Indonesia jails anti-trust official for graft

(Reuters) - Indonesia jailed on Tuesday a former official at the anti-monopoly agency for four-and-a-half years for receiving bribes linked to the awarding of broadcast rights for the English Premier league, judges said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Iqbal was found by the court to have received a bag containing 500 million rupiah ($48,970) from a businessman, Billy Sindoro, at a luxury hotel in Jakarta.

"I declare the defendant under the law convincingly has carried out a crime of corruption," Edward Pattinasarani, the head of a panel of judges, told the corruption court.

Another judge, I Made Hendra, said the defendant received the money to influence the monopoly agency's decision.

"The defendant should have rejected the meeting request from witness Billy Sindoro," Hendra said.

Iqbal was also fined 200 million rupiah.

Indonesia's anti-graft agency, known as KPK, had said it suspected the money was paid in relation to a decision taken by the anti-monopoly agency, or KPPU, regarding Direct Vision, partly owned by First Media, a unit of tycoon James Riady's Lippo Group.

In August 2008, the KPPU ruled that Direct Vision had not violated Indonesia's anti-monopoly law in a case related to TV broadcast rights for the English Premier League between 2007-2010, according to KPPU's website (www.kppu.go.id).

The case has cast doubt on the credibility of decisions made by KPPU, which was established about nine years ago.

The agency was involved in a ruling in 2007 forcing Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and its affiliates to sell one of their telecom units in Indonesia.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is seeking a second term in office in July, has made tackling corruption in one of the world's most graft-prone nations a key part of his platform. (Additional reporting by Telly Nathalia; Writing by Ed Davies)

Indonesia welcomes Ahmadinejad`s victory

(ANTARA News)- The government welcomes the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the Iranian presidential elections and is ready to continue the existing bilateral cooperation with Indonesia, a foreign affairs ministry spokesman in Jakarta said.

"We welcome the victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and are ready to continue our cooperation," Teuku Faizasyah, said here on Sunday.

Teuku Faizasyah congratulated the people of Iran for the peaceful and smooth implementation of the presidential elections.

"I congratulate the people of Iran for the successful implementation of the democratic elections, although there are some people who are not satisfied," he said.

The Indonesian government has established sound bilateral relations with Iran through cooperation in various sectors, such as economy, industry and social affairs, he said.

The reelection of Ahmadinejad was expected to strengthen cooperation between Indonesia and Iran, he said.

"We hope the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can bring peace," he said.
Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on Saturday declared a landslide winner Iran`s presidential vote, triggering riots by opposition supporters and furious complaints over cheating from his defeated rivals, AFP reported.

Ahmadinejad went on television to declare the election a "great victory."

Thousands of supporters of Mousavi swept through Tehran shouting "Down with the Dictator" after final results showed Ahmadinejad winning almost 63 percent of the votes. Ahmadinejad in his television address rejected allegations the voting was rigged.

"The election was completely free... and it is a great victory," he said, calling on his supporters to gather on Sunday at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT) in the capital`s Vali Asr Square, where many of Saturday`s clashes occurred.

Iran`s all-powerful supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed Ahmadinejad`s victory and urged the country to unite behind him after the most heated election campaign since the Islamic revolution in 1979. (*)

Indonesia scores points

by Manik Mehta

(GulfNews) Indonesia has been scoring points with the United States by attempting to clear up some of the misunderstandings around Islam.

One example of this was the interfaith dialogue organised by the Indonesians on the 'Role of Religions in Building a Peaceful, Democratic and Prosperous Society'. The event brought representatives of all the major religions together under the roof of its consulate general in New York on May 26.

A lively session ensued in which representatives of Confucianism, Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, among others, presented their religious viewpoints.

While bringing together these religious representatives was, in itself, quite an achievement, Indonesia made sure that the session served to underscore the commonality between the various faiths, rather than harp on the differences between them.

