Indonesia TCSS, Exchange Rate, Favourite Song/Music update

[Nulgath]

New team: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, accompanied by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, unveils his new aides following a Cabinet reshuffle at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday.

After two years watching several of his ministers bicker and expose their policy differences to the public, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo told his newly reformed Cabinet on Wednesday that all ministers had to work as a team and that they only reported to him.

“The first thing I want to say, especially to new ministers, there’s no such thing as a vision or mission of a minister, we only have the vision and mission of the President and Vice President. All ministers must follow the vision and mission that we outline and all policies decided during either plenary or limited Cabinet meetings,” Jokowi said in his opening remarks to the meeting.

Speaking in the first Cabinet meeting after the reshuffle, Jokowi also said that he was fully in charge and that ministers should not take initiatives on issues not decided by him.

Jokowi tells ministers in Cabinet meeting that he is in charge of all issues. President also instructs ministers to coordinate better.

Four hours before giving the warning, President Jokowi announced his new Cabinet line-up, which included nine new faces.

The new faces in the Cabinet are Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sanjoyo, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, Trade Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Archandra Tahar and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Asman Abnur.

While the chief objective of the latest Cabinet shake-up was to accommodate the demands of political parties in his ruling coalition, especially the Golkar and National Mandate (PAN) parties, which only recently joined his government, many view the reshuffle as an effort by Jokowi to bring order to his Cabinet.

The dismissals of outgoing coordinating maritime affairs minister Rizal Ramli, energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said and transportation minister Ignasius Jonan have been seen as punishment for their penchant for publicly airing their policy disagreements and making controversial statements.

Sudirman had engaged in a string of tussles with then coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Luhut Pandjaitan and Rizal.

Sudirman and Rizal engaged in a bitter seven-month spat over the Masela gas block development, which ended only after Jokowi decided to back Rizal’s proposal to build an onshore liquefied national gas (LNG) plant.

Rizal started a fresh controversy recently by picking a fight with Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over the Jakarta Bay reclamation project. Rizal insisted on terminating the development of Islet G off the coast of North Jakarta, while Ahok has insisted that the project is legal and in line with a 1995 decree, which Rizal claimed to be now void.

Jonan, meanwhile, was in the spotlight for decisions that many deemed as laying stumbling blocks for Jokowi’s pet project, the high-speed railway project between Jakarta and Bandung, West Java.

Jonan initially refused to issue the building permit for the company developing the railway, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), arguing that it had not submitted the required documents. Jonan even declined to attend the ground-breaking ceremony for the project in January this year.

In his speech to the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Jokowi did not mention Jonan by name but he had a stinging rebuke for his former minister. “If a decision has been taken in a Cabinet meeting, then ministers should be of one voice and give their full support. They must consistently implement the decision and should not take their own initiatives, especially on issues that I have issued presidential regulations,” he said.

Jokowi issued on Oct. 6, 2015 a presidential regulation to expedite the construction of the railway project.

Meanwhile, former administrative and bureaucratic reform minister Yuddy Chrisnandi was shown the door in all likelihood for some of the controversial decisions made during his brief tenure, including his decision to issue his ministry’s annual government institution performance review, which showed his ministry to be among the best-performing government institutions. The President ignored the finding and insisted that only he had the authority to judge the performance of ministers.

Many, however, questioned Jokowi’s decision to sack culture and education minister Anies Baswedan, whom analysts considered to be one of the most competent ministers in the Cabinet.

Political analyst Arya Fernandes from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said Anies has been used as a sacrificial lamb in the effort to meet the demands of political parties.“His ministry is in the top five, but he was removed. Jokowi needed to accommodate the demands of political parties and he needed to do that with the least amount of resistance,” Arya said.

Political observer Arie Sujito of Gadjah Mada University said that the latest Cabinet reshuffle would test Jokowi’s leadership skills even more.

“The heavier challenge is that the second reshuffle should deliver better results and introduce more policy breakthroughs,” Arie said.

