19 sawmills face closure in Lombok

19 sawmills face closure in Lombok

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: At least 19 sawmills in West Lombok,
West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), will likely be closed by local
authorities for failing to possess operational licenses, the head
of the local forestry office Suhayatman said on Monday.

He said the planned closure was also because the supply of
basic materials for the businesses was now very limited.

The 19 sawmills require around 380 cubic meters of logs per
day to survive, he added.

Suhayatman said the sawmills had purchased most of their basic
materials from log smugglers following the closure of forestry
company PT Angka Wijaya in recent months, which used to supply
them with wood.

"We are cautious that if the sawmills are allowed to operate
further, massive clearance of forests will continue. So far,
there have been around 3,000 hectares of forest in West Lombok
seriously damaged," he said. --Antara

Rape on the rise in West Kalimantan

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: At least 80 cases of violence against
women and children were recorded during the January-April period
this year in West Kalimantan, a legal aid association said on
Monday.

Hairiyah, who heads the province's Indonesian Women's
Association for Justice (APIK), said that at least 36 of the
cases were rape or other sexual assaults against women and
children.

She blamed the increase of the cases on the rising consumption
of drugs and the spread of pornographic VCDs among local males,
and the parents' poor surveillance of their children.

Hairiyah said he backs calls for rapists to receive heavier
sentences than the current penalty which is usually far less than
12 years in jail, should they even be found guilty.

Local psychologist Roslina said that in an effort to prevent
more violence, women should avoid stimulating sexual passion in
men through their "impolite" dress. --Antara

Team of female painters lauded by Muri

SEMARANG: The Indonesian Record Museum (Muri) has included a team
of 100 female painters from Bandung, West Java, in its record for
their achievement in creating a huge painting on a 100-meter long
canvas.

"The team deserves to receive an appreciation award from the
record museum for its rare achievement. It is even the first to
happen in Indonesia," head of Central Java's Muri Paulus Pangka
said in Semarang.

He said the giant painting, which was part of the Kartini Day
celebration, was finished in only 100 minutes on Sunday.

The team should be held up as an example for other Indonesians
to attempt similar achievements, because that was necessary to be
a developed country, he added. --Antara