French spy turned engineer behind Sydney Opera House magic dies

France24 – AFP, 8 April 2019

The former French spy's calculations made it possible to build Sydney Opera
House's spectacular sails AFP/File

Sydney (AFP) - A former French spy hailed as a genius for an engineering feat that made building the Sydney Opera House possible has died aged 97, officials said Monday.

Joe Bertony -- one of the original engineers of Australia's most recognisable building -- handwrote 30,000 separate equations to create the "erection arch" or truss which held the concrete sails in place during construction.

"Bertony was a remarkable man who will be remembered as the inventor of the Sydney Opera House's mobile erection arch," Sydney Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said in a statement.

"Those calculations were checked by the only computer in Australia at the time with a large enough capacity to do so. Not a single error was found," she said.

"Bertony was a genius. Without him, the spectacular sails might never have become a reality."

He died at his home in Sydney on Sunday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Bertony joined the French navy to study naval engineering and was recruited as a spy, according to author Helen Pitt, who has written a book about the Opera House.

He was twice captured by the Germans during World War II and sent to concentration camps, but escaped both times and was later awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government for his wartime actions, Pitt added.

The Opera House, which opened in 1973, is billed as Australia's number-one tourist destination and is the country's busiest performing arts centre.

China opens world's longest glass-bottomed bridge

Yahoo – AFP, August 21, 2016

Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended 300 metres above the earth,
the bridge spans a canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park in
China's central Hunan province (AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

The world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge opened in China's spectacular Zhangjiajie mountains -- the inspiration for American blockbuster Avatar.

Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended 300 metres above the earth, the bridge spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park in China's central Hunan province.

Six metres wide and made of some 99 panels of clear glass, the bridge can carry up to 800 people at the same time, an official in Zhangjiajie -- a popular tourist destination -- told the Xinhua news agency.

Tourists can walk across the bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, and the more adventurous will be able to bungee jump or ride a zip line.

"I wanted to feel awe-inspired by this bridge. But I'm not afraid -- it seems safe!" Wang Min, who was visiting the new structure with her husband and children, told AFP Saturday.

Following an alarming glass bridge cracking incident at the Yuntai mountain in northern Henan in 2015, authorities in Zhangjiajie were eager to demonstrate the safety of the structure.

A tourist takes a photograph on the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge 

above a valley in Zhangjiajie in China's Hunan province (AFP Photo/Fred Dufour)

They organised a string of media events, including one where people were encouraged to try and smash the bridge's glass panels with a sledge hammer, and another where they drove a car across it.

"It's crowded today and a bit of a mess. But to be suspended 300 metres in the air, it's a unique experience," said Lin Chenglu, who had come to see the bridge with his colleagues.

Only 8,000 people each day will be allowed to cross the bridge, Xinhua said, and tourists will have to book their tickets a day in advance, at a cost of 138 yuan ($20).

Cameras and selfie sticks are banned, and people wearing stilettos will not be allowed to walk on the bridge, Xinhua said.

Local authorities have said that one of the summits in Zhangjiajie Park inspired the floating mountain which appears in the American blockbuster Avatar.

A Hollywood photographer visited the area in 2008, taking images which were used for the film, according to media reports.

#China opens longest glass bottom #bridge in world. By @freddufour_afp https://t.co/VxXsVhTJs7 pic.twitter.com/7gMCtQ7oGI

— AFP Photo Department (@AFPphoto) August 21, 2016

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Belated win for coastal protection in Spain

Environmentalists have won a decade-long battle to halt construction of a mega-hotel in one of Spain's largest coastal protected areas. However, the conflict between tourism and conservation is far from over.

Deutsche Welle, 24 February 2016

El Algarrobico has been for a decade one of the most controversial buildings in Spain

It was a clear win for environmentalists when Spain's highest court ruled the construction of a mega-hotel 'illegal'.

Just 14 meters away from El Algarrobico, a pristine beach of Cabo de Gata in southern Spain, the hotel - with its 21 floors and 411 bedrooms - stands vacant.

Its construction in the province of Almeria was dubbed one of Spain's biggest environmental scandals.

The Spanish Supreme Court recently declared the area environmentally protected and has banned construction. Environmentalists have hailed the decision a great success. But, the victory may have come a bit late.