Indeed, there was no trace of hostility or dichotomy between Islam and Judaism or Islam and Christianity as representatives of these faiths addressed the audience and sounded conciliatory, even joking at their own expense. The emphasis was on rejecting terror orchestrated in the name of religion.

While the event was intended to make a contribution to what Indonesia's consul general in New York, Trie Edi Mulyani, described as a "harmonious coexistence of religions", the exercise was also to intended to clear up some of the misunderstandings about Islam, which is viewed with suspicion and distrust by mainstream Americans, who associate it with violence and terrorism. In a prepared text, Imam Shamsi Ali, spiritual leader of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, stressed that Islam is a peaceful religion that does not approve of violence. He also corrected the misconception that Islam and democracy were mutually exclusive and incompatible with each other.

"&some fundamental principles of Islam and democracy are similar," he declared. "Islam teaches the principles of freedom, human dignity, equality and governance by contract, popular sovereignty, and the rule of law that are compatible. The two pieces to the puzzle of forming a functioning democracy are the essential notions of equality and freedom in society, without which a people cannot truly govern."

By holding the interfaith dialogue in the US, Indonesia has clearly touched a chord that appeals to many Americans. In doing so, it also presented itself, the world's most populous Muslim country, as being moderate and tolerant.

Foreign policy experts will recall that newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first foreign tour took her to Asia and included a visit to Indonesia, whose links with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement underscore its strong credentials to play the role of a mediator between East and West.

In an interview with this writer, Mulyani commented:

"As a model of pluralism - remember, we have large populations of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Jews in Indonesia, besides the Muslim majority - my country can effectively play such a role& we can certainly clear up misunderstandings between our friends in the Muslim world and in the West."

The US administration, foreign policy experts say, is quietly encouraging Indonesia to play such a role.

"We can build bridges between the United States and the Muslim world. This was also implicitly reinforced by Secretary of State Clinton's recent visit to Indonesia, and also by President [Barack] Obama's desire for this," Mulyani claimed.

Obama is known to have a soft spot for Indonesia, where he spent some time in his early life, and the Indonesians are not shy of playing up this fact. It is rumoured that Obama plans to visit the country in November after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Singapore.

If the visit goes ahead, it will represent recognition for Indonesia. Its unique attributes as a moderate Muslim nation that maintains friendly ties with the West makes Indonesia an ideal strategic partner for the US in Southeast Asia.

Manik Mehta is a commentator on Asian affairs.

Feature: Indonesian escapes Air France tragedy

by Otniel Tamindael

(ANTARA News) - Some 228 people step into Air France Flight 447 at Rio de Janeiro airport in Brazil for a journey to Paris, France, unaware it is to be their last one on earth.

Moments after the Air France jetliner has reached cruising speed, the passengers` faces which looked cheerful at take off turn pale and tense.

Panic, fear and bewilderment strikes them like a thunderbolt out of a clear blue sky after the aircraft is hit by a fierce storm over the Atlantic Ocean and loses contact with air traffic control.

The AF-447 Airbus A330-200 disappears with 12 crew members and 216 passengers from 32 nations on board, including 61 people from France. There were no survivors in the air crash.

Jopi Pelealu, an Indonesian national working for an oil company in Brazil, who would have been among the passengers of the ill-fated plane but he had a sudden change in his travel plans.

The Indonesian was given leave from his work and he had planned to use the opportunity to visit his family in the West Java town of Bekasi.

He had already bought an Air France ticket for a seat on flight AF447 which was to take him from Rio to Paris enroute to Jakarta on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

But the day before Pelealu was due to leave Rio, his boss called asking him to cancel his travel plan and stay several more days to do something important for the company. He could make the trip to Jakarta a week later, his boss said.

Pelealu was really disappointed but did what his boss had requested. Never did it occur to him at the time that the disruption in his vacation plan later proved to be a savior in disguise.

"I was then disappointed beyond measure as I was asked by my boss to cancel my ticket, but later, after I heard about what had happened to the Air France plane, I recognized the truth of the saying `a man can plan according to his heart`s wishes but it is the Lord who has the final say," Pelealu said in his personal testimony at a Sunday service in Bekasi.

