Dutch bunker found under Tanjung Priok train station

Eny Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 03/18/2010 10:55 AM

Archeologists from the archeological directorate of the Culture and Tourism Ministry have found a bunker and some doors during excavations at Tanjung Priok train station, North Jakarta, between February and March this year.

Old Town management unit (UPT) chief Candrian Attahiyyat said Tuesday that the experts had completed digging for preliminary data about their findings.

“It is about a 2-meter underground hole. We have not yet determined the size of the bunker itself.”

Candrian estimated the bunker was constructed by the Dutch colonial government between 1938 and 1940, arguing that materials such as concrete and cement were only becoming widespread at the beginning of the 20th century.

The concrete bunker was large enough to accommodate about 100 people, but “It did not have an air supply. Therefore, it might have only been used for emergencies that lasted no longer than a day,” he said.

Based on similar structures found at other sites in the city, Candrian believed the bunker was built in preparation of the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia during World War II.

“We believe the bunker was a hideout. It seems the Dutch government feared a massive assault on the city. As a matter of fact, the fighting was relatively minimal [in Jakarta],” Candrian added.

But the archeologists had not yet determined whether the bunker was operational at the time, he added.

Similar bunkers have been found beneath government offices and strategic colonial sites across the capital, including Tanjung Priok harbor of North Jakarta, the Jakarta History Museum of West Jakarta, Lapangan Banteng, Menteng and Kebon Sirih of Central Jakarta, he said.

Candrian said the doors were found inside the basement, one of which was in front of the stairs leading to the bunker.

North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiyono said that the doors were still being studied by archeologists.

“For now, the site of the excavation is closed to the public,” Bambang said.

Candrian said that his office was hoping to uncover another bunker under the Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum at Old Town.

“We want to examine whether all of the bunkers in the city have similar structures,” he said.

Bambang said that the excavation was part of efforts to promote the station as a tourism destination.

“We expect residents will enjoy visiting to learn about the history of the station. We plan to build a tourism information center and souvenir stalls,” he said.

Tanjung Priok station was opened on April 6, 1925, marking the first electric train service in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia’s former name).

Fighting To Save Salatiga's History

Jakarta Globe, Angela Dewan, January 29, 2010

Before and after. Many of Salatiga's historic buildings are now in disrepair. (JG Photo)

In the 1930s and ’40s, the Dutch buildings that lined the streets of Salatiga, Central Java, were iconic of Indonesia’s fight for independence — that is, of course, only when they were set on fire.

Back then, torching hotels and office buildings was a way of sending the Dutch colonialists a clear message: Get out!

The people of Salatiga today have no one to drive out and no reason to burn down the beautiful buildings that the Dutch left behind. In fact, members of the community are now fighting the government to protect the very buildings that their ancestors sought to destroy.

In stark contrast to Jakarta, there is only one mall in Salatiga — the modest Taman Sari, which has little more than a Ramayana department store.

The mall sits on the spot where the city’s main road, Jalan Sudirman, starts, along which hole-in-the-wall stalls offer locals everything they need and nothing they don’t. And unlike the high-rise buildings that dominate Jakarta’s skyline, there are none in Salatiga.

However, the luxury of walking along paved sidewalks and through parks while admiring this quaint city’s colonial architecture may soon become a thing of the past. This is because the local and provincial governments have yet to formally identify which buildings are a part of Salatiga’s heritage and therefore warrant legal protection.

“If we put up a lot of malls in Salatiga, we will be worse than Semarang, which has already lost many of its historical buildings,” said writer Eddy Supangkat, coordinator of Forped BCB Salatiga, the organization spearheading the campaign to conserve Salatiga’s heritage buildings.

“I want Salatiga to be known for its historical buildings, not for its malls.”

The local and provincial governments have had 65 years since independence to figure out what to do with their heritage buildings.

This month, they have been feeling the heat as the public demands that they get a move on.

“The Salatiga government doesn’t yet have legal authority over these buildings. They are the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, which acts through the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Agency [BP3],” Valentino Haribowo, head of the Salatiga government’s public relations department, told the Jakarta Globe.

