Tag: Indonesia

Aide Iskandar Resigns After Lions Crash Out Of SEA Games

Like the previous three SEA Games matches, Aide Iskandar arrived at the post-match press conference late. But the writing was on the wall last night when the Young Lions coach arrived teary-eyed and sniffling after Singapore lost 1-0 to Indonesia and were booted out of the Games football competition.

In what was expected, the 40-year-old announced he was not only resigning as coach of Singapore’s under-23 squad, but quitting the Football Association of Singapore. He delivered a short speech thanking the FAS for their trust when they hired him in 2013 to take charge of the side preparing for the SEA Games in Singapore.

But it has been a painful campaign for Aide, wrought by a lucklustre 1-0 win over the Philippines on June 1, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Myanmar three days later, and struggling to keep their hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Cambodia on Monday (June 9).

A week before the start of the competition, he controversially dropped forward Iqbal Hussain, who had been a key figure in the under-23 side.

Summarising his two-year tenure, Aide said he tried to build a team for the Games but faced a lot of challenges along the way, including the loss of key players in striker Shahfiq Ghani and defender Ammirul Adli.

Thanking everyone who had supported him and the Young Lions, including Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, the FAS, Sports Singapore and the fans despite not posting “the best of results”.

Added Aide: “I am very proud of my boys, they gave their best and pushed to get the goal and equaliser even though we were a man down. This is something rare to see from a Singapore side.

“For your information, I just resigned and I have informed the players and told them the journey still has to go on for them as they are still young and they can only get better. I’ve also told them that failures can only make them stronger.

He ended the press conference saying that he had to go back to his family who “has been waiting for me for a very long time. I think it is best that I have to go back to them”.

Aide refused to take questions and left abruptly, leaving more questions about the state of football in Singapore.

This is not the first time he has quit a national post. In 2007, he resigned suddenly as captain of the national team before the start of Singapore’s crucial World Cup qualifying tie against Tajikistan. He was unhappy for being dropped from then coach Raddy Avramovic’s starting line-up in a previous match against Palestine.

Last night’s drama came after Singapore’s game was marred by the same issues that have been plaguing them: Mindless passes, silly tackles and shots that went everywhere but at goal.

The comedy of errors reached a climax in the 84th minute when Suria Prakash and Adam Swandi were floored after clashing with one another in an attempt to control a loose ball on the edge of the Indonesian 12-yard box.

The game was all but over for them a minute after the break when Indonesian playmaker Evan Diman Darmono sent a scorcher into the roof of the Singapore goal.

The dagger was plunged deeper 20 minutes later when Ho Wai Loon was sent off by South Korean referee Kim Kee-gon for a second bookable offence. It was an inept performance by a Singapore side that never had the quality to go far in the Games.

FAS president Zainudin Nordin issued a statement that read: “I can understand why Aide has made this decision at this point of time. Hopefully, after a few days’ rest, we can have a discussion with him and persuade him to change his mind.

“Regardless of how we have fared at the SEA Games, Aide is a good coach and has a long and bright future ahead of him.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 12, 2015
SEAF Rejects Pillippines Appeal For Gender Testing On Indonesian Female Volleyball Player

The SEA Games Federation (SEAF) medical committee has rejected an appeal by the Philippines to subject Indonesian volleyball player Aprilia Santini Manganang to a gender verification test.

On Tuesday (June 9) Philippines coach Roger Goyareb said Manganang’s power on the court was “like putting a male in the female division”, prompting his country’s contingent to lodge an official protest.

However, medical documents provided by Indonesia have proven sufficient for SEAF doctors to allow the 23-year-old to continue playing.

A statement from the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (Singsoc) read: “Singsoc has been informed by the South East Asian Games Federation (SEAF) Medical committee that they have reviewed the documents submitted by the Indonesian volleyball team and that the appeal has since been rejected.

“Singsoc also understands that Mr Shanrit Wongprasert, Technical Delegate for the volleyball team has been informed and has agreed to the decision.

“Both teams from Indonesia and the Philippines have been informed.”

The controversy appeared to have no effect on Indonesia’s volleyball players, as they notched a straight-set 25-22, 25-20, 25-14 victory over the Philippines in the Pool B volleyball match on Wednesday afternoon (June 10) at the OCBC Arena.

Source: www.tnp.sg

June 11, 2015
Indonesia’s Aceh Province Introduces Curfew Banning Women From Work, Entertainment Venues After 11PM

The capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province has banned women from working or attending entertainment venues late at night, legally requiring them to be home by 11:00pm, Banda Aceh’s mayor says.

Internet cafes, tourist sites, sports facilities and entertainment venues have been instructed to refuse service to women after 11:00pm unless they are accompanied by a husband or male family member.

