Fossils of 'Largest' Dinosaur Found in Argentina

Giant dinosaur: Handout picture released on Saturday by the Egidio Feruglio Paleontological Museum showing technicians working in the area where fossils of a dinosaur -- likely to be the largest ever to roam the earth-- were found in Chubut, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Buenos Aires. Paleontologists in Argentina's remote Patagonia region have discovered fossils of a creature is believed to be a new species of Titanosaur, a long-necked, long-tailed sauropod that walked on four legs and lived some 95 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. (AFP/Museo Egidio Feruglio)

Paleontologists in Argentina's remote Patagonia region have discovered fossils of what may be the largest dinosaur ever, amid a vast cache of fossils that could shed light on prehistoric life.

The creature is believed to be a new species of Titanosaur, a long-necked, long-tailed sauropod that walked on four legs and lived some 90 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period.

Researchers say the plant-eating dinosaur weighed the equivalent of more than 14 African elephants, or about 100 tonnes, and stretched up to 40 meters (130 feet) in length.

The previous record holder, also in Argentina, the Argentinosaurus, was estimated to measure 36.6 meters long.

A fossilized femur of the Titanosaur was larger than a paleontologist who lay next to it.
And the find didn't stop there.

Bones from at least seven individual dinosaurs, including some believed to be younger, were found at the site.

This is "the most complete discovery of this type of giant dinosaur in the world, a momentous discovery for science," cheered Jose Luis Carballido, one of eight scientists who participated in the research.

The fossils were accidentally discovered in 2011 by a farm worker in a remote area in the Patagonian province of Chubut, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) south of Buenos Aires.

The worker first spotted a massive leg bone, measuring some 2.4 meters in length.

Excavations launched in January 2013 also uncovered complete bones of the tail, torso and neck -- which will allow for a fuller picture of what the entire animal looked like when alive.

Carballido, part of a team of Argentine and Spanish researchers, said the group had uncovered "10 vertebrae of the torso, 40 from the tail, parts of the neck and complete legs."

"Until now, what was known, worldwide, about sauropods was from fragmentary discoveries," said the 36-year-old paleontologist from the Egidio Feruglio Museum in the southern city of Trelew, calling the find "extraordinary."

- Tip of the iceberg -

Even more bones may yet appear.

So far, "we have only recovered an estimated 20 percent of what's in the field," said Carballido.

The find is set to help shed light on more than just the anatomy of these remarkably large herbivores.

The researchers have also found what they believe to be muscle insertions, which will help them reconstruct the form of the creature's muscles and calculate how much energy was needed to move them.

Paleontologists have found about 60 teeth at the site, 57 of which are from Tyrannotitan carnivores -- one of the largest known therapods, and known scavengers.

In addition to the skeletal remains, fossil imprints of leaves and stems have been found, which could help researchers rebuild the ecosystem at the time.

"We will be able to make a very precise reconstruction and answer many questions," Carballido said -- including just what about southern Argentina made conditions favorable for so many massive dinosaur species.

- 'A treasure trove' -

So far, the new species remains unnamed, and scientists estimate they will publish the first results next year.

"The research will be done in several stages. First we will present the new species, its characteristics," Carballido said, followed by years of study to detail the animal's biology and "the way it grew up."

Paul Barrett, fossils and anthropology expert at London's Natural History Museum, cautioned that claims this dinosaur is the largest ever still must be confirmed.

"This is an inspiring new discovery of a truly gigantic dinosaur," Barrett said.

"However, we need to know more about the overall size and proportions of the skeleton and use several different methods to investigate its possible width before deciding it's definitely the largest dinosaur species yet known."

US paleontologist David Burnham agreed that "a lot of things still need to be proven."

But largest dinosaur or not, the breadth of the discovery was truly remarkable.

"You can really start reconstructing past life when you get a treasure trove like this," said Burnham, of the University of Kansas.

Finding so many individual dinosaurs at one site could confirm the hypothesis that these herbivores lived in herds, as well as determine any predators they may have had, whether they were scavengers, when they died and in what type of environment they lived, the paleontologist added. AFP

The Metamorphosis Of ‘Wayang Beber’

Ghostly: This image of part of a wayang beber scroll features Rama preparing for battle.

While wayang kulit, or leather puppet shows, remain popular, wayang beber, a scroll-painted version of narration, has become a rarity, even in the cities known as the last bastions of this art: Pacitan in East Java and Wonosari in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta.


Wayang beber uses a cambric scroll as its medium, with illustrations of characters and scenes of the story to be told. The scroll is stretched between two columns, with the unrolled part being narrated by a dalang (puppeteer or narrator).

The episodes recited are generally derived from the romances of Panji (Prince) Asmarabangun and Dewi (Princess) Sekartaji in the history-based legends of East Java kingdoms around the 12th century.

“A dalang tells the story to his audience while unrolling the scroll. Now this wayang genre very rarely appears, not only in Solo but also in its original areas,” said Dani Iswardana, a contemporary wayang beber painter from Solo.

As a branch of performing arts and fine arts, wayang beber has practically come to a standstill. Some of the old scrolls left are now even kept by individuals as artifacts.

“The art was most frequently staged long ago. Existing since the 1200s, it’s much older than wayang kulit,” Dani said.

Lengthy: A visitor passes a wayang beber work by senior artist Djoko Sri Yono at a recent exhibition in Solo.

A wayang beber was recently performed by Ki Supani at the Sudjatmoko Center in Surakarta. Rather than a main program, the show by the dalang from Pacitan enlivened the opening of a wayang beber exhibition, “Between Inspiration and Transformation”. The display positioned wayang beber paintings as works of art even as they are used on stage for performances.

