West Papuans surrender firearms to Indonesia
From News Reports:
Jakarta, August 21: Seventy-seven members of the West Papauan separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) have surrendered 32 firearms to the Indonesian Army (TNI) in their pledge to the Unitary State of Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and support for state ideology Pancasila, reports the Jakarta Post.
West Papua South Yapen Free Papua Movement (OPM) commander Kris Sineri signed allegiance to the Unitary State of Indonesia and support for state ideology Pancasila in the presence of the Indonesian Army (TNI), police and administration officials.
The West Papua commander Kris Sineri handed over his revolver and the West Papau independence Bintang Kejora or Morning Star separatist flag at the signing of allegiance to Indonesia.
The firearms were surrendered to Biak Military resort 173, Brigadier General I Nyoman Chantiyasa, who called on West Papauan separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) members to stop their fight for independence and to unite to develop South Yapen, saying that "we will develop the eastern area and support it as we are all brothers."
"We are all Indonesians," he said.
In March 150 Free Papua Movement (OPM) members agreed to lay down their arms and end their resistance to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia Commander (Danramil) First Lt. Yusuf Rumi reportedly promised the safe return of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) members to their homes in Kampung Weni and Kampung Rumagi in Mageabume and promised a traditional Papuan house to each member on their return to their home villlage.
The Free Papua Movement (OPM) members were also given a traditional Papuan house on their return to their home villlage.
Indonesia has banned the West Papau independence Bintang Kejora or Morning Star separatist flag and the flags of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) countries of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu and the New Caledonia Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front political party.
In December 2016 former West Papuan political prisoner pro-independence activists, Filep Semuel Karma, 57, called on the Indonesian government to hold a referendum for independence for West Papua.
"The referendum would provide a fair mechanism for Papuans to decide for themselves whether they wanted to remain as part of the unitary state of Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) or wanted independence," he said.
The Southeast Asian Times

KPK has more than one witness in e-ID card embezzlement case

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) senior investigator, Novel Baswedan, suffered serious acid burns to his face in a drive-by attack in Indonesia is in Singapore undergoing treatment for his injuries

Imprisoned former Jakarta governor not permitted to attend Independence Day ceremony
From News Reports:
Jakarta, August 19: Former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja "Ahok" Purnama, who is serving a two year prison sentence for blasphemy at the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center, was not permitted to celebrate Indepence Day in a flag hoisting ceremony at the center, reports the Jakarta Post.
National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center, officer said that prisoners were not permitted to attend the Independence Day ceremony.
"No detainees were allowed to attend the ceremony, including Ahok," he said.
The Jakarta Post reports that senior officers and veterans of the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) attended the ceremony at police headquarters in Depok, West Java.
The former governor was to serve his sentence at the Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta but was transferred to the Brimob detention center, with the warden of the Cipinang prison saying that he could not ensure his safety.
Former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja "Ahok" Purnama was found guilty of blasephemy by the North Jakarta court on 9 May and sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The guilty verdict sparked protests in Jakarta and other regions including Yogyakarta and Papua.
His supporters including 500 Indonesians living abroad reportedly volunteered to act as guarantors in order to have the Jakarta governor released from prison.
The former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was founf guilty of blasphemy for allegedly using Al-Maidah 51 in the Quran while campaigning for re election last year on Indonesia's outer islands.
He reportedly told fishermen that they had been deceived by those who use Al-Maidah 51 in the Quran to discourage Muslims from supporting him.
He was charged under Article 156 (a) on blasphemy of the Criminal Code and Article 28, point (2) of the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law on promoting hate speech.
But prosecutors withdrew their accusation that Ahok had violated Article 156 (a) of the Criminal Code, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, saying they could not prove Ahok had insulted Islam as a whole but that he had insulted individual Muslims.
The Southeast Asian Times