Valentino gave his comments at the local government’s office, an old building marked with a gambrel roof, decadent high ceilings, grand iron light fittings and a white rendered exterior that are characteristic of Dutch architecture.

Even though the local government has denied responsibility for the buildings, Salatiga Mayor John Manuel Manoppo has given a private company permission to knock down a building in the military’s old headquarters, now known as the ex-Kodim complex.

The 100-year-old complex was bought by PT NV Yogyakarta last year. The company plans to develop a mall there and the complex is now completely fenced in with meters-high metal fences.

After months of public campaigns against the development, the company has put up a sign outside the complex that reads: “This land and building are legally owned by PT NV Yogyakarta.”

Through a few holes in the fence, the public can peer into the site, where the main building has been leveled off, save for a couple of walls.

“There’s no problem with the demolition. The only issue is what will be built afterwards,” Mayor Manoppo told members of the local media last year.

But following a spate of negative press and lobbying by the community — including an active Facebook group and a coin drive— the government has changed its tune and is now claiming that it wants the complex to be protected as a heritage site.

On Jan. 22, a group of activists marched to the local government office, demanding legal protection of the ex-Kodim complex.

On Wednesday, police questioned local government staff over the demolished building.

In theory, the complex is already legally protected. The 1992 Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage states that any building more than 50 years old is automatically considered a heritage site and should therefore be listed as such and preserved.

Forped BCB tried to have the ex-Kodim building registered as a heritage site before it was sold, so that NV Yogyakarta would be unable to develop the site. “What I am worried about is that there are more heritage buildings that have been sold to private owners,” Eddy said.

NV Yogyakarta’s operations were halted two weeks ago due to public pressure. The Conservation of Cultural Heritage Agency sent a warning letter to the Salatiga government, which then forwarded the message to NV Yogyakarta.

The warning, however, came too late.

“We sent BP3’s warning to the owner, but we didn’t realize the main building had already been demolished,” Valentino said.

It is unknown if or when NV Yogyakarta will go ahead with its development plans, although it has submitted a request to the local legislature for permission to develop the mall.

The local and provincial governments are now cooperating with BP3 to examine 16 buildings for heritage status consideration, including the government-owned office, one Christian church and a number of schools.

It is hoped that the move will be echoed throughout the country. On Jan. 20, Indonesia’s oldest movie theater, Bioskop Banteng in Pangkal Pinal, Belitung, was demolished. The theater was built in 1917.

In Salatiga, examples of old buildings that have been bought and demolished include a Dutch film studio that is now a KFC restaurant and a former hotel and school that are now markets.

The ex-Kodim and Bioskop Banteng cases have raised suspicions of corruption in local governments.

“The local governments are the ones allowing these buildings to be knocked down,” Joe Marbun, coordinator of the Cultural Heritage Advocacy Community, told the Globe.

“These buildings are legally protected by law, so why are they being demolished? The governments obviously have motives.”

When asked how much the local government would profit from a new mall in town, Valentino did not respond, only saying that the Salatiga government now supported the protection of the ex-Kodim building.

Eddy was not willing to speculate. “I’m not exactly sure if there’s corruption in this part of the government and I wouldn’t want to falsely accuse anyone. I prefer to think positively,” he said.

He added that he was certain corruption existed in some parts of the local government.

But he is happy with the positive support he has found in the community.

“It is important we preserve our history, like Bung Karno said Jasmerah: ‘ Jangan sekali-kali melupakan sejarah ’ [‘Don’t ever forget your history’].”

Unearthing Indonesia’s forgotten heritage

Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/04/2009 1:32 PM | Culture

Past attraction: Visitors stand in front of photos from the ongoing “Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights” exhibition at the National Museum (JP/J. Adiguna)

They might look like little more than old bricks and ruins, but these fortifications are the silent witnesses to the country’s centuries-old journey to independence.

Long forgotten and neglected, the forts have lost their attraction today as many of us seem to regard them merely as old constructions with little function.

Perhaps that’s true — that they can’t really function anymore — but it’s the stories embedded within their bricks that actually make them precious.

Among the stories are ones that take us back to the Java and Sumatra of 300 years ago, where fortifications were at the heart of trade conflicts and territorial fights.

