- 1.0

notice, with record sums plummeting cost of DNA synthesis, gen, is not alone.
which is industrializing the writing of the genetic Other tech veterans backing the new wave of
moving into a field that code that determines how organisms function. “synbio” start-ups include Jerry Yang, Marc An- 0.5
could deliver novel drugs, While existing biotechnology is already used dreessen, Peter Thiel and Eric Schmidt, famous
materials,
ateria chemicals and to make medicines like insulin and genetically for their roles at Yahoo (YHOO.O), Netscape,
modified crops, synthesizing whole genes or ge- PayPal and Google respectively. 0
even perfumes.
ev nomes gives an opportunity for far more exten- Experts meeting in London last week said the 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

sive changes.
Matt Ocko, a Silicon Valley venture capital-
ist whose past investments include Facebook
(FB.O), Uber (UBER.UL) and Zynga (ZNGA.O),
believes the emerging industry has passed the
“epiphany” moment needed to prove it can de-
liver economic value.
“Synthetic biology companies are now be-
coming more like the disruptive, industrial-scale
value propositions that define any technology
business,” he said.
“The things that sustain and accelerate this
Reuters/Mike Segar
Work in progress: A robotic DNA sample automation
machine works on DNA samples at a Regeneron Pharma-
ceuticals Inc. laboratory at the biotechnology company's
headquarters in Tarrytown, New York, US.
Reuters/Robert Pratta
Lab work: A researcher, seen through a window, prepares
DNA in a laboratory at the Bioaster Technology Research
Institute in Lyon, France.
science toolkit was improving fast and the cost
of synthesizing DNA was now 100 times cheap-
er than in 2003, although uncertainties remain
about regulation and the public’s appetite for tin-
kering with life.
The global conference hosted by Imperial
College London, bringing together scientists and
money people, came four weeks after research-
ers announced they were close to building a
complete artificial genome for baker’s yeast.
This ambitious project has brought complex
artificial life a big step closer because yeast is a
eukaryote, an organism whose cells contain a
nucleus, just like human cells.
The yeast work shows how DNA can be ma-
nipulated on a large scale, with genetic code in-
creasingly treated like a programming language
in which binary 1s and 0s are replaced by DNA’s
four chemical building blocks, abbreviated as A,
T, G, C.
A growing emphasis on computing is closing
the gap between biology and traditional tech,
even though this is an area that remains unpre-
dictable, variable and complex.
“The intersection of biology and technology
is a difficult place to be because of different cul-
tures and languages, but I think we are breaking
through some of those barriers,” said Thomas
Bostick, former head of the US Army Corps of
Engineers who now leads biotech firm Intrex-
on’s (XON.N) environment unit.
The idea that engineering life can be broken
down into data and coding is part of the appeal
for tech investors.
“DNA is seen as the next programmable
matter and that is what a lot of the Silicon
Valley investors are excited about,” said John
Cumbers, founder of synthetic biology net-
work SynBioBeta.
“They’ve witnessed the power of software
over the last 25 years and they are looking for the
next big thing.”
Data from SynBioBeta shows a record US$1.21
billion was invested in the sector worldwide in
2016, a threefold increase from five years earlier,
while the number of firms in the sector has al-
most doubled to 411.
A range of companies are springing up, from
those producing new chemicals for industry to
providers of DNA synthesis and related soft-
ware, like US-based Twist Bioscience and Brit-
ain’s Synthace.
Work is also advancing by leaps and bounds
in the complementary area of gene editing now
Source: SynBioBeta.
being embraced by many of the world’s top drug-
makers.
The current product focus represents a
change of tack from the first widely tipped ap-
plication of synthetic biology in making biofuels
from engineered algae.
In the event, algal biofuel proved a lot harder
to scale up than expected and a tumbling oil price
during the Great Recession of the late 2000s un-
dercut the business model.
Drew Endy of Stanford University believes
the case for using synthetic biology to take on
gasoline never stacked up.
“Why would you bank your whole platform on
a bulk high-volume, low-price, low-margin prod-
uct? It’s baffling, not strategic,” he said.
Today’s synbio firms are looking at more niche
and expensive products, such as potent painkill-
ers and cancer medicines made in yeast cells -
or fabrics with novel properties, although some
have only reached demonstration stage.
California-based Bolt Threads recently de-
buted a limited edition $314 necktie made from
yeast-derived spider’s silk and Japanese rival
Spiber has made a concept piece spider-silk par-
ka jacket.
Boston-based Gingko Bioworks, meanwhile,
is developing a rose oil for French fragrance
house Robertet (ROBF.PA) and Switzerland’s
Evolva (EVE.S) has developed a vanillin, or va-
nilla extract, that, unlike most vanilla flavoring,
is not made from petrochemicals.
In some areas — especially anything to do with
food or the environment — synthetic biology is
already running into criticism. Friends of the
Earth was quick to condemn the new yeast-de-
rived vanillin as “extreme” genetic engineering.
Other controversies appear inevitable as
synthetic biologists push the envelope with
more extreme projects, such as a Harvard
team’s Jurassic Park-style proposal to resur-
rect the woolly mammoth by adapting the
Asian elephant genome.
Intrexon’s Bostick, whose firm is releasing
millions of genetically manipulated mosqui-
toes in Brazil in a bid to slash populations of
Zika-carrying insects, believes each synthetic
biology scheme has to prove its benefits out-
weigh the risks.
“There are always pros and cons, and we owe
people a fair and balanced assessment.”

