Family of Dana Air Victim Wants Body Returned to Indonesia

The family of Indonesian citizen Widyo Utomo, one of the victims of the Dana Air crash in Nigeria, want his body returned to Indonesia for burial.

“We hope that something can be taken home, whatever the form is,” Widyo’s father Wardjijanto said as quoted by detik.com on Monday. “We don’t only want a statement [that he died]. The Indonesian embassy should try [to bring the body home].”

The family has already prepared a burial plan. Widyo’s remains will be buried at a cemetery near his home in Bogor.

Widyo, 38, worked as a flight engineer for Dana Air. He was one of the 153 people on board when the airplane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in Lagos, killing all people on board and many others on the ground. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

Director of Citizen Protection Affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Tatang Razak, said on Tuesday that the family’s DNA had been taken at Kramat Jati police hospital and would be sent to Nigeria to claim the body.

“The DNA sample of the family is being taken by a police forensics team,” Tatang said on Tuesday.

Widyo’s mother said she could not stop worrying since the Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into Mount Salak in Bogor, on May 9, 2012.

“After the Sukhoi accident, I always felt unease,” Nanik Sukarni said as quoted by detik.com. “I kept on praying that such a tragedy, like Sukhoi, would not happen to my son.”

When Widyo was about to leave, Nanik said she held him tight, something she did not normally do. Wardjijanto, who never accompanied his son to the airport, joined Widyo on the Damri bus from Bogor to Soekarno Hatta airport.

SUMBER

1.       Present Continuous Tense

The DNA sample of the family is being taken by a police forensics team

= Sampel DNA dari keluarga yang diambil oleh tim forensik polisi

Bank Health a Key Factor in New Bank Indonesia Rules

The state of a bank’s financial health will be a key determinant of whether it is subject to new Bank Indonesia rules setting caps on the percentage of a lender that can be owned by a single shareholder.

Banking sources have told Investor Daily that a briefing from the central bank confirmed that the cap would be set at 40 percent for a corporate owner and 20 percent or 30 percent for an individual owner, depending on circumstances.

The ownership rules apply to banks deemed to be of moderate to high risk of encountering difficulties, but exempt state-owned banks. State-owned banks include Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Tabungan Negara.

The maximum share that can be held by an individual or family is 20 percent, although if the stake is held through a company, that increases to 30 percent, Bank Indonesia said, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because the information is yet to make public.

“If the controlling shareholder is a bank or financial institution, the maximum stake allowed is 40 percent,” one of the sources said on Monday.

The source said the ownership restrictions would apply to banks deemed to be moderately or highly risky with regard to their capital adequacy and governance. The source added that the central bank would also give those banks deemed high risk a chance to improve their risk status before the ownership limit is imposed.

Last week the central bank assured markets that the new policy would only affect future transactions and would not be applied retroactively. That such an assurance is still being honored was not confirmed by the sources.

Bank Indonesia spokesman Difi Ahmad Johansyah said the rules were intended to keep banks in good health and engage in good corporate governance.

Difi also said Bank Indonesia had decided to exclude state-owned banks to avoid clashing with a law on state-owned enterprises. Difi said the ownership percentages had not been finalized, and Bank Indonesia was still reviewing the issue and conducting simulations.

Zulkifli Zaini, a director of Bank Mandiri, confirmed the central bank’s plan and welcomed the move to exempt state-owned banks. “These banks have a function as an agent of development,” he said. The central bank will again invite bankers to provide input, he added.

Sigit Pramono, chairman of the Indonesian Banking Association (Perbanas), expressed relief after hearing the central bank plan because of its focus on banking health.

“It’s all been associated with health and good corporate governance ratings, making it more positive,” he said. Sigit said banks deemed to be of moderate or high risk would have until December 2013 to improve.

Perbanas has conducted a simulation assuming the stock ownership restriction is applicable to all banks without exception. Sigit said the divestment burden would be very large and may involve assets of more than Rp 100 trillion ($10.6 billion). “In the end, bank shares would fall to a lot of foreigners, because only foreign capital is that deep,” he said.

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1.       Present Continuous Tense

That such an assurance is still being honored was not confirmed by the sources.

= Itu seperti sebuah jaminan yang masih dihormati tidak dikonfirmasi oleh sumber.

A New Group Fights for Understanding in Indonesia

It was the kind of event that Lady Gaga would have surely supported. About 60 people squeezed into Kedai Tjikini in Central Jakarta on Wednesday night to watch the 2009 film “Prayers for Bobby” and discuss the intersection of faith, sexuality and pluralism in Indonesia. The event wasn’t so controversial, perhaps, considering that these ideas are debated regularly on campuses across the country. But given the events of the past month, such concepts now carry much greater weight.

“Hate stems from a lack of knowledge,” said Mohamad Guntur Romli, an activist from Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, who spoke at the film screening. “When people say homosexuality is a European or Western import, they are neglecting the fact that alternative sexualities have always been present in the archipelago. When we talk about diversity in Indonesia, diversity of sexuality is one of those components.”