A decade of confusion

"The countdown for the demolition of the Algarrobico's hotel has finally started," said Andalusian environment minister José Fiscal.

His triumphant announcement comes after years of backtracking and legal ambiguity with many locals holding the regional government responsible for the whole fiasco.

It all began in the 1980s, when construction of the hotel was first licensed. Then, the coastal area was not protected. But by the time construction began in 2003, that had changed and building was prohibited.

The hotel is located in a protected area within the natural park, Cabo de Gata

It wasn’t until 2006 that a local court first ordered an immediate halt to building. But the national environment ministry and the regional government of Andalusia failed to react to the ruling.

Then in 2012, the high court of Andalusia declared the hotel illegal and called for its demolition. But two years later, the court reversed its decision. The hotel was legal and building free to restart.

Now, 10 years after works were halted, Spain's Supreme Court has finally given the green light for its demolition.

The price of the victory

Tearing down the huge edifice will cost an estimated 7 million euros. The national and local government are to split the bill.

There is also the outstanding question of compensation for the hotel’s owners – who are demanding around 70 million euros.

Locals feel they too have lost out financially.

While environmental groups have long fought the hotel, it has always had majority support in the area – mainly for economic reasons.

"Once it was already constructed, it would have been best to make use of it," said Salvador Hernández, mayor of the nearby village of Carboneras.

Hernández argues the hotel would have brought much needed jobs to the village. "Instead, the people – through taxes – will pay for its demolition, and the consequences," he told DW.

Hernández believes the local community has emerged the biggest loser from a debacle that put Carboneras on the map for all the wrong reasons.

"Our village may be outstanding for many reasons, but our image has been destroyed by this scandal," he lamented.

The natural park Cabo de Gata is the largest coastal protected area in Andalusia

An uncertain future

And the construction that has loomed over Algarrobico for more than a decade will not disappear overnight.

The demolition is expected to produce around 60,000 cubic meters of waste, of which at least 40,000 cubic meters must removed and dumped. The remainder is to be used in the area’s recovery

Greenpeace at least sees an upside to this logistical challenge.

"The demolition work would bring around 400 new jobs," said Pilar Marcos, head of Greenpeace Spain’s coastal campaign.

"98% of the materials could be recycled. Moreover, it represents a new opportunity for sustainable tourism."

What the beach will look like once the process is over remains an open question. Whether it will be restored to its natural state – or become the site for new tourism services has yet to be decided.

Massive tourism is visible all along the Spanish coast

Tourism threatens conservation

According to WWF, tourism is one of the main causes for biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean region. Sea beds, coastal landscapes and marine dynamics are all at risk.

Spain is one of the world’s best-loved tourist destinations. In 2014, it was ranked third in the world for numbers of foreign tourists by the United Nations Tourism Organization.

But threats to environment from tourism are a problem the world over, with Mexico, China, Ecuador, Indonesia and Nepal just a few of countries where vacationers put the landscapes they come to enjoy at risk.

Beijing tasked with crap job of creating 'toilet revolution' in rural China

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-07-18

Outhouses in Quzhou, Zhejiang province. (Internet photo)

Toilets in the Chinese countryside have earned a nasty reputation, with some little more than ramshackle shelters surrounded by bunches of cornstalk and others just open pits next to pigsties.

However, a toilet revolution is under way as the Chinese government scrambles to meet a UN health target requiring 75% of rural areas to have sanitary toilets by this year.

China's national standard require toilets in rural homes to have walls, roofs, doors and windows and to be at least two square meters in size. They may be flush toilets or dry toilets with underground storage tanks.

Provincial officials around the country said they have been urged to renovate sub-standard toilets and build new ones for farmers.

"Toilets seem like quite an insignificant thing, easily overlooked, but we find it to be an important and quite difficult task," Chen Xiaojin, deputy chief of the health department in eastern China's Jiangsu province, told Xinhua.

Currently, 94% of rural Jiangsu homes have these "sanitary" toilets. Chen said Jiangsu boasts the highest number of up-to-standard toilets in the country, thanks to persistent work in persuading and assisting rural residents to upgrade their facilities.

