The wRap Indonesia: Jan. 6, 2015

JAKARTA, Indonesia  – The latest on AirAsia QZ8501 and a major drug bust that netted 800 kilograms of crystal methampetamine lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia. 

1. Who gave AirAsia Indonesia permission to fly from Surabaya on Sundays?

Following reports that AirAsia Indonesia was only permitted to fly its Surabaya-Singapore route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, the Ministry of Transportation is now investigating how the airline got approval to fly on Sunday, December 28  – the date the ill-fated AirAsia QZ8501 took off. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said their records show AirAsia has permission to fly and land at Changi Airport on Sundays. Transportation officials suspect “fixing” was involved, but they also say other airlines could have committed the same permit violation. Read the full Rappler report in Bahasa Indonesia here.  

2. International drug syndicate busted in Jakarta with 800 kg of meth

In what seems to be one of the biggest drug busts in Southeast Asia, Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency announced on Monday, January 5, the arrest of 9 members of an international drug syndicate in West Jakarta – 4 Chinese, 4 Indonesians, and 1 Malaysian. The group included 40-year-old Chinese national Wong Ching Ping, who is said to be wanted in 7 countries, including in the Philippines and the United States. Police also confiscated 800 kilograms of methampetamine from the group, disguised in packs of Chinese-branded coffee, which they say has a street value of IDR1.6 trillion ($126 million). The full Rappler report in Bahasa Indonesia is here.  

3. Indonesian actors from ‘The Raid’ reportedly cast in new Star Wars film 

The Indonesian online world is abuzz with news that stars from the highly acclaimed films The Raid and The Raid 2 have been cast in the much-anticipated new Star Wars film. Film news website Twitch wrote that it learned a key trio of performers from the Gareth Evans’ films – leading man Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman – will appear in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, which is being directed by JJ Abrams. The Raid and its sequel featured the Indonesian martial art pencak silat, and reports say this is what the three stars have been cast for. But when Rappler contacted Iko’s manager, all she said was, “no comment,” which often means “there’s some truth to this but we can’t confirm or deny it yet.” She did confirm Iko was working on another Hollywood project.

4. Mount Soputan erupts, but no evacuations necessary yet

Mount Soputan in Southeast Minahasa district, Southeast Sulawesi, erupted at around 2:47am on Tuesday, January 6, but posts no immediate threat to people, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The volcano remains at alert level 3 and a 6-kilometer exclusion zone from the peak has been established, but BNPB spokesperson told media conditions remain normal and activities can be carried out as usual. 

5. Bantul court finds Facebook user ‘not guilty’ of online defamation

Facebook user Ervani Emi Handayani, 29, cried when the Bantul district court on Monday found her not guilty of defamation, the Jakarta Post reported. But she probably will be more careful about what she posts on Facebook and other social media channels from now on. Ervani’s ordeal began when she posted Facebook comments criticizing her husband’s supervisors for firing him. The supervisors then reported her to the police for defamation, and she was later charged and detained for a week under the controversial 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law. The case is one of the examples of why activists have been calling for a repeal or amendment of the law. – Rappler.com