Saturday, June 28, 2008

U.S. students learn of Islam at UIN

Multa Fidrus and Mustaqim Adamrah , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang, Jakarta Sat, 06/28/2008 11:54 AM City

Students from nine universities in the United States visited Jakarta on Thursday to learn about Islamic teachings and culture from Muslim communities at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN).

The students came from Chatham University, Cascadian Community College, SUNY Plattsburg, the Institute of International Education, Shoreline Community College, St Edward University, Fairfield University, State University of New York and St Michael's College.

Sixteen students visited the UIN campus on Jl. Raya Ciputat, Tangerang, on Thursday afternoon to learn how Islamic education methods are applied at the university.

"We come to learn about the Islamic education system and methods applied by the Islamic community here because we realize that Islam is very rich in culture," the president of Chatham University Esther L. Barrazone said.

Barrazone said she was very pleased to learn about Islam at UIN and if the current system could be developed into a collaboration with the U.S. universities, it would bring progress to Islam itself.

William Christopher, the president of Cascadian Community College, said building an inter-cultural collaboration was a good way to develop ties. He expressed his hopes for more cultural interaction to take place in the future.

"We invite students from Indonesia to learn in the United States so there are exchanges of culture," George E. Martin, president of St. Edward University, said.

The visitors were welcomed by the UIN rector Komarudin Hidayat, staff members and students.
"We are so pleased to have these foreign guests and we are open to any foreign university students if they want to learn about how the Islamic education system and method are applied here," Komarudin said.

He explained the curriculum used and applied at UIN was a combination of existing Islamic values, science and knowledge.

At City Hall on Friday, the U.S. group held a press conference, inviting Indonesian students from low-income households to attain their bachelor's degree there with scholarships.

"We're committed to creating a possibility for poor students to have education," the president of New York-based Institute of International Education (IIE), Alan Goodman, said Friday in a press conference.

He said IIE, an independent non-profit educational exchange organization, administered over 20,000 scholarships for those willing to study in the U.S. and other countries.

"There are 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. authorized to issue degrees recognized worldwide," he said.

"There are still many spaces for students."

The Jakarta Secondary and Higher Education Agency head Margani M. Mustar said the city now had high hopes after hearing of the scholarship offers.

"We've always had the vision of providing real opportunities for all to have education at the highest level possible, whether that's here or abroad," he said.

Chairman refuses to return car

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Sat, 06/28/2008 11:54 AM City

The ousted chairman of the Tangerang municipal election commission (KPUD), Adi Warman, refused to return his office car as requested by the KPUD secretariat, saying he is still legally KPUD chairman until March 2009.

The KPUD secretariat sent a letter to Warman and two other former members requesting they return the office cars they had been using for work purposes since 2003.

"I ask all related parties, including the KPUD secretariat office, to pay respect to the legal process," Warman said Friday.

He was referring to his lawsuit filed at West Java State Administrative Court (PTUN) against his dismissal by the Banten Provincial Election Commission (KPUD Banten).

Following pressures from a number of community groups last year, the National Election Commission (KPU) and KPUD Banten froze KPUD Tangerang membership due to internal conflict, allegedly triggered by Warman.

KPUD Banten installed new KPUD Tangerang members on June 16 because the former members' term was terminated in May.

"I am still waiting for PTUN's decision. Without it, the installment of KPUD Tangerang's new members is invalid," Warman said.

He said election laws stipulated the term for KPUD membership was still valid four months after a new mayor was sworn in. Tangerang municipality has scheduled to swear in its new mayor in December this year. Preparations for the mayoral election are underway.

"It means my term will terminate in March 2009," he said.

KPUD Tangerang secretary Nusirwan Dalemute said the three former members had to return the office cars because KPUD needed them to complete numerous tasks ahead of the scheduled November mayoral election.

In response to Warman's refusal, he said KPUD Tangerang would coordinate with the Tangerang municipal administration because the cars were state assets purchased with funds from the regional budget.

He said only two out of five former members, namely Achmad Jazuli and Ibnu Jandi, had returned the office cars to the KPUD Office. Three other cars are still in the hands of Warman, Hasnah Azis and Salimudin.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Eight inmates escape from Serang Penitentiary

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Fri, 06/27/2008 10:06 AM City

Eight inmates escaped from Serang Penitentiary, Banten, on Wednesday after demolishing the ceiling and parts of the roof of a Block D cell.

The inmates were serving sentences of between two and eight years' imprisonment for a series of crimes, such as murder, extortion, theft and bullying.

"Most of them had served more than one third of their sentence and would have walked free within a few months," said Abdul Amin, head of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry's security and guidance department, on Thursday.

He said the inmates, who were placed in cell 12 of Block D. escaped from the prison at about 4.25 a.m. on Wednesday when officers were busily preparing breakfast and warden Achdiat Idi Permana was out of town.

He said after removing parts of the ceiling and roof, the inmates then climbed the four-meter-high prison wall with several sarongs they had tied together and crept out through an unguarded post.

"When the inmates escaped, the post was unmanned. We have reported this to Serang Police," Amin said, adding it was the first such incident at the prison this year.

Amin said all officers on duty when the inmates escaped would be questioned by police and if they were found negligent, the human rights ministry would deal with their punishments.

"Their punishments could be postponements of their promotions, demotions or removing them from their positions until dismissal. It all depends on their involvement in the matter," he said.

Amin said if the fugitives were found, they would likely lose their remission and visiting rights.

"Over capacity and lack of security facilities at the prison contributed to the inmates escape.
There are only 15 officers who have to control 967 inmates and the prison was only designed to accommodate 500 inmates," he said.

The Banten human rights office identified the fugitives as Kodar of Petamburan, Central Jakarta; Rahmat Latif of Cilegon; Sariman aka Tayul of Serang; Muhamad Hatta of Pandeglang; Saiful Huda aka Yuda of Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta; Aris Arifin of Pondok Gede, East Jakarta; Hendi of Serang; and Arifin aka Ipin of Cengkareng, West Jakarta.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Sukadiri officials face trial over rice scam

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Tuesday June 24 2008 City

The Tangerang district court began trials Monday for Sukadiri district officials and two local traders for their roles in an alleged subsidized rice distribution scam between August and December last year.

A team of five prosecutors, led by Rahmat Herianto, read out the charges against the defendants Lizia Sobandi, the Sukadiri district chief and his staff members Dulgani and Badri, saying they had allegedly abused their positions in the distribution of subsidized rice to poor residents in the district.

"The three district officials took the subsidized rice allocated to the poor and sold it on the open market. They have to take responsibility for what they did," prosecutor Fanny Widiyastuti said at the hearing.

According to the prosecutors, irregularities were found in the distribution of 192 tons of rice earmarked for low-income earners in the district between August and December.

An initial investigation by the prosecutor's office found evidence of the district chief's involvement in forging documents concerning the subsidized rice distribution.

