Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07JAKARTA30
2007-01-05 07:15:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Jakarta
Cable title:  

INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS - DECEMBER 2006

Tags:  SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID 
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RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050715Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2677
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0291
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3774
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0172
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3845
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3288
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000030 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/IET, OES/IET, AND OES/ETC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS - DECEMBER 2006


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000030

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/IET, OES/IET, AND OES/ETC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS - DECEMBER 2006



1. Summary: On December 14, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
founder Willie Smith announced plans to
release around 200 orangutans into Baktikop Forest in Central
Kalimantan. The Head of the Jakarta Sanitation Office warned of an
impending crisis in Jakarta waste management on December 12. The
Ministry of Forestry introduced an "Ecosystem Restoration Program"
on December 5 aimed at rehabilitating former forest concession areas
in Jiambi and South Sumatra provinces. On December 18, the
Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG) installed six tsunami
warning sirens in Aceh. In mid-December, the Ministry of Energy and
Mineral Resources' Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard
Mitigation (CVGHM) issued alerts for Mt. Soputan in North Sulawesi
and Mt. Talang in West Sumatra in response to increased volcanic and
seismic activity. On December 6, the National Nuclear Energy Agency
(BATAN) announced plans to hold a tender process in 2008 for nuclear
equipment suppliers and contractors needed to construct a planned
Rp. 15 trillion (US$ 1.66 billion) nuclear power plant in Central
Java. On December 20, the non-governmental organization Yayasan
Pelita Ilmu (YPI) announced that the organization is having
difficulty securing funding for their Prevention of Mother to Child
HIV Transmission program. End summary.

Orangutan Release Planned
--------------


2. On December 14, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS)
founder Willie Smith announced plans to
release around 200 orangutans into Baktikop Forest in Central
Kalimantan sometime in early 2007. The timing of the release is
subject to weather conditions in the area, which some experts expect
to deteriorate in the coming months in association with the El Nino
phenomenon. BOS rescued the orangutans from private entertainment
providers in Semarang (Central Java),Yogyakarta, Bandung and
Sukabumi (West Java) that had been exploiting the animals.
Indonesia's orangutan population is declining rapidly due to
deforestation, forest fires, and illegal animal trafficking.

Jakarta Faces Waste Management Challenges
--------------



3. On December 12, Rama Boedi, Head of the Jakarta Sanitation
Office, warned of an impending crisis in Jakarta waste management.
The private firm PT Patriot Bekasi Bangkit (PBB) currently manages
Jakarta's largest dumpsite, Bantar Gebang, in Bekasi, West Java.
Because the Jakarta and Bekasi authorities have been dissatisfied
with PBB's performance, they have refused to renew the firm's
contract, which expired at the end of 2006. However, the Jakarta
city authorities have failed to name a replacement management firm.
The Bekasi House of Peoples Representatives has warned that the
Bekasi government will cease all operations at the dumpsite in 2007
until a new manager is appointed, but as of January 5 the Jakarta
Sanitation Office reports that the dump is still operating. A
temporary closure of the site could cause significant disruptions in
Jakarta's waste management system. According to Rama Boedi, Jakarta
requires at least 2,000 temporary dumpsites in locations around the
city to handle the volume of waste normally managed by Bantar
Gebang, but only 1,300 such sites are currently operational.

Ecosystem Restoration Program Launched
--------------


4. On December 5, the Ministry of Forestry (MOF) introduced an
"Ecosystem Restoration Program," aimed at rehabilitating Indonesian
forests. The program, which the private company PT Restorasi
Ekosistem Indonesia will run, includes a moratorium on logging in
selected areas, the promotion of non-timber forest products, and the
development of a range of eco-services. A consortium consisting of
the Indonesia Forest Conservation Foundation, the United
Kingdom-based Royal Society for Protection of Birds, and the global
conservation partnership Birdlife International funds PT Restorasi
Ekosistem. The MOF has allocated around 101,000 hectares (390
square miles) of forest land in Jambi and South Sumatra for the
ecosystem restoration program. It will initially operate in the
60,000 hectare former PT Inhutani V concession area in South Sumatra
Province. Once the timber firm Asia Log concludes its operations by
2011, the program will expand to Asia Log's 41,000 hectare
concession area.

