#Central Java (province)

[southeastasianarchaeology]

Prambanan Temple Welcomes 2024 with Tree-Planting Tradition

Tourists at Prambanan Temple and Ratu Boko Palace kicked off 2024 by participating in a tree-planting initiative, symbolizing hopes for enlightenment and peace. This environmental preservation effort, part of an annual New Year tradition, aims to promote

via Antara, 02 Janaury 2024: PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko launched 2024 by inviting tourists to plant trees at Prambanan Temple and Ratu Boko Palace, emphasizing environmental preservation in heritage areas. This initiative, part of the New Year’s tradition, included the planting of bodhi and kalpataru trees, symbolizing enlightenment, virtue, and peace. The event,…

[divinum-pacis]

People release paper lanterns during a ceremony on Vesak Day, an annual celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing, at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java province, Indonesia, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[wiirocku]

Grojogan Watu Purbo, the Combination of Waterfall and the Majestyness of Mount Merapi between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

[southeastasianists]

Often described as the world’s largest Buddhist monument, Borobudur rises from the jungles of central Java: a nine-leveled step pyramid decorated with hundreds of Buddha statues and more than 2,000 carved stone relief panels. Completed in 835 AD by Buddhist monarchs who were repurposing an earlier Hindu structure, Borobudur was erected as “a testament to the greatness of Buddhism and the king who built it,” says religion scholar and Borobudur expert Uday Dokras.

Though Buddhists make up less than one percent of Indonesia’s population today, Borobudur still functions as a holy site of pilgrimage, as well as a popular tourist destination. But for the Indonesian Gastronomy Community (IGC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating Indonesian food culture, Borobudur is “not just a temple that people can visit,” says IGC chair Ria Musiawan. The structure’s meticulous relief carvings, which depict scenes of daily life for all levels of ninth-century Javanese society, provide a vital source of information about the people who created it. Borobudur can tell us how the inhabitants of Java’s ancient Mataram kingdom lived, worked, worshiped, and—as the IGC demonstrated in an event series that ended in 2023—ate.

The IGC sees food as a way to unite Indonesians, but the organization also considers international gastrodiplomacy as a part of their mission. Globally, Indonesian food is less well-known than other Southeast Asian cuisines, but the country’s government has recently made efforts to boost its reputation, declaring not one, but five official national dishes in 2018. To promote Indonesian cuisine, the IGC organizes online and in-person events based around both modern and historical Indonesian food. In 2022, they launched an educational series entitled Gastronosia: From Borobudur to the World. The first event in the series was a virtual talk, but subsequent dates included in-person dinners, with a menu inspired by the reliefs of Borobudur and written inscriptions from contemporary Javanese sites.

In collaboration with Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partner organizations, the first meal in the Gastronosia series was, fittingly, held at Borobudur, with a small group of guests. The largest event, which hosted 100 guests at the National Museum in Jakarta, aimed to recreate a type of ancient royal feast known as a Mahamangsa in Old Javanese, meaning “the food of kings.” The IGC’s Mahamangsa appeared alongside a multimedia museum exhibition, with video screens depicting the art of ancient Mataram that inspired the menu and displays of historical cooking tools, such as woven baskets for winnowing and steaming rice. Another event, held at Kembang Goela Restaurant, featured more than 50 international ambassadors and diplomats invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But how does one translate 1,000-year-old stone carvings into a modern menu that’s not only historically accurate, but appetizing? “We have to have this very wide imagination,” says Musiawan. “You only see the relief [depicting] the food…but you cannot find out how it tastes.” The IGC designed and tested a Gastronosia menu with the help of Chef Sumartoyo of Bale Raos Restaurant in Yogyakarta, and Riris Purbasari, an archaeologist from the Central Java Province Cultural Heritage Preservation Center, who had been researching the food of Borobudur’s reliefs since 2017.

