On 8th November about 15 white clad men descended on the Ganjuran Sacred Heart Church in Sumbermulyo village, Bambanglipuro, Bantul, Yogyakarta, and demanded that dozens of Merapi volcano refugees that were being given shelter in the church, - those of them who were Muslim, - leave forthwith.

Sriwijaya Air embarks on a major fleet expansion, purchasing contracts on 40 new planes.

Tanjung Puting national park in Borneo among the winners in the inaugural Citra Pesona Wisata (Cipta Award) tourism awards.

Batavia Air has launched a new route: Jakarta to Tanjung Pinang in Riau on Bintan island, Sumatra.

Reading Ambassador (Duta Baca Indonesia), television celebrity Tantowi Yahya said at the proclamation event in Pontianak for the "West Kalimantan Reads" movement that Indonesians were not voracious readers for largely reasons of poverty:

"Above all it's based on economic factors, on whether families can afford to buy books and newspapers."

Poor families would naturally prioritise food, school fees, and school textbooks, over the purchase of recreational reading material.

He suggested two methods to ameliorate the problem:

• libraries; from the national down to the village level, to enable poor people access to books for free
• parents, especially mothers, should read in front of their children regularly, to sow an interest in reading in their spawn

Tantowi Yahya extolling the virtues of reading

However on at least the first point - libraries - Tantowi said Indonesia still had very far to go in providing adequate public facilities, and that most regional government heads had little interest in developing library facilities:

How many local politicians campaign on building up library infrastructure?

There was one bright spot, he said, that being the province of Riau, where the Governor had built a very big and comprehensive public library right next door to his own office building: [1]

The example of Riau has to be followed in other regions.

Australian media story about surfers in Mentawai

The chairman of the Travel Association (ASITA) of West Sumatra, Asnawi Bahar, worried that early reports from the earthquake/tsunami disaster area on Mentawai Island were too bold in speculating over the fate of foreign tourists, especially surfers, in the area.

He said:

"It sets a bad precedent and West Sumatra will be seen as an unsafe area for visiting and surfing. I really hope that the media does not give the wrong impression about West Sumatra."

A 7.2 strong earthquake, and consequent tsunami, struck the Mentawai Islands district, specifically Pagai island, on October 26th, killing at least 300 people, with another 100 or so missing.

Premature reports of 'missing' tourists

Bahar worried that a number of already booked foreign tour parties would cancel their plans to visit the area, because the media was so willy-nilly in reporting on the possible fate of foreigners in the district.

Every year 10,000 surfers visited West Sumatra, prior to this week's disaster, and they spent on average $1000 each during their stay. If they stayed at the Makaroni and Kandui resorts, they spent even more money, he said.

If they are influenced by the bad news it will have a long term negative effect.

He hoped that news agencies would be more responsible in their reports, and check the facts first with the relevant agencies, and that "regulations" regarding these matters be tightened. [1]

Jusuf Kalla chides the residents of the slopes of Mt Merapi for believing in Javanese superstition, instead of trusting the government and science.

Plans to install CCTV surveillance cameras in the red light district of Surabaya, Dolly, as the noose tightens around it.

The debate over whether to award former president Soeharto national hero status; the full list of names to be considered.

Bengkulu governor has high hopes of turning Panjang Beach into a tourist mecca to rival Kuta, Bali; the homestays have been prepared.