Strong quake hits off Indonesia's eastern coast

JAKARTA: A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake rattled the Molucca Sea off Indonesia's eastern coast on Sunday, seismologists said.

The quake, which was at a depth of 46 kilometres (28 miles), struck at 03:30 am (1830 GMT) about 195 kilometres south of Manado in northern Sulawesi island, the US Geological Survey said.

There was no immediate tsunami warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

The archipelagic nation was hardest hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004 which killed an estimated 168,000 people in Aceh province.

Source: The Times Of India

Crush at Indonesia rock concert kills 10

JAKARTA (AFP) — Ten young people were trampled or crushed to death as hundreds of music fans tried to force their way out of a rock concert in the Indonesian city of Bandung, police and hospital officials said Sunday.

Witnesses told the local Pikiran Rakyat daily that people inside the packed venue were trying to escape the crush just as hundreds of others were surging their way inside.

"Ten people were killed, one of them has not yet been identified. Six other people were injured," Bandung police chief Bambang Suparsono told the Detikcom online news portal.

The dead are mostly teenagers. He said an investigation was underway into the incident late Saturday.

Detikcom, quoting another police officer, said the capacity of the building was for 700 people but that only around 400 attended the concert by a popular heavy metal group called Besides.

The concert was being held to launch its latest album.

However, Pikiran Rakyat said there were more than 1,500 people inside, which it said was about 500 more than the building's capacity.

"We have questioned 51 witnesses and three suspects," Suparsono said according to Detikcom. The three were all from the organisers, he said, and added that more "from the committee of the crew" could also join the three as suspects.

"The bodies of 10 people have been brought here but all but three have been taken by their family," said Toto, a staff member at the local hospital morgue where the dead were initially brought.

Suparsono said the crush occurred as people tried to leave the Asia-Africa Arts Hall in downtown Bandung.

"The results of the autopsies showed that most of the victims had suffered from breathing difficulties," the city police chief said, suggesting they were crushed to death.

One 19-year-old witness told Pikiran Rakyat: "Outside, there were hundreds of people pushing to enter. They were pushing at the gate.

"Inside, there were also a lot of people who wanted to leave because the hall was so packed that it was difficult to breathe."

Another witness said the venue was so crowded that he did not have enough room to bend down to retrieve a shoe which had come loose.

A third told the paper that while the band was playing, hundreds of people forced their way in, damaging the entrance lobby.

West Java Police Chief Susno Duaji was quoted by the Pikiran Rakyat as saying from the scene that police inside the building had asked the organisers to halt the concert because many of those in the venue had already fainted.

He confirmed most of the victims showed signs of lack of oxygen.

The art deco former movie house, next to a building that hosted the first Asia-Africa conference in 1955, remained closed to the public Sunday.

A dozen police officers were posted to close off the entrance, although passers-by could see the broken glass panels of the main entrance inside and damaged iron grilles, the state Antara news agency said.

In December 2006, 10 people died and dozens were injured in a stampede at a packed football stadium for a rock concert in Kedungwuni in Indonesia's Central Java province.

Detikcom said then the stadium, built to take 6,000 people, was filled to almost double its capacity for the concert by the group Ungu.

In 2004, eight people were killed in two separate stampedes at concerts by the pop group Sheila.

Source: AFP

Floods kill six in Indonesia: officials

JAKARTA (AFP) — Six people were killed, dozens injured and hundreds forced to flee their homes after floods in Indonesia following days of heavy rain, officials said Saturday.

Water as high as one metre (three feet) had submerged Situbondo district in Indonesia's densely populated East Java since Friday evening, but started to recede Saturday, the health ministry said.

"Two people were killed, one hospitalised and 27 others injured in Situbondo floods," Rustam Pakaya, a health ministry official, said in a text message received by AFP.

Separately, four people died and hundreds forced to evacuate their homes due to severe floods in eastern Indonesia, Sentianus Medi of the local disaster management centre said earlier in the day.

He said all four victims drowned after rivers overflowed following three days of heavy rain.

"Four people in three districts in East Nusa Tenggara province were killed yesterday (Friday)," he told reporters. "They all lived on riverbanks."