These periods saw how the functions of most fortifications shifted from just trading posts equipped with storehouses, offices and residences, into bases of defense and territorial expansion.

The shift in functionality was proof of the growing power of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which maintained strategic posts in Java and Sumatra.

Urgently seeking to secure its assets, expand its territory and maintain its domination, the VOC built more fortifications, including in Bandung, West Java, in the wake of the First World War. All have a significant place in history for Indonesians, as the fortifications are the unspoken witnesses of their struggles against the Dutch in gaining independence.

“We can actually learn a lot about our history from the fortifications,” says Nadia Purwestri, research coordinator for the Center for Architecture Documentation (PDA).

“[However] we never realized this because we weren’t aware of their existence in the first place.”

So the PDA and its Dutch counterpart, Paaschier Architects and Consultant (PAC), wish to raise the people’s consciousness with the ongoing exhibition on Indonesia’s fortifications at the National Museum.

Titled “Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights”, the exhibition contains the comprehensive documentation on fortifications on both islands, capturing our attention as we find out that Indonesia has hundreds of such bygone splendors.

“We want to make these fortifications as part of the country’s history through this exhibition,” Nadia says.

“Most people today have no idea they can find fortifications in their surroundings.”

In particular Jakartans, she adds, who don’t know there are ruins of forts in North Jakarta’s Old Town.

The team defines fortifications as defense structures that come in various types, including stockades, blockhouses, bunkers, pillboxes, city walls, defense caves and military base camps.

(JP/J. Adiguna)

In addition, Nadia goes on, there are also traditional fortifications such as moats and land piles. The fortifications, she says, include those built by the Dutch, British, Spanish and Portuguese.

The PDA and the PAC are holding the exhibition as part of their project to document fortifications across the country — identifying their types, conditions and damage.

“The project is also set to provide the government, in this case the Culture and Tourism Ministry, with a database for the preservation of fortifications,” Nadia says of the project that began in 2007.

This exhibition is the second since last year that highlights fortifications in the eastern part of Indonesia: Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua and Papua.

Next year, Nadia says, a third exhibition will be held to showcase the team’s documentation of fortifications in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Bali.

“Our project is in three stages,” she says.

“In the first stage, we are documenting fortifications in the eastern part of Indonesia, the second in the western part, and the third in the central part.”

For the first stage, Nadia’s team recorded 141 fortifications, while they found 177 in the second stage in Java and Sumatra. The third stage is still underway.

“We found hundreds of fortifications, but the ones we’ve showcased in the exhibitions are the special ones,” Nadia says.

This means, she points out, the fortifications must meet certain criteria. “We pick those that are already famous in our history.”

Nadia then cites the magnificent Marlborough Fort in Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Vanderburg Fort in Yogyakarta as among those highlighted this time around.

The second type of fortification chosen are those with unique or unusual structures, either pentagonal or round, she adds.

“The Martello Fort on Bidadari Island [in Jakarta’s Thousand Islands] is an example of that round shape. It’s interesting for people to know about it, right?” Nadia says, adding forts that are in good condition also fit the team’s criteria for the exhibition.

The team also highlighted fortifications that are still in use today, either as prisons, amusement hubs or offices.

“We wish to find out whether other fortifications might have similar prospects for being developed,” Nadia says.

“As we know, most of these fortifications are located in the middle of growing areas or big cities, so they’re threatened by development.”

Therefore, as Nadia points out, efforts must be made to use the fortifications, either as tourism sites or as commercial buildings, just so they can be around us just that little bit longer, as precious heritage to remind us of the country’s journey to independence.

Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights

Runs through Dec. 10 at Galeri Kaca, National Museum
Jl. Merdeka Barat No. 12
Central Jakarta
Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Related Articles:

Pusat Dokumentasi Arsitektur-Indonesia - PDA Website (Indonesian Center for Architecture Documentation)

Documenting Culture Heritage Project - PAC architects and consultants

Map of Forts in Indonesia

Huib Akihary: The Best of Both Worlds

Sara Veal, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/23/2009 12:10 PM

Huib Akihary: JP/J. Adiguna

In 1983, following a five-day voyage from Jakarta, Huib Akihary stood at the boat's bow at sunrise, watching the two points of the Bay of Ambon grow and gradually encircle him, welcoming him to his father's homeland.