MY GADGET

CHEF BUDI LEE Social Media

I usually use Facebook to

IN FAVOR OF
connect with friends, and You-
Tube as I hardly watch TV any-
more. But I use Instagram more
because it’s easier to access and

EASY GADGETS [I enjoy] viewing inspiration-

al posts from people. I usually
post [my] ordinary routines,
especially something that will
make other people smile. I re-
Stevie Emilia HHotel, the chefs served a guest list of in- ally don’t like reading posts
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA ternationally renowned names from
te from those who only grumble
the world’s exclusive gastronomy scene.
th and complain. And of course I

P
aris is still on chef Budi Lee’s
mind.
He traveled to the City of
Lights mid-February as part of the Tour-
ism Ministry’s Wonderful Indonesia cu-
linary campaign team alongside re-
nowned chef William Wongso.
The team introduced the
French capital to the best tradi-
tional dishes the archipelago
has to offer.
Playing host to the Inter-
national Academy of Gas-
tronomy (AIG) Gala
Dinner at Le Bristol
Courtesy of Budi Lee
TThey also brought their culinary skills to
the Shangri-La Hotel for a six-day event
th
that saw them catering to 756 guests for
th
lunch and dinner.
lu
Their menu was a fine-dining twist
oon traditional Indonesian dishes, such
aas rendang (beef cooked in coconut
mmilk and spices), ayam bakar bumbu ru-
jak (grilled chicken with chili coconut
ja
sauce) and sate ayam (chicken satay).
sa
“The events were very successful and
wwent beyond our initial expectations,”
said Budi, who has worked at several top
sa
restaurants and represented Indonesia at
re
the World Association of Chefs’ Society.
th
In between his busy schedule, the
cchef, who also works as a food consultant
for up-and-coming restaurant business-
fo
ees, relies on his gadgets both for work
and to communicate with friends and
family.
“I’m not really a person who close-
ly follows gadget trends. I tend to fall
behind in technology. The most im-
portant thing for me is that my gadget
can be used for work and to commu-
nicate,” he said.
post pictures of food, fresh food
Samsung Note 4 ingredients in the market and,
recently, I post pictures of my
I am using Samsung Note 4 because it has daughter.
a big screen and it’s easy to use. I am a fan of
Samsung because it’s user friendly. My laptop
is also from Samsung. Maybe I’ll have more
gadgets in the future, but I prefer to buy one
that is easy to handle and has accessories that
are easy [to find]. The most important acces-
sory for me is a USB connector that allows me
to access all my files. [Phone] specifications
are not too important, as long as I can access
pdf files from work and so on. And another
important factor is a long-lasting battery, be-
cause many phones nowadays have batteries
that run out quickly.
Apps
For apps, my favorites include What-
sApp to chat; Plan Do to organize my activi-
ties and to give me reminders because I eas-
ily forget [my schedule]; and Note, which is
very handy for taking notes because I don’t
always have paper and pen with me.
22 | FEATURES WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017