The father of three children said that if he had been on AF-447 as he had planned to be, he would obviously have been in eternity and unable to meet his family again.

"Life is a glorious opportunity if it is used to condition us for eternity. If we fail in this, though we succeed in everything else, our life will have been a failure," the born-again Pelealu said.

The Air France jet disappeared in the Atlantic Ocean with no survivor but by an unexpected turn of events he escaped a terrible fate.

He said "most of us perhaps are familiar wihh the devastation one can feel by the sudden loss of a close friend or relative as is now being experienced by the friends and families of the ill-fated Air France passengers."

"And this vividly shows that the rich with all their wealth cannot buy a reprieve from the death sentence that hangs over all men, and the poor cannot beg one extra day of life from the `grim reaper` who pursues every man from the cradle to the grave.

"We never know when our moment will come. Tragedies such as plane crashes, tsunami in Aceh, floods, and earthquakes should help us realize the uncertainty and brevity of life , and our need to be ready to meet our Maker at any moment," Pelealu said.

For him, believers have no immunity from death and no claim to perpetual life on this planet, for death is to them the beginning rather than the end, and another step on the pathway to heaven rather than a leap into a dark unknown.

Although it had disappointed him, the cancellation of Pelealu`s plan to fly on Air France Flight 447 from Rio to Paris proved to be a blessing in disguise, and had given him another opportunity to meet with his beloved wife Aike Pelealu, his daughter Cynthia, and his two sons Daniel and Kennedy Pelealu at their residence in Vila Indah Permai housing complex in North Bekasi sub district a week after the tragedy.

Meanwhile, Cynthia had another story about her father and mother.

She said when her father was away in Brazil working, her mother Aike had to make tremendous adjustments.

"Daddy is the sole bread winner but he works so far away from us, his children, and therefore Mama had to assume the responsibilities of a father," Cynthia said, adding that her mother`s constant morale booster was the words, "With God in the vessel we can smile at a storm."

To that end, Cynthia said, they had regular family altar sessions which laid the foundation and pattern which they would later emulate with their own families.

During those precious times of prayers, answers were given. Pelealu had an opportunity to take leave from his work in Brazil and return to Bekasi, West Java, to be reunited with his family.

"The reunion with papa brought excitement and relief. There was tremendous joy as we embraced each other in the assurance that "hitherto the Lord has helped us,`" Cynthia said.

"There were tears of joy, too, because love and togetherness produce an inner warmth that cannot be extinguished," Cynthia said.

Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled passenger flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France that went missing on June 1, 2009 over the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of all 228 people on board.

The aircraft, an Airbus A330-200, took off on May 31, 2009 at 19:03 local time (22:03 UTC).

The last contact with the crew was a routine message to Brazilian air traffic controllers at 01:33 UTC, as the aircraft approached the edge of Brazilian radar surveillance over the Atlantic Ocean, enroute to Senegalese-controlled airspace off the coast of West Africa.

Forty minutes later, a four-minute-long series of automatic radio messages was received from the plane, indicating numerous problems and warnings. The aircraft went missing shortly after it sent the automated massages. (*)

RI`s navy to get another submarine: legislator

(ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Navy will soon get another submarine, Yusron Ihza Mahendra, deputy chairman of Commission I of the House of Representatives, said here on Sunday.

"The plan has already been discussed in a meeting between a House`s Commission I delegation and the government led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday evening," Mahendra told ANTARA.

The joint meeting was also attended among others by the coordinating minister for political, legal and security Affairs, the defense minister, the chief of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), the National Police chief, the law and human rights minister, the deputy foreign affairs minister, and the chief of the Indonesian Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Among members of the House`s Commission I who attended the meeting were Yusron Ihza (Pioneer Star joint faction, concurrently the team`s chairman), Happy Bone Zulkarnaen (Golkar faction), Andreas Pareira ( Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle/PDIP), Joko Susilo (National Mandate Party/PAN), Shidiq Wahab (Democratic Party), as well as Chairman of the Commission I Theo L Sambuaga (Golkar Party).

