Indonesia Receives Two Warships from Brunei ("KRI Salawaku 642" and "KRI Badau 643")

Shear English - Indonesia has received two warships, "KRI Salawaku 642" and "KRI Badau 643" from Brunei Darussalam under a grant, which will join the West Fleet Command (ARMABAR). Brunei government officially handed over the two warships on April 15, 2011, (Navy) Maj Komaruddin, the commander of KRI Badau said here on Monday.

Both ships were originally called "KDB (Kapal Perang Diraja Brunei) Waspada" and "KDB Pejuang" as part of the Royal Brunei Navy fleet, he said. In accordance with Decree of the Defense Forces (Military)Commander, "KDB Waspada" is now called "KRI Salawaku" with hull number 642 and "KDB Pejuang" is now "KRI Badau" with hull number 643.

"The two ships are part of the rapid ship missile (KCR)," Maj Komaruddin said, adding that the ships were designed in England and constructed in its plant in Singapore each with a cruising capacity of 28 knots.

Read more »

Balinese Dances to be Proposed as UNESCO's Best Practice

Shear English - Balinese dances and two other Indonesian cultural features have been proposed as UNESCO’s Best Practices in Indigenous Knowledge 2011 after Batik for that category in 2010. The proposal of Balinese dances, Papua’s Noken and the Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park (TMII) for inclusion in UNESCO’s Best Practices on Indigenous Knowledge 2011 was announced by TMII Director of Operation Ade Meliala during the Pesona Budaya Indonesia 2011 at TMII, East Jakarta, on Sunday.

The Pesona Budaya Indonesia (Indonesian Fascinating Culture) 2011 was attended by Badung Regent Anak Agung Gde Agung, Badung Regency Secretary Kompyang R. Swandika and some other officials and members of Badung Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD). Some Indonesian representatives of UNCESO also attended the cultural event which highlighted some Balinese dances, such as Sekar Jepun, Oleg Tamulilingan and opera-like dance Jayantaka Pratidnya. 

Meliala said that the Indonesian cultural features, notably Balinese dances, deserve the appreciation from global communities for their excellence as indigenous cultural heritages. "Let the world know how TMII has been functioning as an institution to preserve the Indonesian culture," she said.

Read more »

Kate and William's First Baby Could be Queen

Shear English - Prince William and Kate Middleton's first child could take the throne regardless of their sex under changes being investigated by the Government. Nick Clegg is making inquiries into changing the rights of succession, which currently favour boys. The Deputy Prime Minister, who is responsible for constitutional reform, is looking into the possibility of removing 'male primogeniture'.

Currently the first-born boy in a family takes precedence, even if he has an elder sister. Mr Clegg said today:'I think most people in this day and age would think it's worth considering whether we change the rules so that baby girl could become the future monarch.

'I think that would be in keeping with the changes that are happening with society as a whole.'

However, Mr Clegg warned the move would not be 'straightforward' because all the Commonwealth countries would have to be consulted. 'My own personal view is that in this day and age the idea that only a man should ascend to the throne I think would strike most people as a little old fashioned,' he added.

'If Prince William and Catherine Middleton were to have a baby daughter as their first child, I think most people would think it is perfectly fair and normal that she would eventually become Queen of our country.

Read more »

Hopes Rise of New XR8

Shear English - Ford's hairy-chested XR8 Falcon is not dead yet, the company says. The model has been in limbo since last June, when production ceased after its 5.4-litre V8 fell victim to tougher emissions laws. But it could return early next year in more than one guise, aimed at swinging V8 voters who have switched allegiance to Holden. At the moment, Ford's performance arm, FPV, has the mortgage on V8 Falcons with its 5.0-litre supercharged GS, GT and GT-P sedans, which start from $56,990 plus on-road and dealer costs.

But that leaves Holden's V8 SS Commodore unchallenged as the cheap entry point to a local V8 muscle car. It sells from $47,790. Ford Australia vice-president of marketing, sales and service, Beth Donovan, is adamant the project to revive the XR8 nameplate won't go ahead unless the car is 'more than competitive'. The car was originally scheduled to make a return before the end of this year but that looks unlikely.

Donovan's comments are in line with those from recently replaced Ford Australia president Marin Burela, who last year said there was something 'exciting' in line for a new-generation Falcon XR8 and that 'we are going to be bringing to the table more than we ever have'.

Read more »

Bali Just Can't be Beaten (Fijis Beaches are Arguably Cleaner Than Balis, but the Indonesian Island Remains More Popular)

Shear English - No matter how hard it tries, Fiji can't overtake Bali as a destination for Australian holidaymakers. Fiji is cheaper than Bali - especially since Jetstar and Virgin's Pacific Blue started flying to Nadi in the past few years - and hours closer to Australia's big east-coast cities than its Indonesian rival but attracts only half the number of Australians to its shores.

Fiji's beaches are arguably cleaner than Bali's and there are more surf breaks in more places but the bustle of the south of Bali island has proved a perennial magnet of greater overall appeal. The terrorist attacks of 2002 and 2005 aimed at foreigners in Bali fade in the memory as a record number of Australians head for the island.

More than 600,000 of the 2.53 million travellers - about a quarter of all visitors - who landed in Bali last year were Australian, the biggest foreign contingent, overtaking the Japanese. But Fiji has been breaking records, too. Its overall number of visitors last year was 631,868 people, eclipsing the 542,186 in 2009. Not surprisingly, Australia supplied 318,185, 50.4 per cent of Fiji's total international arrivals for last year and an increase of 28 per cent in the number of Australians who visited in 2009.

Read more »

Indonesia Cancels : As Indonesian Elite Force Apparoaches Somalia

Shear English - Indonesia has dispatched an elite military force to Somalia to rescue 20 Indonesian sailors who were hijacked by Somalian pirates together with their ship a month ago. Despite a media blitz in Jakarta, the Indonesian government had actually to cancel the hard option as the Kopassus and the Korp Marinir units were en route to the site where MV Sinar Kudus was held by Somali pirates.

The force dispatched numbers to 401 personnel consisting of a combined unit of Kopassus and Korps Marinir (Marine Corps). The media had apparently been taken by surprise by what had been disclosed by Air Marshall (Rtd.) Djoko Suyanto, the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security. 

This story has not been made public by the government until Friday. There are two considerations that may have become the underlying reasons for Djoko Suyanto, former Indonesian Defense Force (TNI) Commander, to open the fact to public through media.

First, public opinion has cornered the government in the people’s eyes as being weak and slow-moving. Second, the 3.5 million US dollars ransom money has actually been in the process of delivery to the pirates as the condition for the release of the sailors.

Read more »