About 50 scrolls painted by artists of different generations from Solo and Yogyakarta were exhibited, including those by Djoko Sri Yono, Pudjianto and Hermin Istiariningsih, known as classical wayang beber painters. Their strokes and lines follow the sungging (intricate design painting) technique, covering traditional compositions and details.

Djoko Sri Yono presented his Panji illustrations depicting the episode of King Klana disguising himself as Gandarepa in an attempt to grab Dewi Sekartaji.

He used colors typical of wayang beber, brown, yellow and bright green. Younger artists experimented with non-standard patterns.

Dani Iswardana introduced what he termed wayang beber kota (city-styled), distinguishing his from the classical stories. In the style of this Solo artist, it is not the Panji episodes that are his focus but the lives of those on the margins and their difficulties. While retaining the shape of wayang characters, the stories have leaped into the present.

One can see Limbuk, a female clown, on Dani’s scroll being upset by a major flood as a result of gutters littered with garbage. More interestingly, the lead character, Dewi Sekartaji, can be seen hysterical in the face of soaring red onion prices.

Apart from Dani, other young painters tried to approach classical or established wayang beber as a source of inspiration.

Different: The style of wayang beber hails from Wonosari in Gunung Kidul and features the story of Kyai Remeng Mangunjaya.

Terra Bajraghosa in Quest for the Golden Scrolls also “betrayed” the standard episodes. Instead of portraying the Panji-Dewi romances, the Yogyakarta artist made a mini comic about a girl having an adventure on a robotic bicycle.

Slamet Riadi’s Ditarik Aja in Just Stretch It deconstructs classical wayang kulit characters into new forms: Chinese figures with a temple-roofed building rather than the symbolic mountain or gunungan. Under the figures is a dalang in a costume worn by a wayang potehi (Chinese wooden puppet) player.

There were also episodes of the Hindu epics as well as local legends such as Calon Arang (by Bagyo Suharyono), Tipu Muslihat Rahwana (Rahwana’s Deception by Aklis Nuryadin) and Perjalanan Cindelaras (Cindelaras’ Journey by Sutopo).

In the hands of Joko Wiyono, wayang beber turned critical. His work Bersaing Berebut (Competing in a Scramble) alludes to greed and the power-thirsty political elite. He calls to mind the Javanese saying, rebutan balung tanpa isi, meaning struggling for something worthless.

Another item on display came from the story of Joko Kembang Kuning, rendered by Sutopo. This tale is famous for being widely believed as the final part of the genuine wayang beber story of Pacitan. According to the standard, the final scene must never be narrated. Consequently, with its 24 scenes, the narration will stop when it comes to the 24th.

“Nobody knows the reason for it. But it’s likely that the last one describes the atmosphere of fervent affection between Panji Asmarabangun and Dewi Sekartaji so that it’s seen as inappropriate for public description,” Joko Sri Yono said.

New: This contemporary wayang beber by Terra Brajaghosa is titled Quest for the Golden Scrolls.

The exhibition also had two reproductions of wayang beber scrolls from Wonosari and Pacitan. The original scrolls from which the exhibits were reproduced are considered sacred. The families that own the antiques won’t allow anybody to view the actual scrolls. If they are to be shown, special rituals are
required.

In Pacitan, many people refer to Ki Sarnen Gunocarito as the 12th-generation dalang of genuine wayang beber called Joko Kembang Kuning. Ki was succeeded by Ki Sumardi. But sadly, the two highly skilled narrators have passed away.

Today Ki Supani has appeared as the 14th-generation dalang because he is the grandson of Ki Sarnen and the son of Ki Sumardi. However, Ki Supani isn’t yet an expert in performing classical wayang beber.

“I’ve become a dalang as an inheritor of this wayang beber handed down through generations. I still have to learn a lot more so as to be as skillful as my grandfather and father,” he said after his show at the Sudjatmoko Center.

In Wonosari, the wayang scroll is named Wayang Beber Kyai Remeng Mangunjaya. Its owner, Ki Sipar, is the seventh-generation narrator of Kyai Remeng Mangunjaya.

Wayang beber is indeed getting very scarce, so that the display is expected to lead to a revival of one of the country’s regional folk arts. Nevertheless, this event has provided some relief as it seems to have proven that quite a number of contemporary artists never abandon traditional arts.

These artists have contributed their works in accordance with the era in which they live and grow. At least in the styles of Terra Brajaghosa, Samet Riadi, Nasirun, Herdjaka, Dani Iswardana and Aklis Nuryadin,  wayang beber has metamorphosed into its new forms.

“Times have changed, but at least there are many artists who continue to be loyal to traditional roots although their works have developed to a further extent,” concluded Dani. Ganug Nugroho Adi, Contributor, Solo, Central Java. JG

Japanese “Ace” Funny Story In World War II

Hiroyoshi Nishizawa in his Mitsubishi Zero A6M3 Model 22 (tail code UI-105) from the 251st Kokutai over the Solomon Islands in May 1943. The unit’s aircraft have been hastily sprayed with dark green camouflage paint on the upper surfaces.

One Japanese fighter pilot in World War II (WW II) named Hiroyishi Nishizawa. in fact on the historical record he was famous among the “ace” of the rising sun country. It is possible that Nishizawa was the most successful Japanese fighter ace of the war; he personally claimed to have had 87 aerial victories at the time of his death. Some uncertainty is due to the Japanese habit of recording victories for pilots’ units, rather than the individual, after 1941, as well as the often wildly-exaggerated claims of aerial kills that were frequently accepted. Some sources credit Nishizawa with over 100 victories.

