Source: Rakyat Aceh, Monday 7 August 2006
Rayket Aceh is a local Banda Aceh newspaper.
Raid to a house occupied by NGO
Banda Aceh, it is suspected that some houses or even offices that are occupied by foreigners from different NGOs in Banda Aceh have become places to hold alcohol parties during the evening.
Not just that, the houses that are occupied by NGOs are also suspected of being places to conduct adultery/immorality.
The assumption of immoral action conducted in the houses that occupied by NGOs was expressed in the meeting of several students from Student Executive Board Faculty (BEM) Syiah Kuala University – the Chairman was Head of Banda Aceh Legislature, Muntasir Hamid and other members, Saturday (5/8).
Chairman Muntasir Hamid mentioned, to the Rakyat Aceh, Sunday (6/8) this assumption was based on information that was received by students from the communities that was addressed to the council office.
Muntasir said, if houses that were occupied by some NGOs are truly become the places for alcohol parties – it should not be allowed to happen as it will contaminate the capital of Verandah of Meccah. Muntasir also asks the ‘law upholders’ to investigate and if necessary take some action against them.
“We did not want the Veranda of Mecca to be contaminated by the presence of NGOs in Banda Aceh as this territory is under the enforcement of Syariah Law” Muntasir said.
So he asked the related Dinas to uphold the Syariah Law and not to gives any tolerance to NGOs that conduct adultery and or beverages party. We will ask in this case, the Dinas of Syariah to do search/raid on houses that are occupied by NGOs especially during the evening. Muntasir said.
He mentioned, if matters like these do not get attention, the students would do direct investigation during the night on the houses that are occupied by NGOs to look for the truth that alcohol parties and immoral actions are really happening.
Separately, Head of Banda Aceh Syariah Natsir Ilyas said, related to the indication of immoral/adultery action he did not receive any objective evidence. However, he really appreciated the input from the students and information given from the community for any violation to Syariah Law.
”We are investigating and if eventually get a strong indication of this violation, his side will mobilize Syariah Police (Waliyatul Hisbah/WH) to put them in order” Natsir said.
Natsir added, to search/raid into houses that are occupy by NGOs, his side must coordinate with police first, Syariah police could not move alone, because we have limitations, he explained.
Natsir also recommended that village heads and Geuchiks monitor, supervise, and inform current Achenese law to those NGOs that occupied houses in their areas. Some time before, public figures in Lambheu, Aceh Besar conducted a raid into an NGO office and found that there was a party, dancing, and alcohol as well, therefore the local community dispersed the party.
Source: Aceh World, July 26 – August 1, 2006
Italian National Arrested for Adultery in Bireuen
AN Italian national (30) who works with an international humanitarian organization in Aceh was arrested by the local shari'a police for committing adultery with his translator, an Acehnese woman, who used to work as his translator. The couple was arrested in a rented house in the village of Desa Pulo Kiton, Subdistrict of Kota Juang in the District of Bireuen.
The local shari'a police received an anonymous report through text messaging about the whereabout of the pair. They were arrested at around midnight. According to local residents, they have been suspicious of the couple who frequently were seen to be together in public and spent long hours in the rented house.
Drs M. Daud Yusuf, the Commander of the Sharia' Police in Bireuen told reporters that his agency immediatelv sent his officers to arrest the couple as soon as he received the text messaging. The Sharia Police broke down the front door and caught them red-handed. They were then taken to the local police station. Both confessed to the offense and explained that they have been romantically involved since November 2005.
The Shari'a Police also confiscated dried ganja leaves, and alcoholic drinks. The Bireuen Police Chief stated that the Italian suspect will be charged with the crime of possession of narcotics under Law No. 22/1970 on narcotics with a maximum penalty of 10 years prison time. The Italian Embassy in Jakarta has been notified about the arrest. The woman suspect will be charged with a violation of the Shari’a law for committing adultery.