When the boat finally arrived in Ambon, the then 29-year-old waited for the other passengers to disembark, as he had told his aunt he would be the last one off the boat.

"Then four police officers came to the boat and they were asking for me. I said, *I haven't done anything, just visiting my family'," Akihary says.

"*No, no problem,' they said. *Just your aunt has asked us to get you off the boat.' So I was escorted by them and met my aunt for the first time . then she told me that my uncles, cousins and nephews were also there . There were more than 40 people standing there, some of whom had traveled two days to Ambon."

This auspicious reception signaled an important step in Akihary's lifelong journey to understand his Moluccan heritage, leading him to become an expert on Indonesia and Holland's mutual architectural history, and culminating in his appointment as director of Museum Maluku, in the Netherlands, in March this year.

Akihary was born and raised in Holland by a Dutch mother and a Moluccan father. Although he grew up outside the Moluccan diasporic community, he was always interested in his father's culture and roots.

"My thinking and reasoning are Dutch, yet my feelings and emotions are Moluccan. Adat *tradition*, family matters, music, food and helping each other as much as possible are basic Moluccan cultural values and are very much part of my personal life. I try to incorporate that in my Western way of thinking and find a balance in both," he says.

Akihary has two teenage sons, with whom he says he shares Moluccan culture via literature, film, music and cuisine.

"I present it to them and they can choose by themselves if they want to absorb it or not," he says.

"In my case, if I have the name Akihary, I have to know where it comes from."

The name Akihary is well-known in Ambon and increasingly representative of Moluccans overseas. Akihary says many of his relatives in both Indonesia and the Netherlands are highly involved in their immediate community and the wider Moluccan diaspora, as businesspeople, teachers, solicitors and ministers. His cousin Monica Akihary is the lead singer of Boi Akih, a world jazz ensemble that performs Moluccan songs.

"We all share a mutual interest in our Moluccan culture and traditions wherever we live," he says. "As Monica and I play an important role in spreading and conserving Moluccan culture, our family supports us in every way."

Since his first visit to Indonesia in 1983, he has returned several times: in 1984 to research his thesis on the history of architecture of the city of Batavia between 1870 and 1942; in 1988 for a seminar on Indonesia and Holland's mutual architectural heritage; and in 1990 to conduct a five-year inventory of all the Portuguese and Dutch fortifications in the Moluccas, a project cancelled in 1991 for political reasons.

Last month, the Moluccan governor and diplomatic community invited Akihary, in his capacity as Museum Maluku director, to Ambon to organize a musical theater project, Paku Coklat, performed by the Moluccan Music Theatre Ensemble, and reportedly a sell-out success.

His position as director of Museum Maluku is one he has strived for since graduating as an art historian from the University of Amsterdam in 1986, the same year the museum was founded.

"I was involved with the museum since the start, as an adviser, as a member of committees and as chairman of the foundation of Friends of the Museum. In the 90s I was asked to organize a few exhibitions," he says.

"Under my direction and in close cooperation with the newly appointed curator Dr. Jet Bakels, a very experienced museum worker, the Museum Maluku will focus on a broader audience, broader than simply the Moluccan community in the Netherlands."

He says partners will include institutes and individuals worldwide that study Moluccan culture, such as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, government departments in Moluccan province and Moluccan cultural societies in Jakarta.

"It's important to join hands and strengthen the cultural identity of Moluccans wherever they live," he says, adding there are significant communities in California and Jakarta.

"I have a very active role now in preserving, discovering, documenting, registering and describing Moluccan culture... In short, safeguarding it for those who live abroad."

Although his focus is on Moluccan heritage, his doctoral research on Batavia means he is knowledgeable about Jakarta's architectural treasures, citing the city as a modern marvel, as well as a major example of Indonesian and Dutch mutual heritage.

"When you drive through Jakarta at night it's beautiful, with all the lights and all the high-rise buildings," he says.

"At present, these buildings, as well as shopping malls and complexes, have an international style. The interesting question is if modern Indonesian architecture and urban planning will find ways and means to develop its own Indonesian identity."

