Pakistan deploys 15,000-strong force for Chinese security

Yahoo – AFP, June 25, 2017

Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain (R) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi upon his arrival in Islamabad (AFP Photo/HO)

Pakistan has deployed a 15,000-strong military force to protect Chinese nationals working on energy and infrastructure projects in the country, the president said Sunday, after the abduction of a Chinese couple raised safety concerns.

President Mamnoon Hussain told visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Islamabad that the protection of Chinese citizens working in Pakistan was the "top priority" of the government, according to a statement issued by the presidency.

Beijing is investing around $50 billion in its South Asian neighbour as part of a plan unveiled in 2015 to link its far-western Xinjiang region to Gwadar port in Balochistan with a series of infrastructure, power and transport upgrades.

But fears over safety arose last month when two Chinese workers were abducted in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, which is at the heart of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project but racked by separatist and Islamist insurgencies.

Authorities were going to all possible efforts to arrest those responsible for kidnapping, Hussain said.

China has stated it will cooperate with Pakistani authorities to investigate whether the two Chinese citizens -- who were allegedly killed by the Islamic State group in the country -- had been illegally preaching.

So far there has been no official confirmation of the Chinese pair's fate.

Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting.

The IS group has been making inroads in the country through alliances with local militant outfits, although its presence is generally downplayed by the government.

Palestinian unity cabinet holds first meeting in the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian unity government has held its first-ever meeting in the Gaza Strip. This came just days ahead of a donors' conference to raise funds for the territory, which was battered by a recent Israeli offensive.

Deutsche Welle, 9 Oct 2014

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and 11 ministers crossed into the coastal territory through the Erez crossing on Thursday, where they were met by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah party, as well as senior officials from the Islamist militant group Hamas.

They then toured the town of Beit Hanoun and the Shijaiyah district of Gaza City, both of which were badly damaged in Israel's summer offensive.

"What we have seen today is dreadful and painful, and it has become clear to us that the rebuilding (of Gaza) is at the top of our list of priorities," Prime Minister Hamdallah said after the visit.

The ministers from Gaza subsequently traveled to Abbas' former residence in Gaza City, where they were joined by five Gaza-based ministers. These had been unable to attend when the government of technocrats was sworn in during a ceremony held in the West Bank city of Ramallah in June, as Israel had prevented them from traveling there. The five ministers had been forced to take part in previous cabinet meetings, also held in Ramallah, via video conference.

"We are facing a humanitarian and moral duty to our people in Gaza," the prime minister said even before surveying the damage in the narrow coastal strip.

Seven years of division

"We have put the years of division behind us, and the most important priority of the government is to guarantee a return to normal life for Gazans and unity with the West Bank," he added.

The agreement to form a unity government, reached back in April, is aimed at ending the bitter seven-year split between Fatah and Hamas, which began when Hamas forcibly seized control of the territory in 2007.

Between then and the formation of the unity administration, Fatah had governed the West Bank, while Hamas, which is regarded by Israel as a terrorist organization, ruled Gaza, leading Israel to impose a blockade on the territory.

Thursday's meeting came three days ahead of an international donors' conference, which Abbas has said he hopes will generate $4 billion (3.14 billion euros) in aid to reconstruct the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousand of Gazans were left homeless after their homes were destroyed in this past summer's 50-day Israeli air and ground offensive aimed at stopping militant rocket fire on the Jewish state.

More than 2,100 Gazans, mostly civilians, were killed in the conflict, while 73 people, mainly soldiers, were killed on the Israeli side.

pfd/tj (AP, AFP)

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Kerry to join Cairo talks on rebuilding Gaza

Hamas, Fatah agree on return of unity government in Gaza

Yahoo – AFP, Nasser Abu Bakr

Chief Palestinian negotiator Azzam al-Ahmad (centre left) of the mainstream Fatah

 movement shakes hands with Hamas deputy leader Musa Abu Marzouk (centre right)

 at a hotel in Cairo following reconciliation talks on September 24, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Khaled Desouki)

Cairo (AFP) - Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah said they reached an agreement on Thursday for the return of their unity government in Gaza ahead of crucial negotiations with Israel next month.