War does not always cause a terrible picture. But it turns out, there is also a little small smile that can be generated from events that happened in the war it self. Hiroyishi Nishizawa example. Unique occurrence ranges in 1942. Nishizawa fly with other Japanese ‘ace’; Saburo Sakai the world known him as a good pilot with abillity flying, he also an expert to write their ecperiences, and biographies. They also fly with Toshio Ota. When they flew to the USA air base which at the time was an enemy of Japan. In Lae, Port Moresby, New Guinea. They flew in a tight formation arrangement. Who knows, that third hero from japanese didn’t shot anything or droped a missle direct to the U.S military base. and the enemy, they niether heard any misslile nti-aircraft shoot to them and none american aircraft striving to expel them.

Hiroyishi Nishizawa

Toshio Ota

Saburo Sakai

They fly free and ease carry out aerobatics over the enemy airbase. They do “loop” acrobatics three times. “Loop” is an aerial acrobatic moves in a circle with a flip turn aircraft such as the shape of the current car wheels. And they fly only 6000 feet from the ground. After returning kepangkalan air themselves, they burst out laughing. As if what they did was a harmless joke. Of course they imagine how dongkolnya faces of American troops watching their actions. And they agree that it is a secret they funny.

But without realizing an American military aircraft apparently following them from behind and dropped a letter on top of their base. Not long after that they were called by their commander and they got heavily reprimanded. Apparently the commander had received a letter dropped on Lae’s base. Here’s the letter:

“We are very impressed by the three aviators who visited us today and we were amazed at the loop that they make over our base. We would greatly appreciate them if airline pilots were willing to come once again. then we deeply regret not making more preparation in their visit was. But next time they will receive a more festive reception. “

It sounds like just kidding but this is realy happened in world war two that are in the story by Martin Caidi, a leading aviation world author in his book “Zero Fighter”.  tulisansejarah.blogspot

Victims of Indonesian Communist Purge Still Waiting for Apology

A family member of a victim of Indonesia’s 1965 communist purge laying flowers in Jakarta in July 2012. Family of the massacre’s victims have urged the government to probe human rights violations. (Antara Photo/M. Agung Rajasa)

At 72, Sri Sulistyawati still remembers the day when two Indonesian soldiers placed a wooden plank across her belly and used her body as a see-saw, before she fainted from the pain.

Her tale is a lost footnote in one of the last century's bloodiest atrocities, when between 500,000 and two million suspected communists were killed in purges in 1965 and 1966 under general Suharto, who was toppled in 1998.

After being swept under the carpet for nearly fifty years, those atrocities were this year acknowledged for the first time by the government's own human rights body, providing some solace to victims such as Sulistyawati, whose pain and disgrace have gone ignored for decades.

In an unprecedented move, Indonesia's official human rights body Komnas HAM announced in July that it has found evidence of widespread gross human rights violations nationwide during the purges.

The report, based on a three-year investigation and the testimony of 349 witnesses, urged that military officers be brought to trial for crimes including murder, extermination, slavery, forced eviction, torture and mass rape.

The report demanded that the government issue an apology and compensate victims and their families — a move it said it intends to make despite resistance from retired military commanders and the nation's largest Muslim body.

Sulistyawati lives in a two-storey nursing home in the Indonesian capital Jakarta with a dozen other survivors, mostly women aged between 70 to 90.

"They tied my arms and legs with a rope and dragged me on the ground with my face down for a kilometer to a military post," recalled Sulistyawati, whose crime was being a journalist for a nationalist newspaper that backed the country's first president, Sukarno.

"Two soldiers put a wooden plank on my belly, then got on each end and used my body as a see-saw," she remembered. "I fainted from the unbearable pain and had internal bleeding."

The purge had its roots in the tense Cold War politics that marked the final years of the reign of Suharto's charismatic predecessor Sukarno. He had fostered the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as a political force to balance the power of mass religious organizations and pro-Western generals.

This delicate balance collapsed in September 1965, with an abortive coup — which was swiftly blamed on the PKI. But some historians say the military orchestrated the putsch to tighten its grip on power and wipe out communism thriving in the nation.

'In my dreams, I am reunited with my children'

After enduring four years of torture in detention that included electric shocks and nail-pulling for an alleged communist connection, in 1969 Lukas Tumiso landed in a prison labor camp on remote Buru island in eastern Indonesia.

He would stay there for the next 10 years, together with 10,000 other prisoners.

"On the island, we built our own prison, a bamboo hut where we slept at night. We also built our own civilization there," Tumiso, now 73, told AFP, adding that the island was at the time swampland and jungle.

Besides clearing forests with their bare hands to plant rice and cassavas, prisoners also built roads, dams and sewerage under strict military supervision, he added.

In one of the interviews with Komnas HAM, an unnamed survivor said he was jailed with hundreds of other prisoners in a cramped five by 25-meter room.

"It was a place where prisoners were slowly killed. Many only survived for a few months. About a dozen people died every night," said the witness, who was jailed for 12 years on Kemarau island on Sumatra island with his wife.

After the Komnas HAM report was released, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the country's Attorney General Office to follow-up on the findings.

For victims such as Sulistyawati, a formal apology would provide some solace, even if it comes decades late.

"People must know that we were innocent, we did nothing wrong. Restore our good reputation, we are not human garbage," she said.

For others such as 81 year-old Lestari, now toothless and hunched over with age, there is the hope that a public apology would help fulfill her dream of reuniting with her children.

In 1979, when she was released from 11 years in prison for being a women's rights activist under the PKI's umbrella, her five children refused to accept her.

"After I was released from prison I went straight to see my kids. But they refused to be with me. They were afraid of being labelled communists," she said.

"In my dreams, I always see myself reunited with my children," said Lestari, whose husband, one of the communist party's leaders, died in his cell while awaiting an execution order, and whose four-year old daughter was killed when soldiers raided her home to arrest her.

Decades of discrimination
During Suharto's rule people suspected of having had links with the PKI suffered decades of stigmatization and discrimination. They were not allowed to become civil servants, teachers, or lawmakers.