Fanny said the district received 32 tons of rice each month, which the government bought at Rp 4,500 per kilogram, to be sold to low-income earners for Rp 1,000 a kilogram.

"The suspects sold the rice for Rp 3,000 per kilogram to local traders and earned Rp 700 million from the sale," she said.

The two traders, Mulyadi and Muklis, who were named for knowingly purchasing the subsidized rice, were also tried at the district court in separate cases on the same day.

Prosecutors charged the defendants with violating the 2001 law on corruption and the Criminal Code. The relevant articles carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors detained the defendants as suspects in the graft case after being examined at the prosecutors office on April 4 for fear they could influence others and destroy evidence.

Lizia Sobandi and his staff members tried to cover their faces in front of cameras during the trial. They also refused to answer journalists' questions.

The prosecutors began investigations into the case after a local non-profit organization, Forum Lintas Pelaku, alerted the press to the alleged crime.

Presiding judge Retno Wudianingtias and two other members Ismail and Nasrudin Chaniago adjourned the hearing until next week to hear the defendants' lawyers Endang Hardian and Sumardi present their case.

Flight prices rise for holiday period

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Thu, 06/26/2008 10:36 AM City

Passengers at the Soekarno-Hatta airport complained Tuesday about the 30 to 100 percent increases in air ticket prices.

"A ticket to Denpasar costs Rp 1.1 million (US$117) now. Just last week, I bought one for Rp 740,000," Fahrul Rozi, a Lion Air passenger, said.

"I have no idea whether the increases have been caused by fuel prices or just because it's the holiday season. But for me and many other passengers, this is unacceptable," he said.

Nur Afni, a Garuda Indonesian Airways customer on her way to Balikpapan, Central Kalimatan, also complained of a 100 percent increase in her ticket price.

"I usually buy a Balikpapan-Jakarta ticket for Rp 600,000, but today the airline sold me one for Rp 1.2 million. This is crazy," she said.

She said she did not have any other choice; she had to buy the ticket at twice the usual price because Garuda is the only airlines serving the route.

Agus Firmansyah, on his way to Jambi on Sriwijaya Air, also complained of the sudden increase.
"I flew with the same airline from Jambi to Jakarta last week and I only bought the ticket for Rp 617,000. Today I had to spend Rp 888,000 for a return ticket," he said, adding the increase was a burden for him.

In response to passenger complaints of the rocketing prices, Haryanto, the airport's executive general manager, said the airport's management, PT Angkasa Pura II, could not interfere with airlines deciding to increase ticket prices.

"We have nothing to do with ticket price hikes because they are determined by the airlines," he said.

He said the airport operator had seen a gradual increase in the number of air passengers in the last week.

"We are continuing to monitor the numbers and will determine the exact percentage increase next week," he said.

However, he said Angkasa Pura II estimated the increase during school holidays would likely reach 30 percent. About 800 flights depart the Soekarno-Hatta airport each day during the holiday season.

Airport duty manager Wasfan Wahyu said, based on observations at both terminals, the number of airplane passengers had increased since Saturday.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Music school opens international festival

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

The Jakarta Musical School (SMJ) opened the Jakarta International Summer Music Festival (JISMF) at its campus in Bumi Serpong Damai satellite city, Tangerang, on Saturday.

The two-week event, which is being held from June 21 to July 5, is expected to become an assembly of talented young musicians, music teachers and visiting international artists, the organizer said.

"JISMF will give talented young musicians an opportunity to learn from music teachers who have had experience in musical creativity," said pianist Kuei Pin Yoe, the school director, at the opening event.

She said the second annual festival this year would be more international with noted musicians and music teachers from several other countries, she said.

The school has invited Andrew Massey and Lisa Laskowich from the U.S.; Pamela Wedgwood from the U.K.; Arten Konstantinov and Gleb Dontzov from Russia; Ichiro Kato from Japan; Leanne Nicholls from Australia; Olivia Skwara from Poland; and Indonesian director of strings Jap Tji Kien.

"They will guide the participants in intensive but pleasant JISMF musical activities comprising individual lessons, master classes, workshops, chamber music, musical theater workshops, improvisations, choir, music appreciation, concerts and orchestral activities," she said.

Kuei Pin Yoe, who is also the artistic and musical director for the festival, encouraged the public to go to the concerts, on every evening of the festival from 7 p.m.

JISMF program coordinator Ranti said there was another thing making this year's event different from the first one last year.

"The event will introduce improvisation workshops and musical theater to the participants. Sixty participants will be taught how to design and create their own works through this workshop," she said.

They will also learn from videos featuring musical theater shows from Broadway, such as The Producers, Chicago, Rent, Wicked and The Lion King. The participants will learn how to play roles for musical theater.

The musical productions put together from the training will be staged in the JISMF Gala Concert for the closing of the festival.

"We try to do our best to facilitate students and fill their vacations with useful skills," Ranti said.
SMJ is managed by the Jakarta Music Foundation, which was established by Kuei Pin Yoe in 1983.

Yoe said the establishment of SMJ was aimed at creating talented musicians who were able to perform music incorporating the highest artistic values.

The educational programs SMJ offers are for classical instruments, such as cello, violin, flute, piano, harp and guitar.

Its building is four stories high on Jl. Letnan Sutopo in BSD housing complex. It has 27 rooms for classical lectures, 50 practice rooms, an auditorium, a library, a recording studio, a workshop studio and a student dormitory.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Drama over child custody unfolds at elementary school

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang June 20, 2008 City

Eight-year-old Kartika Arditza got an unpleasant surprise Thursday when a court execution team came to her school to separate her from her mother, Meilita Floriana, 29.

Kartika covered her face with the back of her hand while crying and calling out to her mother, who did not know what was happening to her daughter.

"Mama, Mama. Help me, help me. I don't want to go with them," she cried out.

Kartika's father William Wijnberg and his father Roni Wijnberg arrived at the school to pick Kartika up at 8:30 a.m.

The Indonesians of Dutch descent were accompanied by Wijnberg's lawyer Mustahdi and an execution team from the Tangerang District Court. The team was led by the team's chairman Suryadarma.

The Ora et Labora elementary school at Bumi Serpong Damai did not allow the execution team to take Kartika until her mother showed up.

Meilita showed up an hour later with tears in her eyes.

The drama began in 2004 when Meilita filed for a divorce with Kartika's father. After the divorce, the couple began a battle over the custody of their daughter.

William filed a legal suit against Meilita for their daughter's custody.

William demanded the court give custody to his father, Roni.

"Meilita is a night worker and she always returns home in the morning. This is the main reason the South Jakarta district court believed she would not be able to educate and raise the child," Mustahdi said.

He said the South Jakarta court granted custody to Kartika's grandfather because it found her mother could not ensure the wellbeing of the child.

Meilita begged to differ.

"You can see my daughter is healthy. I can send her to a good school. I am able to raise her. So, please don't separate us," Meilita begged in tears.

Suryadarma said the Tangerang District court had been delegated to carry out the decision of the South Jakarta District court.