A unique Indonesian identity, he says, remains evident in the architectural remnants of Jakarta's past.

"The layout of Jakarta still shows the history of its growth since 1600, such as the town near Pasar Ikan with its Dutch layout of streets and canals *Kali Besar*," he says.

"This is why it makes me sad when I see that they are destroying a building without knowing its meaning or historical value."

So far, Akihary feels his greatest professional achievements have been his publications on Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia, which he says have helped Indonesian architects in their urban planning, as well as architectural exhibitions he has participated in, such as at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

"But by far I am most proud of and feel very privileged to have the chance to work on and to promote the Moluccan culture as the new director of Museum Maluku in close cooperation with Moluccans worldwide. It's very rewarding in many ways."

Saving Batavia: A Vision of Jakarta's Past and Future

See Also:

• Saving Batavia Homepage
• The Origins: A City Built on Blood and Spice
• The Obstacles: Old Batavia is Wrapped in Red Tape
• The Solution: The Latest Master Plan

If you leave aside South Jakarta’s business corridor, the high-priced restaurants and the city’s many shopping malls, what are you going to do in a metropolis desperately short of public spaces?

Where in Jakarta can you escape the pollution, traffic and pressure for a stroll through shaded streets, a coffee at a sidewalk cafe, a visit to an art gallery and a chance to enjoy the architectural treasures of a forgotten time?

Nowhere, is the obvious answer.

At least not yet. But if the decaying treasures of old Batavia, the neighborhood now known as Kota Tua, or Old Town, could be salvaged from more than a half-century of neglect, a gem would be revealed that could become an oasis of calm for city residents and a money-spinning tourist attraction for visitors to Jakarta, most of whom just hurry through their hours here, anxious to change planes for Bali.

For now, of course, apart from the partially restored splendor of Taman Fatahillah and the old Dutch city hall,

Kota Tua is largely a mess. Historic structures are falling down, trees grow through collapsed roofs. There are seedy nightspots, traffic chaos and little in the way of economic vitality.

We see it differently. Kota Tua is a treasure, one of the largest stands of original colonial-era architecture in Asia. Refurbished, rezoned and allowed to flourish in a public-private partnership — the outlines of which are in a master plan being considered by the Jakarta governor’s office — Kota Tua could, and we think should, take its place alongside the other architectural marvels of Asia.

That the 17th century Dutch had the power and the temerity to think they could recreate their vision of Europe in a tropical outpost rife with disease may be looked upon now as imperial madness.

However, the fact that much of this early history remains standing, having evaded destruction through war or a developer’s bulldozer, is a reality that the current generation, separated from the bitterness of the colonial legacy, can now reclaim.

As this special report shows, Kota Tua is integral to Jakarta’s history, and can be a big part of Jakarta’s future.

In its rush over five decades to expand and modernize, Jakarta has largely forgotten its past. Kota Tua is in trouble. The exquisite historic buildings around Taman Fatahillah are crumbling. The grand old boulevard along the Kali Besar canal reeks of stagnant water. The small shop-houses, some providing refuge for squatters, might as well be occupied by ghosts, given how eerie they look after sundown. Similar treasures in Chinatown and the old Arab district bear the scars of neglect. The whole place could fade to little more than a memory.

But given aggressive leadership and a vision of creative change, a city desperate for beauty and calm amid the urban sprawl could benefit immensely from a revitalized and reborn Kota Tua.

We offer this selection of articles as a starting point for debate, a celebration of the past and a reminder of the treasure in our midst. Let’s not let it fade to dust.

Head of Dam Oversight Agency Offers to Resign

The Jakarta Globe, Sally Piri, Putri Prameshwari & Farouk Arnaz, March 29, 2009

Amid mounting public pressure for government accountability in the Situ Gintung reservoir disaster that killed at least 98 people early on Friday morning, Pitoyo Subandrio, head of the Ciliwung-Cisadane Agency that oversees freshwater dams in the basin of the two rivers, said on Sunday that he was willing to resign.

His apparent readiness to become the only public official thus far to step down comes as rescue workers continue to search for 136 people still listed as missing.