[Nulgath]

President Jokowi announced his new Cabinet line-up, which included nine new faces.

The new faces in the Cabinet are Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sanjoyo, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, Trade Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Archandra Tahar and Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Asman Abnur.

Wiranto

“An old soldier never stops fighting,” Wiranto once said. This sentence rings true as on Wednesday, the retired Army general, was appointed as coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, replacing Luhut Pandjaitan.

Wiranto is known as a military figure with a high-flying, but extremely controversial, career. Born to a poor family in Yogyakarta on April 4, 1947, Wiranto graduated from the National Military Academy in 1968.

Twenty years later, he was appointed as a key aide to then president Soeharto from 1987 to 1991. This was a prestigious position during the New Order regime. Afterward, his career took off as he was picked to serve in many strategic positions in the military. Finally, he held the top position as the commander of the Indonesian Military (then ABRI, now TNI) from February 1998 to October 1999.

At the end of the New Order and the beginning of the reform era, the country underwent a transition from presidents Soeharto to Habibie. At that time, Wiranto served as the defense and security minister concurrent with his role as ABRI chief.

The reform era was a time of great turbulence in the country. Wiranto, as ABRI chief, was therefore implicated in kidnappings and other abuses conducted by the Army. He was also allegedly involved, at least indirectly, in human rights violations in the Trisakti and Semanggi I and II shootings of student activists in 1998.

During the presidency of Abdurrahman Wahid he was dismissed from his position as defense and security minister in 2000 amid allegations of human rights violations in East Timor.

Prosecutors say he played a key role in facilitating severe human rights abuses by the military during Indonesia’s violent withdrawal from East Timor (now Timor Leste) during which more than 2,000 Timorese died. However, he has repeatedly denied all charges against him.

UN and domestic groups have accused Wiranto of committing crimes against humanity. He was also included in the list of suspected war criminals and was prohibited from entering the US.

Despite his controversial history, however, he has sufficient charm and charisma to earn him a limited amount of electoral support. He has made several attempts to get into the State Palace, running in the 2004 presidential election, unsuccessfully, as Golkar’s candidate.

After that, he formed the Hanura Party with several retired Army generals and has served as the party’s chairman. In the 2009 presidential election, Wiranto ran for vice-president as Jusuf Kalla’s running mate.

In 2014, Wiranto tried to run for president again with running mate media tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo but failed to garner enough support from other political parties to nominate himself. Hanura later joined with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to nominate then presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. His political efforts finally paid off, to a certain degree, on Wednesday when he was finally able to return to the Palace in his role as close aide of Jokowi, with his dark past presumably behind him.

Sri Mulyani

New Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is not only the most senior woman at the World Bank, she is, according to Forbes magazine, one of the world’s most powerful women. She is also a mother of three.

These facts speak louder than words about her qualities. The reform-minded “iron” lady, who calls herself “tough”, earned her reputation when leading the finance ministry from 2005 to 2010, during which she was known for instigating bureaucratic reforms, including at the deeply entrenched tax office by setting up a new code of ethics and set of sanctions.

Sri Mulyani opposed calls for the closure of the Indonesian Stock Exchange to halt a nosedive in shares of Bumi Resources, partly owned by politically-wired tycoon Aburizal Bakrie. She also imposed a travel ban on a number of coal-mining executives after a dispute over the companies’ reluctance to pay government fees.

Her efforts in pushing through reforms may have earned her enemies or yielded dislike in some parties. In 2010, she stepped down from her post amid a heated bailout scandal of Bank Century, in which she became the target of an opposition campaign accusing her and former vice president Boediono of abusing their authority during the Rp 6.7 trillion bailout. Sri Mulyani joined the World Bank in 2010. Prior to departing to Washington DC, in a public lecture at the RitzCarlton Hotel in Jakarta, she said in her speech: “I’ll be back.”