The Palestinian rivals had set up a unity government of independents in June but it never took hold, with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accusing Hamas of running a "parallel" administration as de facto ruler in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas in turn accused Abbas's Palestinian Authority, headquartered in Ramallah, of not paying its 45,000 employees in Gaza.

"Fatah and Hamas have reached a comprehensive agreement for the unity government to return to the Gaza Strip," Jibril Rajoub of Fatah told AFP.

Senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuk and Fatah's head of delegation, Azzam al-Ahmad, confirmed that an agreement had been reached after two days of talks in Cairo.

The talks were crucial for internal Palestinian divisions to be set aside and to agree on a unified strategy during talks with Israeli negotiators in October.

The October talks, under Egyptian mediation, are aimed at reaching a durable ceasefire after the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas.

The war killed more than 2,140 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side.

It ended on August 26 when the two sides agreed in Cairo on a ceasefire and to hold future talks on Palestinian demands to end an eight-year blockade of Gaza and exchange prisoners in Israeli jails for the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza.

'All issues tackled'

Hamas and Fatah talks were also crucial ahead of an international donor conference on October 12, to be hosted by Cairo, on the reconstruction of Gaza.

The July-August war caused a vast amount of destruction to homes and infrastructure in densely populated Gaza, leaving more than 100,000 Palestinians homeless, according to the United Nations.

"The unity government will supervise the crossings (into Gaza)... to facilitate the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip," Abu Marzuk said.

He said the two factions agreed to creating a mechanism for construction material to pass in to Gaza.

The two movements have also found a "solution .. to the problem of employees," Abu Marzuk said, referring to the Hamas accusations that the Palestinian Authority had not paid Gaza government employees.

"This meeting was essential because it tackled all the issues and hindrances that obstructed reaching an agreement," he said, referring to a reconciliation deal inked in April.

The April deal was inked to end years of bitter rivalry between the Fatah faction of Abbas, which dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, and the Islamist movement Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for the past seven years.

Following the deal, the rivals set up a government of independents, the first united administration in seven years, which took office in early June.

But sharp divisions quickly emerged over the control of Gaza, where the Hamas government formally stepped down on June 2 but remained the de facto power.

Abbas accused Hamas of operating a "shadow government" and threatened to end the unity deal unless the Islamists allowed the new government to function properly.

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Despite truce, Gaza fishermen under fire at sea (+Video)

UN brokers Gaza reconstruction deal

Yahoo – AFP, 16 Sep 2014

More than 2,100 Palestinians were killed in Israel's 50-day offensive against

Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip (AFP Photo/Marco Longari)

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations has brokered an Israeli-Palestinian deal on imports of construction materials to Gaza to ensure they will not be diverted by Hamas militants, an envoy said Tuesday.

The agreement on monitoring the supply of materials "must get up and running without delay," said Robert Serry, the UN envoy for the Middle East.

The deal, announced by Serry at a UN Security Council meeting, would allow private companies to move in to rebuild Gaza after a recent 50-day war ravaged the enclave and left more than 2,140 Palestinians dead.

It addresses Israel's concerns that cement and other materials could be used to rebuild Hamas tunnels by setting up a UN monitoring mechanism of the imports.

Serry described the destruction in Gaza as "truly shocking," with some 18,000 houses flattened or severely damaged while 65,000 Palestinians remain in UN-run shelters and 100,000 are homeless.

He appealed for the re-opening of crossing points to allow the delivery of materials and emphasized that quick action on reconstruction would provide a "signal of hope to the people of Gaza."

Egypt is due to host a donor conference for Gaza reconstruction on October 12, supported by Norway.

"The crisis in Gaza is far from over and the window of opportunity to address critical needs and stabilize the situation is short," Serry warned.

The envoy appealed for action to "change fundamentally the dynamics in Gaza," warning that "if we do not, Gaza could implode -- or, yet again, explode -- possibly with a new and even more devastating round of violence."

