Friday, March 20, 2015

1) Island in focus: Police officer’s gun snatched during rally

2) Australian ambassador to Indonesia presents credentials
3) Garuda to enhance regional  network in Biak
4) A Papuan pilot under the  blue skies
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1) Island in focus: Police  officer’s gun snatched  during rally 
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Fri, March 20 2015, 6:32 AM - 
A police officer lost his revolver as police were dispersing a rally at a shop complex in Dekai, Yahukimo regency, Papua, on Thursday.

Yahukimo Police detective head Second Insp. Budi Santoso’ revolver was believed to be seized by members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). 

“Budi was then negotiating with the crowd to disperse as they did not hold a permit. Suddenly, there was a commotion and Budi was mobbed by the crowd and his gun seized,” said Papua Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrige in Jayapura on Thursday. 

During the commotion, members of the Papua Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, but the crowd retaliated by tossing rocks and a clash ensued.

The mob also besieged the Dekai Airport to prevent troop reinforcements from arriving in Dekai. - 
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2) Australian ambassador to Indonesia presents credentials

Jumat, 20 Maret 2015 20:05 WIB | 509 Views
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Paul Grigson on Thursday presented his credentials to President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka State Palace in Jakarta.

Grigson replaces Greg Moriarty who served as Ambassador from 2010.

Previously Grigson was Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, having served as Ambassador to Thailand (2008-2010).

He has also served as Ambassador to Burma (Myanmar) (2003-2004); as Chief Negotiator of the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville (2000); and Counsellor, later Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Phnom Penh (1993-1995). He was Australias Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2014.

Grigson holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Journalism from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Letters from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from the Securities Institute of Australia.

(A014/B003)


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3) Garuda to enhance regional  network in Biak
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Fri, March 20 2015, 4:52 PM - Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia's management in Biak, Papua announced on Friday that it plans to operate a twin-engine turboprop short-haul aircraft, the ATR72-600, to connect Biak with Manokwari, West Papua and Nabire, Papua in May.

Garuda's Biak office general manager, Yohanes Fredrick, said that the new network linking the three cities was part of the carrier’s commitment to enhance air connectivity in the archipelago.
“We are hoping that the new flight services will create more convenient air travel for our customers in Biak,” Yohanes said on Friday as quoted by Antara news agency.
He said that demand for air transportation in Biak has kept increasing every year because of regional economic development.
“We believe that the new connections will better develop the economy of this region,” he added.
The airline currently links Frans Kaisiepo Airport with Sentani Airport in Jayapura, Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar and the country’s main gateway, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (nfo)(++++)


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4) A Papuan pilot under the  blue skies
Nethy Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua | People | Fri, March 20 2015, 6:49 AM - Octaviyanti Blandina Ronsumbre may not look like she’s from Eastern Indonesia. But the 26-year-old comes from Biak on Papua’s north coast — and she’s the first woman from Papua to earn her wings as an aviator.
Affable and outgoing, Vivin, as she is called, beamed with pleasure as she was interviewed in a hotel in Abepura, Jayapura.

“If you asked me whether I always wanted to be a pilot, my answer is that I became an aviator because I failed in my application for the post of flight attendant,” Vivin said.

She is the youngest of the three children of Yakobus Ronsumbre from Biak and Susilowati. Vivin’s parents met when Yakobus was assigned by flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to Susilowati’s hometown of Surabaya, East Java.

Growing up, Vivin always dressed up as a flight attendant for carnivals, she says. However, by senior high school, she took to wearing a pilot’s uniform. Her eldest brother, Yonnas, is a pilot for Garuda Indonesia.

However, she was rejected when she applied to be a flight attendant, Vivin said. “Garuda Indonesia requires a body height of 160 centimeters, while I was only 158 centimeters.”

“I went home in tears, not knowing what other jobs would suit me,” Vivin said.

However, Yonnas encouraged her to try her luck — in the cockpit.

“At first I doubted if I could be a pilot, but my brother kept supporting and motivating me. I applied for the position and finally
succeeded,” Vivin said. “I wouldn’t be flying had I ignored the suggestion of my brother.”

The high price of pilot training didn’t dampen the determination of Vivin — or her parents. “It costs Rp 560 million to be a pilot, but my firm will prompted my whole family to strive to make it happen,” Vivin said.

She trained at Nusa Flying International School at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta from 2010 to 2011. Training wasn’t easy, Vivin said — especially when it came to landings.

“I could fly the plane but found it hard to land, which almost forced me to give up. My brother again gave me motivation and roused my spirit until I finally made it. I realized that with strong will and determination, nothing is impossible,” she assured.

As for landings, Vivin finally aced things while flying solo on her 18th flight. “At the time, I was doing it on my own, with no instructor beside me, and I managed to fly for 20 minutes before landing.”

From personal experience, Vivin knew why few Papuans, particularly women, become aviators. 

“The big cost also poses a constraint. Some start pilot school, but lack perseverance, causing them to drop out. 

Vivin started flying cargo planes for PT Trigana Airservice in Papua in 2011. 

As an aviator, Vivin has the courage, reflexes and skill needed to fly in and out of Wamena — an airport that sits in a valley at an elevation of over 5,000 feet. It’s also surrounded by peaks that top 10,000 feet that make instrument approaches almost impossible, according to other flyers. 

As a person, Vivin shows a flexible, friendly and persevering attitude that has impressed other pilots at PT Trigana Air Service, where she was previously based out of Sentani Airport.

One Trigana pilot, Andika Bagaskara, said that he didn’t expect to see a woman in the cockpit when he was assigned to fly a Boeing 727 on the cargo run to Wamena.

‘’Vivin is my senior and at the same time a friend with who I can discuss problems and share stories,” Andika says. “She’s a hard worker and concerned about her colleagues. When I feel unwell, she’ll tell me to rest and take over my duties.” 

“I’m very proud to have a woman cargo pilot — even more so, as she’s a Papuan,” Andika adds. 

“Vivin has helped a lot and shared her experience with me as her junior.”

Susilowati, who said she burst into tears when she first heard that Vivin wanted to be a flight attendant, now speaks 
with pride. 

“I’m very proud of my daughter, who’s able to fly aircraft,” Susilowati said. “I’m proud because a Papuan woman has become a pilot.”

Meanwhile, Vivin, who has been flying passenger aircraft in Jakarta since January, says that she hopes more Papuan women will earn their wings.

“There’s no difference in aviation between men and women,” she says. “All the tasks and jobs are the same - for both sexes.”



This article expands on one of the writer’s chapters published in Mereka, Bukan Perempuan Biasa (They Are Not Ordinary Women), published by GKM

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