And back she is. Six years on, she will be faced with challenges that include a weak economy that has grown less than expected and complicated state revenue collection efforts at a time when Jokowi’s administration needs a hefty amount of funds to push through infrastructure projects.

At the World Bank Sri Mulyani was respected as someone whose understanding of clients’ needs shaped strategy for a better and bigger World Bank Group, said Jim Yong-kim, the Bank’s president. “I have personally come to rely on Sri Mulyani for her wise advice and insightful counsel, and I will greatly miss her voice on the Senior Management Team,” Jim wrote in an official farewell letter.

Archandra Tahar

While the condition of Indonesia’s oil and gas sector remains grim as a result of plunging energy prices, one long-time player may be able to spruce things up.

Boasting degrees in mechanical and marine engineering, 45-year-old Archandra Tahar, served as president of Houston-based offshore technologies and consulting company Petroneering before being summoned by Jokowi to take on the mantle of energy and mineral resources minister.

Archandra received access into Jokowi from his friend, PDI-P rising-star politician Darmawan Prasodjo -- a key member of Jokowi’s 2014 presidential campaign team.

Archandra has spent more than 20 years in the oil and gas sector, with stints as principal at Horson Wison Deepwater and as principal and president of the Asia Pacific department for AGR Deepwater Development System.

Furthermore, he holds several international patents in offshore fields.

Archandra’s background is expected to be reflected in his commitment to bringing in new technology in order to increase oil and gas production, and to ensure energy security in the future.

“Three things we hope to focus on in the energy and minerals sector is first, technology as the backbone, second, human resources and third, we must make the process more accountable,” he said after his inauguration ceremony. Oil and gas exploration in particular, has suffered under low commodity prices. Industry players await with bated breath the changes Archandra may bring with him. Executives of Pupuk Indonesia Energi (PIE), a subsidiary of state-owned fertilizer firm Pupuk Indonesia Holding Company (PIHC), for example, expect that the new energy minister could help reduce the high price of gas, which is the biggest expense of the fertilizer industry.

According to Petroengineering’s website, Archandra’s company has worked with state oil and gas firm Pertamina, BP and ExxonMobil.

[Nulgath]

Budi Karya Sumadi

Spending his entire career as a professional, Budi Karya Sumadi has been brushing shoulders with Jokowi since the latter served as governor of Jakarta between 2012 and 2014.

Prior to his appointment as transportation minister, Budi, 59, served as president director of state airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) II for a little more than a year.

He recently found himself in the media spotlight in regards to the high-profile expansion of Terminal 3 at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country’s largest and busiest airport. The operation of the terminal, initially slated to be launched in June, has been delayed after it failed to secure a greenlight from the then Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan due to a number of technical hurdles.

After securing his degree in architecture from Gadjah Mada University, also Jokowi’s alma mater, Budi started his career as an architect at the Jakarta-based construction firm Pembangunan Jaya in 1982.

Since then, he has dedicated himself to the property business for more than 25 years. He assumed the position of president director of publicly listed Pembangunan Jaya Ancol in 2004 and served in that position for nine years. Other companies where he has held board of director positions include Jaya Garden Polis, Jaya Real Property and Jaya Land.

One of his career highlights was in the Jakarta provincial administration-owned Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), where he served as president director from 2013 to 2015. During his time in Jakpro, Budi supported Jokowi’s regreening and city park construction programs in Pluit Dam, North Jakarta, while the latter served as governor. Commenting on his new position, Budi said that his long experience as a professional would help his leadership at the Transportation Ministry.

“We are talking about technicalities, like those related to human resources and finance, which I’m already familiar with,” he said. He also revealed that the President had asked him to improve the country’s connectivity and manage transportation operators.

Enggartiasto Lukita

Born 64 years ago in the West Java city of Cirebon, Enggartiasto “Enggar” Lukita is a property businessman and a veteran politician, having served in the Golkar Party for over three decades.