The official said more than 500 people had left their homes and 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of rice fields were under water.

Landslides and flooding are common in Indonesia during the rainy season, which hits its peak from December to February.

Torrential rain across Central and East Java provinces at the start of the year triggered landslides and floods that killed more than 100 people and displaced tens of thousands.

Source: AFP

Garuda airlines pilot charges over Indonesia crash

The pilot of a Garuda flight which crashed in the Indonesian city of jogyakarta last March has been arrested and charged with six offences.

He faces up to seven years jail for manslaughter.

Twenty one people including five Australians were killed in the crash.

Our Jakarta correspondent, Geoff Thompson, reports as cockpit warnings blared 15 times, Captain Marwoto Komar rapidly descended and overshot the runway at Jogjakarta airport on the morning of March 7, 2007.

The jet he was piloting, Garuda Flight 200 crashed and burned killing 21 people including five Australians.

Police in Jogjakarta have now questioned Captain Komar and listed the six charges they are pursuing against him as they prepare a brief to be handed to prosecutors.

All the charges are based on manslaughter offences with the most serious charge carrying a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.

Source: Radio Australia

Jakarta-area woman dies of brid flu, raising Indonesia's toll to 103

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A Jakarta-area woman died of bird flu on the weekend, raising Indonesia's death toll from the disease to 103.

Health officials identified the victim as a 29-year-old housewife from Tangerang, on the western outskirts of Jakarta.

A Health Ministry official says she died in Persahabatan Hospital on Saturday, six days after developing symptoms.

The woman had reportedly visited her parents, whose neighbours keep chickens.

However, it was unclear whether the chickens were infected.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old woman from Kali Deres, the Jakarta neighbourhood closest to Tangerang, has also been confirmed as being infected with bird flu and is being treated at the same hospital.

Indonesia has recorded human bird flu deaths regularly since the virus began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003.

So far human-to-human transmission of the disease has been rare, but scientists are worried that could change if the virus mutates in certain ways.

Scientists have warned that Indonesia, which has millions of backyard chickens and poor medical facilities, is a potential hot spot for incubating a global bird flu pandemic.

Source: The Canadian Press

Floods kill three, leave nearly 1,500 homeless in Indonesia capital

JAKARTA, Indonesia - An official says flooding from torrential rain killed three children and left nearly 1,500 people homeless in Indonesia's capital.

Roads across much of the sprawling metropolis were submerged Friday, bringing traffic to a near standstill and forcing many people, including the country's president, to abandon their vehicles.

Poor visibility also temporarily shut down the main international airport on Friday.

The head of Indonesia's health department crisis centre says three children drowned while playing in swollen rivers.

He says another 1,463 people had been displaced by the floods.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was forced to abandon his bulletproof Mercedes-Benz Sedan about two kilometers from his palace over fears it would get stuck in the flood. He jumped into one of his secret service's SUVs, leaving his motorcade behind.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where tens of millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile plains, and Jakarta is rarely immune.

Last year, more than 40 people were killed in the city of 12 million after rivers burst their banks. Critics said rampant overdevelopment, poor city planning and clogged drainage canals were partly to blame.

Source: The Canadian Press

Obituray: President Suharto of Indonesia.

A decade after was he pushed from power former President Suharto's footprint on Indonesia has remained so strong that the world's fourth-most populous (226 million) country struggles to deal with it consequences.

How much good did he do? How much harm? And how to deal with a legacy of brutality and corruption which some still want to deny.

Suharto ruled for 32 years. He boosted growth and kept a lid on communal violence. But he left in his wake a brutal Army, crippled economy, a neutered political system, and dysfunctional national institutions.

"Suharto ran Indonesia like a mafia don," says Jeffrey Winters, professor of political economy at Northwestern University, Chicago. "Everything turned on the don, all business went through the don, the don was the source of security, and he destroyed everything, Parliament, the rule of law, the intellectual community, and turned the police and military into his personal instruments."

Not everyone agrees.