"This is the first case in Tangerang where the right has been taken from the child's mother and given to a grandparent," he said.

Mustahdi said the execution team was necessary because Meilita did not obey the court's orders. The lawyer said Meilita always tried to postpone handing over Kartika to her grandfather.

Meilita could not hold back her tears when the team read out the Supreme Court's decision over the child's custody again at the school.

But she could not do much and had to let her daughter go with her former husband and former father-in-law.

According to William, taking the child and having custody over her would not spoil the relationships between his former wife's relatives and his own relatives, which he said had been good so far.

"Meilita and her relatives can see Kartika at my parents' home whenever they like. We will never stop them from doing so as she did when my relatives and I wanted to see my daughter," he said.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Students protest KPUD applicant with 2 IDs

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Thu, 06/19/2008 9:59 AM City

Students protested Wednesday the Banten Elections Commission's decision not to disqualify a applicant to the commission for holding ID cards from two different regions.

The Tangerang Students Organization said Dadang Hermawan was registered as a candidate in the preliminary selection process of the Tangerang Regency Elections Commission but later failed to pass other tests.

"Then Dadang suddenly appeared in the selection test for the municipality's commission and he passed. One of the requirements to become a member is to have a local ID card. This means Dadang used two different ID cards for two different regions," said the organization's chairman, Ahmad Jariri, on Wednesday.

He said the selection team at the Banten commission should have had better administrative judgement for candidates as the law clearly stipulated members must be residents of the region.
Tangerang regency data shows Dadang is registered as a resident of Sepatan district, Tangerang regency.

Susari, a member of the selection team at the municipality's commission said he did not know Dadang had undergone a recruitment test at the regency.

Dadang Hermawan admitted he possessed two ID cards and had taken a selection test for the regency's commission.

"But my ID card from the regency has been revoked, so please check with the Pasir Jaya subdistirct office in Jati Uwung that I have been registered and given a new ID card as a resident of the municipality," he said.

The General Elections Commission (KPUD) ordered the municipality's commission to suspend its activities following a series of events involving its ousted chairman Adi Warman.

The municipality's commission is forbidden to run daily activities or issue any policies related to the August mayoral elections until new members are installed.

Eleven nonprofit organizations also urged the central government to suspend the Tangerang Municipality Elections Commission's operations.

Adi criticized the municipality's decision to allocate Rp 16 billion to fund the election, saying the decision was not legal as his commission was not involved in budget talks.

His decisions led other members to resign from the commission, leaving only three remaining members.

Banten's commission member Indra Abidin said it was unlawful for the remaining members to make any decision since regional autonomy law states a commission's plenary meeting is valid only if it is attended by at least four members.

Tangerang needs to have roads repaired

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Thu, 06/19/2008 9:58 AM City

Driving between Pondok Aren and Ciputat, in Tangerang regency, is not for the faint of heart, with the poorly maintained roads making the trip a bumpy one, to say the least.

Salamudin, a resident of Sawah subdistrict, said Monday he has been complaining for years about the condition of the roads.

"A pregnant woman can deliver a premature baby while driving on these roads," he said, while traveling in a public minivan.

Other passengers in the minivan just smiled at his complaints.

Salamudin demanded that new regent Ismet Iskandar and his deputy, actor-turned-politician Rano Karno, live up to their campaign promises and fix the roads.

"I still remember that when Ismet and Rano were campaigning ahead of the election in early January, they promised that all roads would be fixed, no more potholes," he said.

Salamudin is not the only one to complain about the state of the regency's roads.

From students to traders, anyone who relies on Tangerang's roads has something to say, and it's usually not very nice.

Head of the Tangerang Public Works Agency, Dedi Sutardi, said the administration would try to repair the roads in stages.

He said the administration could not undertake the repairs all at once because of the projected Rp 1.7 trillion cost of the work, which is more than the regency's total budget for this year of Rp 1.6 trillion.

"I realize that more than 50 percent of the 1,200 kilometers of road in the regency are damaged, but we cannot afford the repair costs," he said.

Dedi said his agency had assessed all the damaged roads in 36 subdistricts in the regency, determining which roads would be prioritized for repair.

The agency has listed 931 road projects to be financed this year. The projects include road improvements and development, with Rp 164 billion allocated from this year's budget for the work.

"About 45 percent of the work will be road construction and the rest road repairs," agency official Rony Muharrom said.

Dedy said besides allocating funds from the annual budget, the regency administration was also considering seeking a loan of Rp 200 billion to Rp 300 billion from the West Java Bank (Bank Jabar) to finance roadwork.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The police destroy Rp 1.2 trillion in drugs

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post. Tangerang

The Jakarta City Police destroyed Rp 1.2 trillion worth of drugs, including the banned herbal drinks, unlicensed food and percusor confiscated during raids between February 27 and June 13 this year.

The incineration of 33,200 grams of marijuana, 592,946.39 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine), 1.001,170 ecstasy pills, 500,000 registered-as-G pills, 60,000 packs of banned herbal drinks, 100 pack of unlicensed food, 250,000 Tie pills and 280,000 pecusor of took place near the Center for Science and Technology Research (Puspitek) in Serpong, Tangerang on Tuesday.

The Jakarta City deputy police chief Brig. Gen. Jasir Karwita said the drugs were seized as evidence from 13 cases invloving 16 suspects comprising 11 foreigners and five Indonesians.

He said nine of the cases were still in the develoment process and the rest have already been brought to court.

“The entire destroyed evidence worth Rp 1.2 trillion and they were seized in several operations held within the jurisdictions of the City Police since February,” he said.

According to Karwita, the destruction of the evidence could save the life of at least 3,731,742 people.

The most prominent case was the raid on an ecstasy syndicate on Feb. 27. The police seized 600, 000 pills from a Mutiara Taman Palem home stores in Cengkareng, West Jakarta.

Officers also arrested a Dutch Citizen idetified as Siegfred Mets, a Taiwanese identified as Chen Hua Yi, a Singaporean identified as Ong Tiong Poh, a Indonesian man called Alexander during the raid.

Another case was the confiscation of 597,700 grams of shabu-shabu in a raid held on Jl. Camar Permai Raya No. 3, Kapuk Muara, Penjaringan, West Jakarta on March 19. Officers also arrested two Chinese citizens identified as Huang Ruliang alias Aling and Zhang Chunwei.

On the same day, officers confiscated 280,000 Nor Ephedrine percusor in a warehouse at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, which would be smuggled overseas through a vessel.

Meanwhile, Sudirman, an executive of the Jakarta Narchotics Body said that the capital had become the center of drug production as well as the distribution so that the society was expected to contribute information to the police in attempt to fight drug abuses.

Besides that, he also encouraged the public to help fight drug trafficking.

“This country is not only a market for drugs, but also a producer and therefore community members must be involved and given active role giving information on drug activities to the police,” he said.