In 2013, Enggar jumped ship to the NasDem Party and has become a key member of the relatively young party. Following Jokowi’s inauguration as the country’s seventh president, Enggar was rumored to join Jokowi’s Cabinet as one of his economic ministers despite his alleged involvement in the 1999 Bank Indonesia liquidity support scandal.

Lawyer Petrus Selestinus, coordinator of the Indonesian Democracy Defense Team, accused Enggar in 2014 of receiving funds from Bank Bali graft convict and fugitive Djoko S. Tjandra. Petrus still to this day maintains Enggar received the funds, which he said were detailed in Djoko’s dossier.

“President Jokowi should review and reconsider Enggar. [The President] cannot be surrounded by people who are potentially involved in graft,” Petrus said. Others who were implicated in the case include former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, now Golkar Party chairman, who was quickly acquitted of all charges.

Enggar has repeatedly denied the accusations and claims an audit by multinational service network PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) supports his position.

Despite the accusation, Enggar has remained untouched and has been a NasDem Party lawmaker since 2014. Enggar, who graduated from the English department at the Bandung Teacher Training Institute (now the Indonesian University of Education), has built up a successful real estate and property business. He started his career in the industry in 1977 as a staffer to a director at PT Bangun Tjipta Sarana, where just two years later he was promoted as the company’s head of personnel.

He continued to pursue his career in the company until he became president director in 1986. Enggar would continue his reign as president director in a number of companies, namely PT Supradinakarya Multijaya Group, PT Citrasari Inti, PT Kartika Karisma Indah and PT Kemang Pratama. In his capacity as Golkar politician, Enggar has served as lawmaker for four terms from 1997 to 2014, during which time he served on various commissions, including those overseeing defense, foreign affairs, agriculture, maritime affairs, forestry and transportation.

Eko Putro Sandjojo

National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Eko Putro Sandjojo was chosen to be the villages, disadvantaged regions and transmigration minister, replacing his fellow politician Marwan Jafar.

Eko is no stranger to Jokowi’s administration. He had previously served in Jokowi’s transition team shortly after Jokowi was elected President in 2014. The team was tasked with preparing a smooth transition from then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Jokowi.

Eko was born on May 21, 1965, in Jakarta. He graduated from the Polytechnic University of Indonesia and pursued a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, US, in 1991, majoring in electrical engineering. He received a Master’s of business administration from the IPMI International Business School in 1993. After graduating, he worked at PT Indonesia Farming from 1994 to 1997 as a general manager.

Besides currently serving as a general treasurer of the PKB, Eko has also held strategic positions in various companies.

In 1997, he joined a publicly listed agribusiness company PT Sierad Produce and became its president director from 2005 to 2006. Then he moved to PT Humpuss, a publicly listed shipping firm owned by former president Soeharto’s youngest son Hutomo “Tommy” Mandala Putra. He became the company’s president director in 2007. Next, he went back to Sierad and served as the firm’s president director in 2009.

Muhadjir Effendy

Muhadjir Effendy officially replaced Anies Baswedan to become the culture and education minister. Muhadjir was born on July 29, 1956, in Madiun, East Java. The former rector received his bachelor’s degree from IKIP Malang in 1982.

Afterward, he earned his master’s degree from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) majoring in public administration in 1996. In 2008, he received his PhD in military sociology from Airlangga University, in Surabaya, East Java.
He has also done a short course in military and defense studies at the Pentagon, the US, and a short course on higher education management at Victoria University, Canada.

Muhadjir started his career at the Muhammadiyah University in Malang (UMM) as an intern. He rose slowly in his career to become a lecturer and later assistant to the rector in 1984.

In 1996, he was elected as UMM’s vice rector before finally being appointed as rector in 2000. Muhadjir has served as rector for three periods from 2000 to 2004, 2004 to 2008, and from 2008 to February this year. Besides having worked as a lecturer for the School of Social and Political Sciences in UMM, he was also a lecturer for the School of Education at the State University of Malang (UM).