The directive, which came into effect on June 4, will also bar women from working in such businesses after the cut-off time, in a bid to protect them from sexual harassment.

“Our aim is to provide protection to female employees, especially those who work in area such as cafes, restaurants, internet cafes and tourist attractions,” Banda Aceh mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal said.

“Women in Aceh are vulnerable to sexual harassment so we want to protect them from untoward incidents.”

The new measures also ban children from being unaccompanied in public places after 10:00pm.

Businesses that insist on making their female employees work beyond the curfew risk losing their licence, while women who break the rules would be reprimanded.

“They will be asked to go home and be given a warning,” Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal said.

Women in certain professions, like nursing, are exempt from the curfew, she said.

Aceh is the only Indonesian province that implements Islamic law and makes homosexuality, gambling and drinking alcohol punishable by caning. It also reprimands women for wearing form-fitting clothing.

The chief of Indonesia’s national commission for violence against women said the measure would only restrict women’s freedom and threaten their livelihoods.

“The government should stop meddling in women’s affairs,” said Azriana, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

“If the intention of the Aceh government is to provide protection for women, it must instead educate the public and men to respect women or provide security at the nightspots.”

The decision comes just a month after unmarried men and women were banned from riding together on a motorbike in one of Aceh’s districts.

Indonesia has the world’s biggest Muslim population, but the vast majority practise a moderate form of the faith.

Source: www.abc.net.au

June 10, 2015
Philippines Demand Gender Test For Female Indonesian Volleyball Player

The Philippines demanded SEA Games organisers carry out a gender test on an Indonesian women’s volleyball player on Tuesday, risking a storm of controversy.

Philippines coach Roger Gorayeb singled out Indonesia’s Aprilia Santini Manganang because of her appearance and powerful physique, Filipino website inquirer.net said.

The Philippines’ delegation spokeswoman confirmed the request, but said she didn’t expect any test to be carried out before the game in Singapore on Wednesday.

“After we filed it’s going to be the competition manager who will reply directly to the volleyball federation or to volleyball officials here,” she told AFP.

Gender testing is highly controversial, both because of the psychological effects on the athlete and because the science of the process is murky and complex.

Competition officials and coach Gorayeb were not immediately available for comment. Reports said Manganang, 23, is expected to play Wednesday’s Pool B opener.

“She’s very powerful, it’s like putting a male in the female division,” Gorayeb said, according to Inquirer.net.

“Whether she plays or not, it doesn’t matter because we will be playing our best here,” he added.

While it is unknown whether authorities will grant the Philippines’ request, previous gender cases have dragged on over long periods, to the detriment of the athlete involved.

South African runner Caster Semenya, the former 800m world champion, underwent a series of humiliating tests before finally being cleared to compete.

And Indian sprinter Dutee Chand is currently fighting her ban by Indian authorities after a gender test showed up elevated levels of testosterone.

“It’s so cruel. God has made me the way I am. I don’t want to change anything and I also don’t want to give up sports,” Chand, 19, told AFP last year.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 10, 2015
Thousands Evacuated In Sumatra As Indonesia Upgrades Alert On Mount Sinabung

Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Indonesian island of Sumatra after authorities upgraded the threat posed by a volcano to the highest level, officials say.

The alert status of Mount Sinabung was raised late on Tuesday after a “sharp rise” in volcanic activity, national disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Mount Sinabung Observation Station chief Armen Putra said the amount of ash, smoke and rock spewing from the volcano has ramped up significantly since Sunday.

Military based in the area said soldiers and police had evacuated 2,730 residents on Wednesday from four villages within a danger zone around the south and south-east of the volcano.

“Volcanic activity is still high, triggering tremors,” district military commander Lieutenant-Colonel Asep Sukarna said.

“Yesterday we worried that the volcano would send hot ash clouds down over the villages, so we moved 2,730 people to a safer place.”

He said people were aware of the danger and left in an orderly fashion, adding that there were no further orders at this stage to evacuate other villages.

PHOTO: Thousands of residents have evacuated after Indonesia raised the alert status of Sinabung volcano. (AFP: Sutanta Aditya)

Those displaced are now in temporary shelter 13 kilometres from the volcano.

Nearly 10,000 people have had to evacuate their homes since Sinabung burst back into life in 2013 after a period of inactivity.

While some were able to return once volcanic activity died down, others have been forced to remain in shelters.

An eruption in February 2014 killed at least 16 people and sent thousands more fleeing for safety.

Sinabung is one of 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic activity running around the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

The country’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, killed more than 350 people in a series of eruptions in 2010.

AFP

PHOTO: An Indonesian farmer watches as Mount Sinabung volcano erupts in Karo district. (AFP: Sutanta Aditya)

Source: www.abc.net.au

June 5, 2015