Fish farmers in Southern Vietnam lose fish to toxic waste
From News Reports:
Hanoi, August 18: Fish farmers in Vietnam's southern province of Ba Ria- Vung Tau are devastated at the loss for the third time in 12 months
of tons of fish from toxic waste, reports Tuoi Tre News.
Tuoi Tre News reports that similar mass fish deaths occurred along the Cha Va River in Long Son Commune in August and October last year with authorities attributing the fish deaths to lack of oxygen in the water brought about by prolonged rainfall..
Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development director, Tran Van Cuong, said that fish from 23 farms along the Cha Va River in Long Son Commune, Vung Tau City were found dead en mass last week, saying that " almost 250,000 fish with a total weight of 90 metric tons were found dead,"
Fish farmer, Nguyen Cong Bien, said that water used at the fish farms had become unusually opaque over a few days, saying that "the water emitted a chemical smell."
“We tried pumping oxygen into the water but without success,” he said.
Fish samples taken from the affected farms reportedly revealed viruses causing ulcers and hemorrhage with tests showing that the nitrogen and sulphur content in the water was much higher than normal limits.
Authorities have ordered an unidentified barrel producing company allegedly released toxic waste water into the Cha Va River closed.
In July 2016 the Formosa Plastics Group that has made the single largest investment by a foreign company in Vietnam, admitted to causing massive fish poisonings in the coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Huein.
Vietnam Government Office chairman, Mai Ti?n Dung, said then that "violations in the construction of the Formosa Ha Tinh province Steel plant is the cause of the pollution that caused massive fish deaths".
"Formosa released toxic wastewater into the sea of four coastal provinces poisoning about 70 tons of fish", he said.
An investigation into the cause of the death of the fish by Vietnam Natural Resources and Environment Ministry show that toxic waste flowed into the sea from underground pipes laid at the steel plants.
The Southeast Asian Times

KPK to go ahead with investigation despite death of witness

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) witness, Johanes Marliem, died in Hollywood in the United States last week after a standoff with police

Agriculture officials sentenced to jail for illegal deforestation of Mekong Delta

Tran Van Hung, former deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, was sentenced to three years in jail for his involvement in the deforestation of the Thanh Phu nature reserve in the Mekong Delta

Indonesia to disband more organisations against Pancasila
From News Reports:
Jakarta, August 15: Indonesia's Home Affairs Ministry is working with police and regional administrations to disband further mass organisations against state ideology, Pancasila, reports the Jakarta Post.
Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that the ministry is coordinating with local administrations to gather evidence and documents that indicate that "certain organisations are against Pancasila."
"We need to look closer at them," he said.
The Home Affairs Ministry is to go head with the disbandment of organisations deemed to be against state ideology despite the claim made by the Law and Human Rights minister Yasonna H. Laoly on August 3 that the government did not have any plans to disband more organizations after it had disbanded Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) in July.
The government disbanded Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) last month with a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on mass organizations signed by President Joko Widodo on July 11.
The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights director general for legal administration Freddy Harris, said last month that "the government has the authority to disband non-governmental organizations (NGOs) considered a threat to Indonesia and its pluralist state ideology known as Pancasila."
“The government believes that the revocation of the decree for the legal entity of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) was not done arbitrarily but with consultation with government agencies,” he said.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo approved the decree that was signed to "makes it easier to disband civil society groups seen as causing social unrest and threatening Indonesia’s unity."
"The decision is legal and was made after careful consideration," he said.
The Council of Indonesian Ulema (MUI), chairman, Ma’ruf Amin, supports the ban on Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), saying that the government has the right to say that Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) is not in accordance with Pancasila,”
“The dissolution of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) is indeed a process that has been taken:," he said.
The Indonesian chapter of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), that is believed to have about 2 million members, campaigned for a caliphate and implementation of Sharia law in Indonesia.
The Southeast Asian Times

North Sumatra police claim waitresses involved in baby-selling syndicate
From News Reports:
Jakarta, August 12 Simalungun Police have uncovered a baby-selling syndicate allegedly involving waitresses working in several cafes in Simalungun regency, North Sumatra, reports the Jakarta Post.
Simalungun Police and Social Affairs Agency officials removed three children aged between 2 and 7 and a 15-dayold baby in a raid on Huta Aek Liman village, Simalungun regency, North Sumatra last week.
Simalungun Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Marudut Liberty Panjaitan said that three of the children were born to Lentina Simanjuntal, 26, a waitress allegedly involved in the baby selling syndicate.
He said said that Lentina Simanjuntal was one of several waitresses suspected of having sold babies born out of a sexual relationships with their customers.
The police chief claimed that the waitress had sold her three children as babies to married couples at prices ranging from Rp 2.7 million (US$202.69) to Rp 15 million.
He said that the waitress sold her first baby in 2013, the second in 2016 and the third baby in July this year.
Waitress Lentina Simanjuntal reportedly told police that the three babies sold were born outside marriage and that she was forced to sell them.
“I’m poor. I don’t have the money to raise them all,” she said.
The police chief dismissed the claim that the waitress did not have enough money to care for her children, saying that Lentina Simanjuntal earned enough.
He said that the waitresses come from mostly poor families but that they earned enough money to pay for childbirth, saying “it’s part of their modus operandi."
"The baby-selling syndicate involved midwives and their assistants who not only helped the women deliver their children but also served as brokers to deal with customers, he said.
Waitress Lentina Simanjuntal, 26, is charged wih violation of Articles 68 and 83 of Law No 35/2014 on Child Protection that carries a penalty of 15 years in prison.
The Southeast Asian Times

