1) Buddhists vision for Papua

1) Buddhists vision for Papua
2) Total sells 10% stake in Papua field to Indika
3) Vanuatu MPs select Greens’ leader as new prime minister.
4) Indonesia to ban shark, manta ray hunting

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/22/buddhists-vision-papua.html

1) Buddhists vision for Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura | Archipelago | Fri, March 22 2013, 2:20 PM

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The Buddhist Tzu-Chi foundation in cooperation with Bhayangkara police hospital funded surgical procedures for 318 cataract patients between March 21 and 23. Fourteen doctors - eight eye surgeons and six general practitioners - were involved.

Dr. Ruth Atmadja, one of the doctors, revealed that the team had actually identified over 70o people in need of the surgery, however, only 318 people were eligible.

Ani, one of the patients, said she was very grateful for the free surgery.

 “Both my eyes have been operated on. I am very grateful for the service because the last time I checked the operation would have cost me Rp 7 million and I couldn’t afford it,” she told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Papua police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw said that the police hospital welcomed all charitable foundations that wished to conduct community services in Papua.  

“We have the same goal:  to serve others,” Paulus said.

The Buddhist Tzu-Chi foundation runs community services around the archipelago. In Jakarta, it operates low cost apartments in Cengkareng, which used to be one of the city’s slums. (asw/dic)

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/02/22/total-sells-10-stake-papua-field-indika.html

2) Total sells 10% stake in Papua field to Indika

Raras Cahyafitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Fri, February 22 2013, 12:41 PM

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Paper Edition | Page: 13

France-based Total E&P Indonesie says it will sell 10 percent of its stake of an oil and gas field in Papua to publicly listed energy company PT Indika Energy.

The firms inked a deal to jointly develop the oil and gas field through their subsidiaries Total E&P Indonesia West Papua and PT Indika Multi Daya Energi.

Under the deal, Indika will acquire a 10 percent stake in Southwest Bird’s Head production-sharing contract (PSC) from Total. The value of the transaction was not revealed pending approval from Indonesian authorities and completion of due diligence.

“This purchase will further strengthen our energy platform,” Indika president director Arsjad Rasjid said in a statement. “It will leverage Indika Energy’s in-depth understanding of the local market context and create synergies with our activities in Papua.”

Integrated energy company Indika established Indika Multi Daya Energi in December. Indika currently has various investments, including those in coal miners PT Kideco Jaya Agung, PT Santan Batubara, PT Multi Tambangjaya Utama and PT Mitra Energi Agung.

The company also has engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts in the oil and gas sector through Tripatra; EPC mining contracts through Jakarta-listed PT Petrosea; logistics interests through Jakarta-listed coal transport and shipping firm PT Mitrabahtera Segara Sejati, PT Sea Bridge Shipping and PT Cotrans Asia, as well as a power generation company, PT Cirebon Electric Power.

Elisabeth Proust, the Total Group’s representative in Indonesia, said that Total wanted to further expand the company’s scope of business in Indonesia.

“This transaction is the first step in developing wider cooperation between Total and Indika Energy and demonstrates Total’s ability to team up with quality local partners to explore and develop Indonesian oil and gas resources,” Proust, also general manager of Total E&P Indonesia West Papua, said.

Total E&P Indonesie vice president for finance A. Noviyanto said that working with local partners has been Total’s policy.

“In the upstream oil and gas industry, particularly exploration, it’s a common thing to share the risk — and of course, the profits if there is a discovery — and then become commercial,” Noviyanto said.

However, he said that it was easier to start oil and gas projects on its own. “It is simpler to perform it on our own compared to process it after forming a consortium. That’s why we previously have held 100 percent [stakes],” he added, referring to Southwest Bird’s Head PSC.

Total was awarded the Southwest Bird’s Head PSC in August 2011 as part of the Second Round 2010 Regular Tender.

The exploration block is located in the offshore Salawati Basin in West Papua and covers 7,176 square kilometers. The first exploration well at the block is expected to open in April.

The company also has a 50 percent stake and is the operator of the Mahakam PSC in East Kalimantan.

Among its other interests, Total is the operator and holds a 100 percent participating interest in the South East Mahakam, Telen, PSC offshore East Kalimantan and the Bengkulu I-Mentawai PSC offshore West
Sumatra.

Amahl S. Azwar contributes to this story

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http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=74823

3) Vanuatu MPs select Greens’ leader as new prime minister.

Posted at 02:34 on 23 March, 2013 UTC

Vanuatu has a new prime minister with the Greens’ leader, Moana Carcasses Kalosil, elected this afternoon after two days of wrangling in court with the outgoing government trying to stop Parliament meeting before next Friday.

It comes after the resignation of Sato Kilman on Thursday, just minutes before the Opposition was to bring a vote of no confidence in him.

It would have been the second such vote since his re-election late last year and seventh since becoming prime minister in 2010.

After the resignation the Speaker adjourned Parliament for eight days but the Opposition believed a new leader should be chosen immediately and it successfully pleaded this case at the Supreme Court.

MPs were order back to Parliament this morning to hold a vote and Mr Carcasses was chosen by 34 of the 52 MPs.

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http://www.thesundaily.my/news/640962

4) Indonesia to ban shark, manta ray hunting

Posted on 20 March 2013 - 02:37pm
Last updated on 20 March 2013 - 06:55pm

JAKARTA (March 20, 2013): Indonesia is to ban shark and manta ray hunting following the banning of the activity by a provincial administration in West Papua to conserve these sea creatures.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said his ministry was preparing a ministerial decree to ban shark hunting, which is expected to be ready in three months.

He praised the Raja Ampat administration in West Papua for taking a major leap in fighting shark hunting by issuing a regulation banning shark and manta ray hunting.

"I really hope that the action of the Raja Ampat administration will encourage other regions to follow suit, especially areas like East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), where sharks remain under threat," Sharif was quoted as saying by the English daily, The Jakarta Post, Wednesday.

Shark hunting in waters off the eastern part of Indonesia, including the provinces of NTT, NTB, West Papua and Papua, as well as Maluku, was still taking place at an alarming rate, the minister said.

"Sharks are at the top of the food chain, and their extinction could cause serious damage to our ecosystem," he said. – Bernama