The made-for-TV movie, based on a true story, stars Sigourney Weaver as Mary Griffith, a deeply religious woman who rejects her son as a sinner when she discovers he is gay. After her depressed son commits suicide, she begins to re-examine her faith, looking for alternative interpretations of the Bible that might be able to reconcile her son’s homosexuality with Christianity.

The film screening was part of a series of events being held over 10 days by the newly formed Beda.Is.Me peace movement to mark the anniversary of the birth of the Pancasila state ideology on June 1. Beda.Is.Me, an Indonesian play on words that simultaneously means “I am different” and “diversity,” was formed as a response to recent violent attacks on religious minorities, the controversy over Canadian author Irshad Manji’s visit to Indonesia, and, of course, the all-encompassing saga surrounding Lady Gaga.

The movement was launched at Kedai Tjikini last week with a photo exhibition of victims of religious violence.

It is notable that increasing religious intolerance and violence has sparked growing calls for a return to the values of Pancasila. While the state ideology was once co-opted by Suharto to serve the interests of the New Order regime, it is now re-emerging as a counterweight to extremism and exclusivism.

Daniel Awigra, campaign manager at the Association of Journalists for Diversity (Sejuk), and one of the movement’s organizers, explained the philosophy behind Beda.Is.Me.

“We realized that the silent majority is not going to act in oppositional campaigns against radical organizations,” Daniel said. “They are always going to choose what’s safe for them. A positive campaign that targets the state is likely to have a greater effect.”

Tantowi Anwari, also known as Thowik, advocacy manager at Sejuk, added: “We really want to emphasize that this is a peaceful movement that is not seeking to confront those intolerant groups in our society. Rather we are targeting the state for allowing repeated and increasingly intense acts of religious-based violence to occur.”

Prudent words, given that Thowik was stripped and beaten by members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) last month for supporting the Congregation of Batak Protestant Churches Filadelfia parish’s right to worship.

With that in mind, Beda.Is.Me. is holding what is to become a fortnightly event titled “Aku Cinta Indonesia” (“I Love Indonesia”) in front of the Presidential Palace on Sunday starting at 1:30 p.m. The peaceful event provides an opportunity for religious groups and concerned citizens to express their love for the country and deliver their complaints about the state’s handling of pluralism.

The Beda.Is.Me movement will culminate in a diversity concert, billed as a tribute to victims of religious violence, at Taman Ismail Marzuki at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. The concert will feature local acts Saras Dewi, Marjinal, Lokal Ambience, Melanie Subono and headlined by Bali punk outfit Superman Is Dead.

Alongside the concert on Sunday night, Beda.Is.Me is hosting a premier of the film “Romi dan Yuli Dari Cikeusik” (“Romi and Yuli From Cikeusik”), a love story set against the backdrop of the 2011 Cikeusik tragedy. The film is directed by prominent local director Hanung Bramantyo (“Ayat-Ayat Cinta”/“Verses of Love”) and explores issues of prejudice and hate surrounding the attack on the Ahmadiyah community, which killed three.

For more information on Beda.Is.Me. events, visit sejuk.org.

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1.       Simple Tense

The film is directed by prominent local director Hanung Bramantyo.

= Film ini disutradarai oleh sutradara lokal ternama Hanung Bramantyo.

Japan data points to fragile economic recovery

Japan's economy grew faster than first thought between January and March, official data showed Friday, but analysts warned of a slowdown caused by a strong yen, Europe's debt woes and weakness in China.

The Cabinet Office said gross domestic product grew by a revised 1.2 percent in the first quarter from the previous three months, up from a preliminary figure of 1.0 percent expansion.

On an annualised basis, the revised figure was 4.7 percent in the quarter, higher than a preliminary 4.1 percent rise, according to the data.

The figures are good news for an economy pounded by last year's quake-tsunami disaster, reflecting an upward trend with domestic demand and auto exports on the rise.

However, the recovery has been largely driven by government reconstruction spending and analysts said weak demand in Europe and worries about growth in China could have an impact down the line.

That point was underscored by a finance ministry official on Friday who warned that strong yen and the financial crisis in Europe -- a major market for Japanese goods -- were serious threats to Japan's export-oriented economy.

"As far as the short-term outlook for the export sector is concerned, the state of European economies and foreign exchange are sources of concern," the official told reporters.

Exports took a hit as the yen struck record highs against the dollar late last year -- and the unit remains strong -- hurting manufacturers whose products become more expensive overseas on a strong currency.

Data Friday showed Japan's April current account, the broadest measure of trade with the rest of the world, tumbled 21.2 percent on-year to a surplus of 333.8 billion yen ($4.2 billion), well below economists expectations for a 455.6 billion yen surplus.

But the measure remained in positive territory by a wide margin, aided by Japanese investment abroad and higher auto exports despite the nation's soaring post-tsunami fuel costs.

