Worldwide Accent Project | Jakarta, Indonesia

Sumatran elephants could be extinct in 30 years

The Sumatran elephant could be extinct in the wild within three decades unless immediate steps are taken to slow the breakneck pace of deforestation, environmentalists warned Tuesday.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently listed the animals as "critically endangered" after their numbers dropped to between 2,400 and 2,800 from an estimated 5,000 in 1985.

The decline is largely because of destruction of their habitat, with forests all across the Indonesian island of Sumatra being clear-cut for timber, palm oil and pulp and paper plantations.

Sumatra has some of the most significant populations of Asian elephants outside of India and Sri Lanka and is also home to tigers, orangutans and rhinos.

"The Sumatran elephant joins a growing list of Indonesian species that are critically endangered," Carlos Drews of the conservation group WWF said in a statement Tuesday. "Unless urgent and effective conservation action is taken these magnificent animals are likely to go extinct within our lifetime."

Indonesia's endangered elephants sometimes venture into populated areas searching for food and destroy crops or attack humans, making them unpopular with villagers.

Some are shot or poisoned with cyanide-laced fruit, while others are killed by poachers for their ivory.


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Malaysia saves endangered pygmy elephant on Borneo

Malaysian wildlife authorities said they had rescued a pygmy elephant calf on Borneo island and expressed hope a planned sanctuary would provide protection for the endangered animals.

The male calf, which is less than a month old, was pulled out of a deep moat surrounding a palm oil plantation in remote Sabah state on Friday, said Sen Nathan, a senior official with the Sabah Wildlife Department.

It is the fifth calf rescued by wildlife officials since 2009. Three of those previously saved have died but a female has recovered and is now at a wildlife park.

There are fewer than 2,000 Borneo pygmy elephants left in the wild, according to authorities. A sub-species of the Asian elephant, the creatures have a rounded appearance and are smaller than mainland elephants.

Wildlife activists warn that pygmy elephants are fast losing their natural habitat to deforestation and human encroachment on Borneo, a vast island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.


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How to deter train surfers Indonesian-style!

Indonesia has gone to imaginative extremes to try to stop commuters from illegally riding the roofs of trains. The images below are common sights in our region... train surfing!

...and the creative solution?

OMG! You kidding meeh?

Now the authorities have an intimidating and possibly even deadly new tactic: Suspending rows of grapefruit-sized concrete balls to rake over the top of trains as they pull out of stations, or when they go through rail crossings.

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INDONESIAN FOLKLORE: Ibu Gogo

These little guys were sighted in Flores, Indonesia, from ancient times to the 19th century. They’re described as hairy and short with big guts. They walk like humans. They are said to have mimicked the words people said to them.

Australians and Indonesians found skeletons of a new species of human at an archaeological site. They were believed to live over ten thousand years ago. The skeletons were about a meter tall.

These skeletons were thought to possibly be the Ibu Gogo of Indonesian folklore. The Ibu Gogo have been used by Indonesians as a scare tactic to get their children to behave. The term “Ibu Gogo” means grandmother who eats anything.

Legend has it that the ebu gogo and the people lived in peace… for a while. The Ibu Gogo started killing crops and the humans’ animals. They fled to caves when the humans started killing them. These caves were eventually set on fire after the Ibu Gogo stole a baby. Some were said to have fled to the Liang Bua caves, which is the cave where the archaeologists found the small skeletons.

Mount Sinabung Erupts After 400 Years

Mount Sinabung on Northern Sumatra Island in Indonesia erupted early this morning at 2:15am local time. No historical records of its eruption patterns although crater activities has been observed since 1912. More than 12,000 people has to be evacuated as a precautionary measure of the government.

Mount Sinabung (Gunung Sinabung in Bahasa Indonesia) is 8,071 ft high and the nearest city to it is Medan. Only 1 death; a 54-year-old man died due  to respiratory complications while evacuating his home.






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COOL ADVERT: "Get Them Off Your Dog" | Jakarta

This is a huge (225 square meter) sticker in a mall with people looking like cooties from the upper floors. There were actually 3 malls in a city with such a creative advert.