Tsunami Early Warning Sirens Installed

SIPDIS
--------------


5. On December 18, the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG)
announced the installation of six tsunami warning sirens in Aceh.
BMG installed three sirens in Aceh Besar Regency and three in Banda
Aceh city. BMG Head of Seismology Dr. Fauzi announced that, in

JAKARTA 00000030 002 OF 002


addition to Aceh, BMG has installed six siren towers in Padang and
six in Bali. The cost of each siren tower ranges from Rp 200-300
million rupiah (USD 22-33 thousand).

Volcanic Warnings Issued at Three Sites
--------------


6. On December 14, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources'
Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM)
increased the alert status for Mt. Soputan in South Minahasa, North
Sulawesi, to Alert Level 3 (large eruption possible within one to
two weeks). The CVGHM raised the alert level in response to
increased volcanic and seismic activity, including an average of 75
tremors every day, more than 100 daily lava falls, and the emission
of thick smoke from the active volcano.


7. On December 17, the Directorate of Volcanology issued a similar
statement about Mt. Talang in Batu Bajanjang, Solok Regency, and
West Sumatra. Mt. Talang has been at Alert Leve 3 since early
September 2006. The Mt. Talang monitoring officer warned people to
avoid traveling within 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of the peak. Mt.
Talang has produced roughly 80 tremors a day and continues to spew
hot gas as high as 700 meters. Local government authorities also
recently warned people living or working near Mt. Merapi to be alert
for possible volcanic material floods. According to the
authorities, there are 6 million cubic meters of volcanic materials
on the surface of Mt. Merapi that may fall into local rivers because
of heavy rains, prompting flooding.

GOI To Hold Nuclear Plant Tender in 2008
--------------


8. On December 6, Ferhat Aziz, the Head of Legal and Public
Relations at the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN),annonnced
plans to hold a tender process in 2008 for u clear technology
suppliers and other contractor needed to construct a planned Rp 15
trillion (UD 1.7 billion) nuclear power plant in Muria, Central
Java. Constructing the nuclear plant is part o Indonesia's
strategy to reduce dependency on oi-(based electricity. According
to Aziz, the Govennment will appoint a special body consisting of
f"ficials from BATAN, state-owned electricity company PLN, the
Ministry of Research and Technology an the Nuclear Energy
Regulatory Agency to conductt he tender process. The body will be
responsibl for preparing the tender and selecting reliables"uppliers of safe technology for the plant.


9. While the tender process will be open to all potential
suppliers, the government expects to select companies from the
United States, South Korea, France or Japan to work with local firms
given that those countries' nuclear technologies already meet
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards. The Government
hopes to finish construction of the power plant by 2010, with the
plant becoming operational by 2017. Indonesia has received $1.34
million in technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy
Agency to develop safe nuclear power programs in 2007 and 2008.


Funding Source Needed for HIV Program
--------------


10. On December 20, the Vice Chairman of the non-governmental
organization Yayasan Pelita Ilmu (YPI),Husein Habsyi, announced
that the organization is having difficulty securing funding for its
Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission program. Funding
from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is set
to expire in 2007 and the GOI has not yet provided a budget
allocation to continue the program. Under the program, YPI and
Ministry of Health (MOH) staff conduct blood tests to detect HIV,
provide counseling services, and distribute anti-retroviral (AZT or
Nevirapine) drugs to infected mothers. YPI and MOH staff work with
Posyandu (Integrated Health Post) employees in six provinces with
high HIV prevalence, including Banten, West Java, Papua, Jakarta,
East Java, and Bali to administer the program. The YPI has been
running the program since 1999.

PASCOE