The National Police, meanwhile, were investigating possible criminal negligence, given that cracks had appeared a year ago on the eastern embankment of the reservoir that crumbled last week.

“I’m not a coward. If this [mistake] happened within my scope of work, I have no problem stepping down,” Pitoyo told the Jakarta Globe.

He said he acknowledged during an emergency meeting chaired by Vice President Jusuf Kalla later on Friday that Situ Gintung, which lies in the Tangerang area of Banten Province, was under his supervision.

“I have explained everything. The highest state official has already said it was a natural disaster,” Pitoyo said, referring to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “If it the burden of duty falls on me to [resign], why not?”

Yudhoyono on Saturday sought to label the incident a natural disaster because heavy rainfall had pushed the water level inside the reservoir to its brim. A 20-meter section of embankment crumbled under water pressure at 4 a.m.

JanJaap Brinkman, a Ministry of Public Works official from Holland and team leader of a flood-hazard mapping project, said the Ciliwung-Cisadane Agency and its head should be held responsible for the disaster. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Pitoyo,” he said.

Brinkman said the reservoir may have been neglected because Indonesia’s regional autonomy process has made it unclear which government agency was responsible for dam maintenance. “It’s unclear who is responsible for maintaining the Gintung dam especially as it’s located just outside of Jakarta,” he said.

Budi Widiantoro, head of Jakarta’s Public Works Agency, said the city administration was not responsible for maintaining Situ Gintung. “It is outside Jakarta, so it should be under the Tangerang administration,” he said.

Pitoyo said the Ministry of Public Works allocated Rp 1.5 billion ($130,500) last year to maintain and upgrade the reservoir, in addition to building a jogging track for community use, dredging mud and clearing garbage.

However, Erwin Usman, an activist from the Indonesian Environmental Forum, or Walhi, said the organization had information showing that leaks in the embankment had been reported in 2008. These problems were not repaired as part of the Ciliwung-Cisadane Agency’s maintenance program. “Walhi is planning to report the case to the police for further investigation,” Erwin said.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira said investigators at the disaster scene had not yet found any evidence of negligence.

The 21-hectare Situ Gintung reservoir was built by the Dutch between 1930 and 1933, and holds some two million cubic meters of water.

The deluge that followed the collapse of the embankment emptied the reservoir, destroying at least 300 houses, injuring more than 190 people and leaving another 1,600 homeless.

Arbi Sanit, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said Banten’s Regional Legislative Council should ask provincial and municipal authorities in Banten and Tangerang to take responsibility.

“In a country with a civilized political system, whoever is responsible should have already stepped down, as this disaster has claimed [at least] a hundred lives,” Arbi said.

Scores still missing after dam bursts

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Jakarta | Sun, 03/29/2009 11:52 AM

Attention shifted to caring for homeless and hungry survivors after a dam burst outside the Indonesian capital, sending a wall of water crashing into homes and killing at least 91 people. More than 100 others are still missing, but hope dimmed Sunday of finding them alive.

Hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers have been digging through the mud and debris, some using hoes or their bare hands, while other rescuers scoured the banks of bloated rivers.

But so far, they have turned up mostly bodies.

Days of heavy rain caused a large lake bordering a low-lying residential area southwest of Jakarta to overflow early Friday, sending water cascading over the rim with a thunderous rumble. Hours later, a huge section of the earth wall gave away, and a 10-foot (three-meter) -high wave gushed through Cirendeu, overturning cars and uprooting trees.

National Disaster Coordinating Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono acknowledged that prospects of finding anyone alive in the muck were dimming by the hour, "though there's always the possibility that someone is alive trapped under the rubble."

Search-and-rescue operations would continue for at least a week, he said.

Some attention, meanwhile, shifted to providing food and shelter to the more than 1,600 people left homeless. Many were camping out in the hall of a nearby university, others in hastily erected tent camps.

Kardono said there was no shortage of supplies - instant noodles, baby food and bottled water - but with so many resources devoted to recovery efforts, the immediate problem was in distribution.

"What we urgently need are mattresses, blankets, clothes," said Abdul Hamid, one the victims. "I don't have anything anymore, all I had was swept away by the water. I don't have clothes for my children and my grandchildren."

