SEA TURTLE AT INDONESIA

I get this video after browse YouTube. Take a look please a minute.

SEA TURTLE SLAUGHTERED.....WHERE??

I took this information based a letter from one man for Indonesian Minister of Environment. After I read that, I shock because my beloved country is the SEA TURTLE SLAUGHTER. That's  sad because our people grew up with tradition to keep balance between human and nature. The sea turtle is just not ordinary animal. This species are rare at world.  This species can keep balance of nature. So I hope Indonesia will change it's policy to save rare species.

And this is the letter...........

My name is Robin Marinos, a US citizen and frequent visitor to the beautiful islands of Indonesia. Earlier this year I videotaped the slaughtering of a whaleshark off Tangkoko Reserve. I campaigned against and witnessed the removal of the draw/trap nets belonging to EKASAPTA USAHAMINA. The closure resulted from the cooperation and aid of many concerned private individuals and public officials. This, plus the intense focus drawn upon the case from all angles to the top of the Indonesian government, resulted in the expedient closure after five weeks of continuous struggling. The success put an end to the devastation of the marine environment and its creatures around N.E. Suluwesi, plus added educational input for the marine conservation community and their cause to prevent such forms of devastational fishing.

I am sad to report that an even greater horror awaited me at Tajung, Benoa, Bali, where I recorded the most disgusting and cruel treatment toward any form of living being as I visited the socially accepted, uncontrolled, unmonitored green sea turtle trading and slaughtering pens. Some turtles were decaying with infections as they slowly rotted to their inevitable death, sometimes the torture lasting weeks before chosen to die normally as turtle steak or sate in a Chinese or Japanese restaurant. Others were damaged so badly that they were as good as dead. One even had one front fin torn off with only the shoulder bone showing.

The turtles demonstrated emotions as I moved around them. I couldn't help noticing the turtles, dehydrated and unfed for up to three weeks, spilling their last teardrops sometimes bobbing their heads off the floor as to plead for a little water. Ttheir captors stood on top of them to describe with bravado how they enjoyed listening to the turtles "scream like babies as they cut their throats". This is their ultimate fate after weeks of suffering. Much of this is clearly noticeable on the video taken.

The fact that it is traditionally accepted in Bali to slaughter and feed on the green sea turtle for only certain ceremonies one thing, but the uncontrolled and unmonitored methods of catching, handling, storing, and slaughtering is quite another. The fact that about one thousand (1,000) are sacrificed for ceremonial purposes per calendar year primarily on southern Bali seems bad enough, and that the officially accepted quota set four times that at four thousand (4,000) far exceeding the tradition needs seems too much. However the true numbers of well over fifteen plus thousand (+15,000) does not correspond to tradition needs nor adhere to legal conformity.

Furthermore, the legal shell length size of between 60-90 centimeters are the only acceptable sizes for this trade. During my uninvited visit to the turtle slaughter grounds, I stood there and measured the turtles tied appropriately in a praying position, front fins tied with cord, holes through the fins to prevent movement and to be lifted by. The largest measured approximately 110 cm., the smallest 55 cm from top to bottom of its shell. I estimate that at-least 40% of the 300-plus turtles were outside the legal size.

As admitted by the main trader and exploiter of this unmonitored trade, so called, 'Rasta' PAK Hasan, the turtles are caught and trapped all around Indonesian reefs, from Irian Jaya to Sumatra, using many fishing methods; a slight hint toward 'maybe yes' when questioned about cyanide and water-bomb (dynamite) fishing. The trader admited that he has no control of the fishing methods used by others who pillage reefs to catch turtles (sometimes as by-catch), later held in pens until arrival of the Bali turtle traders, normally costing 10-20,000 Rupiah per specimen (US$ 4.5 to 9).

Today, one can travel even the remote Island areas of the Indonesian Archipelago and find mostly ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese operating holding pens offshore and along the coast filled with many species of turtles and other large reeflife. This, I experienced from the Togian, Banggi, Tukanbesi Islands, to remote areas of the main Suluwesi Island this year. It leaves one to wonder really how many of these illegal holding pens really exist and to what extent this trade contributes to the damage to the marine ecosystems. One is left to wonder how much the turtle collection and trade being exercised irresponsibly daily contributes to the total reef damage. An example, three weeks ago a small ship was spotted by tourists now in Bali, fishing the few turtle left within the diving resort area of Giliair and Gilimeno, N.E. Lombok. Within the last year, there are at-least another three coastal areas in the Archipelago no longer sighting turtles breeding or laying eggs, all of those turtles born there have evidently perished!

As long as there exists a so-called quota, all forms of exploitation and manipulation, legal or illegal will persist and I believe, will get progressively worse. Further, the excuse of tradition has become weakened by the increasing availability and consumption of nontraditional foods. Not to mention that the turtle is supposedly "Sacred" to the Balinese people. Only five kilometers from the Tajung slaughter grounds there are signs displaying the Turtle and the penalties of up to 'one hundred million Rupiah' (US$ 42,000) for killing them. Without enforcement signs like these are meaningless!