"Yes, there was corruption. Yes, he gave favours to his family and his friends. But there was real growth and real progress," said Lee Kuan Yew, longtime autocratic prime minister of neighbouring Singapore after visiting Suharto in hospital last month.

Suharto came to power in 1965, crushing what was officially described as a Beijing-backed communist coup. Communism seemed a powerful threat to Western nations in those days. In an atmosphere of apprehension many Western countries - not least Australia and New Zealand being so close to Indonesia's great size - much preferred it being an independent nation to a communist one.

But it is estimated as many as 500,000 Indonesians suspected of being communists or sympathisers died in an Army-inspired bloodbath in the months after he took power. Over the next three decades, Suharto's Army continued to kill - on student campuses, in the rebellious provinces of Aceh and Papua, and in East Timor - where about 200,000 died from war and famine, as well as in "mysterious shootings" of criminals.

Elsewhere in the sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands much of his rule was relatively peaceful, but stability often came at the cost of repression of dissent. Thousands of political prisoners were kept in labour camps on Buru Island, including members of the intelligentsia.

Independent observers have said violations of human rights were common. But Suharto never faced any charges for crimes against humanity. He denied the charges of corruption, and partly because of claims of poor health he was not prosecuted.

By the time he stepped down, amid the social and economic chaos of 1998, many Indonesians summed up his era as KKN, a local acronym for Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism.

Source: NZHerald

Indonesia closes Jakarta airport due to heavy rain

JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesia was forced to temporarily close its main international airport Friday due to poor visibility following torrential rains, officials said. Almost 150 planes were delayed or diverted and thousands of passengers stranded.

Roads across much of the sprawling capital were submerged in knee-deep water, bringing traffic to a near standstill and forcing many people to abandon their vehicles — including the country's president. The main highway leading to Sukarno-Hatta International Airport also was cut off for much of the day.

The airport was reopened after five hours.

"The runways weren't flooded," said Hariyanto, a spokesman for the airport. "But visibility fell to less than 300 meters (330 yards) — compared to the minimum standard of 500 meters (550 yards)."

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile plains, and the bustling metropolis of 12 million is rarely immune.

Last year, more than 40 people were killed in Jakarta after days of incessant rains caused rivers to burst their banks. Critics said rampant overdevelopment and clogged sewage canals were partly to blame.

Hariyanto said 92 flights were delayed and 55 diverted to other airports Friday, including several international flights.

At least 8,000 passengers were stranded after hours of pounding rain inundated nearby highways, he said. Officials deployed dozens of buses to transport some to Jakarta above the black, muddy water.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was forced to abandon his bulletproof Mercedes-Benz Sedan two kilometers (1.24 miles) from his palace over fears it would get stuck in the flood. He jumped into one of his secret service's SUVs, leaving his motorcade behind.

Source: International Herald Tribune

Indonesia trade minister sees no further 2007 rate cut

Singapore (ANTARA News) - Indonesia's government sees no further interest rate cuts this year as it watches inflation trends, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said on Sunday.

Indonesia's central bank left its key interest rate steady earlier this month at 8.25 percent for the fourth month in a row, wary about the inflationary threat posed by rising oil prices, after slashing them by 4.5 percentage points since mid-2006.

Some analysts expect the central bank to cut rates in December to boost economic growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

"Not for the time being. We are keeping a close eye on inflation," Pangestu was quoted by Reuters as telling reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Singapore.

October consumer prices in Indonesia rose 6.88 percent from a year earlier, faster than a 6.80 percent rise forecast by analysts. However, the central bank expects inflation in November to be more subdued than the previous month due to an easing in food price pressure.

Pangestu said economic growth was as projected.

Indonesia's state budget is forecasting growth at 6.3 percent this year, which would be its fastest pace in 11 years, and its 2008 budget sets a growth target of 6.8 percent.

"O7 growth is as projected at 6.8 percent," Pangestu said.

She said the Indonesian government will increase spending on infrastructure projects, and diversify the Indonesian economy to offset possible weakness in exports.

"We will take steps to offset some of the downside risks that we are perceiving in the world markets," Pangestu said.