Overcoming
barriers
with music
Different worlds: The audience
watch Meryem Aboulouafa and Ital-
ian musicians perform at the Istituto
Italiano di Cultura (IIC).

The world is on the brink of madness

Grace: Moroccan
these days, and perhaps music can
singer Meryem work to attenuate the ever-growing
Aboulouafa sings
while playing the threats of hate and prejudice directed
guitar during a
recent perform-
against humanity.
ance at the Isti-
tuto Italiano di
Cultura (IIC) in
Central Jakarta.

Hans David Tampubolon

THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA Feel the rhythm: Italian musician
Andrea Cangianiello uses a simple

T
oday’s society reminds us of the peri-
ods before the two world wars began.
There is a lot of joyfulness and op-
portunity among middle class youth,
yet beneath this carefree visage, there is the
rise of fascism and hard-line nationalism that
divides humanity with borders and divisions.
Superpower United States currently hosts
ultra-nationalist Donald Trump as its presi-
dent with his narrow-minded nationalist rhet-
oric of “us” versus “them”. In Indonesia, the
candidacy of a Christian, Basuki “Ahok” Tja-
haja Purnama, has sparked a widening division
between moderate Muslims and conservatives
who refuse to accept that a non-Muslim can
hold a public leadership position in the largest
Muslim-majority country in the world.
A recent music jam session promoting in-
ter-cultural interaction at the Istituto Italiano
di Cultura (IIC) in Central Jakarta provided a
much-needed spark among Indonesian youth
to break down the boxes that their leaders have
been trying to put them into.
In collaboration with the Institut Fran
ais
d’Indonesie (IFI), the jam session featured
singer Meryem Aboulouafa from Morocco,
four Italian musicians — Francesco Santalucia,
Giordano Tricamo, Andrea Cangianiello and
Ruggiero Balzano — and Indonesian artists
from the Sjuman School of Music.
To open the jam session, Aboulouafa and the
Italian musicians performed a medley of four
songs; “Agharo,” “Ya Qalbi,” “Smile” and “Har-
monie du Soir.” Santalucia’s piano play combined
with Cangianiello’s percussion and Aboulouafa’s
hypnotic and soothing vocals formed a unique
European sound that brought out an aura of ex-
otic middle-eastern deserts and culture.
Afterwards, Indonesian musicians, includ-
ing jazz singer Nesia Ardi, spontaneously
joined the next musical session with Abouloua-
fa and her colleagues, playing random notes
that produced a melodic harmony despite the
fact that it was their first time meeting and
playing together.
Santalucia, after the performance, thought
the jam session with the Indonesian musicians
was a blast and showed how music was very
powerful force in breaking down the walls that
segregate people from different cultures, races
and religions.
“You build an instant connection in a jam
session,” Santalucia said.
Aboulouafa added that she did not learn the
Indonesian language before collaborating in a
humming performance with Nesia during the
jam session, but both of them showed how they
could build chemistry instantly and produce
In the moment: Pianist Francesco
Santalucia plays his composition
during the performance.
music on the spot.
“She [Nesia] has a lot of groove. The way she
sings offers a lot of freedom, which is very sur-
prising to me because I was expecting a more
traditional form of music but she showed that
Indonesians are also very connected to inter-
national genres, which is very nice because I
don’t like borders in music,” Aboulouafa said.
“We all speak differently but music is our
common language,” she added.
Other than the jam session at the IIC, Abou-
louafa and the Italian musicians were also in In-
donesia to play gigs in different cities to promote
their unique music that combines two different
cultures — European and Morrocan — into one.
percussion instrument in the
recent performance.
Aboulouafa’s collaboration with the Ital-
ian musicians began two years ago when she
met Santalucia at an event in Rome. From the
meeting, both of them saw that they had a sim-
ilar taste in music and believed that their col-
laboration could produce something refresh-
ing and exciting.
“I think we have the same way of seeing mu-
sic, the same attraction to the genres of music
and we both go in the same direction. We share
the same inspirations and this is why we decid-
ed to collaborate,” Aboulouafa said.
After playing in Indonesia, Santalucia said
they planned to travel to other countries to in-
troduce their unique style of music so that the
younger generation could see the power of mu-
sic to connect people together amid ever-grow-
ing tensions between state leaders.
“I think music is the most important way to
create a connection from different places. We
are here and we travel for this reason and we
share our ideas with different people from dif-
ferent parts of the world. We are in a band, we
have different cultures and religions but we al-
ways share music any way we can,” he said.
“We grew up in different places. I was in
Europe and she was in Casablanca and this is
why I love the disparity in our group because it
makes our music very special.”
— PHOTOS BY JP/JERRY ADIGUNA