Following weeks of Egyptian-brokered negotiations, Israel and Hamas agreed to halt their fire in Gaza on August 26 after 50 days, their deadliest confrontation in years.

The indirect talks are set to resume mid-September to discuss longer-term issues.

UN diplomats, however, are concerned about Israeli and Palestinian commitment to peace talks, with one Security Council member saying that the sides appeared to be drifting toward a "cold peace."

The council separately has been unable to agree on a draft resolution to shore up the Gaza truce.

Qatar says ready to rebuild war-battered Gaza

Yahoo – AFP, 27 Aug 2014

A Palestinian family return to their destroyed home with their belongings in the

 northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanun on August 27, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Mohammed Abed)

Doha (AFP) - Key Hamas backer Qatar hailed a Tuesday ceasefire that ended seven weeks of conflict in and around Gaza and offered to throw its huge gas earnings behind reconstruction efforts.

Qatar, which hosts the Palestinian Islamist movement's exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, paid tribute to the "resistance and the sacrifices" of the Palestinians in 50 days of conflict with Israel.

It said it was "ready to contribute to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip as soon as possible," without giving any figure.

The ceasefire deal agreed on Tuesday between a Palestinian delegation, including Hamas, and Israel provides for a simultaneous opening of border crossings to aid and reconstruction supplies.

The head of the 57-member Islamic bloc welcomed Tuesday's ceasefire and expressed hope it would lead to a resumption of Middle East peace negotiations, broken off earlier this year despite desperate US mediation efforts.

The ceasefire must present a first step towards "restarting negotiations to achieve a just and comprehensive peace agreement," said Organisation of Islamic Cooperation secretary general Iyad Madani.

The conflict, which began on July 8 when Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in a bid to stamp out cross-border rocket fire, cost the lives of 2,143 Palestinians and 70 on the Israeli side.

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Palestinians celebrate 'open-ended' Gaza ceasefire

Bribery case plunges Ma administration into fresh crisis

Want China Times, Lee Ming-hsien and Staff Reporter 2014-06-04

Yeh Shih-wen, left, and Chao Teng-hsiung share a toast in 2012, when
a metro link to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was agreed. (Photo/
Wang Ying-hao)

Farglory Group's alleged attempt to bribe government officials in northern Taiwan's Taoyuan county in order to win the tender for a low-cost housing project in the county's Bade area has tarnished the Taiwan government's goodwill in seeking to provide low-cost accommodation, writes our sister paper China Times.

The low-cost housing project was initiated by Taoyuan county in 2010 and Taiwan-based conglomerate Farglory was one of the most aggressive bidders. The bribery that has been alleged involves the county's deputy magistrate Yeh Shih-wen, who has since been sacked, on evidence that he received NT$18.2 million (US$605,500) in cash from Farglory chair Chao Teng-hsiung to secure the bid.

Yeh is said to be resourceful and have lots of political connections, especially with the ruling Kuomintang. Yeh is the deputy to Wu Chih-yang or John Wu, who has been Taoyuan county magistrate since December 2009. Wu is the son of the KMT's honorary chairman Wu Po-hsiung.

Yeh was made head of the county's Construction and Planning Agency in 2008, and has since worked alongside 14 ministers who have generally affirmed his abilities. He was also recognized as a model civil servant in 2013 and his downfall has undermined on President Ma Ying-jeou's attempt to foster a perception of the KMT as a clean party in contrast to its fabled corruption of the past.

When Premier Jiang Yi-huah was interior minister, he received two tip-offs concerning Yeh, which urged that it should be investigated whether Yeh was in the habit of leaving work early and claims that engaged in suspicious social activities. This was evidently not enough to prevent him from taking bribes, however.

When Ma took office as president in 2008, he demanded all civil servants submit notification prior to engaging in social activities. When one of Ma's proteges, Lin Yi-shih, then secretary-general of the Executive Yuan, was found to have extorted a Kaohsiung businessman, a further crackdown on corruption was supposed to have been implemented.