"The latest data confirms that the current account surplus is on a gradually declining trend, even though the fall isn't so precipitous as to make us worry about a fall into the red this year or next," said Junko Nishioka, chief economist at RBS Securities Japan.

As Japanese companies shift production overseas due to the relatively strong yen, income has become a key factor in Japan's current account surplus.

April exports rose, particularly in the auto sector, after year-earlier drops following the March 2011 disasters but imports also rose due to increasing costs of gas and other fossil fuels.

Japan has switched off its nuclear reactors following last year's quake-tsunami induced atomic crisis, forcing the resource-poor nation to turn to pricey fossil-fuel alternatives.

The economy was also hit by severe flooding in Thailand in late 2011, disrupting global supply chains and the production capability of Japanese manufacturers, particularly electronics and automakers.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this article --

AFP

SUMBER 

1.       Simple Tense

Japan's economy grew faster than first thought between January and March, official data showed Friday, but analysts warned of a slowdown caused by a strong yen, Europe's debt woes and weakness in China.

= Ekonomi Jepang tumbuh lebih cepat dari yang diperkirakan antara Januari dan Maret, data resmi menunjukkan Jumat, namun para analis memperingatkan perlambatan disebabkan oleh penguatan yen, kesengsaraan utang Eropa dan kelemahan di Cina.

2.       Perfect Tense

the recovery has been largely driven by government reconstruction spending

= pemulihan telah sebagian besar didorong oleh pengeluaran pemerintah rekonstruksi

3.       Past Tense

That point was underscored by a finance ministry official on Friday who warned that strong yen and the financial crisis in Europe

= Titik itu digarisbawahi oleh seorang pejabat Departemen Keuangan pada hari Jumat yang memperingatkan bahwa penguatan yen dan krisis keuangan di Eropa

Bomb blast kills 19 on Pakistan bus

A bomb blast ripped through a Pakistani bus on Friday, killing 19 people, including seven women and a child, on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, police said.

More than 40 others were wounded in the attack on a bus rented by the government to take staff home after work in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It was the deadliest attack in months on Peshawar, which has long been a flashpoint for a local Taliban insurgency targeting government officials, security forces and ordinary civilians.

The city runs into the semi-autonomous tribal belt that US officials consider a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and insurgents fighting both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

The explosion went off in the Daudzai area, killing government employees and other private passengers riding the same bus, officials said.

"The bomb was planted under the bus," provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters.

"We still can't say how many government employees and private passengers were killed, but there were heavy human losses," he added.

Police official Tahir Ayub told AFP 19 people were killed and more than 40 wounded. Another police official, Shafiullah Khan, said seven women and a girl, aged seven, were among the dead.

The explosion destroyed the back end of the bus. Bloodied pieces of human flesh littered the seats, along with blood-stained clothes on the road lined with juniper trees, an AFP reporter said.

Muhammad Ullah, 48, a police official on the bus, said there was a deafening blast.

"The explosion triggered massive smoke inside the bus but even then we could feel soft and bloody pieces of human flesh hitting our bodies," Ullah told AFP while being treated for head and shoulder injuries.

Arsalan, a junior clerk in the provincial auditor general's office, said he remembered asking the driver to stop at a mosque on the road for main Friday prayers then the explosion took place.

"I don't remember what happened next because I fainted and came round in a hospital bed," the 28-year-old, also with head and neck injuries, told AFP.

The attack came one day after a remote-controlled bomb killed at least 15 people outside a madrassa in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta.

The country of 180 million sits on the frontline of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda and since July 2007 has been gripped by a local Taliban-led insurgency, concentrated largely in the northwest.

In the last five years, attacks blamed on Islamist bombers have killed more than 5,000 people according to an AFP tally.

Pakistan's relations with the United States are in disarray and for the last six months, since US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the border, it has imposed a blockade on NATO supplies crossing overland into Afghanistan.

On Thursday, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan that the United States was running out of patience over Islamabad's refusal to do more to eliminate safe havens for insurgents who attack US troops fighting a 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Panetta made the strong remarks after talks with Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on the latest leg of an Asian tour that took him to Pakistan's arch-rival India, but not Islamabad in a sign of dire US-Pakistan relations.

He singled out the Haqqani network, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked faction that has bases in Pakistan's lawless tribal district of North Waziristan and which has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks of the 10-year war in Afghanistan.

AFP

SUMBER

1.       Past Tense

More than 40 others were wounded in the attack on a bus rented by the government to take staff home after work in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

= Lebih dari 40 lainnya terluka dalam serangan terhadap sebuah bus yang disewa oleh pemerintah untuk dibawa pulang staf setelah bekerja di provinsi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

2.       Perfect Tense

The country of 180 million sits on the frontline of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda and since July 2007 has been gripped by a local Taliban-led insurgency,

= Negara 180 juta duduk di garis depan perang pimpinan AS di Al-Qaeda dan sejak Juli 2007 telah dicengkeram oleh pemberontakan yang dipimpin Taliban lokal,