GUESS
UESS WHAT??
Jenner getting reality
eality Ku
Kutcher thanks wife Rossa to w
wear 15 kg
TV show  fo
for award  costume iin concert
rt
LOS ANGELES: Kylie Jenner iss getting an IOW Ashton Kutcher has offered
IOWA: ffered emotional JAKARTA: Singer
Singe Rossa has promised
omised to serve
E! reality series of her own. pra s, his twin brother
praise for his wife Mila Kunis, up a musical fea oming solo
feast for her upcoming
The cable network has an-n- and the rest of his family while
hile accept- concert, which w elebration of her
will also be a celebration
nounced plans for a Keeping g up with ing an award for character inn his illustrious 21-ye usic.
21-year career in music.
the Kardashians spinoff titled d Life nat
native Iowa. “There will be a four-story ry stage, which
of Kylie. K
Kutcher was honored with h is going to beb awesome,” Rossa said as
E! says the eight-episode a Pillar
Pi of Character award att quoted by kapanlagi.com.
k
series will document the Drake University recently. The
Dra e “In addition,
addit a lot of designers
esigners have
life of the 19-year-old Des Moines Register cap- participated in creating my costumes,
makeup entrepreneur as ture
tured video of the speech. and one of them weighs around 15
she juggles being a celeb- A
After receiving the honor, kilograms, she revealed,
kilograms,” d, adding
rity, a businesswoman and Kutcher noted that he learned
Kut ed that it had required quite e a bit of
a teen. to share
s by growing up as a practice to
t move around d in the
The show is set to pre- twin. He says his brother Mi--
twi heavy outfi
ou t.
miere this summer. It will in-- chael, who has cerebral palsy,
cha y, “The costume will definitely
clude other members of the taught him that “loving people
tau ple limit my mobility, but I cannot
Kardashian clan and some off isn’t a choice.”
isn’ wait to wear it,” she said.
Jenner’s friends. Kutcher added that he and
K d Rossa
Ross skyrocketed into na-
Jenner is the daughter of Kunis’ two young children
Kun tional music
m scene with
ith the
Caitlyn Jenner and Kris Jennerer taught him the “greatest lesson
tau son release of her single “Tegar”
and the younger sister of in character.”
c He says he wanted
nted (Steadfast)
(Steadf in 1996. — JP
model Kendall Jenner. Her to call
c his parents when his chil-
older half siblings include dren were born to tell them he
dre
Kim Kardashian West. — AP never
ne knew how much theyy loved
him.
him — AP

AP AP Kapanlagi.com
WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 FEATURES | 23

Fitbit Charge

Courtesy of fitbit.com

Activity

om
on . c
A m az
trackers not

Courtesy of
always great
FOR MONITORING Mio Fuse

EXERCISE HEART RATE

Some people who rely on fitness trackers to see how hard
they work out may want to rethink this approach.