The head of the Asian Development Bank said on Saturday that turmoil in world financial markets and inflation from high oil and commodities prices were the biggest threats to strong Asian economic growth. (*)

Seeking new ways to protect Indonesia's cultural heritage

The recent controversy over the Indonesian traditional song Rasa Sayange, which Malaysia claims is its own, is just one of several signs of the poor protection of our traditional heritage.

The protection of Indonesian traditional heritage is dictated by Article 10 of the 2002 Copyright Protection Law. According to the article, the copyright over traditional heritage is held by the Government of Indonesia. The law requires that publication or announcement by foreign parties requires a prior permit from the Government of Indonesia. Unfortunately the government has not yet issued a government regulation as a legal basis for its implementation.

Several basic concerns on the copyright protection of our traditional heritage may arise, such as the work mechanism of the government as the proprietor of copyright over traditional heritage. Another problem is on how to prevent our traditional heritage from being pirated by other parties.

It is also very important to define what would be the basis or criteria in determining which art is part of our traditional heritage. People also want to know about the benefits of art protection for the country.

Another question is the expiration date for the protection of traditional heritage.

In order to provide maximum protection for our traditional heritage (in this case traditional art), we need to know and surely must observe the position of art with the Indonesian people and how our people value our own traditional art.

In Indonesia the position of (traditional) art has a unique value. It contains elements of belief, knowledge, education and norms. The art is part of our life; it can not be separated from other aspects of life, such as the close relationship between the art and religious activities.

As an example let us look at the Rejang Dewa dance, which is performed during sacred ceremonies in Bali, or the Arfak tribe in Papua, which has a communal dance called Ares Komer, where young people use the dance to find their life mates. Java batik is also interesting to note, because it contains rich philosophical values.

As a culture element, art itself is the expression of creativity in a society. The tradition in Indonesia has been handed down from generation to generation. The society that supports its cultural traditions will continue to preserve them and give opportunities to the society to learn the traditions. The traditional community is more concerned with whether the product of art has succeeded in fulfilling or expressing their cultural values, as expected by the society, rather than the acknowledgementa of society and its aesthetic value.

As an example, batik art in Javanese society is an integral and inseparable part of their world. There are at least four fundamental Javanese values expressed in batik art: Patience (sabar), tolerance (tepo seliro), self-reliance (pasrah), and serenity (sumarah). Javanese people believe that by sewing batik, one may find patience and serenity in itself.

In addition to that, batik motif also have symbolic meanings which express the expectations of Javanese society in tackling daily life. The Sido Mukti design symbolizes happiness and prosperity whilst Sido Asih represents the passion of love and care. We mostly find these motifs in a bride and bridegroom's wardrobe.

Batik art constitutes an inseparable and integral part of Javanese life. The close relationship between a society and its art can also be found elsewhere in other parts of Indonesia. It is fair to conclude that the life traditions of our people depends very much on the existence of (traditional) art and vice versa.

It shows us that the protection of our traditional heritage is actually not merely about the monetary aspect (royalties) but more importantly, how to preserve it.

Just imagine if the Balinese people could not perform the Rejang Dewa dance in their ritual ceremony because the dance was already "owned" by another (foreign) party. A catastrophe in Balinese rituals would soon follow.

Therefore, the approach in setting up the effective legal framework for protecting our traditional heritage shall be taken very seriously and comprehensively; it must take into account, at least, the legal, culture, and social aspects.

Thus, the protection of our traditional heritage is a conditio sine qua non. The following recommendations need to be considered in protecting traditional heritages:

First, the government needs to identify and collect data regarding our traditional heritage from all around Indonesia.

Second, the government needs to map the position of traditional art in the traditional community.

Third, categorize the traditional art, at least, into two categories: the art-ritual ceremony (karya seni ritual), and the art-performing ceremony (karya seni tradisional). The above categorization is derived from the value of the relevant traditional community against its traditional art. To a certain extent, the government may prohibit any performance related to the art-ritual ceremony. This is aimed to preserve and safeguard the traditional arts.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Moderate quake strikes Indonesia's Sumatra island

A moderate undersea earthquake struck Indonesia's island of Sumatra early Saturday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

No damage or casualties were reported after the 5.3-magnitude earthquake at 4:23 a.m. Saturday (2123 GMT), the agency said.