After Suharto was toppled in 1998, a new government removed some anti-communist regulations. But spreading the ideology is still considered a crime.

Presidential advisor Albert Hasibuan said in April that Yudhoyono intended to make an apology to families and victims of past human rights abuses, including the anti-communist purges, before his second term ends in 2014.

But retired military commanders and organizations including the country's largest Muslim body Nahdlatul Ulama, which has been allegedly implicated in the purges, have rejected any apology.

The NU's deputy chairman As'ad Said Ali said in August that the identity cards of former PKI suspects had been cleansed of their previous history.

"They must not ask more than they deserve. The mark has been removed from their ID cards, and some of their grandchildren have become lawmakers now.

"We can forgive them but we cannot forget. For us, this is a non-negotiable price: No apology or compensation."
Agence France-Presse

Ancient Site Needs Saving Not Destroying

A Buddhist statue overlooks a Chinese government-owned mining compound in Logar province, Afghanistan. Mes Aynak, a 2,600-year-old Buddhist site, could be destroyed in December to create a massive copper mine.

Please bear with me as I ask you to briefly use your imagination. Close your eyes. Imagine Machu Picchu at dawn cloaked in fog. Now imagine the fog slowly lifting to reveal an enormous ancient city perched on the edge of a mountain.

Picture a sense of mystery being immersed in thousands of years of history as you walk between antiquated hewn stone structures. There is tranquility in the wind-blown stillness of the primeval site. You feel a renewed sense of kinship with the past and with your ancestors and feel a deep reverence for their lives and accomplishments.

Now imagine the menacing sound of bulldozers closing in and men at work. Their heavy machinery rattles the ground. You hear workers rigging dynamite to these massive stone structures. There is a brief lull and then the deafening blow of multiple explosions as Machu Picchu is razed to the ground.

Be at ease, Machu Piccu is a UNESCO protected site. But a very similar 2,600-year-old Buddhist site in Logar province, Afghanistan isn't so lucky.

This site is called Mes Aynak and is nothing short of awe-inspiring: a massive walled-in Buddhist city featuring massive temples, monasteries, and thousands of Buddhist statues that managed to survive looters and the Taliban. Holding a key position on the Silk Road, Mes Aynak was also an international hub for traders and pilgrims from all over Asia.

Locals from relocated villages near Mes Aynak remove dirt and rocks to expose buried artifacts.

Hundreds of fragile manuscripts detailing daily life at the site are still yet to be excavated. Beneath the Buddhist dwellings is an even older yet-unearthed Bronze age site indicated by several recent archaeological findings.

Mes Aynak is set for destruction at the end of December 2012. All of the temples, monasteries, statues as well as the Bronze age material will all be destroyed by a Chinese government-owned company called China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC). Six villages and the mountain range will also be destroyed to create a massive open-pit style copper mine.

In 2007, MCC outbid competitors with a $3 billion bid to lease the area for 30 years. MCC plans to extract over $100 billion worth of copper located directly beneath the Buddhist site. Ironically, the Buddhists were also mining for copper albeit in a more primitive fashion.

MCC says they weren't told about the archaeology site's existence until after the contract was signed. Following significant international pressure and perhaps sensing an impending PR nightmare, MCC in 2009 gave archaeologists three years to attempt to excavate the site.

Archaeologists say they need at least 30 years to do the job but had no choice but to accept MCCs brief timetable. Specialists on site are working with extremely limited funding and the crudest of tools.

Afghan archaeologists, who do the majority of the excavation, don't have access to computers or digital cameras and have been sleeping on the floor in a wooden shack when staying on the site overnight.

Today, three teams of international archaeologists led by DAFA, a French archaeological delegation, scramble to save as many relics as they can. These experts are performing rushed rescue archeology, which focuses on removing movable objects and not on preserving structures.

A gold-plated Buddha head found at Mes Aynak. A team of international archaeologists is scrambling to save relics.

Archaeologists now have less than four months to do three decades worth of excavation. They are also risking their lives daily as locals of Logar Province, angry at the loss of their villages partner with the Taliban to regularly attack both the MCC site and the archaeology location with rockets and land mines.

In July, a Logar worker unearthed a landmine that exploded in his face. Later that month, four Afghan policemen were killed by a landmine on the road leading to the archaeology site.

I am often asked, "Why save it? It is, after all, just another remnant of the past, right?" Wrong.

Mes Aynak is the missing link that shows Afghanistan's interconnectivity throughout Asia on the Silk Road. Afghanistan needs to see the value of learning its own cultural history as too often the country's story is co-opted by the lens of another.

Afghans need to claim their cultural significance in the world for current and new generations. And the findings at Mes Aynak will be the key to doing that.

In addition to Mes Aynak's historical significance, the site is breathtaking to behold in person. I can't help but feel privileged and honored to have been able to set foot inside its ancient walls, to have been able to bare witness to massive Buddhas, many of which are still coated in gold paint overlooking their ancient city.

These statues have miraculously survived looting, survived the intense heat and cold, and survived over three decades of continuous war.

There is a magic to Mes Aynak -- an ability to draw in people from around the world who will risk their lives to save it. I fell in love with this ancient site and will do everything in my power to try to help save it.

People work at one of the many archaeological excavation sites at Mes Aynak. In 2009, the mining company gave archaeologists three years to excavate the site.

It sickens me to know that in a short time this site will be destroyed in the same violent and disrespectful way the Buddha of Bamyan was destroyed. This desecration shows no reverence to culture or religion.

Imagine someone bulldozing your grandparents' graves and blowing up their cemetery. How could the world look away letting such crime happen in the name of capitalism?