Advertising Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Jakarta, Indonesia
Art Directors: Aryanto Salim, Joel Clement
Copywriters: Pancaputera, Juhi Kalia
Photographer: Heret Frasthio

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THE GREAT HORNBILL: Our Heritage Icon

Here’s one heritage icon instantly associated to our beloved region – the Great Hornbill of the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. *other species found in Vietnam*

They are called แก้ไข นกกก in Thai, Kalaw in the Philippines and Burung Enggang in Malaysia and Indonesia and Kenyalang in Kalimantan. *what is it called in your language?*

I visited Jurong Bird Park in Singapore a few weeks back and this birdie does it all the time. When I walk in the aviary, they always land to get in the way. So, either I go back where I come from or I just make a run for it. What do they want from me?

Obviously, these great birds are fearless. That’s why they are the symbol of numerous tribes like the Iban people of Borneo, the Dayaks of Kalimantan, the Igorots of Ifugao -- Brave, fearless warriors of the land. Sarawak is known as the "Land of the Hornbills".

They can grow up to 4ft in height with a wingspan of 5ft! That’s why they are sovereigns of the rainforest. The Hornbill’s most distinct feature is that ginormous thingy on top of its’ already ginornous bill – it’s called a “casque” by those who want to have names for anything & everything. A casque – don’t forget.

It is said that Hornbills use their casques (only males has it) for aerial battle. Like what those deers and goats do – butt fight! Although nobody has actually seen Hornbills in actual aerial butt fight.. It’s just a legend perhaps.

The Great Hornbill is in the list of Threatened Species. We can’t afford to lose another one of our endemic icons.

Save the forest, protect the Great Hornbills –

heritage icons of Southeast Asia.


Buceros bicornis


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*Thanks to Mr Bauer for the photos

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WHAT GOES ON DURING HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI?

The Hari Raya is one of my most awaited events in Southeast Asia. I would go to my Muslim friends’ house and eat and eat as much as I can – uhm, did I just sound like a free-riding cheapskate there? LOL. Nah, kidding aside…the Hari Raya is a special day when Muslims celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan with their families.

Greeting me, greeting you. Hari Raya literally means... “Day of Celebration”. Aidilfitri is the Malay term of the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr. Muslims in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei use the greeting “Selamat Hari Raya” while Muslims in Indonesia use “Salam Aidilfitri”. This is also a time for reconciliations and the words...“Maaf zahir dan batin” are added which means “I seek forgiveness with all my being”. “Happy Eid” is acceptable to English speaking greeters.

New stuffs for the kids! Just like Christmas or Songkran, Hari Raya is also most awaited by children. This is the day they get new clothes, new shoes, new PlayStation *that’s for me!* and all sorts of presents. The adults are extra generous by giving small amounts of money they call “Duit raya”. *Ch-k-ching!*

Everybody is in a festive mood! People would be extra happy, extra friendly and seem like they are switched on to shopping mode as well! Big cities and towns would have sale, big promotions, discounts and the malls are playing Hari Raya songs non-stop! TV show extravaganzas and concerts rule the airwaves for the succeeding days.

1 light bulb, 2 light bulbs, 3 light bulbs…City streets transform into a Disney-like feel with all the thousands of light bulbs on just about anywhere they can stick in onto -- like stars descended from the heavens. More traditional families in towns use lamps to decorate their houses at night time.




Traditional costumes galore! It is customary for Malays to wear traditional Malay costumes on Hari Raya. Men would wear “baju” and women would wear “kurung” or “kebaya” – they will take pictures of themselves and post it on MySpace for the entire world to see! I really love it when they flaunt and proud of wearing their traditional costumes! Simply admirable.

Honk! Honk! Most people would hold traditions the best they can. There is “Balik Kampung” which means going back to one’s home town and celebrate Hari Raya with their relatives and childhood friends. You wouldn’t believe the nationwide traffic caused by this mass exodus! Traffic enforcers are on a 24-hour alert!



Come in! Come in! On the eve of the celebrations; mothers, grandmas and aunts are busy preparing food, cakes, sweets and the best dishes – Ketupat and Rendang are on top of the menu. Supermarkets would sell instant-versions of it for the city people. And the most beautiful of it all is the “open house” – where you can just show up to other people’s house and eat to your hearts’ desire.

Behind all this modern celebration of the Hari Raya is an earnest tradition of keeping close to their religion. Muslims would start the day with a prayer at the mosque, visit people who are close to their hearts and be compassionate with all sincerity.