The range of human activities depicted in the reliefs of Borobudur is so wide that it has inspired research in areas of study stretching from music to weaponry. There have even been seaworthy reconstructions based on the “Borobudur Ships” displayed on the site’s lower levels, exquisitely rendered vessels like the ones that facilitated trade in ancient Southeast Asia. So it’s no surprise that Borobudur has no shortage of depictions of food-related scenes, from village agricultural labor, to the splendor of a royal Mahamangsa, to a bustling urban marketplace. Baskets of tropical fruit, nets full of fish, and even some modern Indonesian dishes are recognizable in the reliefs, such as tumpeng, a tall cone of rice surrounded by side dishes, which is still prepared for special occasions. Some images are allegories for Buddhist concepts, providing what Borobudur archaeologist John Mikic called “a visual aid for teaching a gentle philosophy of life." Uday Dokras suggests that these diverse scenes might have been chosen to help ancient visitors “identify with their own life,” making the monument’s unique religious messaging relatable. The reliefs illustrate ascending levels of enlightenment, so that visitors walk the path of life outlined by the Buddha’s teachings: from a turbulent world ruled by earthly desires at the lowest level, to tranquil nirvana at the summit.

Musiawan says that the IGC research team combined information from Borobudur with inscriptions from other Javanese sites of the same era that referenced royal banquets. While Borobudur’s reliefs show activities like farming, hunting, fishing, and dining, fine details of the food on plates or in baskets can be difficult to make out, especially since the painted plaster that originally covered the stone has long-since faded. Ninth-century court records etched into copper sheets or stone for posterity—some accidentally uncovered by modern construction projects—helped fill in the blanks when it came to what exactly people were eating. These inscriptions describe the royal banquets of ancient Mataram as huge events: One that served as a key inspiration for the IGC featured 57 sacks of rice, six water buffalo, and 100 chickens. There are no known written recipes from the era, but some writings provide enough detail for dishes to be approximated, such as freshwater eel “grilled with sweet spices” or ground buffalo meatballs seasoned with “a touch of sweetness,” in the words of the inscriptions, both of which were served at Gastronosia events.

Sugar appears to have been an important component in ancient Mataram’s royal feasts: A survey of food mentions across Old Javanese royal inscriptions revealed 34 kinds of sweets out of 107 named dishes. Gastronosia’s Mahamangsa ended with dwadal, a sticky palm-sugar toffee known as dodol in modern Indonesian, and an array of tropical fruits native to Java such as jackfruit and durian. Other dishes recreated by the IGC included catfish stewed in coconut milk, stir-fried banana-tree core, and kinca, an ancient alcohol made from fermented tamarind, which was offered alongside juice from the lychee-like toddy palm fruit as an alcohol-free option.

Musiawan describes the hunting of animals such as deer, boar, and water buffalo as an important source of meat in ninth-century Java. Domestic cattle were not eaten, she explains, because the people of ancient Mataram “believed that cows have religious value.” While Gastronosia’s events served wild game and foraged wild greens, rice also featured prominently, a key staple in Mataram that forms the subject of several of Borobudur’s reliefs. It was the mastery of rice cultivation that allowed Mataram to support a large population and become a regional power in ninth-century Southeast Asia. Rice’s importance as a staple crop also led to its inclusion in religious rituals; Dokras explains that in many regions of Asia, rice is still an essential component of the Buddhist temple offerings known as prasad.

The indigenous Southeast Asian ingredients used in Gastronosia’s Mahamangsa included some still widely-popular today, such as coconut, alongside others that have fallen into obscurity, like the water plant genjer or “yellow velvetleaf.” Musiawan acknowledges that modern diners might find some reconstructed ancient dishes “very, very simple” compared to what they’re used to “because of many ingredients we have [now] that weren’t there before.” But in other cases, ninth-century chefs were able to achieve similar flavors to modern Indonesian food by using their own native ingredients. Spiciness is a notable example. Today, chillies are near-ubiquitous in Indonesian cuisine, and Java is especially known for its sambal, a spicy relish-like condiment that combines pounded chillies with shallots, garlic, and other ingredients. But in ancient Mataram, sambal was made with native hot spices, such as several kinds of ginger; andaliman, a dried tree-berry with a mouth-numbing effect like the related Sichuan pepper; and cabya or Javanese long pepper. “It tastes different than the chili now,” Musiawan says of cabya, “but it gives the same hot sensation.” Chillies, introduced in the early modern era by European traders, are still called cabai in Indonesian, a name derived from the native cabya they supplanted.