West Java's mayors pledge to fight spread of HIV/AIDS

Mayors of Indonesia's West Java province pledged to fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS AIDS at the Commission Summit Meeting in Bandung on Wednesday

Police raid Bangkok restuarant for serving protected turtles and snakes
From News Reports:
Bangkok, August 12: Police arrested seven in a raid on the Luang To To restaurant in the Wang Thong Lang area of Bangkok for serving exotic dishes prepared from protected animals including turtles and snakes, reports the Bangkok Post.
Police have detained Luang To To restaurant supervisor, Chamu Sae-Yi, 66, and six Myanmar workers.
Restaurant supervisor, Chamu Sae-Yi, told police that most of the customers were Chinese tourists.
Tourist Police Division deputy chief Atchayon Kraithong said that two dishes of chopped cobra were on a table when police raided the restuarant on Wednesday.
He said that police found a butchery located in a laneway behind the restuarant where the animals were killed and prepared for cooking.
"Nine containers of home-made liqueur with snake head ingredients, the carcass of a pangolin and four wells containing 21 Thai soft-shelled turtles, one Yellow Headed Temple turtle, four ngu sing (rat snakes) and one cobra were found in the butchery," he said.
The deputy chief said that Ngu sing (Ptyas korros) is a protected snake while Cobras are not.
"But caging them is illegal", he said.
The Luang To To restaurant has been in business for eight years.
The Southeast Asian Times

Begging backpacker in Vietnam to be sent packing

A backpacker meditates on a pavement on Kien Giang’s Phu Quoc Island, with a note written in Vietnamese that reads “meditate for luck, need money.”

Indonesia
In 2010 the Indonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from giving money to beggars.
The order has been made because begging had been allowed to become an occupation, it says.
“The fatwa has been issued due to the overwhelming amount of street beggars, which often use Islamic attributes, such as mosque proposals and Islamic charities as their reason,” said secretary-general Samsul Ma’arif .
The Southeast Asian Times

China pledges to cooperate with ASEAN

Jakarta, August 9: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and China adopted a framework for a Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea at a Ministerial meeting at the 50th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting held inPasay City in the Philippines that ended on Tuesday

ASEAN and China adopt framework for Code of Conduct in South China Sea
From News Reports:
Jakarta, August 9: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and China adopted a framework for a Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea at a Ministerial meeting that ended in the Philippines yesterday, reports the Philippine Inquirer.
The framework for a Code of Conduct (CoC) was adopted at the 50th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting held in Pasay City in the Philippines over six days.
The framwork for a Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea was adopted with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, saying "this is an important outcome for our joint effort,"
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that Indonesia welcomed the adoption of the CoC framework, saying that "the onus was on all countries to maintain regional peace and stability and respect international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In May the 10 ASEAN member countries and China completed the negotiations on the draft Code of a Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea at a meeting in Guiyang in China's Guizhou Province.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and Singapore's Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Chee Wee Kiong, who co-chaired the meeting, agreed to uphold the framework of regional rules to manage and control disputes, to deepen practical maritime cooperation, to promote consultation on the code and jointly maintain the peace and stability of the South China Sea.
The negotiations on the draft Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea follows the Arbitration Court in the Hague ruling in July 2016 that ruled in favour of the Philippines against China's claim of historic rights over the South China Sea.
China rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruling, saying that "the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague has no jurisdiction on this matter."
China reportedly claims that the Arbitration tribunal made an illegal and invalid final verdict on the South China Sea dispute.
China Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang said ahead of the ruling that the dispute was not covered by U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) because it was ultimately a matter of sovereignty not exploitation rights.
The Southeast Asian Times

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