Not restricting himself to the education field, Muhadjir was also known as an active columnist who often wrote on topics related to religion, education, politics and the military in mass media, scientific journals and books.
Books that Muhadjir has written about educational or military affairs include University and Students Life in 1989, The State of Education in 1992, Equilibrium Society: Walking the Changes in Balance in 2002, Humanity Paedagogy: A Multidimensional Reflection in 2004, Military Professionalism in 2008, and Military Character and Profession: A Phenomenology Study in 2009.

Muhadjir has also been active in the management of several institutions such as serving as the chairman of Muhammadiyah, chairman of the Central Agency for Private Islamic Universities Cooperation (BKS-PTIS), chairman of the Association of Families of Indonesian Islamic Students (KB PII) in East Java, and vice chairman of the Indonesian Association for the Development of Social Sciences (HIPIIS).

Muhadjir was also a member of the expert council of the Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) and a member of the board of the East Java Regional Research.
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[Nulgath]

Airlangga Hartarto

An engineer by training, Airlangga has successfully paved his way through Indonesian politics as a part of the Golkar Party, the country’s oldest and second-largest political party.

Airlangga, 53, is the son of Hartato Sastrosoenarto, who served as a minister for former president Soeharto for three consecutive terms, 15 years in total. His father, also an engineer, served as industry minister for two terms and then later became the coordinating production and distribution minister.

Airlangga was undertaking his third consecutive term as a Golkar Party legislator before his appointment as Industry Minister. Earlier this year, it was thought by many that the father of eight would run as a candidate for the party’s chairmanship. Ultimately, the chairmanship was won by former speaker of the House of Representatives, Setya Novanto.

In his second term as a legislator in the 2009-2014 period, Airlangga chaired House Commission VI overseeing industry, trade, investment and state-owned enterprises. During his tenure, he introduced the 2014 Industry Law.
Airlangga received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Gadjah Mada University in 1987. Although he failed to complete his master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Airlangga later went on to receive two master’s degrees from Monash University and Melbourne University.

Airlangga is the first and currently only Golkar Party representative in Jokowi’s Cabinet. House Speaker Ade Komaruddin, a Golkar Party member, said Airlangga was “the right man for the job”.

Asman Abnur

Asman Abnur, a senior National Mandate Party (PAN) politician, has replaced Yuddy Chrisnandi as the administrative and bureaucratic reform minister, with the main task of reforming bureaucracy and managing civil servants. Asman was born in Pariaman, West Sumatra, on Feb. 2, 1961. He completed his primary and secondary education in Riau province and moved to Padang to study for his undergraduate degree in economics. After finishing his bachelor’s degree, he moved to Surabaya, East Java, to pursue a master’s degree at Airlangga University until 2004.

Asman is a prominent businessman. He has experience developing a wide range of businesses including several gas stations, a number of restaurants, pharmacies, fitness centers, banks and money changers.
Given his business background, he has been entrusted with various positions, including chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) in Batam.Currently, he manages his business activities in Batam, Singapore and Jakarta.

Asman started his political career in 2001 as a city councilor in Batam. A few months later, he was elected deputy mayor of Batam from 2001 to 2004. He chaired the investigation team of the Batam Free Trade Zone (FTZ) from 2000 until 2004.

Asman was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Riau, in 2004 and was appointed vice chairman of House Commission XI for the period of 2004 to 2009. At the same time, he served as general treasurer for PAN. Since 2014 he has served as deputy chair for House Commission X for education and sports. The Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that Asman was well experienced to deal with the bureaucracy.

[DageDage]

Once upon a time in old Java there was a village. Pening was its name. Pening was a prosperous village. The land was fertile and the weather was always good all year round. It was on the slope of Mount Merbabu so the climate was cool. People made their living by cultivating rice, vegetables and fruits. The harvest was always satisfying. So all of them lived a happy life. That’s why once a year they held a ceremony called ‘Bersih desa’. It was a kind of thanks giving day. It was a day when they express their thankfulness to God for a successful harvest. They would clean their village and then they would pray together. At night they would have a dinner together and held teater performances.