Gastronosia is just the beginning of IGC’s plans to explore Indonesian food history through interactive events. Next, they intend to do a series on the food of ancient Bali. By delving into the historic roots of dishes Indonesians know and love, the IGC hopes to get both Indonesians and foreigners curious about the country’s history, and dispel preconceptions about what life was like long ago. Musiawan says some guests didn’t expect to enjoy the diet of a ninth-century Javanese noble as much as they did. Before experiencing Gastronosia, she says, “They thought that the food couldn't be eaten.” But afterward, “They’re glad that, actually, it's very delicious.”

[dayofethnicityorreligion]

The Javanese in Sri Lanka represent a small yet historically and culturally significant ethnic minority group whose roots trace back to the island of Java in modern-day Indonesia. While today their numbers are relatively modest, their legacy reveals a complex tapestry of colonial-era migration, religious and cultural transformation, and assimilation within the broader Moor and Malay communities of Sri Lanka. The Javanese presence in Sri Lanka is deeply interwoven with the dynamics of European colonialism in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean world, particularly during the Dutch and British periods. Despite the limited size of the community, their influence has been disproportionately rich in terms of religious practice, cultural retention, and social history.

The migration of Javanese individuals to Sri Lanka began primarily during the period of Dutch colonial rule in the Indian Ocean, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC), which had consolidated control over both Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) and the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia), often transferred populations across its colonial holdings for administrative, military, and punitive purposes.

A significant portion of the Javanese population in Sri Lanka arrived not as voluntary migrants but as political exiles, slaves, or convicts. Many were members of the Javanese aristocracy or resistance leaders who opposed Dutch rule. These individuals, deemed a threat to colonial control, were exiled from Java to Dutch colonial outposts, including Sri Lanka. One of the most notable cases is that of Prince Susuhunan Pakubuwono II of Surakarta’s entourage and other noble figures who were exiled for their roles in uprisings or suspected subversion. Alongside these elites were soldiers and laborers, including artisans and religious figures, who were brought to Ceylon to serve in various capacities under Dutch command.

This forced migration created a diaspora community that was geographically dislocated but culturally vibrant, maintaining ties to Javanese customs, language, and especially Islam. The migration of Javanese to Sri Lanka also included people from other parts of the Indonesian archipelago, such as Madura and Sumatra, further enriching the ethnic mosaic that would come to be associated with the Sri Lankan Malays, among whom the Javanese would be culturally subsumed over time.

Over the centuries, the Javanese in Sri Lanka were gradually absorbed into the broader "Malay" community—a category that includes peoples from the Malay Archipelago brought to Sri Lanka during the Dutch and British colonial periods. This umbrella term has obscured the distinct ethnic identities of Javanese, Bugis, and other Southeast Asian groups, but it has also provided a collective identity that allowed these migrants and their descendants to maintain a degree of cultural cohesion.

The Malays in Sri Lanka, including those of Javanese descent, primarily settled in the coastal and urban areas of the Western and Southern provinces, including Colombo, Kandy, Hambantota, and Galle. These settlements were often established near colonial administrative centers or military installations where Malays served as soldiers in colonial militias, police, and other service positions.

Javanese linguistic influence in Sri Lanka has largely receded, with Malay and Sinhala being more commonly spoken among descendants. However, vestiges of Javanese vocabulary, particularly in ritual contexts and family heritage, persist in some Malay households. The use of Javanese honorifics, titles, and naming conventions was once common among elite Javanese families in Sri Lanka, especially those descended from nobility.

Religion has played a central role in preserving Javanese identity in Sri Lanka. The majority of Javanese migrants were Muslim, and their Islamic practices aligned with the broader Malay community, which facilitated communal integration. However, the form of Islam practiced by the Javanese often retained elements of Javanese religious culture, including Sufi mysticism and syncretic rituals rooted in pre-Islamic traditions.

Some of the earliest mosques established by the Malays and Javanese in Sri Lanka became centers of religious learning and cultural preservation. These institutions often taught Arabic, Malay, and basic Javanese texts, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Mawlid celebrations, communal prayer sessions, and recitations often featured uniquely Javanese Islamic chants and devotional literature. In particular, Javanese-style Qur'anic recitation and religious poetry—such as syair—were prominent in religious festivities.