The quake was centered 10 kilometers (6 miles) underground, about 212 kilometers (132 miles) northwest of Sinabang, a main town on Simeuleu island in Aceh province, the agency said.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake's preliminary magnitude at 5.1 and said the epicenter was about 1,665 kilometers (1,040 miles) northwest of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Source: IHT-AP

Indonesia to boost airline safety

JAKARTA, Nov. 17 -- Indonesia has pledged to improve aviation security and services following a series of air accidents this year, in an effort to get the European Union (EU) to lift its ban on Indonesian air carriers, local press reported Saturday.

Regulators and airliners have met and vowed to make the improvement, the leading English-language Jakarta Post reported.

Indonesian airlines were banned by the EU on July 6 for their alleged poor service and failure to ensure flight safety and operational security following rampant air accidents.

"We need to work hard to prove we can meet international standards, and that starts with this declaration," said Chappy Hakim, head of the National Team for Transportation Safety and Security Evaluation, which is tasked with evaluating the performance of the domestic aviation.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is expected to review Indonesia's progress at the end of 2008.

EU is to hold a meeting in Brussels on Monday, one of the agenda is to discuss lifting the ban on Indonesian airlines.

The Indonesian government is expected to deliver a presentation describing its efforts to tackle problems in the aviation industry.

EU has banned 51 Indonesian airlines in the huge archipelago country.

Indonesia has suffered from a series of airline accidents for the last 10 years, claiming thousands of lives.

Earlier this year, Adam Air carrier plane with more than 100 people on board lost contact and disappeared in the waters of central Indonesia. In March, a Garuda Indonesia plane-200 with 140people on board overshot the runway in Yogyakarta province and burst into flames, killing 21 people.

Source: Xinhua

Indonesia to launch first-ever national condom campaign

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia is to launch its first-ever national campaign to promote condom use to prevent unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, officials said Tuesday.

National Condom Week will coincide with World AIDS Day on December 1, said Sugiri Syarief, head of the National Family Planning Board who is overseeing the event.

The groundbreaking campaign will involve condom distribution, education on the benefits of using condoms as well as following safe sex practices, and other events aimed at helping lift the stigma attached to using condoms here.

The event "is aimed at popularising condoms as a tool to prevent unwanted pregnancy and a way to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases, especially HIV" in the world's most populous Muslim nation, Syarief said.

Government efforts to promote condom use have so far focused on family planning and not generated much enthusiasm, he said, noting that condoms account for less than one percent of all contraception used in Indonesia.

An unsupportive social environment, ignorance as well as a low awareness of the importance of safe sex have conspired against condom use in the world's fourth most populous nation, he added.

The head of the Indonesian Council of Mosques, Tarmidzi Taher, said the campaign was partly aimed not at getting Muslim leaders to endorse the use of condoms but to allow them to "understand the medical arguments for them."

Nafsiah Mboi, secretary of the National AIDS Mitigation Commission, said that safe sex education would also help efforts to curb the spread of HIV.

The World Health Organisation warned in February that Indonesia had one of the fastest-growing HIV populations in Asia.

Latest official figures showed that more than 16,200 Indonesians have been infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS since 1987, Mboi said.

"But unregistered infection cases are much more numerous, with estimates that in 2006 some 176,000 to 247,000 people have been infected by HIV" since it became prevalent, she said.

Indonesia Oct consumer confidence index rises to 100.2 points from 96.7 in Sept

AFX News
Indonesia's consumer confidence index in October showed more respondents were optimistic about the economy than those who are pessimistic, a Bank Indonesia survey showed.

This was the first time since December 2006 that the optimistic level was again reached.

The index rose to 100.2 points in October from 96.7 points in the preceding month.

The index last stood above 100 points in November 2006.

An index level below 100 indicates pessimism about the the outlook for the economy, while a number above 100 suggests optimism.

