Denpasar, Bali, (ANTARA News) - Bali received a total of 1,017,661 arrivals of foreign tourists from January to June 2009, despite the current global economic crisis.

"It proves that Bali is still considered as a safe and nice place to visit, Rai Budiasa, a tourism practitioner, said here on Saturday.

During the first six months of 2009, the number of tourists from the United States visiting Bali was 51,908 people, and from the European Union 247,211, or up 24.30 percent from that in the same period last year.

Bali received only 8,761 arrivals of American tourists in May 2009 and 10,089 in June 2009. (*)

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - The threat of terrorism still exists despite the death of Malaysian-born terrorist M Noordin M Top in a police raid in Temanggung, Central Java, on Saturday, according to an official.

"His presence in Indonesia for such a long time with a series of terrorist actions carried out up to July 2009, shows that Noordin has continued to build up his power base in the form of cells. It would therefore not be correct to assume that with his death, his entire terror network has been paralyzed," Ansyaad Mbai, head of the anti-terror desk at the coordinating ministry for political, legal and security affairs, said here on Saturday.

Moreover, many terrorist suspects related to Noordin M Top and Dr Azahari were still at large, he said.

"The skills of the Noordin M Top group in making bombs have continued to be developed as can be seen from their modus operandi ... these skills, of course, have also been acquired by members of the cells which have been built up for a long time at least over the past four years," he said.

Therefore, although Noordin M Top was reportedly dead, all parties must continue to be on alert to the threat of terrorism in any form.

Anti-terror police at 9.30 am local time on Saturday raided a house believed to be a terrorist hideout at Beji village in the Kedu region of Temanggung District, Central Java.
The raid was carried out after at least five explosions were heard happening in the house. Fugitive Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin M Top was believed to have been killed in the raid.

Police officers entered the house and fired profusely inside the house while other policemen surrounded the house and opened its windows by force.

Before breaking into the house, the police fired at the house from a nearby hill.
The Indonesian government has intensified efforts to find Noordin M Top following the bombings of two hotels at Mega Kuningan, in Jakarta last July 17, 2009, which filled nine people and injured 53 others.

Based on the findings and modus operandi of the bomb blasts, Noordin M Top and his network were suspected to have been behind the bombings. Azahari was killed in a police raid in East Java in November 2005. (*)

Islamabad (ANTARA News/AFP) - Pakistani troops killed 14 militants and arrested another 29 during an ongoing offensive against Taliban insurgents in northwest Pakistan, the military said Saturday.

The military continued search and clearance operations across Malakand district and the former tourist resort of Swat, where the Taliban first rose up in 2007.

"During last 24 hours, search and clearance operations were conducted in Swat and Malakand division," it said in a daily update on the operation.

Ten militants were killed in Buner district and 29 were arrested elsewhere in the region, it said.

Troops killed four militants in Swat and destroyed a training camp and a militants` cave, recovering a huge cache of arms and ammunition, the statement said.

Pakistan launched the offensive in late April, under pressure from the United States to clamp down on militants who had advanced from Swat into the neighbouring district of Buner, further south towards Islamabad.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said earlier this month the military had "eliminated" extremists and government statistics show that 385,000 of 1.9 million civilians who were displaced by the fighting have returned.

But skirmishes have continued, raising fears that the Taliban escaped into the mountains and will return, a tactic militants adopted after similar military offensives in the past.

Pakistan says more than 1,800 militants and 166 security personnel have been killed since April but the death tolls are impossible to verify independently.
(*)

sumber: antaranews

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Begi Hersutanto opined that Indonesia should abide by the Asean Charter because it has good effect on the country`s legal and political development.

"As one of the ASEAN member countries and signatory of the Asean Charter, Indonesia has to abide by the Charter," the official said.

Hersutanto said further that since the Asean Charter was signed by the Asean heads of government/state on December 2007, it had improved the ties among the member countries in legal affairs.

"Thus, Indonesia should abide by the Asean Charter both legally and politically," he said in observance of the Asean anniversary which falls on August 8.

According to him, the Asean Charter also brought about a significant improvement in international law as well as regional affairs.

Regarding the Asean Charter, several homeworks of the grouping should be completed, among others the border area problem either in the sea or on land, Hersutanto said.

The border area problem should be immediately settled, the official disclosed.
Asean groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam was established on August 8, 1967. (*)

sumber : antaranews

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Two Explosions in Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels in Mega Kuningan area, Jakarta, early Friday, killed at least six people and injured tens of others.

"Up to now, six people were killed, and tens of others were injured, but the number of the victims might change as identification process is still going on," Senior Commissioner Chysnanda, a spokesman of the Jakarta police, said here on Friday.

Policemen have already arrived at the scenes of the explosions and the victims have been rushed to the MMC Hospital at Kuningan and the Jakarta Hotel, Sudirman, Central Jakarta .

Meanwhile, Alex, an aye witness, said he saw four foreigners were seriously injured in the explosions.

Ritz-Carlton Hotel was supposed to accommodate footballers of the Manchester United (MU) of Britain, who are expected to arrive in Jakarta on Saturday (July 18).

The explosions in the two hotels at Kuningan area, were herd twice at around 7.50 am and 7.55 am local time.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS visited the scenes of the explosions.

The Marriott Hotel was bombed on August 5, 2003, killing 12 people, including a Dutch national, and injuring 147 others.

The Marriot bombing was believed to be masterminded by Azhari Husin and Noordin M Top, both Malaysian nationals.

Azhari was killed in a police raid in East Java in November 2005, and Noordin M Top is still at large.

Azhari and his fellow Noordin Mohammad Top, a terror coordinator of the Al-Qaeda linked in Southeast Asia of Jemaah Islamiyah militant network, are believed as the masterminds of a series of major terrorist acts in Indonesia, including the Bali bombings in 2002, JW Marriot hotel explosions in Jakarta in 2003, a deadly blast in Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004, and bombings in Bali in October 2005 that killed more than 220 people.(*)

Sumber : antaranews

Bogor, W Java (ANTARA News) - A train collision happened here on Tuesday (Aug 4) when an electric train (KRL) "Pakuan AC" rammed another economy-class train, leaving two locomotive engineers seriously injured, a hospital spokesman said.

The collision which occurred in the Pondok Rumput area, Kebon Pedes village, Tanah Sereal sub district, Bogor municipality, at about 10.25 am Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB), caused serious injuries to two locomotive engineers, namely Ujas and Akbar Pelani.

The collision also caused a number of passengers from the two trains to suffer injuries. They were rushed to two nearby hospitals, namely RS Salak, belonging to the Army and the Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) or Red Cross hospital. The two trains were plying the Jakarta-Bogor route.

Antara learned here Tuesday the economy-class train "KRL Ekonomi" was scheduled to leave Bogor for Jakarta at 10.12 am local time, while the "Pakuan AC" was to leave at 10.19 am.

The collision occurred when the Pakuan AC hit the rear part of the KRL Ekonomi allegedly due to a faulty signal.

An eye-witness in the Pakuan AC train, Arya, a Bogor resident, who was headed for Jakarta and was sitting in the front part of the locomotive, said he heard a loud noise when the two trains collided.

"I was suddenly flung from the train," he said.

Anther witness, Dewi, a passenger of the "KRL Ekonomi" who was also on her way to Jakarta, said the collision had also frighthened her.(*)

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