Traditional Javanese dress, culinary practices, and ritual customs survived in modified forms. For example, dishes such as "nasi goreng," "sambal," and "satay" made their way into the broader Sri Lankan Malay culinary tradition, although often with localized ingredients. Celebrations such as weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, and religious festivals still bear traces of Javanese customs, such as batik garments, gamelan-inspired musical rhythms, and traditional Javanese court etiquette.

During the colonial period, Javanese-descended individuals, like other Malays, held positions in the colonial military and police forces. They were considered reliable by the Dutch and later the British due to their perceived loyalty and martial skill. These roles afforded some degree of upward mobility, though they remained socially marginalized compared to the majority Sinhalese and Tamil populations.

In post-independence Sri Lanka, the Javanese community—largely merged into the Malays—has maintained a modest but active presence in political, social, and religious spheres. Malay organizations such as the Sri Lanka Malay Confederation and local mosques have played crucial roles in advocating for minority rights and preserving cultural heritage. While the Javanese identity is often subsumed under the Malay label, some families continue to preserve genealogies and oral histories that trace their roots specifically to Java.

Javanese Sri Lankans have occasionally served as bridges between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, particularly in diplomatic and cultural exchanges. The Indonesian Embassy in Colombo has supported cultural preservation efforts and highlighted the shared heritage between the two countries, sometimes hosting events featuring Javanese dance, music, and cuisine to reconnect diasporic communities with their ancestral culture.

As with many small diaspora communities, assimilation, intermarriage, and modern urbanization have contributed to the erosion of a distinct Javanese identity in Sri Lanka. The younger generation is often more integrated into Sinhala or Tamil linguistic and cultural spheres, and many no longer speak Malay, let alone Javanese. Yet, there is a growing recognition among scholars and cultural activists of the need to document and preserve this unique historical legacy.

Academic interest in the Javanese of Sri Lanka has increased in recent decades, particularly within the fields of Southeast Asian studies, Islamic history, and migration studies. Researchers have focused on archival materials from the VOC, Dutch legal records, family trees, oral traditions, and religious texts to reconstruct the history of Javanese migration and settlement. These studies reveal a community that, while numerically small, made a meaningful contribution to Sri Lanka’s multicultural heritage.

Efforts to preserve the legacy of Javanese Sri Lankans have also included community-based oral history projects, digital archiving of old photographs and documents, and collaborative projects between Sri Lankan Malays and Indonesian cultural organizations. The story of the Javanese in Sri Lanka is increasingly seen not just as a local phenomenon, but as part of a broader narrative of Indian Ocean migrations and the transnational histories of Islam and colonialism.

The Javanese in Sri Lanka represent a microcosm of the broader diasporic experiences shaped by colonialism, forced migration, and cultural resilience. Though many have been absorbed into the larger Malay community, the distinct historical and cultural contributions of Javanese Sri Lankans remain an important part of the island’s diverse social fabric. Their legacy offers insight into the complexities of identity, heritage, and survival in the context of displacement and assimilation. As modern efforts to preserve this heritage grow, the story of the Javanese in Sri Lanka continues to enrich understandings of both Sri Lankan and Southeast Asian history.

[matapadma]

(via Delapan Kali Berturut- turut, Pemkab Demak Raih WTP) 

Demak Regency Government Wins WTP Editor by Editor 24 April 2024 Reading Time: 1 min read Eight Times in a Row, Demak Regency Government Wins WTP 0 SHARES Demak, Matapadma- The Demak Regency Government (Pemkab) has again achieved an Unqualified Opinion (WTP) for the eighth time in a row on the Regional Government Financial Report (LKPD) for the 2023 fiscal year from the Indonesian Financial Audit Agency (BPK RI). 

This was conveyed by the Head of the BPK Representative for Central Java Province, Hari Wiwoho, during the presentation of the Audit Result Report (LHP) in the Auditorium Room on the 3rd Floor of the BPK RI Office representing Central Java Province, Tuesday (23-4-2024). 

Hari Wiwoho said, all this was done by paying attention to and considering the adequacy of evidence, risk calculations and materiality calculations. 