Wu Chih-yang told the Taoyuan council on June 3 that "he did not know about Yeh's reputation," admitting that he had appointed the wrong person as his deputy.

While Premier Jiang has acknowledged he received communications concerning Yeh, Wu Den-yih, who was premier at the time and is now vice president, was swift to say that Jiang did not brief him on the matter. But the central government may be naive if it considers Yeh to be simply an individual case.

Investigators have suggested that the investigation has just begun and that more scandals concerning more people are likely to come to light.

Qatar "reacting" to criticism, says Blatter

Deutsche Welle, 9 November 2013

Qatar will amend its widely criticized labor practices, according to world soccer chief Sepp Blatter after talks with Qatari officials. Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup was "not reversible," he added.

After meeting senior officials on Saturday, including Emir Tamim bin al-Thani (pictured left above), Blatter said Qatar was "reacting" to criticism from international rights and labor groups about a lack of safeguards for mainly South Asian migrant laborers.

"The labor laws will be amended and special attention will be paid also to inspections of the workers' accommodation," Blatter said in Doha.

Britain's Guardian newspaper had claimed in September that 44 Nepalese workers had died on World Cup construction sites in Qatar.

'Another date'

Blatter added that more consultations were needed on suggestions – raised on Friday in the United Arab Emirates – that the Cup be held at the end of 2022.

"If it's possible to play at another date, it will be better," Blatter said, adding that it could not be held in January or February because that would clash with that year's Winter Olympic Games.

"We have together with the Olympics, the IOC, practically the same media, television and marketing partners and we cannot have two competitions in the same time," he said.

He also rejected the notion of Qatar co-hosting the World Cup with other nations in the Gulf region.

"The decision of the FIFA is to play in one country and that will be in Qatar;" Blatter said.

Last month, FIFA said it was launching a consultation process to decide whether to shift the tournament from its traditional June-July slot to a cooler phase of the year.

'Climate of fear'

In early October, the Building and Wood Worker's International (BWI) trade union federation said officials had found "widespread" evidence of labor standard violations and a "climate of fear" during a four-day visit to the gas-rich Gulf state.

The DWI said its team met many workers from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and the Philippines who spoke of the lack of medical care and their inability to lodge official complaints.

At the time, the head of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee, Ali Al-Marri, admitted there were some problems but denied claims of Nepalese being treated like "slaves".

ipj/slk (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

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Qatar 2022 World Cup organisers appalled by work conditions

Qatar detained two Germans who filmed World Cup labour conditions

Qatar detained two Germans who filmed World Cup labour conditions

Pair say they were detained for 27 hours after filming working conditions of labourers from balcony of hotel

theguardian.com, Louise Osborne in Berlin and Owen Gibson, Monday 14 October 2013

A construction site in Doha, Qatar. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Two German broadcasters have said they were detained by Qatari police this month as they attempted to investigate the plight of migrant labourers building infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup.

Peter Giesel, a film-maker and the head of a Munich-based production company, and his cameraman Robin Ahne were detained for 27 hours after filming the working conditions of labourers from the balcony of the Mercure Grand hotel in Doha.

The pair were following up on the Guardian's investigation into the conditions endured by many of the 1.2 million migrant workers who have flooded into the country to fuel a £100bn-plus construction boom before the football tournament.

"They said they just wanted to talk to us, but it wasn't clear about what," Giesel told the Guardian. "But the interrogations went on for several hours and then the security police got involved. They were talking about us sparking a riot by talking to the workers … and that's why we got detained and put in jail."

The pair, who say they were treated well while in custody, were told their equipment was being confiscated as they had been filming without permission.

"We went to the Nepalese embassy and it was flooded with workers trying to get their passports and documents back," Giesel said. "They tried to manipulate some of the footage and erase some. We weren't finished with the shooting in general, but afterwards I didn't have the nerve for it any more."