The meeting also discussed the need to increase the defense budget, including a plan to increase the number of submarines, he said.

The discussed issues on the Ambalat block conflict involving Indonesia and Malaysia.
"And the Indonesian Government has given support to our delegation which has made diplomatic contacts in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

"The President on behalf of the Indonesian government has expressed full support to the steps taken by the House`s Commission I delegation to go to Malaysia in connection with the Ambalat issue," he said.

"The Commission I in the meeting emphasized the need to rebuild the domestic defense industry, and the proposal was welcomed by the President," Yusron Ihza Mahendra said.(*)

News focus: Malaysia claims Ambalat for its oil reserves

by Andi Abdussalam

(ANTARA News) - When tension heightened between Indonesia and Malaysia over the Ambalat Block back in 2005, Kuala Lumpur offered a joint cultivation of the area and divide the proceeds.

For Indonesia, however, the Ambalat issue is a matter of sovereignty so that no meeting point has been achieved so far. Malaysia puts Ambalat more in the economic perspective, while Jakarta more on sovereignty.

Malaysian Defense Minister Sri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the dispute on Ambalat was not a border dispute but an economic one. It is believed to hold large oil reserves. Near the Ambalat border, the Aster field is believed to have the potential to produce 30 thousand to 40 thousand barrels of oil per day.

"This is the real problem. If it is only a matter of borderline, possibly it has been solved long ago. But there is economic potential so that we have to be serious and careful," Hamidi said as quoted by Indonesian legislator Effendi Choirie who met him in Putrajaya Saturday.

But for Indonesia, sovereignty is important. That`s why Indonesian leaders are firm in maintaining the country`s claim over the block area which covers about 15,235 sq km in the Sulawesi Sea.

"Talking about Ambalat means that we are talking about the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. We have to support the efforts of the incumbent president," Prabowo Subianto, a vice presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, said.

He said that there should be no difference of opinions among the people with regard to the country`s sovereignty.The same voice was also aired by the Indonesian military.

The Ambalat Block is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), the Indonesian Military (TNI) said.

"Whoever enters the area (without permission) violates the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia," TNI Headquarters spokesman Commodore Sagom Tamboen said.

He said the TNI had never stated that the Ambalat Block was an area in a disputed status. "The Ambalat Block is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia based on the international law of the seas," he said.

Therefore, the Indonesian military would continue to carry out safeguarding operations in the area, which Malaysia claims based on a 1979 maritime map.

In spite of increasing tensions in the border area, both sides are still able to take the situation under control. According to Chief Political and Security Minister Widodo Adi Sucipto, the security situation in the Ambalat Block remain under control.

"I think it is now under control," the minister said.However, Widodo did not explain in detail the latest situation in Ambalat after several violations by Malaysian navy ships which often trespassed the Indonesian territorial waters in East Kalimantan in the past several days.

Legislators from the House Commission I for foreign affairs who flew to Malaysia on Monday for a meeting with their Malaysian counterparts, also have in mind that Ambalat belonged to Indonesia.

The House of Representatives (DPR) and the government share the view that the Ambalat Block belongs to Indonesia so that there must be no compromise with regard to Indonesia`s ownership of the oil rich area in Sulawesi Sea, Deputy Chairman of House Commission I for foreign affairs Yusron Ihaza Mahendra said.

"The government also gives full support to the efforts made by House Commission I to have meetings with its Malaysian counterparts and other high officials in Malaysia," Yusron Ihza Mahendra said on Sunday.

"The president, on behalf of the government, expressed full support to the steps taken by the delegation of House Commission I to visit Malaysia to discuss the Ambalat issue," the legislator said.