"Obtaining WTP must be accompanied by increased accountability in regional government financial management, from budgeting to accountability," he explained. Meanwhile, the Regent of Demak Eisti'anah said that obtaining a WTP opinion was a necessity for the regional government. It requires hard work and smart work from all elements.

 "Thank God, with hard work, sincere work and good cooperation, Demak Regency was able to obtain a WTP Opinion again, this is proof that Demak Regency is successful in managing and reporting finances," he said.

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[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.20 (after 1940)

1942 – World War II: Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace. 1943 – World War II: American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies. 1943 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms. 1944 – World War II: The "Big Week" began with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers. 1944 – World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Atoll. 1952 – Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League. 1956 – The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy. 1959 – The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate. 1962 – Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes. 1965 – Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts. 1968 – The China Academy of Space Technology, China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing. 1971 – The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert. 1979 – An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java. 1986 – The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years. 1988 – The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. 1991 – In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters. 1998 – American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. 2003 – During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others. 2005 – Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout. 2009 – Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack. 2010 – In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago. 2014 – Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters died in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers. 2015 – Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services. 2016 – Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

[10bmnews]

Rescuers search for 19 trapped under rubble in Indonesia landslide

This representational image shows Indonesian rescuers and police officers standing near a damaged car at the site of a landslide caused by heavy rains in Pekalongan, Central Java province, Indonesia January 22, 2025. — Reuters Indonesian rescue teams are engaged in a desperate search for 19 individuals who remain missing following a significant landslide at a gold mine in the easternmost region…

[brewingspirits-ghost-hunters]

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Arifin, Bustanul, Arianto A Patunru, Richard Schwindt, and Richard Barichello. 2022. “Coffee Eco-Certification: New Challenges for Farmers’ Welfare.” In Globalization, Poverty, and Income Inequality, 169–96. Canada: University of British Columbia Press. https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774865630-010.

“Berita Terbaru Tentang Genderuwo Hari Ini 4 April 2025.” Tempo. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.tempo.co/tag/genderuwo.

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Guerrero, D. (2017). “Ghosts in the Garden: Supernatural Beliefs and Coffee Farming in West Java.” Asian Ethnology, 76(1), 123-145. Doi: 10.2307/90017789.

Hamid, Ahmad Humam, Agus Nugroho, Tamara HusnaPospo, and Glennice Suherman. 2023. “Impact of Coffee Sustainability Schemes on Rural Coffee Producer Households’ Living Standard in Aceh Province, Indonesia.” Acta Agriculturae Slovenica 119 (1): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.14720/aas.2023.119.1.2472.

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Lounela, Anu, and Heikki Wilenius. 2023. “Haunting the Factory: Indonesian Modernity and the Spiritual Landscape of Central Kalimantan.” Ethnos 90 (1): 128–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2023.2227773.

Machabee, Arthur. Kuntilanak. 2022. Art Station.

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[southeastasianarchaeology]

Historic Prambanan Temple to Host Year-end Music and Art Festival

Swara Prambanan, a music and art festival at the UNESCO-listed Prambanan Temple, offers a unique New Year's Eve experience with renowned musicians, art installations, and cultural shows on December 31, 2023.

via Tempo, 21 November 2023: The Prambanan Temple will host the Swara Prambanan music, art, and cultural festival on December 31, 2023. This unique event features prominent musicians and offers visitors an immersive experience combining historical majesty with contemporary art and music. The festival includes an art installation, local cultural shows, and traditional Yogyakarta cuisine, aiming to…

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[deviokta]

Let me introduce myself. My name is Devi Okta from Semarang, a city in Central Java province, Indonesia.

Devi in Sanskrit language is a goddess, means heavenly, divine, anything of excellence.

But if you add one letter "L" at the end, the word becomes Devil - the opponent of God, often seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.

So ask me who I am, I'll respond

"I can be such an angel for some, and I can be your worst f*cking nightmare"

Nice to meet you.