Documents obtained from the Nepalese embassy in Doha revealed last month that at least 44 Nepalese migrant labourers died between 4 June and 8 August, more than half from heart attacks, heart failure or workplace accidents.

International trade unions said up to 4,000 workers could die before a ball is kicked in 2022 if nothing was done to improve conditions for the workers, many of whom are heavily in debt and tied to their employers by law.

The Qatar 2022 supreme committee, which is overseeing preparations for the World Cup and has senior representatives from all the key government departments to ensure it is aligned with a parallel 2030 masterplan, has promised to take the issue of worker's rights seriously.

Before a key meeting of the Fifa executive committee in Zurich this month, the supreme committee chief executive, Hassan al-Thawadi, said the tournament would not be "built on the blood of innocents".

Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter, said he would visit the recently appointed emir to discuss the issue, but drew criticism from campaign groups for promising that the World Cup would go ahead regardless and claiming there was "plenty of time" to resolve any problems.

The International Trade Union Confederation called the Qatari response to an international outcry over the issue "weak and disappointing".

Giesel and Ahne were seized and held on 3 October, at exactly the same time as Fifa's executive committee was discussing the issue in Zurich.

The pair were released after friends and family got in touch with the German embassy in Qatar, prompting the German government's human rights commissioner to get involved.

Giesel said they had been treated well and even invited back to Qatar. "They were explaining, saying we know everything's not right in our country," he said. "But I think I should go back one day, just to make sure they didn't fool around with us too much and that what's been said in public there is in some way true. I can't say I will go back, but I might go back."

The footage shot by the German broadcasters has been acquired by Sky Sports News.

Last week an 18-strong delegation from the Building and Wood Workers' International union claimed they had been denied access to a construction site when they stopped as part of a surprise inspection visit.

The group was attempting to examine conditions on a construction site at Lusail, an area 44 miles north of Doha where an entire new city is being built including the stadium that will host the 2022 World Cup final.

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Qatar 2022 World Cup organisers appalled by work conditions

Beijing starts national ban on new government buildings

Want China Times, Xinhua 2013-07-24

The office building of China's Ministry of Transport.
(Photo/CNS)

China's central authorities on Tuesday introduced a five-year ban on the construction of new government buildings as part of an ongoing frugality campaign.

The General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a directive that calls for an across-the-board halt to the construction of new government buildings, training centers or hotels in the coming five years.

The directive says some departments and localities have built government office compounds in violation of regulations.

The directive calls on all party and government bodies to be frugal and ensure that government funds and resources are spent on developing the economy and boosting the public's well-being.

Experts said the directive is a continuation of efforts to build a clean government and improve work styles in order to strengthen the government's ties to the people.

STRICT CONTROL

According to the directive, the construction, purchase, restoration or expansion of office compounds that is done in the guise of building repair or urban planning will be strictly forbidden.

The directive also bans party and government organizations from receiving any form of construction sponsorship or donations, as well as collaborating with enterprises in developing construction projects.

While allowing restoration projects for office buildings with dated facilities, the directive stresses that such projects must be exclusively aimed at erasing safety risks and restoring office functions.

According to the instruction, such projects must be approved first by related administrative departments, with criteria and spending to be set in accordance with local conditions.

Expensive and unnecessary renovations will be prohibited, the directive says.

The directive stipulates that expenditures on office building restoration should be included in party and government budgets.

According to the directive, buildings with reception functions, such as those related to accommodation, meetings and catering, should not be restored.

In December 2012, the Communist Party's leaders pledged to improve the party's work style and eliminate extravagance and bureaucracy.

The party also initiated a campaign in June for strengthening the party's "mass line", which refers to a guideline under which party officials and members are required to prioritize the interests of the people and persist in representing them and working on their behalf.

Professor Wang Yukai from the Chinese Academy of Governance said the ban is part of the party's plan to improve its work style and promote the "mass line" concept.

Wang said the move may also be related to downward pressure in the economy.

In order to let the people live comfortably, the government has to tighten its belt and cut its own spending," Wang said.

