Indonesia TCSS, Exchange Rate, Favourite Song/Music update

[Nulgath]

The head of the Northern Territory's AIDS and Hepatitis Council (NTAHC) has said she was left scared and surprised after being detained at Bali's main airport because she was bringing hundreds of condoms into Indonesia.

NTAHC executive director Kim Gates said the incident early last month occurred when she was trying to take 720 condoms to an HIV organisation in Bali.

At Denpasar Airport officials detained her and confiscated the condoms.

"I have actually travelled with condoms before so I was actually quite surprised," Ms Gates said.

"I was a little bit sort of scared. I didn't know what was going on."

She said officials asked her if she had a permit for the condoms and said she had not declared them on her arrivals card.

"Then they advised me that it is actually in the category of pornographic material, which I didn't think was the case," Ms Gates said.

Ms Gates said it was important NTAHC's partner agencies in Bali received condoms because countries like Indonesia had high rates of HIV.

"We know that a lot of Australians go there on holiday and here in the Northern Territory we see a lot of new cases of HIV coming in from overseas," she said.

Issue not limited to sex workers, organisation says

Ms Gates said figures suggested about one in four sex workers in Indonesia had HIV.

"But there are high rates of HIV across all populations — not just gay men and sex workers but heterosexual groups as well," she said.

She said it was important to Australia that condoms were freely available in Bali due to the number of Australian men who go there and visit sex workers.

Ms Gates added that many of the new cases of HIV recorded in the Top End had been in the heterosexual community.

"We really want people to be smart when they go overseas and go on holidays," she said.

"Take your own condoms with you. Maybe don't take 720 [of them] but enough for personal use."

Although Ms Gates was eventually released, the condoms remained confiscated.

Consul for Information, Social and Cultural Affairs at the Indonesian Consulate in Darwin, Ardian Nugroho, said having the condoms confiscated was probably because officials thought Ms Gates was trying to sell them.

Mr Nugroho said the consulate was happy to provide letters in these circumstances for people to show to immigration authorities to avoid problems when they arrive in the country.

[Naka_Timo]

REPUBLIK - aku dan perasaan ini

[aalphan43]

Ribas - Sebelah Hati

[Nulgath]

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Two planes collided at the Jakarta airport when the wing of a Batik Air aircraft clipped the tail of a TransNusa aircraft being towed across the runway.

Media reports showed still of the wing bursting into flames, even though no injuries were reported and passengers were evacuated safely.

The Batik Air aircraft was said to be taking off en route for Ujung Padang, while the TransNusa ATR, was on apron movement being towed by an airside tractor.

The incident occurred at the largely-domestic Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta leading to a temporary closure of the airport.

The Batik Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft was reportedly carrying 49 passengers and seven crew and the pilot is said to have aborted the takeoff after the collision.

Andy Saladin, a spokesman for Lion Air Group said in a statement that the pilot aborted the takeoff of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft to ensure the safety of those on board. “All the passengers and crew are safe, and will be flown using a replacement aircraft.”

Batik Air is part of Lion Group, which runs Indonesia’s biggest low-cost carrier Lion Air.

Edward Sirait, the president director of the Lion Air Group, said the company would await the results of an official investigation.

Meanwhile, JA Barata, spokesperson for Indonesian Ministry of Transportation said in a statement, “The left wing of the Batik flight was damaged in the clash and the tail of the ATR craft operated by TransNusa — another domestic airline mainly serving the east of the archipelago — was also mangled.”

- Two passenger aircraft collided on the runway of an airport in the Indonesian capital, forcing its temporary closure. No injuries were reported.

The accident on Monday evening occurred at a military airport that also handles civilian flights to ease congestion at Jakarta's main commercial airport.

Batik Air said in a statement that its plane carrying 49 passengers and seven crew was "touched" while taxiing for takeoff by a TransNusa aircraft that was being towed.

Images posted online showed severe damage to the wing of the Batik Air jet, a Boeing 737-800.

The airline said passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

[DageDage]

This distressing video shows the moment Irma Bule, 29, was attacked mid-performance in the village of Karawang, West Java, by the venomous snake.

The Indonesian singer was well-known for using reptiles in her acts and thought the king cobra, called Rianti, had been de-fanged.

But when the snake bit her thigh, it injected venom into her bloodstream until a snake handler pulled it away.

The popstar carried on singing for 45 minutes, but began vomiting and having seizures.

She was later confirmed dead in hospital.

Ferlando Octavion Auzura, who was in the audience, told a local website: 'In the middle of the second song, Irma stepped on the snake’s tail.

'The snake then bit Irma in her thigh.'

The singer - who had also used boa constrictors and pythons in previous acts - refused the offer of an antidote, according to reports.

Police say they are investigating the incident and have asked people in the audience for information.

King cobras can grow up to 18 feet and are found in southern India, Southeast Asia and India.

They are one of the deadliest snakes on the planet, with the amount of toxins released in a single bite enough to kill an elephant, or 20 people.

But the beasts are shy so usually avoid humans.