HIV spread worrying: Tangerang official

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Mon, 06/16/2008 10:03 AM City

The Tangerang Health Agency's voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) team identified at least 142 HIV/AIDS cases in the regency between January and May this year, an agency official said.

"The spread of the virus in Tangerang regency is worrying because 10 percent of people living with HIV are between 15 and 24 years old," said Yuliah Iskandar, head of communicable disease prevention and environmental sanitation, on Saturday.

"We categorized people with HIV according to age group and occupation. We found a significant increase in the 15-24 age group this year," she said.

The data came from the Tangerang General Hospital (RSUD) and at Al-Qadr Hospital. They recorded 112 people with HIV and 30 with fully developed AIDS.

"The figure is just the tip of the iceberg because not everyone potentially living with HIV is willing to get tested," she said. "We suspect the virus here is mostly spread through intravenous drug use and unsafe sex," she said.

She said she believed the figure would continue to increase for the rest of the year.

"The increase in the 15-24 age group should be a warning for the government. At the same time, it indicates HIV awareness and the importance of getting tested have improved," she said.

To curb the spread of the virus, the agency continues to run an educational program on sexually transmitted infections through VCTs and community health centers.

"The problem we are now facing is a lack of officers to identify new HIV cases. We also don't have enough volunteers to support people with HIV," she said.

Last year, HIV cases in the regency reached 140 and AIDS cases reached 56.

Friday, June 13, 2008

German schools students learn to make Indonesian foods




Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

Agnes, 17, anthusiastically watched six groups of students taking part in cooking Indonesian food at the Deutsche International Schule in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD), Tangerang on Thursday.

“I am glad to be here because can get to know a lot of people and cultures of six different countries,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Agnes is one of nine students of Manila Deutsche International School who are taking part in the cultural festival for German International students throughout Asia being held at the Jakarta Deutsche Internatioal Schulle (DIS) at its campus in BSD.

“I have been living in Manila for one year but I have yet to see the culture there because most people there are more American minded. Here, I can really see various cultures and learn many things,” she said.

Although she did not take part in the cooking activity but curiousity lead the girl and several other fellow students from Manila to stay and observe the process performed by six groups of students learning how to make gado-gado, soto and pepes ikan.

Belle, 27, one of two teachers who accompanied Agnes and her schoolmates from Manila said that she and her students were excited to come to Indonesia.

“My students are very happy to come here because they are very curious. We went to wet market together this morning. Students were surprised because they have never seen wet market as clean as they saw here,” she said, refering to Modern Market at BSD.

Meanwhile, Fiona Teschner, a grade-five students of DIS said that it was the first experience for her to slice vegetables while holding a knife.

“I enjoy cutting off vegetable but I have never seen gado-gado and tasted it,” said the little girl.
However, she was so curious to learn because slicing vegetable was only a part of the entire process in the cooking activity at the festival.

Mira Borstner, a mother of two students Daniel Borstner (grade 3) and Hugo Borstner (grade 2) was also busy during the cooking activity.
“I am just asked to lend my hands and direct the students to make gado-gado because they like it so much,” she said, adding that the organizing committee had also invited a chef to instruct the anxious participants.

She said there were six groups of students who joined the cooking activity. Two groups were assigned to cook gado-gado, soto and pepes ikan each and when the food is ready, they will present them for lunch together.

“The main idea of the cooking activity is that the students from the six countries learn the culture of Indonesia, especially cooking,” she told the Post.

74 students and 16 teachers from Bangkok Deutschsprachige Schule, Mumbai DSB International School, Manila Deutsche Schule, Kuala Lumpur Deutsche Schule and Singapore Deutsche Schule (including DIS) are taking part in the three-day event.

The cultural festival focuses on encouraging participating students to learn new skills and appreciate different cultures. The highlight of the festival is a series of workshops in which the participants learn artistic skills an creativity from Friday to Sunday.

The workshops feature a number of well-known artists including a painting workshop taught by Teguh Ostenrik, mural painting by Thana Sundarraj, modern dance by Chendra Panatan and choir by Christa Folsterer.

Students interested in handicrafts took the opportunity to learn batik, pottery and Balinese carving while others learned animation, comic making workshops, fashion modeling.

“The festival is an assembly point and cultural exchange for students representing German International schools in six Asian countries," DIS principal Peter Schafer said.

The festival will end with the presentation of student creativity and work from the workshops on Sunday.

Execution team set up to deal with murderer

The Jakarta Post, Friday, June 12, 2008, City
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Serang

Banten prosecutors have set up a team to execute Tubagus Yusuf Maulana, aka Usep, 36, who committed a series of murders in Lebak last year. He was sentenced to death by Rangkasbitung district court in March.

General crime assistant at Banten Prosecutors' Office, Indra Gunawan, said the office discussed the execution plan for Usep with Lebak prosecutors Wednesday following orders from the Attorney General's Office.

He said according to AGO's, the execution should have been carried out last month, but the law states prosecutors have to form an execution committee before execution.

"The team of executors will be formed by next week at the latest," Indra said. "The team will comprise mobile brigade police officers, medical doctors, religious figures and related officers in the Banten administration."

He said the committee would decide on the schedule for the execution and address problems that may arise after the execution.

In line with the law, the execution will likely be carried out in Rangkas Bitung because the murders and the trial occurred there, he said.

Usep, 36, was arrested in July last year along with five other suspects, identified as Nurjali, 18, Sukarma, 43, Muktar Sofyan, 19, Yana Priyatna, 18 and Oyon, 42. They were accused of killing eight people with poison in Cileles district in Lebak, Banten.

The victims were duped into giving the men thousands of dollars. The men claimed to be sorcerers.

Three days after the arrest, Lebak Police released Nurjali, Sukarma, Muktar and Yana due to inadequate evidence.

Police investigations into the case showed Usep had played the role of a shaman, claiming to be able to create instant wealth. Oyon was an accomplice, tasked with picking up the victims.

The four released suspects had minor roles; they were told by Usep to dig two holes for all the victims' bodies, police investigations revealed.

Usep asked the victims to participate in a ritual in which they were instructed to drink a potion containing poison.

The murdered victims, identified as Solihin, Yudi, Olon Pahlevi, Umron, Sanali, Anto, Nasrun and Imi Zamzami were killed in two phases. Five were killed on May 17, while the others were killed on July 19. They were buried in two separate holes in the village.

Usep and Oyon were found guilty of premeditated murder and were both sentenced to death by a panel of judges at Rangkas Bitung District court on March 10 and 13.
Gunawan said only Usep's execution would soon be carried out as his case had been fully administered.

Prosecutors have yet to discuss execution plans for Oyon as he is appealing the sentence at the Banten High Court.

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Facing the next step



Sixteen graduates of German International Senior High schooL pose with Germany's ambassador to Indonesia Freiherr Van Matlzahn (second from left in the back row) after the inauguration ceremony at the school campus in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang. Multa Fidrus

First Indonesians inaugurated as DIS graduates

Mult Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Ardia Tanyta Pradono and Antya Cinyta Pradono could not hide their happiness and pride during a graduation ceremony at Deutsche International Schulle (DIS) in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD), Tangerang.