Banda Aceh, Tuesday August 8th, 2006. 5:17AM
I’ve been in
One thing is for sure. Knowing Bahasa Indonesia is paramount. Even in
This has been a rollercoaster since I left home on Thursday. With the typhoon in
Unfortunately for me, that would not be my only demise throughout my trip. On the last leg to
Which reminds me: friends, please email me your phone numbers. They have been lost in the course of the Lost Razr disaster.
I arrived in
On Sunday I hung out at the nearby shopping center and looked at some local arts and crafts. If I had had the money and the luggage allowance for it, I would have very likely purchased the whole store. Beautiful batiks, kimonos, masks and sculptures, name them, they have them. Unfortunately, limited possibilities confine me to small items. But oh boy is their work beautiful….
Monday morning was the barbaric moment. Up at 3:30 AM to make a 7:AM flight to Banda Aceh. None of us looked prim that morning, aside from our resident gramps, who was ready to do jumping jacks in the vestibule of the hotel.
Amusingly, our team looks like the Fantastic Four pre-superpowers. The guy I will now refer to as Mr. Fantastic earns the title because he is the leader of the group and the one with the biggest brain. (As a bonus, nobody understands what the heck he’s saying at least half the time.) An other guy in the group is hot-tempered but gold-hearted, just as the Thing is, and we have our own resident Johnny Storm/Human Torch in our youngest team member. I guess that makes me Sue Storm, the Girl, the one who needs rescuing. Oh well. It’s not like I don’t need to be rescued anyways.
To make matters worse, 3 of us have blue eyes and light hair, which makes us look related. Strange but convenient I guess, in a pre-feministic society where lone women travelers are not a common sight.
How I mourn for
To make matters interesting, next week I just got assigned to my own solo mission (as the Thing would say, I am being exiled). I am being sent on my own to Meulaboh, where I will be examining their operations on my own for 2 full weeks. I will miss the guys, but this is an occasion to prove myself, and I am not unhappy about that.
After I wrote the better part of this, I went on the terrasse and watched the sunrise.
Anyway, more to come soon,
The BeaverP.S. Friends, please email me your phone numbers. They have been lost in the course of the Lost Razr disaster.
Before the ocean broke loose, Aceh was the site of endless civil war, once again based on religion. Aceh is 2,500km away from Jakarta, the capital. While JKT remained unscathed despite the disasters, all the infrastructure in Aceh has been destroyed, making it very difficult for humanitarian organizations to effectively conduct relief efforts.
Below is my personal take in a discussion that has been going on here.
Mourning, by Wayne ForteI don't have too much time to post, but I found that Wikipedia's entry about the Israeli-Lebanon crisis is pretty exhaustive.
Here's the link. Great if, like me, you've been slightly disconnected from international current events. This is a controversial subject, so do visit the discussion tab on the page as well.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, so I will reserve my opinion for now.
The Beaver 
By the way, this weekend was Canada Day, on July 1st. The Library Bitch wrote a wonderful blog entry about this obscure holiday which I don't really celebrate, as it is, in Quebec, the official moving day. Nevertheless, I am Canadian and want to wish a belated happy Canada day to all my compatriots.
Monday was also the 4th of July, so Happy independance day to any American visitors. My buddy Saur wrote good wishes which I will extend to you through this blog.
NOW, DOWN TO BUSINESS !
I have never been much of a soccer / fussball fan. But being in Montreal (of all places) where there are italian, portugese, french, brazilian, greek and german diasporas is making this otherwise uninteresting event very real to me, as CQFD's appartment is right at the heart of the italian/portugese neighboorhood, otherwise known as Little Italy.
But is it really their victory? Is it something worth embarassing yourself publicly ? Supporters don't really ACHEIVE anything, do they? The team they cheer so avidly for is unaware of their existence. The World cup hasn't even been won, for heaven's sake !
BUT ENOUGH RANTING !