The survey showed that both components of the consumer index -- the present conditions index and the consumer expectations index -- rose in October.

The present conditions index, which indicates consumer confidence about current economic conditions compared to six months before, increased to 88.3 points from 85.3 in September.

Meanwhile, the consumer expectations index, which indicates confidence in the economic outlook for the subsequent six months, rose to 112.2 points from 108.1 points.

Aussie avoids death penalty drug charge

PROSECUTORS have called for a five month jail sentence for a former Australian airline executive facing drug charges in Bali.

Prosecutors today urged Bali's Denpasar District Court to find Barry Wilfred Hess, 50, guilty of being a drug addict who failed to report to police, instead of alternative charges including drug trafficking, which carries the death penalty.

Mr Hess is on trial after police allegedly discovered 14.4g of hashish and 2.7g of marijuana in his Kuta home in August.

Prosecutors last month upgraded their charges against the former Ansett manager and Air Paradise general manager to include trafficking, which carries the death penalty.

But prosecutor Ni Gusti Ayu Sasmita said after last week's court hearing that there was no evidence Hess was distributing drugs.

Mr Hess, formerly of Melbourne but a Bali resident for the past 14 years, had also been charged with three other articles including drug possession, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment, drug use and being a drug addict who failed to report to police.

Prosecutor Ni Gusti Ayu Sasmita told the court there was not enough evidence to prove the trafficking or possession charges.

She asked that Hess be sentenced to five months' jail for addiction - a month less than the maximum penalty for the charge.

"The factors that require a harsh punishment are that the accused's conduct could harm himself, his actions bring danger to the young generation and negatively affect Bali as a tourist destination, and contribute to drug dealing, especially in Kuta where he lives," she told the court.

"The factors that call for leniency are that he feels guilty and regrets what he did.

"He has never been convicted of a crime and he is undergoing rehabilitation as a drug addict."

But Mr Hess's lawyer Daniar Trisasongko said five months' behind bars was more than his client deserved.

"Five months is a long sentence for an addict," he said.

"I hope the judges will give him less than that and order him to rehabilitate."

He said the prosecutor did not clarify whether Mr Hess, a long-term resident of Bali, would be deported from Indonesia if found guilty.

The defence waived its right to object to the prosecution's sentence request.

The court will hand down its verdict next week.

Balibo Five case closed, Indonesia says

INDONESIA insists the Balibo Five case is closed, despite fresh reports that a telegram sent by an Australian Government minister revealed the five journalists were murdered in East Timor.

A widow of one of the five, Shirley Shackleton said she received the telegram from Whitlam-era foreign minister Don Willesee days after her husband Greg and four other journalists were reported missing in East Timor in 1975.

In his dying days in 2003, Willesee told his daughter that the Australian Government covered up the affair, The Australian newspaper reported today.

A Sydney inquest into the death of one of the Balibo Five is due to report its findings next week.

Indonesia's foreign affairs ministry spokesman Yohanes Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo said Indonesia's position on the case had not changed.

"Basically, for the Indonesian Government, it is a closed case, as simple as that," he said.

"I don't want to comment further.

"Whether they want to have such interpretations, it does not change our view and position.

"We have conveyed our position on the coroner's court as well – that they don't have jurisdiction here and I want to stress once again that it is a closed case."

The inquest sparked controversy in Indonesia in May, after a senior Jakarta politician who had been visiting Sydney flew home in anger after being asked to testify at the inquest.

Former Jakarta governor and now potential presidential candidate, Sutiyoso, was allegedly a member of a special Indonesian military unit that attacked Balibo in 1975.

Brian Peters, Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Malcolm Rennie and Tony Stewart were gunned down in the East Timorese border town of Balibo.

During the inquest, counsel assisting Mark Tedeschi QC, asked the coroner to recommend war crimes charges against those responsible.

Landslide at Freeport Indonesia's mine injures 13

JAKARTA - A landslide injured 13 workers at U.S. firm Freeport's gold and copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province on Saturday, the company said.

The landslide outside the Grasberg mine did not affect company operations, Mindo Pangaribuan, a Freeport Indonesia spokesman, said.

