Australia, Indonesia to Hold Joint South China Sea Patrols

On Tuesday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that Australia is contemplating on joint naval patrols with Indonesia in the disputed South China Sea.

Indonesia’s invitation for joint patrols at a bilateral meeting in Bali last week was in line with Australia’s policies of exerting its right of freedom of navigation, Bishop said.

Bishop told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio that patrolling the contested waters is in accordance with international law. It also shows the country’s support for peace and stability in the region.

Australia is a steadfast ally of the United States. It has earlier elicited criticism from China for conducting surveillance flights over disputed islands in the South China Sea. The country also supports U.S. freedom of navigation exercises there.

The South China Sea, where close to $5 trillion of sea-borne trade transits annually, is almost wholly claimed by China. Last month, China advised Australia to act and speak cautiously on the South China Sea.

The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims on parts of the sea. The area is considered to have heavy deposits of oil and gas.

Indonesia and Australia already carry out joint sea patrols in the Timor Sea as part of the countries’ collaboration on battling illegal fishing and people smuggling.

Bishop said that Australia and Indonesia would advise other nations in the region of any scheduled exercise.

A part of Australia’s commitment

She said that the sea patrols are a regular part of what the Australian navy does. This is part of their commitment in the region. Such operations are in line with Australia’s right of freedom of navigation including in the South China Sea.

In July, following a case brought by the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China’s assertions to the waterway were invalid. Beijing, which has erected several artificial islands with landing strips in the sea, has rejected the ruling.

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New Indonesian Law: Chemical Castration To Pedophiles

President Joko Widodo approves a chemical castration policy that could “wipe out” growing numbers of child sex offenders.

Earlier this month, after a series of parliamentary debates, the government passed the law authorizing chemical castration for pedophiles. The president said, “Our constitution respects human rights, but when it comes to sexual crimes there is no compromise.”

“We are strong and we will be very firm. We will hand out the maximum penalty for sexual crimes.” He added, “In my opinion… chemical castration, if we enforce it consistently, will reduce sex crimes and wipe them out over time.”

In an interview conducted by BBC’s Journalist Yalda Hakim, President Widodo (also known as Jakowi) talked about issues including corruption, recent tax amnesty, government position on homosexuality, and the growing tension in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, the Indonesian government posted an advertisement to discourage members of the LGBT not to apply for the New Youth Ambassador Position.

Applicants participating in “sexually deviant behavior” are not welcome to apply, the government said.

“We are the world’s largest Muslim nation and we have religious norms. You have to remember that and know that. We have social norms,” they don’t mean to discriminate LGBT minorities, said the President.

On the other hand, Indonesia’s increase of military presence in the South China Sea especially around Natuna Island aims to stop illegal fishing in the area. The president said, “This are our natural resources, this is Indonesian wealth. So from now on illegal fishing vessels cannot play around with us.”

“The second thing is Natuna is our territory. Natuna is in Indonesia. So if we want to do military operations, war games, then it’s our right. In terms of sovereignty I will never compromise,” he added.

‘Consistent harshness’

“We are harsh and strict on corruption. We will be consistent in our harshness to improve the situation,” said the president.

President Jakowi added “Nine ministers, 19 governors, 300 more local leaders [and] 100 parliamentarians are in jail because of corruption,” as part of their fight against corruption.

Tax Reform will be ‘good for the country’

Thousands of Indonesian workers recently protested in Jakarta against the new tax amnesty scheme.

The government initiated the tax reform to cover the budget deficit. Nevertheless, unions say it’s unfair to pardon wealthy businessmen for not paying their taxes.

“It’s not really about how much money we earn from it, how much money is repatriated.” President Widoko said, “The most important thing is this is the start of reforming the tax system in Indonesia.”

“We want to expand the tax system, we want to improve the tax system and we want to build trust and faith among people in our tax system so that industry and businesses that pay tax, they believe that their money will go to the good of the country and be used to build things,” he added.

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Indonesia: Old School Games Get New Attention

Indonesia celebrated a festival for traditional games at the “Pilar Bangsa”, a school in West Jakarta. “Pilar Bangsa” or Pillar of Nation attracted hundreds of students with their parents to support the nation’s campaign to guide the young away from the hugely popular digital game, Pokémon Go.

Parents fear that the younger generation’s preference to play in the virtual world results to lesser interaction with each other.

Fading sense of cultural values

Thousands of Indonesians were already hooked on Nintendo’s augmented reality application, Pokémon Go, months before its official launching in Southeast Asia.   Pokémon Go requires players to hunt for characters in real life settings, by using an app downloaded to their cell phones.

A growing number of Indonesians says the digital game diminishes the sense of cultural values. Old folks are now encouraging the younger generation to play traditional toys such as wooden spinning tops and bamboo pinwheels.

Parents want their children to play the games they were brought up on. They are sentimental about these that they intend to impart them with their children.

Traditional games

Group of children clustered together over a wooden board and took turns shooting marbles into a rubber band goal post. The game looks like a smaller version of table soccer. While other students enjoyed tying strings around tops and spinning them on a circular platform.

Januar Surjadi, parent of a three-year-old boy, said “traditional games involve more activities, whereas electronic games only require kids to use their thumbs”. He was teaching his child how to spin and produce a clicking sound out of a bamboo toy.

The festival also showcases “wayang” or traditional Indonesian puppets. Furthermore, the festival featured “congklak”, the famous game passed down from generation to another. “Congklak” requires players to produce as many “seeds” as possible in holes of a wooden set.

Agustinus, who only goes by only one name, is the Principal of Pilar Bangsa. He said, “We want to show the unique features of Indonesia, that it owns a rich culture.” He also said the school aims to organize more events so students can try playing other traditional games.

State support

Education ministry official Essi Hermaliza said that the government aims to support activities for traditional games nationwide. Furthermore, these traditional games instill important cultural values to students. Correspondingly, several schools will soon follow Pilar Bangsa’s footsteps.

The media recently reported that the Mayor of Bogor City renovated a park and put several wooden stilts for children to play with. This newly equipped park will “help children avoid Pokémon Go”.

Unlike modern gizmos, traditional toys are cheap, which sells for a dollar or less. Fahrudin saw an opportunity in the market for traditional toys. He makes a profit in buying toys made in villages and selling them online. His workers at a warehouse in Jakarta are now packaging toys out for delivery. He said while at his warehouse, “The response from consumers has been positive and there’s still a lot of demand”.

However, for children like thirteen-year-old Miranda Michelle said traditional games are fun. “I play congklak at home with my friends, its fun and it helps to teach mental arithmetic.”

But that is not enough reason to replace her electronic gadgets. She added, “I’m getting a little bored of Pokémon Go because it’s harder to find the rarer Pokémon”.

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