The happiness was quite reasonanbale because the cheerful twin sisters are the first Indonesian students who managed to complete studies and pass examinations until senior high school at the German International school.

“We are very proud and very thankful to all here at the school because we realize that only hard work that helped our success in what ever difficultty we have faced hen studying at this school,” the twins told The Jakarta Post after the graduation.

Ardia and Antya hoped that they could be good examples for other Indonesian students who will study and those who have been studying at the German Internatinoal school.

“There is nothing to be afraid of at all if Indonsian stusdents have interests to go to German International school beause hard work is always the main key that can solve all difficulties,” they said.

Agatha Pradono, the mother of the two Indonesian successful students said she and her husband Donny Pradono had agreed to send their twins to continue their studies in Germany .

“Of course we are so proud because none of 12 Indonesian students who had studied at this school could pass until senior high school and they have to move to other school instead. Our daughters are the first Indonesian students who made it,” said the 46 years old mother.

The happy Agatha said she and her husband were very glad to see the struggles of her daughters so that they managed to pass the Arbitur (senior high school exams) and complete their studies there.

She said, Ardya and Antya will leave the country for Germany in September to continue their studies. Ardya will take architecture while Antya will study communication at German Universities.

The twins sistes were among 16 senior high school students of DIS who were inaugrated by Freiherr Van Maltzahn, German Ambassador to Indonesia at the school campus in BSD on Thursday.

Maltzahn, who dierctly handed down school diplomas to all graduates one by one said he was very delighted to know that two of the 16 graduates were Indonesian students.

“German International school does not only teach students how to read, write and various sciences. It also manages to abridge cultural assemblies and mutually understanding between German students and locals who go to German Inetrnational school at their respective homebase,” he told Post.

Therefore, the ambassador encouraged more Indonesian students to study at the German Internatinoal school which also equips students with good commands, various other creativities and skills to support their future.

“I believe that the school will always give the best for its students’ future,” he added.

Meanwhile, the German school principal Peter Schafer said the school is also preparing a summer course for ten Indonesian students who are interested in studying german Language.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Customs officials nab drug smugglers

The Jakarta Post, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Jakarta

Customs and excise officials successfully foiled two drug-smuggling attempts from Hong Kong and Malaysia at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng and Pasar Baru post office, Central Jakarta, respectively.

Rahmat Subagio, the airport's customs and excise office chief, said Hengki Nio, a 44-year-old Chinese-Indonesian from Kedoya, West Jakarta, was arrested in connection with a failed attempt to smuggle two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine worth Rp 4 billion (US$430,108) from Hong Kong.

"The suspect tried to avoid the customs checkpoint upon his arrival Sunday by leaving his luggage with a porter. Our officers apprehended him immediately after he passed the checkpoint," he said in Cengkareng on Monday.

He said officers detained Hengki and found the drugs in his luggage.

"We will hand the suspect and the evidence over to the police for further investigation," Rahmat said.

Hengki said he was asked by an Indonesian man in Hong Kong to carry the drugs to Indonesia, and was promised Rp 20 million upon his arrival in Jakarta.

He said he was aware he was smuggling banned substances but decided to take the risk because he needed the money.

Eko Darmanto, the customs office's chief of intelligence, said this was the 10th drug-smuggling attempt foiled by customs officials at the airport since Feb. 20.

"In previous cases, the suspects hid the drugs in food containers, but this one was different. The suspect hid the drugs in the lining of his luggage," he said.

He said Hengki would likely face a 10 year prison sentence and Rp 300 million in fines for violating the law on psychotropic substances.

In another case, customs and National Police officials said an attempt to smuggle 11.85 kilograms of ketamine from Malaysia had been thwarted.

National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Iskak said customs and excise officials were suspicious of a large package at Pasar Baru post office. The invoice on it was addressed to John Handoyo, and said it contained three water filters.

"When we checked with the X-ray machine, we found something suspicious inside the filters," he said.

Officials then opened the package and found the drugs.

Sulistyo said police had arrested Widjaja Sulaiman alias A Shiung alias Shiung Lay, a resident of Taman Surya 5, West Jakarta, as a suspect in the case after receiving information from Handoyo and a taxi driver ordered to pick up the package.

Police also searched Widjaja's apartment in Mediterania, West Jakarta, and found 292 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 18 emirin pills and a crystal meth inhaler.

Third unit head of the National Police's Drug and Organized Crime division, Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi Loedianto, said Handoyo was released because he was not aware of the package or its contents.
"Handoyo knows Widjaja but he is not linked to the drugs," he said.

Police are also seeking Kenny Tan, a resident of Selangor, Malaysia, as a suspect in the case. (ind)

Wealth, happiness and an upright egg

The Jakarta Post, Monday, June 09, 2008 City
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

It was getting close to midnight on Saturday when hundreds of Chinese-Indonesians of all ages flocked to Vihara Nimmala or Boen San Bio temple, the largest temple in Tangerang municipality.

They all brought a wish: for prosperity and happiness.

According to Chinese tradition, both will be granted to those who take part in a ceremony known locally as pehcun -- one part of which is a competition to make chicken eggs stand upright.

On Sunday morning, more than a hundred participants, old and young, took part in the egg-standing competition. Each participant was given 15 eggs to arrange in 15 minutes.

"All of the eggs distributed to the contest participants were blessed during the pehcun prayers last night," Sutedja Budiman, the Vihara Nimmala foundation deputy chairman, said.

He said the organizing committee had hoped as many as 2008 eggs could be made to stand up during the competition.

A similar competition last year had only nine participants who managed to arrange 108 eggs in nine minutes.

"Taking part in the competition is free," Meily, one of the organizing committee members, said.
She said the winner of the trophy and a cash prize would be the participant who had the most eggs standing.

"I joined the competition just for fun. I only managed to make three eggs stand up in the 15 minutes," said Mala, one of the participants.

The hundreds of visitors who watched the competition enthusiastically cheered on the participants.

At the end of the competition, the committee collected the eggs to be cooked. The boiled eggs will be wrapped up with rice and distributed to poor people living near the temple.

According to folklore, chicken eggs can be made to stand up more easily during the pehcun ceremony.

But the story is not just a myth: it is scientifically proven. In a press release to explain the phenomenon, the committee quoted physics expert Professor David Allan.

Allan's theory says that at the moment of the pehcun ceremony, Earth is in the equinox position. In this position, the sun is directly above the equator, so the sun is the same distance from Earth's south and north.

At this time, night and day are exactly the same length.

Allan explains in his gravitation theory that there are gravitation zone lines between the sun and Earth that affect the electrons in eggs. The movement of the electrons means the eggs are more stable and can be made to stand up more easily.

Budiman said pehcun was celebrated at 10 p.m. on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar year.