Lisa Rapaport used by doctors: an electrocardio- be off by a fair bit, but at most mo-
REUTERS/NEW YORK gram (ECG or EKG) test. ments, it won’t be,” said lead study
At rest, the Fitbit Surge got heart author Lisa Cadmus-Bertram of the

A
study suggests the increas-
ingly popular devices may
get more accurate heart
rate readings when users
are at rest than during exercise.
The study tested four popular
wristbands, each of which has a light-
emitting diode (LED) that measures
heart rate from tiny changes in skin
blood volumes by using light reflect-
ed from the skin.
Participants in the small study —
40 healthy adults — wore two track-
ers on each wrist and compared rest-
ing and exercise heart rate readings
on the devices to the gold standard
Pick me: Fitness trackers ( from
left) Basis Peak, Adidas Fit Smart,
Fitbit Charge, Sony SmartBand and
Jawbone Move, are posed for a photo
next to an iPhone in New York.
rate measurements that most close-
ly matched the ECG results, and the
Basis Peak was furthest off. In tests
that also included the Fitbit Charge
and Mio Fuse, none of the trackers
got exercise heart rate readings that
came close to the ECG.
These results suggest that while
the trackers may help monitor daily
activity, it’s not clear the heart rate
readouts would be accurate enough
to help patients with certain health
problems make medical decisions,
the authors note in Annals of Inter-
nal Medicine.
“At any moment, the tracker could
University of Wisconsin in Madison.
“This is why our paper doesn’t
suggest that the commercial track-
ers we tested would be sufficient for
medical applications where high
precision is needed during exercise,”
Cadmus-Bertram said by email. “Yet
for the typical recreational user, they
may still provide feedback that’s use-
ful and motivational.”
To assess the accuracy of the
trackers, researchers examined
heart rate data for participants who
were 49 years old on average and
slightly overweight.
First, they looked at the amount of
agreement between the readings from
the trackers and the ECG tests.
When participants were seated, re-
searchers took readings for the track-
ers and the ECG tests at one-minute
intervals for 10 minutes.
The narrowest range of differences
between the trackers and the ECG, in-
dicating the most accuracy, was for the
Fitbit Surge. The range for this tracker
ranged from an underestimation of 5.1
beats per minute to an overestimation
of 4.5 beats per minute.
The widest range of difference at
rest was for the Basis Peak, which
ranged from an underestimation of 17.1
beats per minute to an overestimation
of 22.6 beats per minute.
When participants exercised on a
treadmill, the ranges were even wider.
The Mio Fuse ranged from an underes-
timation of 22.5 beats per minute to an
overestimation of 26 beats per minute,
for example, while the Fitbit Charge
range from an underestimation of 41
beats per minute to an overestimation
of 36 beats per minute.
The study is small, and researchers
found only limited repeatability with
results for the same participant under
the same conditions.
Still, the findings are an important
first step in understanding the clinical
validity of wrist trackers many patients
already use, said Dr. Daniel Cantillon,
a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic in
Ohio who wasn’t involved in the study.
“We need data testing these devices
among patients with specific disease
states, such as heart failure, atrial fi-
brillation and other chronic medical
problems, where it is possible that ad-
ditional variation will occur with phys-
ical activity,” Cantillon said by email.
In particular, patients with the most
common heart rhythm disorder, atrial
fibrillation, shouldn’t rely on the track-
ers to detect abnormal rhythms, said
Dr. Sumeet Chugh, a researcher at Ce-
dars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Ange-
les who wasn’t involved in the study.
“There is a lot at stake here,” Chugh
said by email. “When it comes to the
use of wrist-worn trackers, we need to
be confident of accuracy comparable to
treadmill testing if we are going to use
the information for patient care.”
A spokesperson for Fitbit told Re-
uters Health that Fitbit trackers “are
not intended to be medical devices”
but instead “to give a more informed
picture” of overall health.
“Extensive internal studies [...]
show that Fitbit’s PurePulse technol-
ogy performs to industry standard ex-
pectations for optical heart rate on the
wrist,” the spokesperson said.
Mark Gorelick, chief science officer
at Mio Global, said in a statement that
the company’s technology “helps con-
sumers understand the intensity of
their exercise, based on their personal
profile and heart rate data, and empow-
ers them to proactively manage their
health and reduce risk of lifestyle-re-
lated diseases.”

