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Tag: Indonesia

  • Mosque Stands As Reminder of God Amidst Devastation During 2004 Tsunami

    Mosque Stands As Reminder of God Amidst Devastation During 2004 Tsunami

    BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Thousands of Indonesians gathered on Thursday to pray at a mosque that was one of the few buildings left standing in Banda Aceh, the city flattened by the Boxing Day tsunami that killed at least 226,000 people 10 years ago.

    Pictures of the 135-year-old mosque left isolated in a plain of desolation after almost everything around it was wiped away were among the most memorable from the disaster, caused by a freak wave triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island in 2004.

    “Allah kept his house unscathed, that’s what we Muslims believe,” Azman Ismail, great imam of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, told Reuters. About 5,000 men, women and children crowded inside for its largest mass prayer since the tsunami.

    Aceh province bore the brunt of the devastation with at least 168,000 people dead from the tsunami which also killed thousands in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

    Syahirizal Abbas, a local government official, said he was attending “to pray that the dead will be welcome to Allah’s side.”

    Although the tsunami brought devastation, Ismail said it had also led to peace in the province, which had suffered years of conflict between rebels and the military, as well as much needed development.

    “The tsunami should be seen as a blessing instead of punishment by Allah,” Syeikh Ali Jaber, an imam from Saudi Arabia, told worshippers. REUTERS

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Indonesia Mulls Stopping Sending Domestic Workers Overseas from 2019

    Indonesia Mulls Stopping Sending Domestic Workers Overseas from 2019

    In about five years’ time, Singapore households may no longer be able to hire foreign domestic workers from Indonesia.

    The Indonesian government is considering ending the practice of sending female workers overseas as it said many of them suffer mental and physical abuse while working overseas. Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla was reported by the Jakarta Globe to have said this last Friday (Nov 21).

    As Indonesians make up about 70 per cent of the 200,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore, maid agencies in the Republic have expressed concern.

    Ms Winnie Wang, overseas recruitment senior adviser for Advance Link International, said: “I think, at the beginning, employers of foreign maids will definitely be affected. The advantages of getting an Indonesian maid are firstly, there is no language barrier. Most of the maids from Indonesia are trained to speak English.

    “Moreover, they speak Bahasa Indonesia, which is welcomed by most Singapore employers because they can speak some Malay also, so there is no communication breakdown.”

    Meanwhile, maid agencies said that Singapore is currently not the ideal overseas destination for many Indonesian women as higher salaries are offered in other places like Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    To meet the demand for foreign domestic workers in Singapore, the Manpower Ministry launched a pilot project last August that aims to bring in 400 workers from Cambodia. Since then, only 350 workers have been brought in.

    Mr Ronnie Toh, an employment consultant with A C Toh Enterprises, said: “We do need a lot of these Cambodian maids but the shortage of the maids, I think, is due to the supplier over in Phnom Penh, in Cambodia itself. I think they should open the market for more suppliers.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • President Jokowi Travelled Economy Class To Attend Son’s Graduation In Singapore

    President Jokowi Travelled Economy Class To Attend Son’s Graduation In Singapore

    Indonesian president Joko Widodo arrived in Singapore on Friday (Nov 21) on a private visit to attend his son’s graduation ceremony at Anglo-Chinese School (International).

    Mr Widodo left the presidential plane at home, choosing to fly economy on state carrier Garuda because he was travelling for personal reasons. The decision made the news in Indonesia.

    He was accompanied by his wife and daughter, was received by the principal of ACS (International), Mr Rob Burrough, slightly after 7pm on Friday.  Jokowi – as he is affectionately known – was introduced to the directors and teachers of the school, and was invited to write a message in its graduation book.

    “I’m happy. And of course, I must say thank you to ACS for helping,” the president said of the special day for the youngest of his three children, Kaesang Pangarep. As for where his son is headed next, Mr Widodo said: “Last year he said he wanted to go to SMU, but I don’t know.”