[divinum-pacis]

Buddhist monks take part in Vesak Day, an annual celebration of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing, at Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java province, Indonesia, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo

[haengbokhaja-muti]

A Call to Action for All: Jakarta’s Air Pollution

October 5th, 2024 

To: The President and Ministries; Governors of Jakarta, Banten, West Java; and Citizens of Jakarta

From: Mutiara Sari, Ex-employee of The Environmental Agency of Jakarta Province

This memo reviews air quality management actions in Jakarta three years after the historic 2021 legal victory in the citizens' lawsuit for restoring air quality in Jakarta. Since then, government progress on environmental issues has not been progressive. The lawsuit from the "Clean Air Initiative Coalition" (IBUKOTA) filed on July 4, 2019, was addressed to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Health, the Governor of Jakarta Province, the Governor of Banten Province, and the Governor of West Java Province as defendants. The memorandum suggests recommendations for both government and activists in view of necessary policy measures and encouragement of escalation of legal activism. I recommend 1) the president and ministries not abdicate their responsibility in this regional case, 2) the regional government continues the emission testings and for the president to order the police institution to enforce fines for non-compliance, 3) the regional government push forward the transportation sector efficiency, 4) the central government to shutdown the Suralaya Coal Plant, and 5) activist to continue the advocacy by holding the Suralaya Coal Plant responsible for air pollution.

The lawsuit finished the verdict reading on September 16, 2021, after being delayed eight times in the span of 6 months due to the absence of judges, which led the plaintiffs to report for ethical violations. The lawsuit called for the following sanctions:

Order Defendant 1 (President) to set a national ambient air quality standard sufficient to protect public health, the environment, and the ecosystem, including sensitive population health, by referring to scientific and technological developments.

Order Defendant 2 (Minister of Environment and Forestry) to oversee the Governors of Jakarta, Banten, and West Java in conducting an inventory of cross-border emissions in the provinces of DKI Jakarta, Banten, and West Java,

Order Defendant 3 (Minister of Home Affairs) to oversee and advise Defendant 5 (Governor of Jakarta) with regard to conducting control to reduce air pollution.

Order Defendant 4 (Minister of Health) to ascertain the deteriorating health as an effect of air pollution in Jakarta Province, to be used as a fundamental consideration in the strategy and action plan for controlling air pollution by Defendant 5 (Governor of Jakarta).

The following are recommendations for 1) the central and regional governments and 2) activists:

Recommendations for the Central and Regional Governments

This memo follows the guidelines on the Air Pollution Control Strategy No. 576/2023 regulation, which includes three key strategies by the Jakarta Environmental Agency. The three strategy written are to improve air pollution control management, reduce emissions from mobile sources, and reduce emissions from stationary sources.

Improving ‘Air Pollution Control’ Management

Active synergy of the central government (ministries) in the regional cases of DKI Jakarta, Banten, and West Java.  Regional governments encounter challenges in the enforcement of environmental policies due to a lack of control over the police. Police as an institution is responsible to the president; its regional subordinate institutions only do as its main institution complies. Due to that, there is evidence of “sectoral ego” from the police institution in following local jurisdiction orders, which prevented the police from penalizing non-compliance emissions tests to avoid potential backlash and abdicate responsibility. Central ministries with higher authority should actively support enforcement and not generate another sectoral ego hiding under the decentralization system, leaving the regional government to solve central government scope of work problems.

Reducing Emissions from Mobile Sources

Emissions Testing and Fines for Non-Compliance The government tried to sell the idea of emission testing to commercial workshops in order to socialize the Euro IV Emission policy massively. This emissions testing is a great measurement to implement, even though public awareness still remains low due to the lack of penalties for non-compliance as a law enforcement from the police.

Transportation Sector Efficiency Following are several ideas to support emission reduction in the scope of the transportation sector: implementing the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), rejuvenating public transportation, developing environmentally friendly transportation, and improving connecting infrastructure to public transportation facilities. These measures do promise a reduction in air pollution. However, their effect is yet to be seen.

Reducing Emissions from Stationary Sources

The operational shutdown of the Suralaya Coal Plant in Banten The corresponding policy for solving air pollution is written in the Air Pollution Control Strategy regulation. However, the regional government does not acknowledge the significant role of industry and primary non-mobile sources of air pollution in the regulation, since it is not within their jurisdiction. Therefore, the central government must consider the shutdown of the Suralaya Coal Plant in Banten as a primary non-mobile source of air pollution affecting Jakarta, Banten, and Jawa Barat. While other measures might help reduce pollution, they simply won't be as effective as shutting down this major stationary pollution source.