Chinese traditional meals are served during the ceremony, including kwicang and bacang, which consist mainly of rice and meat. Fruit is also available.

Pehcun is said to be a ceremony in honor of Chu Yuan, a statesman who lived in the fourth century BC. Yuan is remembered as a patriotic and popular leader. He was also a poet and a great warrior.

He was born in Chu, a kingdom in ancient China. When he became a minister, he was slandered and later exiled by the king to the northern side of the Han river for 30 years.

"Pehcun is celebrated every year by people of Chinese descent all around the world," Budiman said.

Endangered snakes seized at airport

The Jakarta Post, Saturday, June 07, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Customs and excise officers have foiled a smuggling attempt of endangered snakes from Philadelphia, the United States, into the country through a cargo delivery service at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"The six snakes wrapped in standard packaging and sent via a cargo delivery service were reported," Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the customs office, said Friday.
He said the snakes, worth US$1,000 each in the United States, were boa species (Hypomelanistic Sp).

The six snakes were identified by officers as Sunglow, Albino and Dream Boa snakes and were going to be sent to someone in Surabaya, East Java.

"We will submit the snakes to the airport quarantine center for further identification and to determine whether they contain certain diseases that could endanger flora and fauna in the country," he said.

According to Eko, importing illegal animals violates quarantine law and perpetrators could face a maximum punishment of three years in prison or fines amounting to Rp 150 million (US$16,042).

"We will continue to investigate the case," he added.

Raids on illegal software denied

The Jakarta Post, Friday, June 06, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Jakarta

Officials at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a ministry and PT Microsoft Indonesia denied an accusation that passengers carrying laptop computers containing illegal software were subject to examination and on-the-spot trials.

The accusation, written in an e-mail, has been circulating for several days through mailing lists and Internet forums.

It says on May 29, two travelers, Rahmat Saptadirdja and Bima Kurniawan, witnessed software raids by a joint team comprising officers from the police and the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights Protection from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.

It says the violators were tried on the spot and ordered to pay Rp 9.5 million in fines (US$1,030).

"Their laptops were held and they had to claim them back at appointed police headquarters," the witnesses said. They also said the officers ordered the violators to pay the fines or their laptops would be seized.

Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II's spokesman Trisno Heryadi denied airport authorities had been conducting a series of software raids at the airport.

"To my knowledge, PT Angkasa Pura II and the airport police have never held raids on laptops," he said Thursday.

He said examination of laptops at checking points occurred only for security reasons.

Public relations manager of Microsoft Indonesia Mona Monika said her company was unaware of any raids.

"My friends have been asking me about this, but in fact, we don't know anything about them," she said.

Head of regional cooperation of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights Handi Nugraha said his office did not have the authority to conduct such raids.

"It is the job of the police. It's doesn't make sense the directorate general would conduct a raid at an airport and go through people's belongings," said Handi. (lva)

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Rain or shine, Kosambi kampung always flooded

The Jakarta Post, Thursday, June 05, 2008 CITY

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Fifteen-year-old Memed hurriedly strips off his clothes and jumps into a pool of murky green water. Six of his friends had plunged in earlier to play handball, the only ball game possible after the village's soccer field was inundated with a meter-high flood cause by high tides.

Since Tuesday morning, high tides from the sea north of their village have flooded Cheng kampung in Kosambi district.

It was not only the soccer field; the whole 16-hectare kampung, where about 4,000 families live, was forced to welcome the smelly, garbage-infested tidal floodwater.

To avoid getting wet during high tide, many residents, most who earn a living fishing, have moved their belongings to higher grounds.

They have grown accustomed to the situation -- the tidal floodwater visits their kampung twice a month.

Threats of diseases, diarrhea, dengue fever and skin problems common in flood-prone areas have become a minor problem for the 4,000 families. They say they are used to the afflictions.
"The big problem we have to face, besides the flood itself, is the absence of a clean water source," Sumadi, 45, a community head, said Tuesday evening.

Come rain or come shine, his family of three has had to buy at least two jerry cans of clean water each day from mobile vendors for Rp 2,000 (20 US cents) each. All residents in his neighborhood have had to do the same.

Like others in the neighborhood, his family only uses clean water for cooking, drinking and washing dishes. They do their laundry and take baths with the water available.

Abdul Azis, 36, said tidal floodwater began to inundate the area Tuesday morning at an average height of 50 centimeters.

In the afternoon, the water level rose to one meter and had not subsided until the evening. Many residents had lost patience and began moving their belongings to higher places.

He said in previous years, the kampung was only flooded by tides once a month at the most and the floods were not as high as recent ones. Since January, he said, the kampung had been flooded twice a month.

"We don't have a proper drainage system. The floodwaters have not subsided so far. If the rain pours down, the water level can increase to one-and-a-half meters or more within two hours," he said.

"We have repeatedly asked the Tangerang regency administration to help, but maybe because this village is not visible from the main road, we are yet to receive any assistance," he said.

Azis said sedimentation of the Dadap River contributed to the worsening impact of the tidal floods. The river has become shallow; it can no longer hold the tidal water, which usually comes quickly, he said.

Both Sumadi and Azis said locals had asked the administration to build an embankment along the estuary that flowed through the village so that when the tidal water arrived, it would not overflow and spill into residential areas.

Chairman of Tangerang regency council's Commission D on development issues, Kurtubi Su'ud, said he frequently urged the administration to provide the people with an adequate drainage system.

"The conditions in Dadap and many other subdistricts across the regency are proof of the regency public works agency's poor planning in setting up drainage systems," he said.

Head of the public works agency, Hermansyah, said his office was allocated Rp 120 billion in funds to repair damaged drainage systems in only six districts across the regency; Dadap district was not one of them.

"I will have to propose the administration allocate more funds to repair the canal in Dadap subdistrict," he said.

With such projects usually taking up to one year to get started, Cheng kampung residents may have to wait for years before they get their soccer field back.

Cheng kampung is only one example of dozens of other villages that regularly face such problems in Kosambi.

German school hosts cultural festival

The Jakarta Post, Monday, June 02, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang


The Jakarta Deutsche International Schule (DIS) will host a cultural festival for German International students throughout Asia at its campus at Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang.

Hundreds of students from Bangkok Deutschsprachige Schule, Mumbai DSB International School, Manila Deutsche Schule, Kuala Lumpur Deutsche Schule and Singapore Deutsche Schule (including DIS) will take part in the three-day event.

"The cultural festival will focus on encouraging participating students to learn new skills and appreciate different cultures. The highlight of the festival will be a series of workshops from June 12 to 15," DIS spokeswoman Evi Royati told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

She said artistic skills and creativity would be the focus of the workshops.

The workshops would feature a number of well-known artists including a painting workshop taught by Teguh Ostenrik, mural painting by Thana Sundarraj, modern dance by Chendra Panatan and choir by Christa Folsterer.

Those interested in handicrafts would have the opportunity to learn batik, pottery and Balinese carving.