The Hari Raya is truly a Southeast Asian tradition to behold.


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* Note: The Eid-ul-Fitr is also a national holiday in the Philippines.
THIS IS A REPOST.

Southeast Asia’s LARGEST PROVINCE/STATE (Administrative Divisions)

We call our Administrative Divisions differently – Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam use “Province”; Burma and Malaysia use “State”; Brunei and Timor Leste use “District” and Singapore don’t have any divisions at all.

Southeast Asia has a total of 331 provinces, states and special administrative regions.

The country with the most number of divisions is the Philippines with 81; followed by Thailand with 76 and Vietnam with 58. Indonesia, though the largest country in the region, only has 33.


The 10 Largest Province/State in Southeast Asia:


1. Papua, Indonesia / 421,981 km² / Capital: Jayapura

2. East Kalimantan, Indonesia / 245,238 km² / Samarinda

3. Shan State, Burma / 155,800 km² / Taunggyi

4. Central Kalimantan, Indonesia / 153,564 km² / Palangkaraya

5. West Kalimantan, Indonesia / 146,807 km² / Pontianak

6. Sarawak, Malaysia / 124,450 km² / Kuching

7. West Papua , Indonesia / 115,364 km² / Manokwari

8. Sagaing State, Burma / 93,527 km² / Sagaing

9. Kachin State, Burma / 89,041 km² / Muitkyina

10. Riau, Indonesia / 82,232 km² / Pekanbaru


The Papua Province of Indonesia is twice the size of Laos, 1 ½ times larger than the Philippines and bigger than both Malaysia and Vietnam.

It is 22 times bigger than Timor Leste, 80 times larger than Brunei and a whopping 618 times bigger than Singapore. *Ay caramba!*

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Southeast Asia's NEW SET OF OLYMPIC HEROES

They are the magnificent symbols of our determination. They are the striking illustration of what our peoples can do. They are the reincarnation of our fearless ancestors. A burning pride of our race.

People of Southeast Asia…may I present to you…
OUR new Olympic heroes.


Somjit Jongjohor สมจิตร จงจอหอ of Thailand, Boxing
Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon ประภาวดี เจริญรัตนธารากูล of Thailand, Weightlifting
Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia, Badminton



Manus Boonjumnong มนัส บุญจำนงค์ of Thailand, Boxing
Feng Tian Wei, Li Jia Wei and Wang Yue Gu of Singapore, Table Tennis
Hoàng Anh Tuấn of Vietnam, Weightlifting
Liliyana and Nova Widianto of Indonesia, Badminton
Lee Chong Wei 李宗伟 of Malaysia, Badminton
Buttree Puedpong บุตรี เผือดผ่อง of Thailand, TaeKwonDo



Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia, Badminton
Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, Weightlifting
Triyanto of Indonesia, Weightlifting



LONG LIVE OUR CHAMPIONS!

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PERFECT SPECIMEN: Petra Verkaik

The Most Published Woman in Playboy History.

Playboy. Yes, Playboy. If you don’t know what the heck it is either you’re from Uranus or one big fat hypocrite. There. You give up? Good.

Petra is one of the world’s most famous adult models. She was born Petra Charlotte Verkaik on 04 November 1966 in Los Angeles. Her deliciously exotic looks came from a mix of a Dutch father and an Indonesian mother (from Bali). And where she got those spectacular bumpers is simply a phenomenon. *slurp slurp* LOL

Petra first became a Playmate in December 1989 and appeared in more than 70 Playboy magazines since then. A feat no other woman in the world has accomplished.

If you are below 18 years old, click here.
For grown ups, click HERE.
– Petra’s official website.
More PG13 photos of Petra here...






Eurasians are the hottest people on Earth.

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TOP 10 SURF SITES IN INDONESIA

Indonesia is the world’s ultimate surfer’s paradise. With more than 17,000 islands *whoa!*... who knows what else is out there!?

The island of Bali alone has more than 40 established surf sites! There are more than 150 surf sites in Indonesia known to the surfing circuit! Woohoo! Thank god for Indonesia!

Having said that…it would be quite impossible to rate the Top 10 Surf Sites in Indonesia. So I asked some help from a couple of friends who has visited most of these sites. Here’s what we thought…

1. Padang Padang – Southern-most tip of Bali. The Bali Pipeline. The most dangerous in all of Southeast Asia. For pros and kamikaze only. Power and fear. Epic 100-300m waves with 3-5m swells. The crowd makes it more dangerous. Left/Reef-Coral.