BILL OF HEALTH AP/Bebeto Matthews

WEIGHT SWINGS MAY BE RISKY FDA APPROVES MORE DRUGS,

FOR OVERWEIGHT PATIENTS
CHICAGO: Losing and regaining weight repeatedly may be
dangerous for overweight heart patients, a study suggests.
Heart attacks, strokes and death were more common in
patients whose weight changed the most over four years.
For some, weight changes might have reflected yo-yo
dieting, which some previous studies have suggested
may be unhealthy for people without heart problems.
That means a hefty but stable weight might be healthier
than losing but repeatedly regaining extra pounds.
But big weight fluctuations in heart patients studied
could also have been unintentional and a possible sign of
serious illness that would explain the results, the research-
ers and outside experts said.
Doctors not involved in the study called it interesting
but not proof that “yo-yo” weight changes are risky for
overweight heart patients.
Regardless, the recommendation from New York Uni-
versity cardiologist and lead author, Dr. Sripal Bangalore,
echoes standard advice for anyone who’s overweight:
“Lose weight but try to keep that weight off.”
The study was published Wednesday in the New Eng-
land Journal of Medicine. It’s an analysis of about 9,500
patients involved in a different study that didn’t examine
reasons for weight changes. Weight was measured an
average of 12 times over four years and some patients lost
and regained several pounds in between each measure-
ment.
Among the 1,900 patients with the biggest weight
changes, 37 percent had fatal or non-fatal heart attacks,
strokes or other heart trouble during the study. That com-
pared with 22 percent of the 1,900 patients whose weight
changed the least.
Weight changes in the highest-risk group averaged
about 5 kg over four years. In the lowest-risk group, weight
AP/M. Spencer Green
changes averaged less than 0.9 kg over the same period.
Deaths totaled almost 500 and were more common in
patients with the biggest weight swings.
Most patients lost and regained weight repeatedly, but
the researchers didn’t calculate health risks based on the
number of times weight changed. Weight fluctuations in
normal-weight patients were not linked with heart prob-
lems or deaths.
University of Colorado heart specialist Dr. Robert Eckel
called it an interesting study, but said it doesn’t prove that
weight changes were dangerous. He also said a major limi-
tation is not knowing if weight loss-regain was intentional.
Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiology chief at Northwestern
University’s medical school in Chicago, said there’s no clear
biological explanation for how yo-yoing weight might
cause harm and that the study results could be merely due
to chance.
“The takeaway? Simple messages still prevail,” Yancy
said. “A heart-healthy lifestyle both prevents and treats
cardiovascular disease.” — AP
AND FASTER
WASHINGTON: Contrary to
some political claims, the
United States Food and
Drug Administration (FDA)
approved more drugs,
and two to three months
faster on average, than
European regulators did in
recent years, new research
shows.
“It’s an urban myth”
that the FDA is slower than
other countries to clear
promising treatments for AP/Robert Dawson/Amgen
patients, said the agency’s
longtime cancer drugs
chief, Dr. Richard Pazdur. study was done by Dr. Nicholas Downing at Boston’s
He had no role in the approval rate research, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Audrey Zhang at
which was published Wednesday in the New Eng- New York University and Dr. Joseph Ross at the Yale
land Journal of Medicine. School of Medicine.
The new research compared how new drugs President Donald Trump has called the FDA’s drug
fared before the FDA and the European Medicines approval process “slow and burdensome,” and his
Agency between 2011 and 2015. The FDA approved nominee to head the agency, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, has
more drugs than the Europeans — 170 versus 144 — criticized what he calls unnecessary regulations. Got-
with a median review time of 306 days versus 383 tlieb’s confirmation hearings began on Wednesday.
days in Europe. Some other doctors defended the FDA’s track
Reviews were speedier at the FDA for drugs for record.
cancer and blood diseases, but not other maladies, “We’re the best in the world. Our FDA is great,”
compared to the Europeans. The FDA also moved said Dr. George Demetri of the Dana-Farber Cancer
quicker on so-called orphan drugs, for relatively rare Institute. He is a board member of the American
conditions. Association for Cancer Research, and spoke from the
The results are similar to a previous analysis group’s annual meeting in Washington, attended
that some of the same researchers did for thera- by some 20,000 cancer scientists from around the
pies approved between 2001 and 2010. The latest world. — AP
IMAGES WEDNESDAY April 12, 2017 | 24