RECTIFICATION

The directive orders all party and government departments to rectify the misuse of office buildings, including those that are used for functions that have not been approved or offices that are overly spacious.

A 2001 regulation concerning the construction of office buildings for party and government departments contains specific standards for the sizes of offices built for officials at every level of government.

The directive says party and government officials with multiple posts should be each given only one office, while offices for those who have retired or taken leave should be returned in time.

Local authorities should establish or perfect the management of government buildings by strictly verifying the buildings' total area, according to the directive. Departments that have moved to renovated or newly-built locations should transfer the original office blocks to government office administrators in a timely manner.

Departments and units at all levels should address possible office shortages by adding new institutions on their own. If the additions do not meet their needs, government office administrators should adjust existing resources to solve the shortage, according to the directive.

Strict approval procedures are also required for renting new office blocks, according to the directive.

"Banning the building of new government buildings is important for building a clean government and also a requirement for boosting party-people ties and maintaining the image of the party and the government," according to the directive.

Leading officials should take the lead in the campaign and relevant departments should map out measures for its implementation as soon as possible, the directive says.

Wang said that although similar bans already exist, the new ban is more strict and detailed, removing loopholes that have allowed local-level governments to circumvent central government orders.

STRENGTHENED SUPERVISION

The directive says the ban is an important part of building a more transparent government and strengthening ties between the party and the public, adding that authorities at all levels should create related standards and measures for the ban's implementation.

Departments in charge of investment should perfect approval procedures and internal supervision, while financial departments should tighten the management of public finance budgets by refraining from allotting funds for building projects without going through relevant approval procedures, according to the directive.

The renovation of existing government buildings and the construction of new buildings should be made known to the public, the directive says.

Land and resource management departments should tighten land supplies and management, while auditing departments should strengthen supervision over renovation and construction projects, the directive says.

Discipline inspection authorities should look into violations related to such projects, the directive says, adding that those responsible for allowing projects that violate regulations should be harshly punished.

Relevant departments should report their progress to the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council before Sept 30.

The general offices will supervise and inspect new renovations and construction, as well as inform the public of such inspections.

Wang said harsh punishments for those who defy the ban will be necessary in order to ensure the ban's effectiveness.

Indonesian NGO to Build School in Gaza

Jakarta Globe, November 30, 2012

An Indonesian NGO is securing funds to build a school in the recently

battle-torn Gaza Strip. (AFP Photo)        

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An Indonesian NGO announced on Friday plans to build a school in the Gaza Strip, as construction of the first Indonesian hospital in the conflict-ridden region is reportedly nearing completion.

“We’ve secured a plot of land in Bait Lahiya, North Gaza, [which is] about 5,000 square meters. We will immediately kick off construction,” the director of Aksi Cepat Tanggap, Doddy Cleveland, told Indonesian news portal antaranews.com in Gaza on Friday.

Doddy is in Gaza with several Indonesian lawmakers and representatives of various other Indonesian NGOs, including Dompet Dhuafa and the National Committee for the People of Palestine (KNURP), who brought billions of rupiah in humanitarian aid.

He didn’t elaborate on any details concerning the project.

ACT’s website, actforhumanity.or.id, says that the school’s construction was part of the organization’s Sympathy of Solidarity for Palestine program, which includes medical support and clean water aid.

It will be a primary school, and ACT said it had secured a permission and a pledge of support from Palestine’s Ministry of Education to develop the school.

“The Indonesian school in Gaza will have an environmentally friendly design, which will be easy to rebuild if the school is damaged. Basic materials will be taken from the Gaza Strip area... we will partner with the locals to build the school,” the ACT says.

The hospital is also being built in Bait Lahiya. Its construction was halted earlier this month after Israeli rockets almost hit it several times.

It is not clear yet whether construction has resumed.

Another Indonesian NGO, Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), initiated the trauma center and rehabilitation hospital. It has collected Rp 21.9 billion ($2.3 million) in donations from Indonesians to support its foundation, out of the estimated total need of Rp 60 billion, according to tempo.co.id.