Sanitary toilets are a health priority for Jiangsu officials. The provincial health department publishes a ranking of cities each month based on their work to build new toilets. Officials who have slacked off risk being reprimanded.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, a national figure on rural toilets will not be available until the end of the year. But the commission said China should have no problem meeting the UN target, as the 2014 figure had already reached 74%. China will set an additional national target of 85% for 2020.

"We must realize the period from now to 2020 is crucial. We are under a lot of pressure, and officials at every level must advance with the campaign," said Li Bin, head of the commission, at a national conference last December.

In Yongkang Village in central Jiangsu, villager Bu has just finished building a flush toilet.

"This kind of new, high-quality toilet is much better and cleaner with no smell," he said. His old one was a thatched space full of flies and maggots. "In the countryside, toilets used to be the dirtiest places. Now they have become the cleanest spots," he said.

HEAVY FUNDING

In Bu's village, each household received 800 yuan (about US$130) from the government to rebuild or renovate their toilets during the first half of 2015. The average home toilet upgrade costs about 3,000 yuan (about US$485), and the farmers must make up the costs not covered by the subsidies.

From 2004 to 2013, China's central government earmarked 8.27 billion yuan (US$1.33 billion) to build toilets in rural areas. Farmers who have agreed to build new toilets are eligible to receive the funds. The amounts vary from 150 yuan (US$24) in central and western China to 500 yuan (US$80) in the eastern and southern regions, where building materials are more expensive. Local governments with deeper pockets may also offer additional subsidies to villagers.

However, officials claim convincing rural residents to change their toilets is a challenge. "Most villagers are used to their way of using the toilet. It is hard to change," said Wang Zhigang, Communist Party secretary in Tanggou township in northern Jiangsu.

Farmers collect feces to be composted on their farmland. If they use flush toilets, no compost will be left behind. Dry toilets with tanks bring the extra task of regular cleaning.

"We had to build a few toilets first and take villagers to visit, and then encourage them to build new ones," he said. Slogans such as "sanitary toilets improve lives" are painted on walls of rural homes. TV stations are told to air videos promoting the use of better toilet facilities.

Fu Yanfen, a researcher at China Disease Prevention and Control, warned that about 80% of contagious diseases such as diarrhea and cholera in rural China are caused by contamination from toilets.

"The improvement of rural health has a profound impact on rural life and the rural economy. The local government must keep up with their work. We should continue to help the villagers in the repair, cleaning and maintenance of these facilities," Health Minister Li Bin said.

A renovated bathroom at Guilin Central Square, Guangxi, Feb. 26. (File photo/Xinhua)

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A cleaner at work at a toilet in Xujiahui Park in Shanghai, Oct. 21, 2014.

(File photo/Xinhua

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Toilets to be upgraded at tourist sites in China

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-03-01

A renovated bathroom at Guilin Central Square, Guangxi,
Feb. 26. (File photo/Xinhua)

China will build 13,000 new toilets and renovate another 9,000 in 2015 at tourist sites to upgrade the notorious facilities, tourism authorities announced on Thursday.

The campaign is part of China's three-year "toilet revolution" aimed at building a total of 33,000 restrooms and renovating 24,000 by 2017, said Li Jinzao, head of the China National Tourism Administration.

Li released the target at a national kick-off meeting, adding that insufficient and unhygienic toilets have damaged China's national image and left tourists unhappy.

The official urged local tourism authorities to consider the special needs of the elderly, women, children and disabled when building and renovating toilets.

Over 3.7 billion trips were made to China's tourist sites last year, and some 128 million were from overseas visitors.

A cleaner at work at a toilet in Xujiahui Park in Shanghai, Oct. 21, 2014.
(File photo/Xinhua)

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Household waste spoils Pamurbaya’s beauty

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya | Fri, 03/19/2010 9:47 AM

Full of garbage: Plastic trash litters the mangrove forest in eastern Surabaya. The garbage is dumped by people living along the Surabaya River. (JP/Indra Harsaputra)

Early in 2010, Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono inaugurated a conservation and ecotourism zone on the eastern coast of Surabaya known as Pamurbaya.

However, it is hard work changing the habits of local people who are used to dumping rubbish into a nearby river, covering the coastline with plastic waste.