The school would also hold animation and comic making workshops and a fashion modeling class taught by designer Harry Darsono.

Evi said, "The festival will be an assembly point and cultural exchange for more than 200 students representing German International schools in six Asian countries".

She said participants and visitors would see and hear new things and gain an introduction to German culture and the diversity of Asian cultures.

The German international school, which offers a range of education programs from play group to senior high school, began admitting Indonesian students in 2000.

Records from the past two years showed 20 percent of German-speaking students at the school aged between 3 and 19 were Indonesian.

In 2005, a trilingual elementary school also opened. Students from first grade onward have classes in three languages -- English, Indonesian and German.

Each school was allowed to decide what their pupils presented at the festival, Evi said, ranging from theater to film, orchestra, band, poetry reading or dance.

Evi said, "The stage will provide opportunities for participating students or visitors to show spontaneous creativity in groups or as individuals".

The festival would end with the presentation of student work from the workshops.

Thousands yet to receive gas stoves

The Jakarta Post, Saturday, May 31, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

As many as 50,000 poor families in Tangerang municipality have yet to receive a free gas stove from state-owned oil company PT Pertamina, an official said Friday.

The administration registered 343,604 poor families in 13 districts across the municipality as qualifying to receive a stove under the free distribution program.

"But so far only 293,604 of them have received a stove," Muhamad Noor, head of the trade department at the municipal trade and industry agency, said.

"As a result, 50,000 families still have to use kerosene. This is a problem because distribution of subsidized kerosene across the municipality will cease as of June 1," he said.

According to Noor, the late distribution of the free gas stoves and gas canisters occurred because Pertamina has limited stocks.

"Currently it has only high-pressure gas stoves. But what people need are low-pressure gas stoves," he said.

Families must meet at least one of three criteria to be eligible to receive a free gas stove. They must not already own a gas stove, have a monthly income of less than Rp 1.5 million (US$163) and/or be street vendors.

Trade and industry agency head Dafyar Eliadi said that after the kerosene phase-out the amount of kerosene delivered to Tangerang municipality dropped to only 4.76 percent of the previous amount.

"The municipality used to receive 9,240,000 liters of kerosene per month but now it receives only 440,000 liters each month," he said.

He said a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refilling stations in Tangerang was another problem for residents.

"At the moment, there are only two LPG filling stations in Tangerang. One, in Curug district, belongs to Pertamina and another one, near Taman Tekno in Serpong, is owned by a private company," he said.

Hendra Arief, Pertamina LPG sales representative for Tangerang, said Pertamina's team of consultants would soon conduct surveys of 50,000 families and 100 food vendors who have not received a free gas stove.

Lippo waste management a model for all regions

The Jakarta Post, Saturday, May 31, 2008 City

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Dozens of participants from the Jakarta Initiative in Fighting Climate Change national conference visited Lippo Karawaci's waste treatment plant in Tangerang on Friday.

"This visit is part of a three-day national conference aimed at making a comparative study on environmental management," said Herbudi, one of the conference participants.

He said Lippo Karawaci was the only housing complex in Greater Jakarta that properly processed household waste.

The system applied at its water treatment plant could be a model for waste management systems in regions outside the city, he said.

There are about 60 participants at the national conference, representing the environmental management bodies from every province in the country.

During Friday's visit, they learned how household waste can be properly processed.

"We use wastewater, which has been processed through the treatment plant, to water plants and trees in our parks and streets. The rest of the wastewater is disposed into several small lakes at Lippo Country Golf Course," said Gordon Benton, senior executive of Lippo Group.

He said the Lippo Karawaci waste treatment facility, built in the early '90s, could process between 130 and 150 cubic meters of wastewater per hour.

The conference is being held by the city administration at the Jakarta Convention Center from Friday to Sunday in collaboration with Royal Haskoning Indonesia, an engineering consultant company.

The conference, which also features exhibitions on environmental management facilities, will be attended by regional administration heads as well as environmental management representatives.

It is expected to produce a joint declaration on sound environmental management among regional administrations.

FEEDER

Keladi Tikus Obat Kanker

Keladi Tikus Obat Kanker

Kanker Bukan Lagi Ancaman

Penyakit kanker sudah tidak lagi jadi ancaman yang mematikan bagi kehidupan manusia sebaba para penderita kanker kini memiliki harapan hidup yang lebih lama dengan ditemukannya tanaman “Keladio Tikus” (Typhonium Flagelliforme/ Rodent Tuber) sebagai tanaman obat yang dapat menghentikan dan mengobati berbagai penyakit kanker dan berbagai penyakit berat lainnya.

Tanaman sejenis talas dengan tinggi maksimal 25 sampai 30 cm ini hanya tumbuh di semak yang tidak terkena sinar matahari langsung. “Tanaman ini sangat banyak ditemukan di Pulau Jawa,” kata Patoppoi Pasau, orang pertama yang menemukan tanaman itu di Indonesia.

Tanaman obat ini telah diteliti sejak tahun 1995 oleh Prof Chris Teo K.H, yang juga pendiri Cancer Care Penang dari Universiti Sains Malaysia. Lembaga perawatan kanker yang didirikan tahun 1995 itu telah membantu ribuan pasien dari Malaysia, Amerika, Inggris, Australia, Selandia Baru, Singapura, dan berbagai negara di dunia.

Di Indonesia, tanaman ini pertama ditemukan oleh Patoppoi di Pekalongan, Jawa Tengah. Ketika itu, istri Patoppoi mengidap kanker payudara stadium III dan harus dioperasi 14 Januari 1998. Setelah kanker ganas tersebut diangkat melalui operasi, istri Patoppoi harus menjalani kemoterapi (suntikan kimia untuk membunuh sel, Red) untuk menghentikan penyebaran sel-sel kanker tersebut.

“Sebelum menjalani kemoterapi, dokter mengatakan agar kami menyiapkan wig (rambut palsu) karena kemoterapi akan mengakibatkan kerontokan rambut, selain kerusakan kulit dan hilangnya nafsu makan,” jelas Patoppoi.
Selama mendampingi istrinya menjalani kemoterapi, Patoppoi terus berusaha mencari pengobatan alternatif sampai akhirnya dia mendapatkan informasi mengenai penggunaan teh Lin Qi di Malaysia untuk mengobati kanker.

“Saat itu juga saya langsung terbang ke Malaysiauntuk membeli teh tersebut,”ujar Patoppoi yang juga ahli biologi.

Ketika sedang berada di sebuah toko obat di Malaysia , secara tidak sengaja dia melihat dan membaca buku mengenai pengobatan kanker yang berjudul Cancer, Yet They Live karangan Dr Chris K.H. Teo terbitan 1996.

“Setelah saya baca sekilas, langsung saja saya beli buku tersebut. Begitu menemukan buku itu, saya malah tidak jadi membeli teh Lin Qi, tapi langsung pulang ke Indonesia ,” kenang Patoppoi sambil tersenyum.

