Ban eased on Chinese literature

Ban eased on Chinese literature

JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday slightly eased the ban
against the use of Chinese literature and teaching of the Chinese
language, the legacy of the anti-Chinese sentiments of the 1960s.

Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security
Soesilo Soedarman announced yesterday that hotels and recreation
centers can publish brochures and programs in Chinese for the
benefit of their Chinese patrons.

The government expects the new policy to draw more trade and
tourism from mainland China.

"The policy was made in anticipation of the increasing
arrivals of Chinese-speaking tourists," Soesilo told reporters
after presiding over a meeting of cabinet ministers under his
charge.

Although Indonesia re-established ties with China in 1990
after a 23-year hiatus, the government has continued to ban the
use of Chinese characters in any publications, whether locally
printed or imported. At one time, the use of Chinese characters
was even considered subversive.

The only exception was given to Harian Indonesia, a
government-owned newspaper, which uses Chinese characters.

Soesilo said hotels and entertainment places are now being
encouraged to subscribe to the daily for the benefit of their
Chinese guests.

Hotels and travel bureaus are now allowed to print brochures
in Chinese to advertise their facilities and tourist attractions
as well as package tours, but they will still be subject to
official scrutiny, Soesilo said.

"All the materials have to be printed in the publishing houses
designated by the government and copies must be made available to
the government," he said.

Juanda Airport

The government is also relaxing slightly the ban against the
teaching of the Chinese language. Such courses will be strictly
limited to people working in the tourism industry.

Courses on functional Mandarin are now available for tourist
guides, hotel employees, shopkeepers and travel bureau operators,
Soesilo said.

Artists, masters of ceremony and employees of hotels and
entertainment places are free to organize programs in the Chinese
language as a media of communication with their guests.

Another measure taken to court more Chinese tourists is the
opening of Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java, as the third
immigration entry point for Chinese tourists. Previously, they
could enter only through Jakarta and Medan.

The ban against the use of Chinese characters in publication
materials and against the teaching of the Chinese language came
in the wake of the 1965 coup attempt blamed on the Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI), which was subsequently outlawed.

Indonesia severed diplomatic ties with China two years later,
accusing Beijing of playing a role in the coup attempt. Ties were
restored in 1990 and the two countries have since bolstered their
trade and investment relationships.

But elements of the anti-Chinese legacy remains to this day.

Soesilo said the new policy was not in conflict with the old
regulations but declined to go into detail.

Control

Soesilo said the meeting yesterday also agreed to step up
control of forestry management because of concern over the rapid
loss of tropical forests due to logging activities.

Among the actions that the government will take to preserve
143 million hectares of forests across the country are the
imposition of more severe punishments for law breakers, the
holding of tree-planting campaigns in villages, the establishment
of timber ports and the imposition of stricter rules on the use
of chain saws.

"Timber will be maintained as a prime commodity but the policy
will be balanced with better forestry and industrial management,"
Soesilo said.

He said the government plans to recruit 5,000 forest rangers
each fiscal year from now because the existing 6,500 rangers are
far from adequate.

Yesterday's meeting also endorsed the formation of local coast
guard units to secure marine resources as proposed by the State
Minister of Environment, Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

The guard units are to be formed out of concern over the
deteriorating conditions of marine resources, notably coral reefs
and mangroves, as well as the problem of sea pollution. (pan)