Dimas, a photographer working for the East Java Traveler magazine, was amazed to see the coastal scenery at sundown. “It’s a fascinating view. I could see an expanse of mangrove trees along the shore, glowing in yellowish hues in the setting sun,” he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He visited Pamurbaya with a group of journalists and several researchers from the Foundation for Nature Conservation and Education (Yapeka), which has partnered with the Surabaya city administration to develop Pamurbaya.

But the natural beauty of Pamurbaya has been spoiled — as Dimas discovered — by heaps of garbage in the coastal areas where the Surabaya River empties into the sea.

“I’m longing to enjoy the Surabaya landscape without rubbish. I thought this conservation area was free from waste, yet it’s not far different from the city’s garbage-strewn traditional markets,” he added.

The accumulation of waste causes the death of some full-grown mangroves as it hampers sunlight penetration and interferes with the process of oxygen absorption by their roots. Besides, plastic swathing frequently stops the growth of shoots at the base of the trees, thus slowing down mangrove regeneration.

Executive director of Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation (Ecoton), Prigi Arisandi, said Pamurbaya’s natural environment had changed since the Surabaya administration issued its Regional Regulation No.23/1993, turning the coast into a development zone. Its mangrove forests and brackish water ponds were converted into settlements.

“Shortly after the regulation was announced, this zone was transformed into a housing area complete with shopping facilities and schools. So far, many housing developers have been attracted to building housing complexes on the waterfront,” noted Prigi.

Prigi added that housing construction prompted local people to use vacant land for business and settlement purposes following sedimentation in Pamurbaya, since the width of the area increased by between 2 and 4 kilometers from 1986 to 1996.

This land reclamation has endangered the existence of several wildlife species in Pamurbaya. The coastal birds now under the threat of extinction include egrets, sandpipers, plovers, and white eyes.

“Moreover, the increasing waste along the river basins of Brantas in Malang, Kediri, Mojokerto and Surabaya combined with the lack of public awareness on the need to avoid the disposal of garbage into rivers has posed a serious problem to the Pamurbaya zone,” he indicated.

Bambang said that to promote the restoration of Pamurbaya’s mangrove forest, the city administration had for two years made various conservation efforts, including the formulation of a regional regulation on the Surabaya spatial layout plan (RTRW), in which Pamurbaya was designated as a conservation zone.

“The RTRW rule serves as the regional government’s tool to save mangrove land from housing development. From 1972 to 2009, Pamurbaya’s land area expanded by 176 hectares, which private circles are now eagerly eyeing for settlement,” he pointed out.

Bambang revealed that before the endorsement of the regulation, the National Land Affairs Agency (BPN) had been requested not to issue certificates for housing construction and ownership in the new areas formed by sedimentation in Pamurbaya, while a proposal was forwarded to the Office of the State Minister for Environment Affairs to make Pamurbaya a protected mangrove zone.

The proposed protected zone covers almost 2,500 hectares. Of the area, around 50 hectares in three districts, Rungkut, Gununganyar and Sukolilo, will be the core zone of conservation, almost 390 hectares will serve as a buffer zone and close to 430 hectares will become a cultivation zone.

Meanwhile, 1,585 hectares in Keputih sub-district, Sukolilo, are still under study.

According to him, several programs related to the low public awareness of proper garbage disposal practices would continue to be implemented. On top of preventing erosion, expanding urban green space and increasing the catch of local fishermen, Pamurbaya’s mangrove forest is also richer in biodiversity than most conservation areas in Southeast Asia.

Pamurbaya, for instance, has 15 natural mangrove species. In fact, Muara Angke Wildlife Reserve in Jakarta only has six species and Sungei Buloh Conservation Zone in Singapore only nine species of mangroves.

A researcher from Yapeka, Ahmad Suwandi, said Pamurbaya had also become the habitat of 53 species of insects, 83 species of birds, including migratory birds passing from New Zealand to Siberia, and seven species of primates.

“These Pamurbaya primates are interesting to note as many other mangrove forests usually have just one to two species. In Pamurbaya, I can still see long tailed monkeys hunting with their tails,” he continued. They put their tails into water and when crabs pinch, the tails are jerked up and the crabs are caught. “It’s very natural, far from imitating human behavior,” he added.

Suwandi acknowledged that in spite of the various constraints, the local government’s intention to develop Pamurbaya into a conservation zone constituted an advanced step to reduce the impact of global warming.

