Baduy people demand Sunda Wiwitan acknowledged as religion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/29/2011 9:58 PM

The Baduy people in Lebak subdistrict, Banten, have called on the government to acknowledge their religion, Sunda Wiwitan, by allowing them to put it on their ID cards.

“We hope that the government will acknowledge our religion, Sunda Wiwitan,” Baduy community leader Dainah said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

Indonesia only acknowledges six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Dainah said that the Baduy community members were disappointed when the Lebak administration did not allow them to put Sunda Religion on their ID cards, saying that it would be illegal.

“We are also Indonesians. We should have the same rights as other Indonesians,” he said.

According to Dainah, the government once allowed them to put their religion on ID cards from 1972 to 2010. Since then, Baduy people had been leaving the religion column on their ID cards empty.

Of 2,830 Baduy families only a few had ID cards because of the inconvenience, Dainah said.

Dainah said that 130 people had processed ID cards this year, up from 20 people last year.

He said most Baduy people, who clung to traditional and tribal values, thought ID cards were unimportant.

700 business people to join ASEAN Summit

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 11/16/2011 11:36 AM

At least 700 business people, mostly from ASEAN partner countries, have signed up to join the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, this week.

“They come from Australia, South Korea, Japan and other ASEAN partner countries,” ASEAN Business Advisory Council chief Anangga Rusdiono said Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Anangga said the business summit had attracted a large number of business people, but said the registration process had created several difficulties.

“It has been quite difficult to get ID cards,” he said.

The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit will be held on Thursday morning. The summit, which will discuss food security and connectivity, will be divided into groups based on partner countries.

91 boat people stranded in Kupang

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 01/26/2011 10:26 AM | Archipelago

At least 91 boat people of Middle Eastern origins on their way to Australia in search of political asylum were stranded on Tuesday in Naikliu village in Timor, East Nusa Tenggara.

The group were stranded after their boat was struck by high seas, and are now being detained at North Amfoang Police station.

East Nusa Tenggara Immigration Office chief Rindang Napitupulu confirmed that the group had been detained.

“Yes, those illegal immigrants were stranded in Amfoang since Tuesday evening,” Rindang said Wednesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Most of the group were from Afganistan (68), while others were from Iraq (14), Pakistan (6) and Iran (3). The group comprised 75 men, seven women and five crew members.

Rindang said police and the immigration office had yet to move the group to Kupang, because the road connecting Amfoang to Kupang was impassable in the current weather conditions.