2. Uluwatu – Southern-most tip of Bali. The most famous in all of Southeast Asia. Totally epic! 50-300m waves with 2-5m swells. Entry caves. Left/Reef-Coral.

3. Impossibles – Southern-most tip of Bali. Short 50m waves with awesome 2-5m swells. Left/Reef-Coral.

4. Bluffs – Bali. Hollow waves surrounded by rocky cliffs. Wave stats same as Impossibles. This spot is very hard to find. Right/Reef-Rocky

5. Bangko Bangko – Southwest coast of Lombok Island. The Aussies call it “Desert Point”. 300m waves with 2-4m swells. Tubes occur for 10-20 sec. Left/Reef-Coral

6. Bawa – Sumatra. Right/Reef-Coral
7. Asu – Sumatra. Left/Reef-Coral
8. Rifles – Mentawai. Right/Reef-Coral
9. Keramas – Bali. Left&Right/Reef-Rocky
10. Grajagan – East Java. Left/Point Break

This list is subjective to 26 seasoned surfers surveyed exclusively for BISEAN. Actual visits from 15 January – 10 March 2008. Total surf sites visited: 67.

I personally think the 3 sites in Sumba Island were overlooked. And they should’ve more Mentawai sites on the Top 10. But hey, this was a survey – nothing I could do with it.

Nevertheless, the list is ACTUALLY Southeast Asia’s Top 10 already.
So, there you go. Thank you, Indonesia.

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*Special thanks to all 25 BISEAN surfers. Georgy, Mer, Bjorn, Hagar, Tommy, Hulda, Frog, Ton, Macky, Piss, Monsta, Boggs 1, Boggs 2, Jim A., Jim G., Jim L., Mary Antoinette (Queen of All Surfers), Henry, Beng-beng, Noel B., Noel D., Dave, Xtian, Mugger and TinyGiant. Plus the legendary Maui S! I owe you all trip to the Olympics…Now, get your asses over to the Philippines! New tasks were sent to your emails. =) **Thanks to Carl Page for the 2nd photo.

MALAYAN SUN BEAR: The World’s Smallest Bear

I always believed that a nation’s character can be judged by the way they treat their animals. So, one of the first places we visited is the Beijing Zoo -- The appalling 50,000 square meters of hell and disgusting prison of over 8,000 of our animal friends!

The first creatures we looked for are those endemic to Southeast Asia. Because if I did find one, the zoo officials are gonna hear from me words that they couldn’t take… or understand! Ha!

We eventually found a sleepy little bear, groggy and walking awkward with its feet turned inwards. It is the Sun Bear!

The Sun Bear is one of our region’s living icons. It is the world’s smallest bear and can only be found in Southeast Asia – primarily in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia and Indonesia. Their territory also covers Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia to Thailand in the south.

The Malaysians and Indonesians call them “Beruang Madu” – meaning the “Honey Bear”. And because of its size, others call it the “Dog Bear” because its full length is less than 4 feet. But how did the “Sun Bear” got its name? – Because of the “U”-shaped yellow-orange marking on its chest. A unique marking gave them the name. I know what you're thinking... why didn't they name 'em the "U" Bear? Or a "Horse-shoe" Bear!?... AHA! Let me tell you why... its the same reason your parents didn't name you Tinkerbell.

As all the bears in the world, the Sun Bear specie is vulnerable. Their population is declining fast.

Well, we all know the destruction of their habitat issue and the ridiculous Chinese bile-milking industry…but most of us are not aware that the Sun Bear is regarded as “nuisance”. People say they destroy private properties and plantations! THAT’S STUPID! If these people didn’t invade the Sun Bears territories, they wouldn’t have this problem in the first place! Ha!

One of my friends remarked that this small bear seem groggy and sleepy at zoos. Well, it’s because the Sun Bear is nocturnal. They are active at night and the zoos are forcing them to “entertain” the visitors at day time! Pffft!

The Sun Bear is one of the most neglected symbols of our region. It is the only one of the world's 8 species of bears that can only be found in our paradise. Let's not wait till its too late to save them.

Helarctos malayanus.

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