The Commission I attended a joint meeting with the president and the ministers in charge of politics, legal and security affairs. In the meeting, the president reaffirmed the government`s firm stance that there would be no compromise on matters relating to the country`s sovereignty.

The president also hoped that Malaysia would stop its provocations which could fuel further tensions. Therefore, the Indonesian government called on Malaysia to respect the ongoing process of negotiations.

"At a time when negotiations are still underway, we hope that all parties can respect the ongoing talks," Political, Legal and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister Widodo AS said.

However, the rising tensions between the two sides were not expected to end up in wars.

"We will not go to war against Indonesia. After all, the uniforms of the Malaysian Army are produced by Sritex of Indonesia. How could we be at wars?," Malaysian Defense Minister Sri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

The Malaysian defense minister made the statement spontaneously at a meeting with House Commission I member Effendi Choirie.

Choirie, who met the Malaysian defense minister with his friends Ali Mochtar Ngabalin (a Commission I member) and Ade Daud Nasution (a former member of the House Commission), delivered two important messages to the Malaysian government.

He said that he and friends delivered a protest against the provocations of the Malaysian patrol boats in Indonesia`s water territories in Ambalat Block. Besides, he also specifically asked the Malaysian defense minister to use his influence as a defense minister to help speed up the settlement process of the conflict in Ambalat.

"As the third most important person in Malaysia, we asked him to help foster friendship, so that all problems could be solved as soon as possible," Choirie said.

The defense minister even happened to make a joke saying that how could Malaysia go to war against Indonesia if its (military) uniforms were produced by Sritex, referring to Indonesia`s textile firm which among others produces military uniforms.(*)

Malaysian naval chief apologizes for actions in Ambalat

(ANTARA News) - Chief of the Malaysian Navy Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar on Wednesday offered an apology to the Indonesian people over the Ambalat issue.

"We offer an apology if we are considered violating Indonesian territory. We also offer an apology if any of Malaysian naval officers has been involved in a provocative act.

We will find them and take stern measures against them," Abdul Aziz said at a meeting with a five-member Indonesian parliamentary delegation at his office here.

He assured the Indonesian legislators of the Malaysian Navy`s pledge not to deploy a Scorpene submarine at the Ambalat block in a show of force.

"We are deploying a Scorpene submarine in the deep sea off Kinabalu city. We cannot deploy it in the Malacca Strait which has shallow waters. We will never send Scorpene to the Sulawesi Strait because it will destroy coral reefs there," he said.

"To be honest, we don`t want to destroy the Indonesian people`s perception of Malaysia. We are neighboring nations who belong to the same stock," he said.

"I assure you that the happening will not recur. I also have made a request to hold talks with the Indonesian naval chief of staff about the issue," he said.
The Indonesian parliamentary delegation is made up of Yusron Ihza Mahendra, Shidqi Wahab, Djoko Susilo, Andreas Pareara, and Happy Bone Zulkarnaen, all of them members of the House Commission for defense, information and foreign affairs.

Yusron who led the delegation said he was satisfied with the results of his meeting with the Malaysian naval chief.

Relations between the two neighboring states have become tense following reports Malaysian warships had encroached on the Indonesian territory in the Ambalat waters.

Late last month, Indonesia`s KRI Untung Surapati-872 warship managed to drive away a Malaysian warship, the KD Yu-3500, which had tried to trespass Indonesian waters in the Ambalat Block.

A day earlier, the Indonesian Navy`s KRI Hasanudin-366 also drove away KD Baung-3509, a helicopter of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and a Malaysian Beachraft which tried to enter the Ambalat Block.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said here on Friday Indonesia had so far sent 36 protest notes to Malaysia about border violation committed by Malaysian patrol boats in Ambalat waters.

"The 36th protest note was sent to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday (June 4)," he said.
The latest protest note was conveyed after the foreign ministry had obtained details on the realities on the ground from the Indonesian Navy, he said.

Malaysia claims the area based on a 1979 maritime map while Indonesia bases its claim on provisions in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.a(*)