Head of the Surabaya City Planning Agency Tri Rismaharini said a regional budget of Rp 3 billion would be provided for the establishment of a Mangrove Information Center in Pamurbaya to show the regional administration’s commitment to nature conservation.

The Mangrove Information Center (MIC) planned to be developed in East Java is on the same lines as has been promoted in Bali to support the island’s mangrove ecosystem.

Lack of cleanliness hampers tourism

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 03/14/2010 8:58 PM

Tourism expert Joice Lapian says that a lack of cleanliness remains a hurdle in tourism development in North Sulawesi.

“Visitors often complain about the lack of cleanliness in public toilets, such as the ones at the airport,” she said in Manado on Sunday.

“The local government needs to pay attention to this.”

Many public places, especially tourist attractions, are yet to be equipped with bathrooms, kompas.com reported.

“Many potential places don’t have public toilets or bathrooms and as a result, the area has not been developed,” said Joice, a lecturer at Manado’s Sam Ratulangi University.

She said that North Sulawesi had tremendous potential, especially because of its breathtaking natural beauty, but it had been unable to compete with other regions due to its lack of proper facilities.

Best City is still dirty and noisy

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Ubud | Mon, 02/08/2010 10:51 AM | Bali

The once quiet village of Ubud was just named the Best City in Asia, defeating Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo, but a large number of visitors to the city still find it dirty and noisy.

Jan Hansesen, together with 10 friends from Denmark, was spending a four-day holiday in Ubud, around 40 kilometers north of Denpasar.

Before arriving in Ubud, the group were holidaying in Hong Kong and at the Nusa Dua resort complex in Badung regency, Bali.

“People from all over the world say Ubud is a nice place, so we wanted to visit and enjoy it,” Hansesen said, adding that the group loved staying in Ubud where people were kind and friendly. They also felt secure walking along Ubud’s narrow streets.

However, issues of sanitation and the environment made him deeply concerned.

“Garbage is scattered all over the place. Plastic and wastepaper is everywhere. If you want to have tourists, you must clean the place,”

he said. Hansesen was not alone. Many tourists shared similar feelings. Two Spanish friends, Gabriel Pla and Eduard Bascunan, had come all the way from Spain just to visit the famous Ubud village.

“We wanted to see the most important place in Bali. So I chose the royal temple and Ubud market,” said Gabriel who stayed at a hotel in Nusa Dua. After only a few hours in Ubud, they found the village too crowded and dirty. “I just arrived here and already feel like it’s very crowded,” the Spanish man said. However, the beauty and unique architecture of Ubud’s palaces and temples to some extent healed their bad feelings about the place.

“It’s a nice place. But I think you have to solve the traffic problem. If you were named the best city, you must make improvements here and there,” he said.

US-based travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller once named Ubud the best city in Asia based on readers’ choices. Ubud obtained the highest score (Ubud gained 82.5 compared to Singapore with 79.6 and Shanghai with 75.9).

The nominations were based on a number of indicators including the city’s ambience, art and culture, lodgings, restaurants, local residents’ friendliness and shopping facilities.

Ubud is not a city by any Western terms. It is a small village growing into metropolitan tourist destinations with a sprawling number of restaurants, villas and hotels. The rapid growth of tourist facilities in Ubud was not in line with the progress in infrastructure development.

The roads are winding and narrow fit only for one-way traffic. Parking lots are not available, forcing cars and other vehicles to park along the narrow streets. Roads are filled with holes. Some government-sponsored projects have frequently disrupted the busy traffic. Most of the sidewalks are not designed or constructed properly and this makes it difficult for people to use them. But in particular, Ubud is dirty and noisy.

Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana, the patron of Ubud Royalty who is also the regent of Gianyar, responded positively. “We must immediately improve all public facilities in Ubud,” the regent said.

“Our first priority is to regulate traffic flows in Ubud and to provide adequate parking spaces,” he said.

The local authority would also regulate the construction of shopping facilities including advertisement boards as well as the construction of large-scale villas and hotels. “We feel we are living in a big, glittering shopping city, not in an art village,” Ardhana said.

There are around 250 small hotels and 10 luxury hotels and villas in Ubud. “Many are operating without the necessary permits,” he added.