One day after a succesful harvest they would celebrate it. That time they wanted something special. They wanted more meat for dinner. So they went hunting in a wood. Just outside of the village there was a wood where there were many animals like deer, buffalo, mouse deer, lamb and many other. But that day there was no animal at all. Animals were nowhere to be seen. They had searched every inch of the wood but still their effort were in vain. When it was almost dark, they were very tired so they took a rest. They sat on something that look like a rock and a big root. Everybody was silent because they were exhausted and disappointed.

Then suddenly someone chopped the big root with his sword to relief his disappointment. Amazingly there was blood coming out of the root. They were surprised. Someone tried to chop it deeper. He found meat ! So they chopped more and more. After their bags were full of meat they were satisfied. Then they went home happily.

That night the people of Pening were preparing a big dinner. They wanted a special dinner with the meat they got from the wood. Just as they were preparing dinner, a boy came to the village. He looked poor. He begged food to some people. But they refused. Someone said :

‘We are preparing dinner. You may come to our dinner tonight. But not now’.
‘But I am very hungry, please’.

‘Just come here tonight’.

But then there was an old widow who took care of him. She was just a poor widow. She gave him food and shelter.

‘You may take a rest here. Join us tonight for dinner’.
‘Thank you very much. You are very kind to me. You are the only one who helped me. That’s why I will save you. Tonight there will be a great event here’.

‘Yes, there will be a great party’.
‘No, I mean something special’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I cannot say now. But listen to me. Prepare a boat for you’
‘Why? What will happen?’
‘Just do as I say’
‘Please tell me what will happen?’
‘OK, you are very kind to me so I will tell you but please promise me you won’t tell anyone’.
‘OK, I promise’

‘I am Naga Baru Klinting. I am a dragon. I was meditating in the slope of Mount Merbabu when your people hurt me. They hurt me by chopping my body. Now they are preparing dinner with meat from my body. So I will take my revenge tonight, but I will save you. Prepare a boat for you’.
‘Oh, please don’t do that. Forgive my people’
‘Whatever will be , will be. Good bye’.

Then the boy left. Just before the dinner began at the village hall some boys were playing in the yard. Suddenly a boy came to them.
‘Hi guys a have a game for you’
Then he held a small bamboo and attached it to the ground.
‘If you can pull it, I will give you a special present’
‘Oh, that’s very easy’, a boy said.

He tried to pull it but it was very strong so he could not pull it. Another boy tried but he also failed. Everybody failed. Then this game drew adult’s attention. One by one they tried to pull but all of them could not make it. When many people gathered then the boy said.

‘O people of Pening. I am Naga Baru Klinting. I am a dragon. I was meditating in the slope of mount Merbabu when you chopped me. Now I will take my revenge. Enjoy your party’.

Then he pulled the bamboo. Amazingly, water poured from the ground. The water immediately flooded the village. Finally the whole village sank under water. They were all drowned and died in the lake. There was only one survivor. The poor old widow. She had prepared a simple boat so she could survive. Since then on the lake is called Rawa Pening. Rawa means lake in Javanese and Indonesian language. Today the lake is located in the province of central Java, Indonesia.

[Naka_Timo]

TULUS - Gajah (Official Music Video)

[AsuraWrath]

exchange rate for 01.08.2016 early noon in Btm :

[brassicbrassic]

Acoustic group

[Naka_Timo]

TULUS - Baru (Official Music Video)

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by DageDage

5. Pocong

A 'pocong' is the ghost of a dead person trapped in its shroud. Traditionally, when a person dies, the body is wrapped in a long piece of cloth following Muslim burial rites. The white fabric covers the deceased head to toe.

According to local beliefs, the soul of the dead stays on earth for 40 days after death. When the ties aren't released in this period, it becomes trapped in its burial shroud, with the body emerging from the grave to seek release. After the ties are released, the soul leaves the earth never to be seen again.