Recommendations for Activists

Hold the Suralaya Coal Plant Responsible for Air Pollution Activists should consider suing the state-owned Suralaya Coal Plant. In light of the legal victory in the citizen lawsuit, this success can exceptionally influence further legal assessments as it relates to the consequences of the first ruling.

Continuing to press on the government to comply with the terms of the legal victory is a core task of activists. However, the scope and scale of all the various fields are costly in terms of activist time, money, and effort. However, with the slow pace taken by the government following the lawsuit, another legal approach might be more efficient for the activists in advocating the need for the government to improve the air quality in the corresponding regions.

Despite the legal victory achieved by citizens, the appeal by the President and some government ministries after the verdict reading only proved the absence of the government’s political will to restore air quality in Jakarta. In this regard, public concern may escalate if the government continues to delay action on Jakarta's air recovery. Activists could draw international attention to its citizen lawsuits & the nation’s air pollution crisis due to government negligence.

Words: 998

Sources:

Indonesian Center for Environmental Law. (2020, June). Perjalanan Gugatan Warga negara Terhadap Udara Jakarta (The Journey of Citizens’ Lawsuit against Jakarta Air Pollution) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjkYcBVePN0

Alfarizi, M. K. (2021, October). Solusi Dua Sumber Polusi Udara Jakarta (Solution to Two Sources of Jakarta Air Pollution). Tempo.co. https://tekno.tempo.co/read/1514814/solusi-dua-sumber-polusi-udara-jakarta

Organizational Report

Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. (2019). Instruksi Gubernur Nomor 66 Tahun 2019 Tentang Pengendalian Kualitas Udara (Governor's Instruction No. 66/2019 on Air Quality Control). https://jdih.jakarta.go.id/dokumen/detail/3446

Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. (2019). Keputusan Gubernur Nomor 576 Tahun 2023 Tentang Strategi Pengendalian Pencemaran Udara (Governor's Decree No. 576/2023 on Air Quality Control). https://jdih.jakarta.go.id/dokumen/detail/13660

[cang-kang]

Interview: Exporting Seafood Waste

Date: November 8, 2022 Time: 10:00 Switzeland & 16:00 Indonesia Duration: 75 Minutes Platform: Discord Meeting Tools: Computer screen and voice recorder Interviewees: Mr. Misbarchul (Ex Seafood Waste Exporter)

Interview Summary

Interviewees introduction.

The interviewee’s name is Misbarchul, lived and was born in Jepara, Province of Central Java, Indonesia. Currently he is self-employed for his own furniture business, and 2 years ago he worked as an exporter of shell waste in Jepara.

how did he become a shell waste exporter?

Before Covid, he got an offer from his good friend to build a business together, then they tried to collect and process shell waste before exporting it to a client, they got a client from Dubai so the waste was being exported to Dubai at the time.

Is there any export client from another country?

They only exported the waste to Dubai, because at that time they only had one buyer, even though he actually didn't know whether it would be distributed again to other countries or not.

Do you know what those waste will be used for?

unfortunately, they kept it as a secret, but because we were curious we asked and got information that they made a crop fertilizer out of the waste, then it turns out there are rumor says because the shell waste contains high calcium, they made it as a mixture for dairy products like infant formula and sell it to other countries. Some people said it could be used as a mixture for cosmetics and even food supplements, even though the truth is not certain and the client/buyer has highly covered what products they make so we don't really know about that.  The same buyer also ordered the same waste from the Philippines.

what process did you do before shipping/exporting the waste?

first of all, they paid several waste collectors around Jepara to collect the waste that they need and put it all together in one place called a collection point.

because the shells from the collectors are usually still dirty (many remnants of meat still attached), so when it comes to the collection point, they clean it first by pulling it out manually by hand and then wash it in a rotary concrete machine without a mixture of chemicals or soap but clean water, after that, we dried it under the sun until perfectly dry. Pack it and arrange it into a container before ready to be shipped.

I heard that your exporting business has been in a vacuum since the pandemic. what's the reason?