A cleanliness program would be the hardest part of the changes for Ubud administration to tackle. “It is very difficult to build a clean culture. We will never give up, however, to create a clean and safe Ubud.”

Authorities to relocate residents in E. Lombok

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Lombok | Wed, 12/09/2009 3:39 PM

PROJECT: Ocean Blue Suite Villas, Sunut Island, Lombok

HST Architects & Designers Associates

Authorities of East Lombok administration will relocate around 450 residents of Gili Sunut island in exchange for a planned tourism resort by a Singapore-based investment company.

The administration spokesperson Sujono said on Wednesday that the residents who did not have any official land ownership would be moved to Teranjah-Anjah, Pemongkong village or about 10 kilometers from the island.

“We expect they can still go to sea since the would-be new place is not too far from beach,” Sujono said.

He added that the investor from PT Blue Ocean would construct new houses and public facilities, such as a public health center and an elementary school, for the residents.

The 7.5-hectares island has lured the investors with its white sands and natural views, he said.

PROJECT: Ocean Blue Suite Villas, Sunut Island, Lombok

HST Architects & Designers Associates

Indonesia Hopes ‘Tourism Villages’ Will Empower Communities

The Jakarta Globe, Nurfika Osman, October 20, 2009

In an attempt to boost the tourism sector about 200 villages across the country are to be developed into “tourism villages” next year, with funding coming principally from the National Program for Community Empowerment, an official said on Monday.

“Each would-be village will be given funds ranging from Rp 80 million to Rp 100 million [$8,480 to $10,600],” said Winarno Sudjas, secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Destinations Development Division.

The announcement came a day after an industry operator blamed the government for the nation’s poor showing in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009, which ranked Indonesia 81 out of 133 countries surveyed, suggesting that the country must do more to boost tourism.

According to the survey, which was conducted by the Switzerland-based World Economic Forum, Indonesia trailed far behind Singapore, which was 10th, Malaysia at 32nd, Thailand 39th and Brunei 69th.

Indonesia fared slightly better than the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia, which finished 86th, 89th, and 108th, respectively.

The top three were Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

According to Sudjas, all villages in the archipelago may submit proposals to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to take part in the plan.

The proposals will be examined by a special team, which has the final say on which village receive funding.

Sudjas said the money would be used by villagers to construct tourist accommodations, train local youths to become guides, preserve and produce local dishes and fund other leisure activities.

“We want to empower the villages by helping them increase their potential and fix their shortcomings,” Sudjas said.

He said this program gave the villages more power to develop as they wished because the central government would provide funds for renovations, while also monitoring how the money was spent.

“We will not dictate to them. We’ll let them decide what they need and award funds based on their proposals,” he said. “We will just monitor them and watch their progress.”

He said the program had been in operation for two years. In 2008, 50 villages participated, with each receiving Rp 50 million. In 2009, the number of villages receiving the funds rose to 100.

“In Yogyakarta and Bantul, many villages have been developed into tourism villages and it has also helped villagers to earn bigger incomes,” he said.

“It means that we are empowering them. This is an effective way to boost tourism.”

The National Program for Community Empowerment is a government program to curb poverty in the country.

Based on the United Nations Development Program, about 37 million Indonesians live below the poverty line.

Government Insists Lombok Deal Not Dead

The Jakarta Globe, Janeman Latul, March 17, 2009

High-ranking Indonesian government officials and Emaar International PJSC have denied that the Dubai-based development company has killed its massive $600 million project to turn a major portion of Lombok Island into another Bali.

“The government of Indonesia and Emaar have extended a delayed joint venture agreement to get the project underway for another three months,” an Emaar spokesman said in an e-mail from Dubai. The spokesman asked that his name not be used.

“Emaar has met its contractual obligations and the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board [BKPM] has now asked Emaar for an extension of time to meet their obligations under the joint venture agreement,” the e-mail said.

Emaar closed its Jakarta offices on Friday and will coordinate further activities from Dubai, the spokesman said.

“Initially, Emaar set up its Jakarta office to establish a ground presence to drive the project forward and meet the JV obligations, leading to the finalization of negotiations with BKPM.”