[brassicbrassic]

An acoustic kid singer

[authenticanie]

Exchange Rate History update :

[Naka_Timo]

Afgan - Terima Kasih Cinta

[Nulgath]

JAKARTA China's growing maritime assertiveness has been met largely with silence from Indonesia. But Jakarta has changed its tune recently, reinforcing the nation's military presence in areas where its territorial integrity may be threatened.

This year, the country will double the number of troops stationed in the gas-rich Natuna Islands, at the southern end of the South China Sea. There are also plans to expand an airport and a naval port for military use within the archipelago, which forms part of the country's northern frontier.

The moves hint at a major shift in Indonesia's diplomatic stance toward territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Until now, Indonesia has staunchly avoided getting involved in China's spats with such neighbors as the Philippines and Vietnam. Reconsidering this approach could have significant implications for the regional security landscape.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

Military officers in camouflage fatigues step out of almost every airplane that lands at Natuna Ranai Airport in the islands' capital. The airport, used for both military and civilian purposes, has become the front line of Indonesia's response to China's aggression in the South China Sea.

A total of 450 billion rupiah ($34 million) has been earmarked for expanding air and naval facilities in the Natuna Islands in order to station fighter jets and military vessels in the island chain, while the number of troops stationed there is set to rise to 2,000 by the end of this year.

A senior government official in charge of security told The Nikkei that the government is looking for a 200-hectare tract of land in the islands to build facilities for special forces.

Recent events in the South China Sea have put Indonesian policymakers on high alert. In mid-March, an Indonesian fisheries law-enforcement vessel seized a Chinese boat that Jakarta claims was fishing illegally in Indonesian waters. However, the Indonesian authorities were stopped from towing the vessel to a base on the Natuna Islands due to interference from a Chinese coast guard ship.

The confrontation drew fierce protests from Jakarta, but Beijing brushed the complaints aside, claiming the incident took place in "traditional Chinese fishing grounds" and that the coast guard vessel was operating outside Indonesian territorial waters.

This is not the first such incident. In 2013, a Chinese ship made a similar, successful attempt to thwart Indonesian maritime authorities.

Growing tensions in the South China Sea have led President Joko Widodo, who came to power in October 2014, to increase defense spending to some 100 trillion rupiah from 83 trillion in 2014. However, the figure accounts for just 1% of the nation's gross domestic product, compared with Vietnam's 2%. In February, Widodo announced a security policy target that would raise the rate to 1.5%, or 250 trillion rupiah.

Former President Suharto, who held office for over three decades after seizing power in 1967, adopted an anti-communist stance, firmly entrenching Indonesia within the Western sphere of influence. Relations with China later thawed during the transition to democracy upon the collapse of the Suharto regime.

Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, who has rarely hidden his anxiety over China's military ambitions, said in late March that Indonesia should seek to build friendly ties with China while ensuring that its sovereignty is not violated.

China's foreign ministry has also tried to defuse the tension by acknowledging Indonesia's sovereignty over the Natuna Islands, emphasizing that it has no territorial disputes with Jakarta of the kind it has with the Philippines and Vietnam over the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands.

China's argument rests on the fact that it does not lay claim to the Natuna Islands themselves. Rather, it claims waters that lie within what it calls the "nine-dash line," an area that overlaps with Indonesia's 200-mile exclusive economic zone around the island group.

Beijing is seeking to prevent Southeast Asian nations from joining U.S. efforts to contain its naval expansion in the region. Meanwhile, it continues to adopt an increasingly assertive posture in the sea.

Concessions regarding China's maritime claims are unlikely. With a key Communist Party congress 18 months away, the administration of President Xi Jinping can ill afford to soften its stance on any sovereignty issues.

A reshuffle of the party elite is expected at the congress, meaning it would be unrealistic to expect anything other than business as usual with regard to China's activity in the South China Sea for the foreseeable future.

[Spiller]

Originally Posted by DageDage

This distressing video shows the moment Irma Bule, 29, was attacked mid-performance in the village of Karawang, West Java, by the venomous snake.

But the beasts are shy so usually avoid humans.

Like that also can get bitten by snake, too bad, one less singer

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by Spiller

Like that also can get bitten by snake, too bad, one less singer

The problem is after got bitten by a very poisonous snake still can keep singing for 45 mins before dying.

Overly confident,i guess.

[iicycold]

Originally Posted by nono1973

The problem is after got bitten by a very poisonous snake still can keep singing for 45 mins before dying.

If she were to seek medical attention immediately,she'd hav survived. Power of fame & in the name of professionalism.

Come to tink of it,she also damn suay,stepped on the snake while singing & tht the cobra was defanged.

[MiG27]

RIP.....

Sometimes cannot mess with animals.....like how Steve Irwin died...sting by stingray.

[Naka_Timo]

KANGEN BAND - Selingkuh (Official Music Video)

[Spiller]

Originally Posted by nono1973

The problem is after got bitten by a very poisonous snake still can keep singing for 45 mins before dying.

Overly confident,i guess.

Yes. If she was rush to hospital immediately. She could be save by then.