"It's a natural incident. The victims sustained light injuries," he said, adding that the injured, all Indonesian workers of the mine, had been taken to the company-run hospital.

The mine -- believed to have the world's third-largest copper reserves and one of the biggest gold deposits -- has been a frequent source of controversy over its environmental impact and the share of revenue going to Papuans.

(Reuters)

Indonesia Volcano Erupts (Mount Kelud), Villagers Flee

MOUNT KELUD, Indonesia (AP) — One of Indonesia's deadliest volcanos began erupting Saturday, according to seismic readings, but there was no visual confirmation because the peak was cloaked in fog, a senior government volcanologist said.

Panicked residents fled the mountain's slopes in police trucks and volcano monitors abandoned their posts Saturday, witnesses said.

Although no lava or ash could be seen, seismic readings showed Mount Kelud, in the heart of densely populated Java island, was erupting, said Saut Simatupang, a leading scientist with Indonesia's Volcanology Center.

Hundreds of underground tremors have shaken the area and the temperature of its crater lake has reached the highest level since the mountain was put on high alert several weeks ago.

In 1990, Mount Kelud killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds. In 1919, a powerful explosion that could be heard hundreds of miles away destroyed dozens of villages and killed at least 5,160.

Scientists fear a buildup of magma under the crater lake could trigger a violent blast, sending a torrent of mud, ash and rock careering down the side of the 5,679-foot mountain.

On Thursday, police went door-to-door and used megaphones to order villagers to flee to tent camps.

More than 100,000 people living in areas considered to be at risk were ordered from their homes, but most never left or had returned, officials say.

Some who stayed behind were asked to sign a statement saying they would not seek compensation if they were injured or lost family members due to an eruption, said local community leader chief Susiadi, who also goes by a single name.

Indonesia has about 100 active volcanos, more than any nation.

The country is spread across 17,500 islands and is prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes because of its location on the so-called "Ring of Fire" — a series of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

Five injured as Mandala Airlines 737 overshoots runway in Malang, Indonesia

A Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 has overshot the runway at Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport, East Java, Indonesia after a domestic flight from Jakarta. Five passengers were injured in the incident, none seriously.

The aircraft's nose landing gear is understood to have seperated in the incident, in which the aircraft skidded 260 feet from the end of the runway. Five of the 89 passengers and seven crew on board received cuts and bruises during the emergency evacuation that followed. It was raining heavily at the time, although it is not known if this is considered to have played a factor.

Airport official Suradi described the scene to Reuters via telephone: "The plane now lies abandoned on the runway ... Its head is slightly tilted down because the front wheel broke off.,"

The accident is currently under investigation. One potential cause being looked at is the fact that the forward landing gear axle is beleived to have snapped upon landing, setting off the chain of events.

The Indonesian aviation industry has been the subject of much criticism this year over safety concerns, sparked by a string of accidents including Adam Air 574, which crashed into the ocean, killing 102, Adam Air Flight 172, a nonfatal accident where a plane snapped in half, and Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, which overshot a runway at extreme speed, killing 21. All Indonesian airlines are on the list of air carriers banned in the EU, and the United States Federal Aviation Administration has downgraded Indonesia to it's lowest safety rating.

Mandala's only fatal accident was the crash of Mandala Airlines Flight 091 in 2005, which killed 112 people.

Plane Skids Off Runway in Indonesia

MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — A jetliner carrying 97 passengers and crew skidded off a rain-soaked runway at an airport on Indonesia's Java island Thursday, forcing an emergency evacuation in which five people received minor injuries, officials said.

The Boeing 737-200's front axle snapped during the landing in a downpour at Malang airport. The Mandala Airlines aircraft skidded and overshot the runway by 260 feet, air force spokesman Capt. Wahyudi said.

Five people suffered scrapes and bruises while exiting the plane, said Wahyudi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Officials at Mandala Airlines said the cause of the accident was being investigated.

A series of airline accidents in Indonesia killed more than 100 people early this year, prompting the European Union to blacklist all its airlines. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also downgraded the nation's rating to its lowest category.