Unfortunately, Mes Aynak has gained some powerful enemies. MCC, The World Bank and Afghan ministries all want mining to start ASAP.

In my opinion, they want Mes Aynak to set a precedent -- to be a model for resource extraction of the one trillion dollars plus of valuable minerals like oil, copper, lithium and iron buried underneath Afghanistan.

According to archaeologists that I spoke with, every mining location holds cultural heritage. On every potential mine lies an ancient site like Mes Aynak. So, even worse than the senseless destruction of Mes Aynak, is the thought that this kind of cheap destructive process will be replicated all across Afghanistan.

I often hear talk about mineral extraction being somehow good for Afghanistan, but I promise you this is not the case.

Given the country's out of control corruption there are a privileged few who will see any payout from such endeavors. Afghan citizens have absolutely nothing to gain from this copper mine or any other international extractive industry.

I believe Chinese will bring in their own laborers to manage the mine and Afghans will be given only low level and terribly paid positions working in slave-like conditions.

And I have said nothing about the environmental devastation. Many mining experts have told me the toxic pollution from the mine will likely turn Mes Aynak into a site so toxic that in the future people will be advised against even setting foot on the ground. They tell me this pollution will be permanent, rivers will be polluted and the toxins will travel to other areas -- and the locals have never been educated about these risks to the area.

So not only will Afghanistan lose an ancient site, a key to unlocking its important history, but the country will lose the land and everything living on it. And what happens when Afghanistan needs copper or oil or iron for its own development? Will they have to buy it back from China at inflated rates?

My fear is that in the future Afghanistan will consist of hundreds of these gaping toxic craters and the resources the country needs for its own development will be lost. Afghans will see no benefit. They will suffer from irreversible environmental devastation and the permanent loss of invaluable cultural heritage.

So as a final request I want you to close your eyes once again. Imagine a city-sized toxic crater in the ground where the majestic Machu Picchu once stood. That sight, unfortunately, is the future of Mes Aynak unless we do something to stop it. By Brent Huffman

History of Jakarta

Jakarta Landscape

Jakarta, the capital of the nation, has a fascinating history. Lots of different aspects have colored the city history and the life of people today. Since the fifth century, ships from China and Champa (Vietnam), and from all islands in the archipelago docked at the mouth of the Ciliwung river. Indian and Portuguese traders also visited this small town. Javanese sailors, carrying spices from Molucca, also docked there. Nearly all people from the East and West left their trails to blend special flavor of Jakarta.

Concised description of old historical buildings and monuments refers to the site where the city of Jakarta itself begins. All historical evidence points to the area of the Kota, the old city on the banks of Ciliwung river. A bit south of the place currently known as Pasar Ikan or Fish Market was planted the first tiny seed that developed into a huge city of more than 10 million inhabitants. When did Jakarta start its journey throughout history? Nobody knows exactly!

Menara Syahbandar (the Lookout Tower) 1950

If we stand on top of Menara Syahbandar (the Lookout Tower) across the bridge over the Kali Besar, we enjoy a view of oldest area of Jakarta. To the north we can see the present old harbor with its colorful prahu (saliboats) and the Java Sea. Some 300 meters to the south, you can find a renovated old drawbridge. In the time of the Dutch East-India Company colonialism, the bridge was called Hoender pasarbrug or Chicken Market Bridge. At that time, between 17th and early 18 centuries, ships could sail further up to the river Ciliwung. Towards the south of this drawbridge, the once busy harbor town of Sunda Kelapa stretched along both sides of the river between the 12th century and 15th century.

Sunda Kalapa was the main port of the Hindu Kingdom of Sunda . The capital of the Pakuan Pajajaran kingdom was located two day journey upriver, now known as Bogor. This port was often visited by ships from Palembang, Tanjungpura, Malacca, Maccasar and Madura, and even by merchants from India and South China. Sunda Kelapa exported, among other items, pepper, rice and gold.

Sunda Kelapa Port in Colonial Period

In 1513 the first European fleet, four Portuguese ships under the command of Alvin, arrived in Sunda Kelapa from Mallaca. Mallaca had been conquered two years earlier by Alfonso d’ Albuquerque. They were looking for spices, especially pepper, to this busy and well-organized harbor. Some years later, the Portuguese Enrique Leme visited Kalapa with presents for the King of Sunda. He was well received and on August 21, 1522 and signed a treaty of friendship between the kingdom of Sunda and Portugal. The Portuguese received the right to build a godown (warehouse) and to erect a fort in Kalapa. This was regarded by the Sundanese as a consolidation of their position against the encroaching Muslim troops from the rising power of the Sultanate of Demak in Central Java.

To commemorate this treaty, they put big stone, called a Padrao, which vanished for some years. This stone was uncovered later in 1918 during an excavation for a new house in Kota area on the corner of Cengkeh street and Nelayan Timur Street. This Padrao can now be seen in the National Museum on Medan Merdeka Barat street. The original location of the stone suggests that the coastline in the early 16th century formed a nearly straight line which is marked by the present of Nelayan street, some 400 meters south to the The Lookout Tower.

The King of Sunda had his own reasons for great danger from the expansive Muslim Kingdom of Demak, whose troops threatened his second harbor town, Banten (west of Jakarta). Sunda felt squeezed and was in need of strong friends. Thus, the king hoped the Portuguese would return quickly and help him protect his important harbor. But they came too late. For in 1527 the Muslim leader Fatahillah appeared before Kalapa with 1,452 soldiers from Cirebon and Demak.

According to some historians, this victory of 1527 provided the reason for Fatahillah to rename Sunda Kelapa, Jayakarta, which means “Great Deed” or “Complete Victory.” On the basis of this victory, Jakarta celebrates its birthday on June 22, 1527, the day Fatahillah gave the town a name of victory of over Sundanese Hindus and Portuguese sailor.

