The wRap Indonesia: Jan. 12, 2015

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The latest news on AirAsia QZ8501 and the President Joko Widodo’s controversial pick for top cop lead our wrap of stories from the weekend. 

1. AirAsia black box retrieved, but finding passengers is ‘priority’

AirAsia QZ8501’s flight data recorder was finally retrieved on Monday, January 12. “What we are still trying to find is the cockpit voice recorder,” Indonesia’s national search and rescue chief told reporters. The plane crashed on December 28 en route from Surabaya to Singapore amid stormy weather, but a definitive answer to what caused the crash is impossible without the data recorders or black boxes. Another official, S.B. Supriyadi, said Saturday that an object believed to be the plane’s main body had also been detected near the location of the black boxes. With only 48 bodies recovered so far out of the 162 people on board the plane when it crashed, reaching that part of the wreckage – as many bodies were believed trapped in the cabin – was also a top priority. On Saturday, the tail of the plane was also lifted from the seabed. Read the AirAsia QZ88501 stories on Rappler.

2. Jokowi’s nominee for top cop may be controversial, but he appears acceptable to lawmakers

Amid protests from activists over President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s police chief nominee, lawmakers – who will conduct the fit-and-proper test required before the appointment is made – seem to find Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan suitable. Activists have questioned why Jokowi didn’t consult the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) about Budi, especially since the current head of the National Police Education Division (Lemdikpol) was accused in 2009 of having more than $10 million in two bank accounts, which was considered disproportionate to his salary. An internal police investigation did not lead to any charges, Budi’s supporters say, and early comments from lawmakers – including from the opposition – indicate they believe Megawati Sukarnoputri’s former adjutant meets the requirements for the job, according to the Jakarta Post.

3. Jokowi wants to double capital expenditure in revised budget 

As expected, Jokowi is proposing to channel savings from the fuel subsidy cut to capital expenditures, which is expected to help boost economic growth this year. In the proposed revised 2015 budget the government plans to submit to the House of Representatives, the allocation of capex spending is more than doubled from IDR139 trillion to IDR290 trillion ($23 billion). This will lead to budget boost for three ministries: the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry (IDR33 trillion), the Transportation Ministry (IDR20 trillion) and the Agriculture Ministry (IDR16 trillion). Read the full story at the Jakarta Post.   

4. Bomb threat scare at Voice of America office in Jakarta

A bomb squad unit swept through the office of Voice of America (VOA) in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Saturday, after an anonymous bomb threat was reportedly posted on the media company’s American Facebook account, JPNN.com reported. But no bomb was found and in fact the offices were nearly empty because it was a Saturday. The US and Australia have both recently issued warnings of a potential threat in Indonesia, advising travelers to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to intelligence reports about potential terrorist attacks. 

5. Falling tree in Bogor Botanical Garden kills 5

The group of workers from PT Asata Mandiri Agung were simply gathered under a large, 50-year-old tree at the Bogor Botanical Garden on Sunday morning when the apparently termite infested tree collapsed and fell on them. All victims were taken to the hospital but 5 succumbed to injuries. Another 8 are still being treated for injuries as of Monday morning, according to Vivanews.com. – Rappler.com