Interestingly, as the body's feet are tied, the ghost actually hops because it cannot walk.

Found a street magician who summon a Pochong's spirit in the street of Batam beside DC Mall today...

...in broad daylight and doing few things that was deem quite impossible.

[AsuraWrath]

Originally Posted by nono1973

Found a street magician who summon a Pochong's spirit in the street of Batam beside DC Mall today...

Sound spooky,especially on a ghost festive...any updates on the exchange rates in btm?

[nono1973]

Originally Posted by AsuraWrath

Sound spooky,especially on a ghost festive...any updates on the exchange rates in btm?

I think the so called Pochong on the pic is just street magic at work,not really spooky since its in broad daylight...but the magic show involve a man being tied up as if its being possessed by a Pochong spirit,have his shirt changed while being tied up and the abilities to untie itself a few times in different ways...once the magician asked the passerby for money,i know its street magic at work. I do have part of the show taken down,hehehe...

(note: i didnt really understand what they were talking about,i am guessing from their action)

Exchange rate in the morning on 03/08/2016 is 9730/sgd,04/08/2016 is 9750,05/08/2016 also 9750/sgd. Highest rate is at 9760/sgd during one of the day's early noon 2 days before.

Cheers!

[Nulgath]

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Six suspected militants with links to the Islamic State group were arrested by Indonesian police on Friday while allegedly plotting a rocket attack on Singapore, authorities in Indonesia and Singapore said.

Singapore said it was stepping up security in response to the plan being hatched on nearby Batam island, which is only about 15 km (10 miles) to the south of the wealthy city-state.

Indonesian police spokesman Agus Rianto told reporters the six had been plotting with a member of Islamic State in Syria to attack Singapore, a major commercial, banking and travel hub that is home to many Western expatriates.

"What we understand so far is that they were planning to attack vital objects, busy areas including police offices," Rianto said.

Indonesian authorities did not give details of the alleged plot, and it was not clear if those arrested had the capacity to carry out an attack.

Asked whether police had recovered any physical evidence of preparations for a rocket attack, Rianto said "not yet".

In Singapore, an elite police unit patrolled the glittering downtown waterfront in vehicles and on foot on Friday afternoon. One officer said they were on routine patrol.

ISLAMIC STATE LINK

The six arrested on Batam were suspected of having links to Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian fighting with Islamic State in Syria, police said.

Indonesian investigators believe that Naim was one of the masterminds behind an attack in January in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, in which eight people were killed including the four attackers.

"There's a link to Bahrun Naim because there was communication with Bahrun Naim - but whether they were affiliated with Bahrun Naim's group or not - this is what we're investigating now," Rianto said.

The Batam Pos newspaper quoted police as saying the six suspects were mostly factory workers aged between 19 and 46.

Batam is linked to Singapore by frequent ferries and its beach resorts and golf courses are a popular weekend getaway destination for Singaporeans, who are preparing to celebrate their National Day holiday on Tuesday.

Singapore said it is not surprised by the arrests.

"We were aware of the plans being made to attack us with rockets," Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said in a statement.

He did not elaborate on what type of rockets the plotters planned to use or what evidence had been uncovered.

"The attacks can come from terrorists who seek to come into Singapore; and they can come from terrorists who locate themselves just outside Singapore. Our small size increases these risks," he said.

Multi-ethnic Singapore has never seen a successful attack by Islamist militants, though authorities did break up a plot to bomb several embassies soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, while jailed Singaporean militant Mas Selamat Kastari was accused of plotting to crash a hijacked plane into the city-state's Changi Airport in 2002.

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK

National police spokesman Martinus Sitompul said police and an anti-terrorist unit were in the early stages of their investigation.

Authorities in Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia say dozens of men have gone from those countries to join IS in the Middle East, while Singapore has detained several people suspected of supporting the group.