Actually, the order itself is still coming, but the purchase price they offered can't give any profit, because during the pandemic the production cost was getting more expensive but the buyer tried to buy it at a lower price. So they gained hardly any profit, they even lost one container once. Until finally they decided to just vacuum. Even though the buyer is still asking for cooperation even though without considering increasing the purchase price.

last time they had the chance to open an exporting branch in Maros, Makassar, because they knew that there are many shell waste was abundant there, but it didn't work because operational costs increased more than what they expected, after one year they were returned to focused only in Java.

Are there still other types of seafood waste that are abundant in Indonesia?

especially in Jepara, there is a lot of waste from green mussels (Perna viridis) and river mussels (Pilsbryoconcha Exilis), but in Jepara the waste is usually just thrown away to the landfils, he heard that in the East Java area it is still being used as a livestock feed. They also took the shell waste not only in Jepara because there certainly weren't enough of them that met the buyer's specific type and criteria. So they went around the island of Java.

They once tried to find it in Cikarang, but in Cikarang it turned out that the shells were dead, maybe the sea there was polluted, so the shells had dark stains on their skin.

In Central Java, they stopped at Cilacap, but the shells there were already ancient, so buyers didn't really like them. They found the shell in Nusa Kambangan route. only the skin left and the skin is hard and thick. they must be hundreds of years old, still not what buyers want.

What do you think about the fact that the majority of Indonesians like to eat seafood?

In his opinion, especially in Jepara, Central Java, seafood is still a favorite food, so all people like seafood, he’s sure there's no one who doesn't like seafood.

and also because Indonesia is a maritime country with more than 16,000 islands, no wonder if seafood becomes the main source of protein. For Indonesian consuming seafood is part of culture and tradition.

because of the large amount of seafood consumption, do you know where the seafood waste is usually disposed of?

he saw a lot of seafood waste being dumped on the side of the road, mostly close to the street food stalls, and the rest from households or restaurants was just being dumped into the landfill and mixed with the other waste.

What impact do you feel this untreated seafood waste?

often emits an unpleasant odor, and makes the scenery dirty. also some places become polluted and invite a lot of unwanted insects. I'm sure it can also be a source of disease. Seafood waste cannot be degradable in the soil, in Gersik, East Java, Shell waste was used to pile up with soil before building houses, but this seems to have resulted in poor soil quality.

Is there a seafood factory that only takes and sells seafood meat, so it produces a lot of waste from the production?

As far as he know, there are some in Jepara but the factory scale is small compared with East Java like Gresik. but it's not a factory, it's just farmers who separate the meat and shells and then send them to Jakarta. Most farmers here got orders from Jakarta and another big city. Right in Makassar, we just found out that the big commodity is a crab called Rajungan. Even there, they separate the meat and send it to Jakarta. He believes crab shells could be utilized for many things as well as shell waste.

In your opinion, what if seafood waste in Indonesia can be used as renewable material? processed by Indonesian people and produced in Indonesia independently?

he will be very happy, he said that Indonesia lack in human resources and knowledge, they don't have people who understand about the utilization of seafood waste here, and want to help/contribute to the country at the same time. therefore we can only be limited to exporting the waste source.

if there are people who understand and want to contribute here, he's sure their economy will improve, especially fishermen and farmers. Because according to their perception, seafood waste already has no function. Because in the past when he went to the farmers they were shocked and confused because they thought this was unwanted trash without value.

what becomes their motivation for exporting business is to reduce waste and help the local economy. In the past, most of the employees they empowered were neighborhood housewives, because most of them were no longer working (unemployed), so they could gain some income.

He thought it will be good if we can utilize the waste ourselves in Indonesia because we don't have to go through the complicated bureaucracy, because for him who has experienced the process of exporting a large-scale of waste abroad, he was not only required to managed many documents for the shipping parties, but also to the sanitary, sometimes to Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, their goods must also enter the lab test first, for him it was very complicated.

Interview time on discord meeting.

Video call after an interview with the family.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[majianguo]

After mentioning this place for many years, my wife and I finally got the chance to spend not one but two nights at Alila Solo which is not only the most luxurious hotel in the Solo area but also the tallest building in all of Central Java Province. The pool was enormous as was the grand ballroom which I had the chance to take a quick peek inside. Hopefully next time that we are in Solo we shall be able to experience the executive lounge located on the top floor.