Stadhuis – Now Fatahillah Museum

Prince Jayawikarta, a follower of the Sultan of Banten, resided on the west banks of the Ciliwung river, which in the early 17th century reached the roughly at our starting place, the Lookout at Pasar Ikan. He erected a military post there in order to control the mouth of the river and the Dutch who had been granted permission in 1610 to build a wooden godown and some houses just opposite there on the east bank. Dutch ships had already come to Jayakarta in 1596. The Prince tried to keep a close eye on these unruly guests.

To keep its strength equal to that of the Dutch, Prince Jayawikarta allowed the British to erect houses on the West Bank of Ciliwung river, across the Dutch godown, in 1615. The Prince granted permission to the British to erect a fort closed to his Customs Office post. Jayawikarta was in support of the British because his palace was under the threat of the Dutch cannons. In December 1618, the tense realtionship between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch escalated. Jayawikarta soldiers besieged the Dutch fortress that covered two strong godown, namely Nassau and Mauritus. The British fleet made up of 15 ships arrived. The fleet was under the leadership of Sir Thomas Dale, former governor of the Colony of Virginia, now known as Virginia State in the United States.

The British admiral was already old and was indecisive. After the sea battle, the newly appointed Dutch governor Jan Pieter Soon Coon (1618) escaped to Molucca to seek support. Meanwhile, the commander of the Dutch army was arressted when the negotiation was underway because Jayawikarta felt that he was deceived by the Dutch. Then, the Prince Jayawikarta and the British entered into a friendship agreement.

The Dutch army was about to surrender to the British when in 1619, a sultan from Banten sent soldiers and summoned Prince Jayawikarta for establishing closed realtionship with the British without first asking an approval from Banten authorities. The conflict between Banten and Prince Jayawikarta as well as the tensed relationship between Banten and the British had weakened the Dutch enemy. Prince Jayawikarta was moved to Tanara and died in Banten.

The Dutch felt relieved and tried to establish a closer relationship with the Banten. The Dutch fortress garrison, along with hired soldiers from Japan, Germany, Scotia, Denmark, and Belgium held a party in commemoration of the change in situation. They name their fortress after Batavia to recollect the ethnic group Batavier, the Dutch ancestor. Since then Jayakarta was called Batavia for more than 300 years.

Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen

Under the relationship of J.P Coen, Dutch army attacked and destroyed the city and Jayakarta Palace on May 30, 1619. There were no remains of Jakarta except for the Padrao stone now stored at the National Museum in Jakarta. The Jayakarta grave was possibly located in Pulau Gadung. If we stand on top of Menara Syahbandar and look around, we can enjoy the beautiful panorama in the oldest area of Batavia. Certainly, we can’t enjoy the remains of the city Sunda Kelapa or Jayakarta. Kasteel or the Dutch fortress, too, has been destroyed. Here we can see several remains from the mid-17th century. Nearly all of the remains are related to trade and sailing.

Menara Syahbandar was built 1839 to replace the old flag pole in ship dock located right on the side across a river. From the pole and later the tower, officials observed ships about to anchor gave signals. The tower then is used a meteorology post. To the West of the Lookout Tower, we can see the view of the present Museum Bahari. The museum represents a very old and strong edifice with Dutch architecture. The museum also provides several maps of the city, with stages of the city development shown. The museum is part of something in Dutch called Westzijdsche Pakhuizen (Warehouse on the Westbank). Here nutmegs, pepper. coffee, tea, and cloth in a large scale were used to be stored.

The areas around Menara Syahbandar was once the center of Kota Batavia. It was the center of a trading network with wide spread agents reaching Deshima (Nagasaki) in Japan, Surate in Persia and Capetown in South Africa. Inter-trade among Asia was more profitable than inter-trade between Asia and Europe. And the Pasar Ikan (Market Fish) once was the pulse. Here, the site where the origin of the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, came from. Berita Jakarta

KRI Irian, Indonesia Sea Monsters in the era of the 60's

As a maritime nation, we should already have a capable navy. Not just talking about the quality and quantity of weaponry, but it was fitting for us to have the arsenal of weaponry that can be thrilling guts opponent. This is what formerly was so proud of Indonesia in the era of nation-60s. In addition to a fleet of the strongest air force in Southeast Asia, Navy (TNI-AL) where they have had a cruise warship type of artificial light of the Soviet Union.

Until now there has been no single country in Southeast Asia has ever cruisers other than Indonesia. It is the legendary cruisers KRI Irian, the Indonesian government accidentally imported within the framework of the liberation of West Irian (Papua) by President Sukarno. The following are extracts KRI Irian profile with that obtained from wikipedia.org sources.

Ships of this type is the last conventional ship Explorer made ​​for the Soviet Navy, 13 vessels completed before Nikita Khrushchev to stop this program because the ship is considered old-fashioned kind with the advent of missiles (guided missile). This ship is a development version of the Explorer Class Chapayev.

KRI Irian is actually a ship Ordzhonikidze Explorers of the Baltic fleet Sovietyang AL bought by the Indonesian government in 1962. KRI Irian It is the largest ship in the southern hemisphere. This ship is actively used within Operations Trikora for preparation of West Irian. 

On January 11, 1961 The Soviet government began to issue instructions to the Central Design Bureau # 17 to modify the order ideal Ordzhonikidze operating in the tropics. Large-scale modernization done to make this vessel can operate at a temperature of +40 C, humidity 95%, and the water temperature of +30 C, but representatives of the Indonesian Navy who later visited the town of Baltiisk stated that they were not able to bear the cost of the project it. Finally, modernization transferred to the installation of more powerful diesel generator to drive an additional ventilator.