Security officials fear that Naim and other Islamic State leaders were now asking supporters in Indonesia and other countries to launch attacks at home, instead of being drawn to the fight in the Middle East.

Southeast Asian militants fighting for Islamic State in the Middle East have said they have chosen one of the most wanted men in the Philippines to head a regional faction of the radical group, security officials said last month.

Jakarta-based security analyst Sidney Jones said it would be a departure for Naim and his supporters if they were thinking of attacking targets outside Indonesia.

"One thing I think is clear is Bahrun Naim has been able to establish a lot of communication with a lot of people through his social media network," Jones said.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this week that the financial centre was a target for IS as they saw it as "a rational, open, cosmopolitan country", even though it was not involved in the U.S.-led campaign against the group in the Middle East.

"So do not think that by lying low, we are not going to be a target," Lee told reporters while on a visit to the United States, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

(Reporting by Fergus Jensen; Additional reporting by Fathin Ungku and Anshuman Daga in Singapore; Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alex Richardson)

[Nulgath]

Last Saturday’s violent mob attacks on a number of Buddhist temples in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra were supposedly sparked by an Indonesian woman of Chinese descent complaining about the volume of the loudspeakers at a mosque near her house.

The issue of loudspeaker volume at mosques in Indonesia is obviously a sensitive one. One of the few high level politicians who has consistently brought up the topic is Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who in the past has formed a team to help tackle the issue.

In the wake of the temple attacks in Tanjung Balai, Kalla, who is the head of the Dewan Masjid Indonesia (Indonesian Mosque Council), has called on mosques to be considerate about both the volume and length of their loudspeaker use in order to protect interfaith harmony and peace.

Speaking yesterday at a seminar on the role of mosques in fighting radicalism, Kalla noted that Indonesia is the country with the most mosques in the world (around 800,000) and that the volume of the loudspeakers sometimes led to conflict even between nearby mosques.

"Sometimes the calls to prayer are conflicting with each other because there are so many mosques. We are grateful for that, but of course we must also be careful," he said as quoted by Republika

The vice president also said that mosque caretakers often set the recording of sermons and Quran recitals to run for up to 30 minutes before the call to prayer, which was unnecessary as most people coming to the mosque did not have to travel far, adding that 5 minutes should be enough time to assemble worshippers.

In the past Kalla has also spoken out against the need to create loud noises to wake people up for sahur (the pre-dawn meal) during Ramadan.

[Nulgath]

An Indonesian city has hit on an idea to rid its beaches of crocodiles – it will offer cash prizes to people who catch the man-eating reptiles, an official said on Friday.

The population of dangerous saltwater crocodiles around two beaches near Kupang in eastern Indonesia has been increasing in recent years and there have been reports of tourists being attacked.

Authorities now plan to launch a competition offering cash prizes of 5mn rupiah ($380) to animal experts for each of the reptiles caught alive, said local tourism chief Marius Ardu Jelamu.

“We have warned visitors to be careful when visiting the beaches but it’s not enough, we must do something,” Jelamu told AFP. “Some of these animals are 3m to 4m (10’ to 13’) long, this is very scary.”

Jelamu said the scheme was aimed at those experienced in dealing with crocodiles – not the public – and the animals would likely be caught using tranquilliser guns and ropes.

After being captured, the crocodiles – which are a protected species under Indonesian law, so cannot be killed – would be released back into the wild far from the beaches.

Participants will compete in teams and the scheme is set to begin in the near future, said Jelamu.

However the local wildlife agency expressed concerns that the contest could be dangerous for participants, with agency chief Maman Surahman saying that crocodiles were “scary creatures” for humans.

Saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species reaching up to 7m in length, and are known as formidable predators.

The huge Indonesian archipelago is home to a vast array of exotic wildlife, including a number of species of crocodile.
Crocodiles in Indonesia regularly attack and kill humans.

In April a Russian tourist was mauled to death by a crocodile in the Raja Ampat islands, a popular diving site in the east of the archipelago.