VZCZCXRO0263
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0030/01 0050715
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050715Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2677
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0291
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3774
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0172
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3845
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3288

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000030 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/IET, OES/IET, AND OES/ETC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS - DECEMBER 2006 
 
 
¶1. Summary: On December 14, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation 
founder Willie Smith announced plans to 
release around 200 orangutans into Baktikop Forest in Central 
Kalimantan.  The Head of the Jakarta Sanitation Office warned of an 
impending crisis in Jakarta waste management on December 12.  The 
Ministry of Forestry introduced an "Ecosystem Restoration Program" 
on December 5 aimed at rehabilitating former forest concession areas 
in Jiambi and South Sumatra provinces.  On December 18, the 
Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG) installed six tsunami 
warning sirens in Aceh.  In mid-December, the Ministry of Energy and 
Mineral Resources' Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard 
Mitigation (CVGHM) issued alerts for Mt. Soputan in North Sulawesi 
and Mt. Talang in West Sumatra in response to increased volcanic and 
seismic activity.  On December 6, the National Nuclear Energy Agency 
(BATAN) announced plans to hold a tender process in 2008 for nuclear 
equipment suppliers and contractors needed to construct a planned 
Rp. 15 trillion (US$ 1.66 billion) nuclear power plant in Central 
Java.   On December 20, the non-governmental organization Yayasan 
Pelita Ilmu (YPI) announced that the organization is having 
difficulty securing funding for their Prevention of Mother to Child 
HIV Transmission program.  End summary. 
 
Orangutan Release Planned 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. On December 14, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) 
founder Willie Smith announced plans to 
release around 200 orangutans into Baktikop Forest in Central 
Kalimantan sometime in early 2007.  The timing of the release is 
subject to weather conditions in the area, which some experts expect 
to deteriorate in the coming months in association with the El Nino 
phenomenon.  BOS rescued the orangutans from private entertainment 
providers in Semarang (Central Java), Yogyakarta, Bandung and 
Sukabumi (West Java) that had been exploiting the animals. 
Indonesia's orangutan population is declining rapidly due to 
deforestation, forest fires, and illegal animal trafficking. 
 
Jakarta Faces Waste Management Challenges 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. On December 12, Rama Boedi, Head of the Jakarta Sanitation 
Office, warned of an impending crisis in Jakarta waste management. 
The private firm PT Patriot Bekasi Bangkit (PBB) currently manages 
Jakarta's largest dumpsite, Bantar Gebang, in Bekasi, West Java. 
Because the Jakarta and Bekasi authorities have been dissatisfied 
with PBB's performance, they have refused to renew the firm's 
contract, which expired at the end of 2006.  However, the Jakarta 
city authorities have failed to name a replacement management firm. 
The Bekasi House of Peoples Representatives has warned that the 
Bekasi government will cease all operations at the dumpsite in 2007 
until a new manager is appointed, but as of January 5 the Jakarta 
Sanitation Office reports that the dump is still operating.  A 
temporary closure of the site could cause significant disruptions in 
Jakarta's waste management system.  According to Rama Boedi, Jakarta 
requires at least 2,000 temporary dumpsites in locations around the 
city to handle the volume of waste normally managed by Bantar 
Gebang, but only 1,300 such sites are currently operational. 
 
Ecosystem Restoration Program Launched 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. On December 5, the Ministry of Forestry (MOF) introduced an 
"Ecosystem Restoration Program," aimed at rehabilitating Indonesian 
forests.  The program, which the private company PT Restorasi 
Ekosistem Indonesia will run, includes a moratorium on logging in 
selected areas, the promotion of non-timber forest products, and the 
development of a range of eco-services. A consortium consisting of 
the Indonesia Forest Conservation Foundation, the United 
Kingdom-based Royal Society for Protection of Birds, and the global 
conservation partnership Birdlife International funds PT Restorasi 
Ekosistem.  The MOF has allocated around 101,000 hectares (390 
square miles) of forest land in Jambi and South Sumatra for the 
ecosystem restoration program.  It will initially operate in the 
60,000 hectare former PT Inhutani V concession area in South Sumatra 
Province.  Once the timber firm Asia Log concludes its operations by 
2011, the program will expand to Asia Log's 41,000 hectare 
concession area. 
 
