Savu & Rai Jua News
- Aug '05
There have been
reports of malnutrition among children on the
Savu Islands. The regional government has
neglected its duty to resolve the food shortage,
despite receiving earnest requests
for assistance and indicating that it was
monitoring the situation. The food shortage
resulted from crop
failure,
due to the drought.
Children who
are under-nourished are more prone to
gastro-intestinal diseases and a vicious cycle
ensues. When outbreaks occur, the islands'
medical services are stretched and lives have
been lost to ordinarily treatable conditions. The
situation is further complicated at this time of
year by rough seas, which disrupt ferries and
thereby frustrate efforts to transport the sick
to hospitals in Kupang.
A young man
confessed in Kupang Court to attacking a primary
school student at his home in Rae Ñale
(Raenyale) Village in Western Savu on the 22nd of
May. Melkianus Ballo suffered from suffocation as
a result of the attack and was rushed to a clinic
in Heb'a (Seba). The defendant insists that he
only kicked Melkianus once in the chest and that
his actions were provoked. He claims that
Melkianus tried to run him off the road with a
motorcycle in the village about an hour
beforehand. He explained that he went to
Melkianus' to demand an explanation, but
Melkianus denied any wrongdoing and swore at him.
Melkianus told the Court that he had not even
been riding a motorcycle at the time. The verdict
is yet to be passed.
According to
the head of Citra Mandiri (Dept. of Fisheries) in
Kupang, the present rate of fishing in the Savu
Sea will noticably deplete fish stocks within a
couple of years. Island communities depend on the
sea for the food it provides. By contrast,
entrepreneurs are only interested in the sea to
the extent that it maximises their profits.
One fishing
company, PT Dina Marina, clearly couldn't care
less for the traditional fishermen. Its vessels
trawl the Savu Sea with 22 giant nets, which
catch everything in their path and damage the
coral reefs that are crucial to the sea's
biodiversity. However, it is not just the
fishermen's livelihoods being threatened. The
crews working for Dina Marina have allegedly
rammed smaller vessels and even threated to blow
them up with molotov cocktails if they don't get
out of the way.
The government
has been accused of sticking its head in the
sand, ignoring the danger of overfishing and
allegations of bullying. However, one fishing
vessel has been seized in the Savu Sea, as it was
not licensed to fish in the region. Authorities
in Maumere, on the island of Flores, impounded
the vessel, which is owned by a businessman from
Medan in Northern Sumatera. It had two tons of
catch on board.
The illegal fishing vessel seized
by authorities
A number of
factors are contributing to the ongoing
fuel shortage on Savu. Firstly, the Central
Government has not increased the fuel subsidy in
line with the increased cost of oil on the global
market. So, the state-owned oil and gas company,
Pertamina, does not have the funds it needs to
supply the market. Secondly, the country's
capacity to refine and distribute fuel is failing
to keep up with increasing consumption. Although,
a tanker recently delivered 2,200 tons of diesel
and 1,700 tons of petrol to Kupang, this will
only meet the needs of the people in Kupang,
leaving Savu high and dry.
The fuel tanker
"Klawotong" docked in Kupang
A Savunese
football team has been established to compete in
the Kupang Region Football League. The new team
is called PERSAJU, which is an acronym of Union
(Indo: Persatuan) of Savu & Rai Jua. Their
first match was played in Kupang against San
Jose, the representative team from Ende, on
Flores Island. They lost 5-nil to the more
experienced team. However, despite the loss, team
coach Mr. Simson Gala (far right below), was
satisfied with the result, pointing out that:
"The purpose of our team competing was
really for the experience. We are fully aware of
the limited standard we offer. We had no target,
but on behalf of Rai Hawu and Rai Djua, we would
like to say that on the Savu Islands, we also
play football and we have football players."
The team was complimented for their enthusiasm on
the field.
PERSAJU football team at Oepoi
Stadium, Kupang
The Regional
Government has announced its intention to
renovate the harbours at Heb'a (Seba) and Rai
Djua later in the year. The aim is to help the
islanders to travel between the two islands and
also to Kupang, so trade links can develop, to
benefit local producers.
Seaport at Benjoar (Rai Djua)
Harbour of Heb'a (Seba)
A Savunese by
the name Rizal Rotu Ludji was shot dead by his
best friend. The tragedy occured at the victim's
home in the suburb of Fontein, Kupang, on Monday
night, 11th of July. Rizal was immediately taken
to Intensive Care at Kupang Public Hospital, but
he passed away early next morning.
Rizal was the
5th child of Mr Melkianus Rotu Ludji and Mrs
Teroci Rotu Ludji, nee Dimu. The incident is
reported to have been an accident, with the
family of the deceased wishing no further
investigation. According to the defendant, he and
the victim had been watching TV and joking about.
The defendant, who is a member of Kupang Regional
Police, jokingly pointed his revolver at Rizal,
when it suddenly fired, hitting his friend in the
head. According to a relative of the victim,
"They had been like brothers and the
defendant is like a son to us." Kupang
Police are holding the defendant for further
questioning.
A young
Savunese man almost died as a result of a stab
wound that left him lying in a pool of blood.
Charles Wadu had been standing in a dark corner,
talking to his girlfriend, when the defendant,
who had been cutting vegetables, told him to move
out of the dark. When Charles refused to comply,
the defendant attacked him.
The defendant
refused to apologise to his victim in Court,
saying that he had been drinking strong alcohol
and was furious Charles did not obey his demands.
There may be more to the story, however, as
Charles' girlfriend is apparently the younger
sister of the defendant's girlfriend.
Copyright © 2007
Ina Tali/Francesca Von Reinhaart.
© raijua.com
|