    The Indonesian first family took some photos with members of the school board, and were seen clapping along to a drum performance by students before the graduation ceremony.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Basuki Tjahaja Purnama: Orang Cina Pertama Menjadi Gabenor Jakarta

    Basuki Tjahaja Purnama: Orang Cina Pertama Menjadi Gabenor Jakarta

    Ahli politik lantang Indonesia, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama hari ini mengangkat sumpah sebagai gabenor Jakarta, sekali gus menjadikannya orang Cina pertama memegang jawatan itu.

    Beliau yang sebelum ini memegang jawatan timbalan gabenor dilantik sebagai gabenor selepas presiden Indonesia, Joko Widodo atau Jokowi (kanan) menang pilihan raya Julai lalu.

    Kumpulan garis keras Front Pembela Islam (FPI) menolak pelantikan Basuki kerana didakwa tidak ‘mesra’ terhadap orang Islam di republik itu melalui beberapa perhimpunan jalanan.

    Basuki, yang terkenal dengan sikap lantang dan suka berdebat meminta kerajaan membubarkan kumpulan itu dengan mengaitkannya dengan unsur anarki dan keganasan.

    Basuki atau lebih dikenali sebagai Ahok pada bulan ini bagaimanapun meminta maaf kepada umat Islam jika kenyataannya itu menyinggung perasaan.

    “Saya mohon maaf jika kamu fikir saya kurang ajar,” beliau dipetik sebagai berkata ketika perhimpunan Majlis Ulama Indonesia Indonesia.

    Beliau merupakan penganut Kristian kedua dilantik sebagai gabenor Jakarta.

    Semasa pemerintahan 32 tahun Suharto (kiri), bangsa Cina menjadi mangsa diskriminasi sosial dan politik.

    Dominasi kaum Cina dalam ekonomi sering mencetuskan kemarahan di kalangan segelintir rakyat Indonesia dan menjadikan mereka terdedah kepada serangan semasa pergolakan sosial.

    Pengganti Suharto, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie membubarkan undang-undang diskriminasi terhadap kaum Cina.

    Selain itu, mantan presiden Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid selepas itu mengisytiharkan Tahun Baru Cina sebagai hari cuti kebangsaan pada tahun 2002.

    – dpa

     

    Source: www.malaysiakini.com

  • Female Police Recruits In Indonesia Made To Go Through Virginity Tests

    Female Police Recruits In Indonesia Made To Go Through Virginity Tests

    Indonesia must stop subjecting female police recruits to physical tests in an effort to determine whether they are virgins, a leading human rights group said today (Nov 18), describing the practice as degrading and discriminatory.

    Human Rights Watch said in a report that such tests were a longstanding practice in Indonesia, where patriarchal attitudes and practices in the security forces are common.

    The report was based on interviews with female police officers and police applicants in six Indonesian cities who had undergone the so called “two-finger” test to determine whether their hymens are intact.

    The requirement is even posted on the jobs website for Indonesia’s national police. It reads: “In addition to the medical and physical tests, women who want to be policewomen must also undergo virginity tests. So all women who want to become policewomen should keep their virginity.”

    Citing medical experts, Human Rights Watch said the physical tests are useless in determining virginity.

    Indonesian police spokesman Major-General Ronny Sompie urged people not “respond negatively” to the tests, saying they were aimed at ensuring applicants were free from sexually transmitted diseases. He said both male and female recruits also get blood tests for STDs.

    “All of this is done in a professional manner and did not harm the applicants,” Maj-Gen Sompie said.

    Human Rights Watch has documented the use of abusive virginity tests by police in several other countries, including Egypt, India and Afghanistan.

    In a video interview recorded by the group, a 24-year-old Indonesian woman said she was among 20 applicants who underwent the test.

    “I feared that after they performed the test I would not be a virgin anymore,” she told the group in a silhouetted video interview. “They inserted two fingers with gels … it really hurt.”

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com