Please help us stop these torturous and practices and join other nations who have placed an outright ban on capture, killing and trading of green sea turtles. All of Indonesia and the world will gain at the expense of a few selfish businessmen and their unrefined, uneducated, glutonus patrons.

Respectfully yours,

Robin Marinos
Friends of All Marine Life and Earth’s Ecosystems

THANKS FOR VISIT KAMPOENG!!!!!

MyNiceSpace.com

If you realize there is some widget that I added from beginning. That's Clustr Map. With that I know, where you (Kampoeng's visitor) come from. And I suprised when I saw a lot of dot at the map. I saw dots at U.S., South America, Europe, Middle East, India, China, Philippines, and Malaysia. Even from my country itself, there are visitors from Jakarta (Indonesia's capital), Jogjakarta (my hometown), Borneo, Bali, and Celebes.
At the beginning of KAMPOENG's blog, I never expect to attract people to visit this blog. Because my principle is "freedom in your right hand, respondbility in your back". KAMPOENG is my place to express my opinions. And I hope that KAMPOENG can be your place too with same purpose. I provide information, you just see and enjoy that.
Oh yeah, I know if my English is so suck and very bad. So I forgive if you disappointed for my languange. And for you know, I never copy information from others site exactly. I try to grow up and expand my skill.

Thank You.

Your sincerely,

Maverick89

Take A Look A Video From Greenpeace

I get this video from Greenpeace. I don't know with your opinion, but I think this is.........hard to explain it...........yes, I know that video's great, but I think that's little naughty. Maybe from East people (Asian, especially Moslem) sight, that video will had negative critics. Because back from my statement, that video made someone think wrong or NAUGHTY!!! This is something which means CREATIVE. I know if, Greenpeace activists alwys make some good movie or video with precious meaning. I think they had a good work. Back to problem, the rainforest have few location at world. You can say, Brazil, Indonesia, Kongo, Papua New Guinea, or India.
On a global scale, long-term fluxes are approximately in balance, so that an undisturbed rainforest would have a small net impact on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, though they may have other climatic effects (on cloud formation, for example, by recycling water vapour). No rainforest today can be considered to be undisturbed. Human induced deforestation plays a significant role in causing rainforests to release carbon dioxide, as do natural processes such as drought that result in tree death. Some climate models run with interactive vegetation predict a large loss of Amazonian rainforest around 2050 due to drought, leading to forest dieback and the subsequent feedback of releasing more carbon dioxide.

Yeah, forget my suck opinion. That video is inspired all of us to make many acts because forest at earth in sick condition. Maybe the right phrase is OUR FOREST IS AT DANGER AND RED CODE!!! Ok, fasten your seat belt and take a look the rest of video!!

Woow....The Green Olympic Made Another Polutions Again!!!

You can believe the fact if Beijing Olympic 2008 are the modern, the clean, the green, and the biggest budget ever held at Olympic history!!! That fact is BU**SH*T!!! You can see how much the fireworks which explode to the air. Beijing Olympic Committee claimed that pollution index before and at time of Opening Ceremony will be decreased.

Maybe that's right. But, in my opinion from I saw The Opening Ceremony, that's magnificent event, but I disappointed about that fireworks. Not their beauty and sparkling, but for firework's contribution for pollution index. That's make sense if pollution will be increased again after hard work for decrease the pollution. 

But in other way, I think China people will be proud after this olympic held. Because this achievement is one big dream of China. Not just the government dream, but people of China dream. Thank You, China. That's the great work! Keep consistent with your idea and dream. One World One Dream!!!

Finally...I can connect to world from my ROOM!!

Yes....Maybe you will ask from where I post my blog? At other country, like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and US, people can access internet connection from their home. But, at Indonesia, internet is luxury thing, and at another hand, internet is very important needs for educational person, like student. So the solution until now, we always use access from place where internet connected to computers.
That place known as warnet or "warung internet". In English, that's mean internet cafe where computers in such numbers, constructed at small box. In small box with size 1m x 1,5m, there are sofa, desk, CPU, LCD monitor, sometimes with video camera. That luxury priced 2.000-3.000 rupiah/hour or $20-$50 cents/hour. You can believe that!!! That the reality at my beloved country, Indonesia.

But still, there are many people can't afford that price. Because our GDP is $1.900/ capita. With a dolar (10.000 rupiah), many people, in middle class or poor, can survive at one day. Indonesia is full with food and material source. Anything at here is CHEAP with US standard.
Now back to problem, My PC and notebook now connected with internet via modem. With 266.000 rupiah/month or US$26/month, I can connect to world every day. So don't worry for anyone who expect my blog updated every day. Believe it, KAMPOENG never outdate and became old school. Stay in my touch!!!