Di buku itulah Patoppoi membaca khasiat typhonium flagelliforme itu. Berdasarkan pengetahuannya di bidang biologi, pensiunan pejabat Departemen Pertanian ini langsung menyelidiki dan mencari tanaman tersebut. Setelah menghubungi beberapa koleganya di berbagai tempat, familinya di Pekalongan Jawa Tengah, balas menghubunginya.

Ternyata, mereka menemukan tanaman itu di sana. Setelah mendapatkan tanaman tersebut dan mempelajarinya lagi, Patoppoi menghubungi Dr. Teo di Malaysia untuk menanyakan kebenaran tanaman yang ditemukannya itu.

Selang beberapa hari, Dr Teo menghubungi Patoppoi dan menjelaskan bahwa tanaman tersebut memang benar Rodent Tuber. “Dr Teo mengatakan agar tidak ragu lagi untuk menggunakannya sebagai obat,” lanjut Patoppoi.

Akhirnya, dengan tekad bulat dan do’a untuk kesembuhan, Patoppoi mulai memproses tanaman tersebut sesuai dengan langkah-langkah pada buku tersebut untuk diminum sebagai obat.

Kemudian Patoppoi menghubungi putranya, Boni Patoppoi di Buduran, Sidoarjo untuk ikut mencarikan tanaman tersebut. “Setelah melihat ciri-ciri tanaman tersebut, saya mulai mencari di pinggir sungai depan rumah dan langsung saya dapatkan tanaman tersebut tumbuh liar di pinggir sungai,” kata Boni yang mendampingi ayahnya saat itu.

Selama mengkonsumsi sari tanaman tersebut, isteri Patoppoi mengalami penurunan efek samping kemoterapi yang dijalaninya. Rambutnya berhenti rontok, kulitnya tidak rusak dan mual-mual hilang. “Bahkan nafsu makan ibu saya pun kembali normal,” lanjut Boni.

Setelah tiga bulan meminum obat tersebut, isteri Patoppoi menjalani pemeriksaan kankernya. “Hasil pemeriksaan negatif, dan itu sungguh mengejutkan kami dan dokter-dokter di Jakarta ,” kata Patoppoi.

Para dokter itu kemudian menanyakan kepada Patoppoi, apa yang diberikan pada isterinya. “Malah mereka ragu, apakah mereka telah salah memberikan dosis kemoterapi kepada kami,” lanjut Patoppoi.

Setelah diterangkan mengenai kisah tanaman Rodent Tuber, para dokter pun mendukung Pengobatan tersebut dan menyarankan agar mengembangkannya. Apalagi melihat keadaan isterinya yang tidak mengalami efek samping kemoterapi yang sangat keras tersebut. Dan pemeriksaan yang seharusnya tiga bulan sekali diundur menjadi enam bulan sekali.

”Tetapi karena sesuatu hal, para dokter tersebut tidak mau mendukung secara terang-terangan penggunaan tanaman sebagai pengobatan alternatif,” sambung Boni sambil tertawa.

Setelah beberapa lama tidak berhubungan, berdasarkan peningkatan keadaan isterinya, pada bulan April 1998, Patoppoi kemudian menghubungi Dr.Teo melalui fax untuk menginformasik an bahwa tanaman tersebut banyak terdapat di Jawa dan mengajak Dr. Teo untuk menyebarkan penggunaan tanaman ini di Indonesia .

Kemudian Dr . Teo langsung membalas fax kami, tetapi mereka tidak tahu apa yang harus mereka perbuat, karena jarak yang jauh,” sambung Patoppoi. Meskipun Patoppoi mengusulkan agar buku mereka diterjemahkan dalam bahasa Indonesia dan disebar-luaskan di Indonesia.

Dr. Teo menganjurkan agar kedua belah pihak bekerja sama dan berkonsentrasi dalam usaha nyata membantu penderita kanker di Indonesia. Kemudian, pada akhir Januari 2000 saat Jawa Pos mengulas habis mengenai meninggalnya Wing Wiryanto, salah satu wartawan handal Jawa Pos, Patoppoi sempat tercengang.

Data-data rinci mengenai gejala, penderitaan, pengobatan yang diulas di Jawa Pos, ternyata sama dengan salah satu pengalaman pengobatan penderita kanker usus yang dijelaskan di buku tersebut.

Dan eksperimen pengobatan tersebut berhasil menyembuhkan pasien tersebut. “Lalu saya langsung menulis di kolom Pembaca Menulis di Jawa Pos,” ujar Boni. Dan tanggapan yang diterimanya benar-benar diluar dugaan. Dalam sehari, bisa sekitar 30 telepon yang masuk. “Sampai saat ini, sudah ada sekitar 300 orang yang datang ke sini,” lanjut Boni yang beralamat di Jl. KH. Khamdani, Buduran Sidoarjo.

Pasien pertama yang berhasil adalah penderita Kanker Mulut Rahim stadium dini. Setelah diperiksa, dokter mengatakan harus dioperasi. Tetapi karena belum memiliki biaya dan sambil menunggu rumahnya laku dijual untuk biaya operasi, mereka datang setelah membaca Jawa Pos.

Setelah diberi tanaman dan cara meminumnya, tidak lama kemudian pasien tersebut datang lagi dan melaporkan bahwa dia tidak perlu dioperasi, karena hasil pemeriksaan mengatakan negatif.
Berdasarkan animo masyarakat sekitar yang sangat tinggi, Patoppoi berusaha untuk menemui Dr. Teo secara langsung. Atas bantuan Direktur Jenderal Pengawasan Obat dan Makanan Departemen Kesehatan, Sampurno, Patoppoi dapat menemui Dr. Teo di Penang. Di kantor Pusat Cancer Care Penang, Malaysia , Patoppoi mendapat penerangan lebih lanjut mengenai riset tanaman yang saat ditemukan memiliki nama Indonesia .

Ternyata saat Patoppoi mendapat buku “Cancer, Yet They Live” edisi revisi tahun 1999, fax yang dikirimnya di masukkan dalam buku tersebut, serta pengalaman isterinya dalam usahanya berperang melawan kanker. Dari pembicaraan mereka, Dr. Teo merekomendasi agar Patoppoi mendirikan perwakilan Cancer Care di Jakarta dan Surabaya.

Maka secara resmi, Patoppoi dan putranya diangkat sebagai perwakilan lembaga sosial Cancer Care Indonesia , yang juga disebutkan dalam buletin bulanan Cancer Care, yaitu di Jl. Kayu Putih 4 No. 5, Jakarta , telp. 021-4894745, dan di Buduran, Sidoarjo.

Cancer Care Malaysia telah mengembangkan bentuk pengobatan tersebut secara lebih canggih. Mereka telah memproduksi ekstrak Keladi Tikus dalam bentuk pil dan teh bubuk yang dikombinasikan dengan berbagai tananaman lainnya dengan dosis tertentu. Sumber (Milis Alumni Smandel)

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