However, Emaar does appear to be facing serious financial difficulties amid the global financial crisis, and is closing projects across the globe. The company suffered a 2008 fourth-quarter loss of $481.9 million, and its share price has fallen dramatically.

It was also reported from Dubai on Thursday that the company canceled its annual general meeting without giving a reason

Alwi Shihab, the presidential envoy to the Middle East region, told the Jakarta Globe by telephone from Taipei that the government received verbal confirmation on Friday from Emaar’s chairman, Muhammad Alabbar, that the project would be extended for another three months, although no written confirmation had yet been received.

“We could not get confirmation for the three-month extension until last Friday, when the UAE deputy prime minister and UAE Chamber of Commerce chairman met with the Indonesian task force,” Shihab said. “The chairman called Emaar’s chairman and asked him about the project. According to him, they agreed to extend the time for another three months,” he said.

Winarno Sujas, the Tourism Ministry’s director for business and investment, told the Jakarta Globe on Friday that Vice President Jusuf Kalla would summon related ministries for a meeting today in a bid to save the project.

Correction

On the Monday, March 16 edition of the Jakarta Globe, we reported that Dubai state-owned Emaar Properties PJSC had “announced” it was canceling a $600 million plan to develop a stretch of beach on the island of Lombok into a resort.

Later in the article, we attributed comments about the company’s problems dealing with Indonesian officials to Emaar Indonesia.

None of these comments came from an official spokesperson for the company.

They were all made by Emaar officials.

Neither Emaar Indonesia nor its parent company have made an announcement that they are quitting Indonesia.

We regret the error.

$600m Lombok Resorts Scrapped

The Jakarta Globe,  Janeman Latul, March 14, 2009 

Citing governmental paralysis and hinting that too many officials had their hands out, Dubai’s state-owned Emaar Properties PJSC has cancelled its massive $600 million property project that was to turn the pristine island of Lombok into another Bali. 

“We have closed our office in Jakarta starting Friday,” said Elly Savitri, Emmar Indonesia’s human resources manager. “Emaar has pulled out of its operations in Indonesia because the government cannot comply with the terms of the agreement with our joint venture company. 

“There have been too many delays on the realization of the project and the company just could not wait any more.” 

Elly also said Emaar had spent Rp 50 billion ($4.2 million) in consultancy fees on master plans. 

Winarno Sujas, the Tourism Ministry’s director for businesses and investment, told the Jakarta Globe on Friday that Vice President Jusuf Kalla had summoned the related ministries for a meeting this coming Wednesday in a bid to save the project. 

The cancellation of the project — announced with great fanfare in May 2007 by Kalla — is an enormous black eye for the Indonesian government and the local government of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province. 

“Indonesia is our 16th global market and the Lombok development will scale up our property portfolio to a wider Southeast Asian region,” Muhammad Ali Al Abbar, Emaar Properties chairman, said at the project signing. 

The announcement of the failure of the project follows the recent pullout of the Saudi Binladin Group from a project to invest as much as $4.3 billion in developing rice crops in Merauke, Papua Province. 

The joint venture between Emaar and the state-owned Bali Tourism Development Corp. envisioned development of 1,200 hectares along seven kilometers of natural beachfront that would have transformed central Lombok’s Kuta and Tanjung An beaches over the next 12 years into a world-class resort and residential community consisting of 10,000 luxury villas, eight hotels and two 18-hole golf courses. 

Emaar’s Elly said the agreement stipulated that the government would provide a detailed master plan by last November to support infrastructure including an international airport, an access road to the property and finalizations of land acquisitions. The finalizations, however, never materialized. 

A plethora of government agencies failed to complete their part of the bargain and asked for an extension until this month. When Indonesian officials asked for another extension until June, Emaar called off its investment. 

“You understand the Indonesian government,” said an Emaar executive who asked not to be named, in a veiled reference to allegations of corruption in the local and central governments. 

Sumaryanto Widayatin, a special adviser to the Public Works Ministry, blamed unprofessionalism for the tangled negotiations. 

“I think it’s because the Ministry of Finance was worried about selling the land cheaply to Emaar,” he said, adding that the global economic crisis had also cut into the company’s liquidity. 

He said every large project in this country attracted officials who had their hands out. 

“Where in Indonesia do we not have the problem of corruption?” he asked.

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