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Indonesia completing hospital in Gaza strip

The Jakarta Post, Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta,  Wed, 04/25/2012

Non-governmental organization Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) Indonesia says that it is completing the construction of a hospital in the Gaza strip, Palestine, and is aiming to finish it by the end of this year.

The construction of Indonesian 

Hospital in Gaza Strip is still

in progress (photo file).

MER-C Indonesia chairman Sarbini Abdul Murad said on Wednesday that the basic structure of the hospital, whose design was inspired by the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, had been completed and that the project was entering the next phase.

“We are about to carry out the second tender for the architecture,” Sarbini said during MER-C’s visit to The Jakarta Post.

The hospital will be named the Indonesia Hospital.

“We [MER-C and the Palestinian government] have agreed that the Palestinian government won’t change the name. The hospital is a symbol of both countries’ friendship,” he said, adding that MER-C would also send Indonesian medical specialists, particularly surgeons, to work there.

The construction of the hospital, built on a 16,000-square-meter site, cost Rp 20 billion (US$2.18 million) while another Rp 10 billion will be needed to procure the medical equipment.

The organization has managed to collect Rp 21 billion from Indonesian donors since the Israel-Gaza war in 2008-2009 and will have to raise the rest of the funds needed.

“We’ve raised funds through one of our programs, the Rp 20,000 per person movement,” Sarbini noted.

The presence of the hospital, which will focus on providing trauma services and is located about three kilometers from the Israel-Gaza border, will be very significant for Palestinians living in the area, considering clashes often occur causing casualties.

“Previously, those who were injured needed to go to Syifa hospital, located about 10 kilometers away from the Indonesia hospital,” he said.

The hospital will have 100 beds and operations room and will be fully managed by the Palestinian government.

Related Article:

Indonesian Hospital in Gaza to be completed this year

Jakarta needs planning supervision: Experts

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Sat, 03/14/2009 1:53 PM 

Corruption and a lack of professionalism among government officials and contractors has contributed to many building failures across Jakarta, a seminar concluded on Friday. 

Sulistijo Sidarto Mulyo, chairman of Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) charter of professional engineers, said “building failures” did not just mean building collapsing, but also included poorly planned buildings.

“New schools with no students, or overpriced construction costs for a seaport are also examples of building failures,” Sulistijo told a seminar held by Pelita Harapan University.

If the government and developers worked by the book, these failures could be avoided, he said.

In South Korea, for example, developers must show would-be buyers all materials they intend to use for an apartment, Sulistijo said.

“They [the developers] would not dare change the quality of the materials. Here, developers show materials in promotional brochures but then use lower quality materials in construction,” he lamented.

Sulistijo told a story about an earthquake in a country not unlike Indonesia, in 1985.

“All government buildings crumbled, and only a few were left intact. This showed that not only had substandard materials been used, but that corruption was also invovled,” he said.

A similar catastrophe could happen in Jakarta, Sulistijo said.

Another speaker, Manlian Ronald Simanjuntak of the UPH civil engineering faculty, said building conversions were often a sign of building failure too.

“Basically, if we don’t feel comfortable with a building, this is a sign of a building’s failure,” Manlian said.

He highlighted the conversion of residential areas in the city into commercial premises as a good example of building failure.

As the economy expands and spaces are increasingly hard to find, many Jakarta residents have converted their houses into commercial properties.

South Jakarta municipality reported that owners of 1,649 buildings were abusing their residential permits. Many of these were being used as beauty clinics, spas, cafes, restaurants, offices, storage facilities and pharmacies.

“This is a case of building failure, but the administration doesn’t dare recognize it as a failure because they were the ones who handed out the permits.”

Sulistijo said that good buildings were ones that provided the most benefit to an area, over a certain time frame.

“We are really weak in the area of supervision of building developments,” he said.

He admitted that an independent body, like MUPA (Manggala Utama Penilai Ahli) whose engineering experts members, had yet to take on a supervisory role in building planning and development in Jakarta. (iwp)