On February 14, 1961 This ship arrived in Sevastopol and on 5 April 1962 this ship was to start trials lautnya.Pada Indonesia crew for this ship has been formed and there on the boat. Mr. Yathizan mechanical ship, later became head of the Department of Engineering ALRI. So did a lot of other sailors who, in later days many are able to occupy an important position.

Operational

Coming to Jakarta on August 5, 1962 and was declared out of the official Soviet Navy on January 24 1963.Dalam Soviet military history, the Soviet Union never sell a boat with this heavy weight to the other countries except for Indonesia. ALRI who had never previously had its own fleet, learn to operate the ships sophisticated and costly problems by trial and error / trial and error. In November 1962 recorded a diesel submarine is damaged due to collision hirolis when rising to the surface, a destroyer damaged and three of the six boilers KRI Irian damaged. Hot temperatures and high humidity negative effect on the Navy fleet, consequently a lot of equipment that can not be operated optimally. On the other hand, the presence of these vessels provide a psychological effect for the Dutch navy war ship 2x especially

Dutch carrier Kareel doorman and made ​​the Dutch Navy drastically reduce its presence in the waters of West Irian. Especially at the moment jg Air Force operates the Tu-16 Badger bomber who could mengotong 2 anti-ship missile perangAS-1 Kennel (missile is the same with Hunter aircraft Mig 15!).

In 1964 explorer ship has been completely lost its operating efficiency and it was decided to send KRI Irian to Vladivostok Shipyard for repairs. In March 1964 until the factory KRI Irian Dalzavod. The sailors and the Soviet technicians were surprised to see the condition of the ship and the many small improvements that should have been done by the crew was not done. They are also interested in the little modifications made ALRI that is, change clothes into the living room of worship (something not possible in a communist country).

After the repair was completed in August 1964 the ship was escorted to Surabaya with Navy Destroyer Soviet.Setahun later (1965) a change of government. Practical government power in the hands of Suharto Soeharto.Perhatian against ALRI is very different than Sukarno. This ship left terbengkelai in Surabaya, even sometimes used as a prison for political opponents of Suharto in 1970 terbengkelai ship began to fill with water. No one who cares for the rescue ship KRI Irian dibesituakan ini.Tercatat Explorers in Taiwan in 1972 by reason of a chronic shortage of spare parts.

Specifications & Alusista:

Length: 210 Meters 
Width: 22 Meters 
Draught: 6.9 Meters 
Weight: 16.640 tons 
(as a comparison of the navy's largest ship now is Fregat Class tribal "only" which weighs 3250 tons) 
Power Plant: two shaft geared steam engine trubine 
6 Boiler, 110.000 HP 
Max Speed​​: 32.5 Knots 
Thick layer of steel: 
-> Belt: 100 mm 
-> Tower: 150 mm 
-> Deck: 50 mm 
-> Turret: 75 mm

Electronic Equipment:

* Radar:
        Air search radar Gyus-2
        Ryf sea surface search radar
        Neptun radar navigation
* Sonar :
        Tamir-5N installed on hull
* Other:
        Machta ECM (Electronic Counter Measures)

The main armament:

-> 10 anti-ship torpedo tubes 533 mm Caliber
-> 12 57 cal Canons type B-38 Caliber 15.2 cm (6 front, 6 Rear)
-> 12 Double Kanon type 56 cal Model 1934 6 (twin) BC-5-1 mounts Caliber 10 cm
-> 32 cannon caliber 3.7 cm multi-function
-> 4 triple Mk5-bis turrets gun caliber of 20 mm (for the purposes of anti-air attack)

Number of crew:

This ship can load the 1270 crew, including 60 officers, 75 officers supervisor, and 154 first officer.

Time To Remember, After 40 Years Munich Olympics 1972 Massacre of Israel Atheletes

Israeli sportsmen and soldiers surround the army command cars bearing the coffins of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian gunmen in the Munich Olympics September 7, 1972.

Fuerstenfeldbruck, Germany. Survivors, relatives and officials paid solemn tribute on Wednesday to 11 Israeli victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre at the site of their killings 40 years ago.

About 600 guests passed tight security checks to attend a ceremony at Fuerstenfeldbruck air base, west of Munich, where a hostage-taking by a radical Palestinian group known as Black September reached its tragic climax.

Many of the guests wore dark glasses and brushed away tears as an ecumenical memorial service marked the anniversary, which has prompted new questions about the turn of events on German soil.

Under grey skies and with flags flying at half-mast, white candles lined a podium over which hung large black and white photos of the Israeli athletes and coaches who were taken hostage and subsequently killed.

Ankie Spitzer, widow of fencing coach Andre Spitzer, said the trip to Germany brought back painful memories of the authorities' "disastrous rescue attempt."

"For us, families of the victims and those of the Israeli delegation who were fortunate enough (to survive) Munich, Germany will be linked forever to this saddest day in our lives," she said.

She condemned "the incompetence, the stupidity and the arrogance" of the West German security officials "who should have saved the athletes" and demanded "a new investigation on the failures of the authorities in 1972".

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom said, "40 years ago, the young state of Israel went through one of its most tragic days ever." He stressed the enduring threat, citing the deadly July attack against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria and Iran's nuclear program as just two examples.

The Munich Olympics 1972

The leader of Germany's Jewish community, Dieter Graumann, condemned the refusal of the International Olympic Committee to mark the 40th anniversary of the bloodbath with a minute's silence at the opening ceremony of the London Games this summer.

The commemorations have given rise to new research into the horrifying chain of events at the summer Munich Games, which were meant to showcase the new face of what was then West Germany, nearly three decades after World War II.

On September 5, 1972, gunmen broke into the Israeli team's flat at the Olympic village, immediately killing two of the athletes and taking nine others hostage to demand the release of 232 Palestinian prisoners.