PRESERVING
KARIA’A
TRADITION
in W akatobi
Cultural bliss: A young woman wears a traditional Lariangi costume for the
Karia’a ritual in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

Getting a ride: A group of men carry sedan chairs, locally known as Kasonda’a, to transport young First, let me take a selfie: Girls in traditional costumes immortalize their special day with a selfie.
girls to the Karia’a ceremony.

Jerry Adiguna Before the peak of the ceremony lined with pillows to show respect while
THE JAKARTA POST/WAKATOBI, called Henauka Nu Mo’ane, female waiting for Sara to give them blessings
SOUTHEAST SULAWESI Karia’a participants are confined and ac- by smearing turmeric on their arms and
companied by traditional songs for more feet to ward off evil spirits. Following the

K
aria’a means cheerfulness in
the local language of Kaledu-
pa, Wakatobi, in Southeast
Sulawesi.
It is also an annual Wakatobi ritu-
al held to mark early teenagers’ entry
into adolescence.
The Karia’a procession for young
girls serves as a means of inculcat-
ing ethical, moral and spiritual values
among youngsters entering adoles-
cence. Families joining Karia’a regis-
ter their girls by delivering agricultural
produce like corn, tubers and coconuts,
as determined by the local customary
body called Sara, to symbolize their
gratitude and respect for ancestors.
Under the spotlight: A resident of Wakatobi,
Southeast Sulawesi, prepares a traditional dish for
the Karia’a ritual.
than two weeks, during which they are
required to face left while sleeping for
eight nights and then face right for nine
nights. Every day they have to tell their
dreams to customary leaders who inter-
pret them for their future lives.
In the morning before the Henauka
Nu Mo’ane parade, the Karia’a girls are
dressed in Lariangi attire and carried
by sedan chairs called Kasonda’a to the
place of celebration known as Batanga.
Along the way their families and rela-
tives yell “Lego!”, meaning new or not
something borrowed, as a manifestation
of joy and pride.
At the celebration site, the Henau-
ka Nu Mo’ane participants sit on chairs
procession, the participants perform the
Lariangi dance while singing verses in
the Kaledupa language that contain ad-
vice and guidance.
Women have a sacred position in the
Kaledupa tradition. As mothers in the
center of families, women are seen as
playing a vital role in bringing up and
protecting their children. By preserv-
ing Karia’a and bequeathing it to the
younger generation, the moral and
spiritual values of Kaledupa will be a
cultural treasure amid the inevitable
waves of modernization and globaliza-
tion today.
— PHOTOS BY JP/JERRY ADIGUNA

Get in line: Girls attending the Karai’a ritual line up as they wait for the procession.

Face to face: Young girls dressed in

traditional costumes strike a pose
before the Karia’a ceremony.

Little gem: A young girl gets ready

to participate in the Karia’a ritual.