So what have I been up to since I've been back on my feet ? Not much really. I still sleep 12 hours a night as a rule. I nevertheless have started going out and seeing friends, and have recently enjoyed a lot of sushi at Kaede's (2073, St-Denis), (hmmm sushi). Kaede is a new Japanese restaurant in downtown Montreal. The business is japanese owned, japanese-managed, cooked and served. This is possibly the best (and cheapest) sushi I have EVER eaten.
There is this particular sushi called Osaka, which involves smoked salmon, shrimp, avogado and in which the nori algae is replaced by soybean foil. When I eat it, I feel what I can only describe as a mouth orgasm. Even burping feels good after you eat this sushi. Hours after you leave the restaurant, your mouth suddenly remembers its taste, and you get a second sushi-gasm. Even the word Sushi itself carries the delicate nuances of the dish.
I think by the way that Sushi is now my favorite food. I could probably eat it every day and not tire of it. Maybe I should move to Japan or something.
Anyway, I also went to a few movies (including X3 and Superman returns) - which I have nothing interesting to say about - and more importantly, I've been reading a heck of a lot.
I read, for example, Life of Hunger (La biographie de la faim) and Acide Sulfurique by Amelie Nothomb. Did you know that she almost got the Goncourt? I'm also in the process of reading a brick written by a french canadian lady, La femme de la Fontaine. It's quite taking and will be worth a review when I've gone through its 450 pages. Unfortunately, nobody has yet had the courage to translate it....
I also spend ridiculous amounts of time at the Great Library and periodically clean up the appartment, a task CQFD would do only twice a year in my absence.
I see friends and attend the wonderful Montreal Jazz Festival.
I'm also learning Indonesian for my next mission which is now in less than 4 weeks. I'm happy to be home and to have an extended stay, but I already feel my heart, yearning for the adventure !
The Beaver
Thank you Der Hadji in Afdirtistan for posting on my guestmap ! My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
The Beaver
Thank you Bananapouch in Baltimore for posting on my guestmap ! My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Bonne Saint-Jean
a tous les Quebecois
et les Quebecoises!!!!
I wrote an extensive post about it last year which you can find here.
Bonne Saint-Jean to one and all !
Dengue (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by one of four closely related, but antigenically distinct, virus serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4), of the genus Flavivirus. Infection with one of these serotypes provides immunity to only that serotype for life, so persons living in a dengue-endemic area can have more than one dengue infection during their lifetime. DF and DHF are primarily diseases of tropical and sub tropical areas, and the four different dengue serotypes are maintained in a cycle that involves humans and the Aedes mosquito. However, Aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to feed on humans, is the most common Aedes species. Infections produce a spectrum of clinical illness ranging from a nonspecific viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic disease. Important risk factors for DHF include the strain of the infecting virus, as well as the age, and especially the prior dengue infection history of the patient.
Clinical Diagnosis
Classic dengue fever or "break bone fever" is characterized by acute onset of high fever, 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Patients develop frontal headache, retro-orbital pain, myalgias, arthralgias, nausea, vomiting, and often a maculopapular rash. Many patients notice a change in taste sensation. Acute symptoms, when present, usually last about 1 week, but weakness, malaise, and anorexia may persist for several weeks. A high proportion of infections produce no or minimal symptoms, especially in children. Treatment emphasizes relief of symptoms, avoiding aspirin and other non steroidal anti-inflamatory medications and encouraging oral fluid intake (see Treatment below).
Treatment
Even for outpatients, the need for maintaining adequate hydration should be stressed. In addition, monitoring for signs of hemorrhagic fever and early appropriate treatment are key to ensure survival if the patient progresses to a more severe form of dengue infection. DHF/DSS can be effectively managed by intravenous fluid replacement therapy, and if diagnosed early, fatality rates can be kept below 1%. It is very important that physicians and other health care providers learn to recognize this disease.
To manage the pain and fever, patients suspected of having a dengue infection should be given acetaminophen preparations. Aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may aggravate the bleeding tendency associated with some dengue infections and in children can be associated with the development of Reyes syndrome.
For more info: visit the CDC