Tsunami Early Warning Sirens Installed 
 
SIPDIS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. On December 18, the Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG) 
announced the installation of six tsunami warning sirens in Aceh. 
BMG installed three sirens in Aceh Besar Regency and three in Banda 
Aceh city.  BMG Head of Seismology Dr. Fauzi announced that, in 
 
JAKARTA 00000030  002 OF 002 
 
 
addition to Aceh, BMG has installed six siren towers in Padang and 
six in Bali. The cost of each siren tower ranges from Rp 200-300 
million rupiah (USD 22-33 thousand). 
 
Volcanic Warnings Issued at Three Sites 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. On December 14, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources' 
Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) 
increased the alert status for Mt. Soputan in South Minahasa, North 
Sulawesi, to Alert Level 3 (large eruption possible within one to 
two weeks).  The CVGHM raised the alert level in response to 
increased volcanic and seismic activity, including an average of 75 
tremors every day, more than 100 daily lava falls, and the emission 
of thick smoke from the active volcano. 
 
¶7. On December 17, the Directorate of Volcanology issued a similar 
statement about Mt. Talang in Batu Bajanjang, Solok Regency, and 
West Sumatra.  Mt. Talang has been at Alert Leve 3 since early 
September 2006.  The Mt. Talang monitoring officer warned people to 
avoid traveling within 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of the peak.  Mt. 
Talang has produced roughly 80 tremors a day and continues to spew 
hot gas as high as 700 meters.  Local government authorities also 
recently warned people living or working near Mt. Merapi to be alert 
for possible volcanic material floods.  According to the 
authorities, there are 6 million cubic meters of volcanic materials 
on the surface of Mt. Merapi that may fall into local rivers because 
of heavy rains, prompting flooding. 
 
GOI To Hold Nuclear Plant Tender in 2008 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. On December 6, Ferhat Aziz, the Head of Legal and Public 
Relations at the National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), annonnced 
plans to hold a tender process in 2008 for u clear technology 
suppliers and other contractor  needed to construct a planned Rp 15 
trillion (UD 1.7 billion) nuclear power plant in Muria, Central 
Java.  Constructing the nuclear plant is part o  Indonesia's 
strategy to reduce dependency on oi-(based electricity.  According 
to Aziz, the Govennment will appoint a special body consisting of 
f"ficials from BATAN, state-owned electricity company PLN, the 
Ministry of Research and Technology an  the Nuclear Energy 
Regulatory Agency to conductt he tender process.  The body will be 
responsibl  for preparing the tender and selecting reliables"uppliers of safe technology for the plant. 
 
¶9.  While the tender process will be open to all potential 
suppliers, the government expects to select companies from the 
United States, South Korea, France or Japan to work with local firms 
given that those countries' nuclear technologies already meet 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards.  The Government 
hopes to finish construction of the power plant by 2010, with the 
plant becoming operational by 2017.  Indonesia has received $1.34 
million in technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy 
Agency to develop safe nuclear power programs in 2007 and 2008. 
 
 
Funding Source Needed for HIV Program 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. On December 20, the Vice Chairman of the non-governmental 
organization Yayasan Pelita Ilmu (YPI), Husein Habsyi, announced 
that the organization is having difficulty securing funding for its 
Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission program.  Funding 
from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is set 
to expire in 2007 and the GOI has not yet provided a budget 
allocation to continue the program.  Under the program, YPI and 
Ministry of Health (MOH) staff conduct blood tests to detect HIV, 
provide counseling services, and distribute anti-retroviral (AZT or 
Nevirapine) drugs to infected mothers.  YPI and MOH staff work with 
Posyandu (Integrated Health Post) employees in six provinces with 
high HIV prevalence, including Banten, West Java, Papua, Jakarta, 
East Java, and Bali to administer the program.  The YPI has been 
running the program since 1999. 
 
PASCOE