A bungled rescue operation resulted in all the hostages being killed along with a German policeman and five of the eight hostage-takers.

The news sent shock waves through Germany just 27 years after the Holocaust and opened a deep rift with Israel.

"Were we too naive? Did we underestimate the terrorist threat? These questions remain," German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said at the ceremony.

Israeli sprinter Esther Roth-Shachamorov relived the terror in an interview with AFP this week.

"I remember an exhausting and frightening day," she said.

"We saw the Germans conducting negotiations with the terrorists through the balcony. They were threatening every two hours that if 200 Palestinians were not released, they would throw an Israeli down on the street," she added.

Henry Hershkovitz, who was on the Olympic shooting team and has returned to the stadium, was quoted Wednesday by the German daily Berliner Zeitung as saying: "We were like a family and most of this family was killed."

Former fencer Yehuda Weinstain said in the paper: "The Games admittedly went on but their spirit had been murdered."

Last week, Israel released official documents on the killings lambasting the performance of the West German security services.

The police "didn't make even a minimal effort to save human lives," former Mossad chief Zvi Zamir said at the time after returning from Munich.

Meanwhile German investigative magazine Der Spiegel accused the government and Olympic organizers of covering up grave mistakes.

Months before the hostage-taking, the interior ministry and the Bavarian state police warned federal authorities in vain of the possibility of "terrorist acts" at the Games, the magazine said.

The head of the Munich police evidently feared that a robust security presence would revive ugly memories of the 1936 Games in Berlin, presided over by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

At a press conference later, Spitzer urged Germany to open all its files on the case.

"It's not our profession, it's not a hobby, it's not an obsession," she said. "It's just our right to know what happened."

AFP

RI Scholar Launches Book on Kartosoewirjo’s Unpublished Execution Titled Hari Terakhir Kartosoewirjo (Kartosoewirjo's Last Day)

Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo execution on Ubi island

University of Indonesia scholar and the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) politician Fadli Zon launched a book Wednesday containing unpublished pictures of the execution of Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo, leader of the Darul Islam (DI) movement and the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) leader, 50 years after his execution in September 1962.

The book, titled Hari Terakhir Kartosoewirjo (Kartosoewirjo's Last Day), is the first to reveal visual evidence of the last day of the West Java-based cleric, sentenced to death for subversion and executed on Ubi island, Thousand Islands, just north of Jakarta, rebutting speculation that he was executed and buried in Onrust island, three kilometers away from Ubi island.

 Press conference of the book launch "Hari Terakhir Kartosoewirjo"

“The history was written by the victors. But we need to know who Kartosoewirjo really was and this book will complete the puzzle," Fadli said during the book launch in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Cikini, Jakarta.

"Many people went to Onrust island because they thought he was buried there. Even his family didn’t know exactly where their father and grandfather was buried,” he added.

As many as 81 pictures tell sequential moments of Kartosoewirjo’s execution day, from his last supper with his wife and children until he was buried.

The captions also help readers to further understand the pictures as they clearly explain every moment, such as what Kartosoewirjo and his family ate during their last lunch--even the brand of Kartosoewirjo’s watch, what Kartosoewirjo was doing during his last hours, and the execution process.

“From the pictures we learned that the execution process was appropriate according to the Islamic teachings that he was treated humanely during that time,” he said.

Fadli said that he had bought the 81 pictures from a collector he declined to identify at an auction in a hotel in Jakarta two years ago. The same pictures were kept in the National Archives under the category of unpublished documents.

“However, the ones kept by the National Archives were without captions, while the ones I got had captions,” he said.

Kartosoewirjo’s youngest son, Sardjono, lauded the release of unpublished documents of his father’s execution, saying that such publication could help Indonesians understand their own history.

“Many of us never knew what the real story was. Now it is crystal clear, including where my father was executed and buried,” Sardjono said after the book launch, adding that he and his family had only learned about facts from the book.

“Me and my family will soon go to Ubi island to send him a prayer,” he added.

Fadli pointed out that Kartosoewirjo was one of the most important actors in Indonesian history, taking part in the Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Pledge) in 1928, representing Jong Java (Javanese youth) Surabaya chapter.

In an interview with foreign journalist Cindy Adams President Soekarno referred to Kartosoewirjo as his best friend, with whom he shared dreams.

Kartosoewirjo with family

Kartosoewirjo enjoying the last coffee with his wife 

Kartosoewirjo last eating with his family

Kartosoewirjo on boat to Ubi Island

Kartosoewirjo on boat to Ubi Island

Kartosoewirjo and soldiers goes to the place of execution

Kartosoewirjo tied pole of firing accompanied by soldiers

 Kartosoewirjo execution

Kartosoewirjo on position

Final chek after execution

Kartosoewirjo after execution

Bathed before buried

Bathed before buried

Prayer ceremony before buried

Kartosoewirjo brought to the burial place

Buried

Kartosoewirjo established the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) in August 1949 as a result of his disappointment over Renville Agreement signed by representatives of the Republic and the Dutch on Jan. 19, 1948, in which the Dutch only recognized Central Java, Yogyakarta and Sumatra as parts of the Republic of Indonesia. The agreement forced the Indonesian government to withdraw Indonesian soldiers from West and East Java.

While Kartosoewirjo was executed by the military in 1962, his ideas remain alive, and have inspired many Muslims across Indonesia to fight for an Islamic caliphate.

NII’s founding ideology has spawned a range of terrorist networks, including Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and a number of hard-line underground organizations.

The father of chief patron of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Hilmi Aminuddin, was one of the NII’s leaders in its early days.

Alleged terrorist mastermind Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, who co-founded the JI with his senior, Abdullah Sungkar, was profoundly inspired by the NII movement.

The Jakarta Post