Some residents blamed authorities, saying the 76-year-old dam, built in the Dutch colonial era, had been poorly maintained. They said blocked spillways had led to repeated flooding over the years, weakening it in several points.

The Ministry of Public Works promised to investigate.

Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a nation of 235 million.

More than 40 people were killed in the capital after rivers burst their banks two years ago. Critics said rampant overdevelopment, poor city planning and clogged drainage canals were partly to blame.

Semarang's old city: A fading reminder of former glories

Simon Marcus Gower, Contributor The Jakarta Post, Semarang | Fri, 03/27/2009 2:27 PM

Unique design: The Marba building is a quite unique design but has only sparing usage. (JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

Semarang, one of the oldest cities in the country, was the place of residence for a Dutch provincial governor in colonial times. As the provincial capital of Central Java, with a very active port, it grew into a major city busy with trade and administrative importance.

The city's commercial and administrative significance required a level of infrastructure that could support its role. This led to the development of what is now the "old city" of Semarang and its impressive buildings. Although many of these buildings are left now neglected and wasting away, they still remind us of the former glories of this city.

One of Semarang's most outstanding buildings and, fortunately, one of its best kept, is Gereja Blenduk. Built in 1753, this imposing building still stands shimmering brilliantly white in the hot sun. Despite being the oldest church in Central Java, it is still actively used as a Protestant Church - it is probably this continuing use that has allowed the building to survive in condition so much better than that of some of its neighbors.

The church is rather plain on the outside, but its solid design and construction have no doubt helped it survive the years. It principal outward feature is its dome - hence the name (gereja meaning church and blenduk meaning dome). Inside, plainness and simplicity remain the order of the day, meaning that, although very imposing, the church is not really captivating to the eye.

Overgrown: Fine buildings, located down narrow streets, are being left to rot. (JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

Rather more visually interesting is the office building opposite the church, which has also been fortunate to have survived in relatively good condition. With its 1920s art-deco geometric designs and balconies, this building, now the offices of Jiwasraya Assurance, offers more to the viewer to admire.

This office building is still in active use but it has lost some of its charm to modern alterations - such a modern front entrance doorway of plate glass and aluminum that is functional but not attractive or in keeping with the original design of the building. But despite such limitations in current appearance and use, the Jiwasraya Building and the church really are doing well, considering what else may be seen in this area.

Just down the road from these two buildings is the Marba Building which, with its red bricks contrasting with stone mullions and a corner entrance that is topped by four (still intact) stone vases, is full of character. It is, however, a building sparingly used and is evidently not awarded the respect it deserves.

Street vendors clutter its sidewalk and its paintwork and woodwork obviously need maintenance. Windows are shuttered up and once attractive and useful street canopies have been shoddily replaced and are left sagging. Although the Marba Building looks bad, its partial use is at least saving it to a certain extent; elsewhere, neglect is leaving fine buildings in ruins.

What is known as the PT Perkebunan Building looks over a fairly filthy canal. This example of solid Dutch building stands empty and quite terribly neglected. The street in front of it is busy with minibuses and hawkers but it stands forlorn, its large tower so neglected that small trees grow from it.

Large and commanding though it is, daylight breaks into its rooms through broken and collapsed roofs. Its steps have become home to a peculiar gathering of traditional masseurs who offer their services in the cooling shadow of this great building, their customers lying half-naked along the sidewalk - neither an auspicious or respectful sight to adorn its great but pollution-stained walls.

Standing tall: Mighty and bold buildings are quite wretchedly ignored
(JP/Simon Marcus Gower)

These are just a few: All around this area are wretched examples of good and even great buildings just being allowed to rot and fall away. Even though many of the buildings here were originally of simple and modest use, they still consistently possessed (and possess to this day) interesting designs and high levels of quality and craftsmanship in their construction.

What would have been quite simple warehouses for storing the vast amounts of goods being traded through Semarang's busy port show inventiveness and flourishes of decorative design that can, and should, be appreciated. But tragically such excellent buildings are being left to be overrun by nature.

One of these buildings has a tree taking root all over it and those roots are literally squeezing and crushing the building's stone to such an extent that it is simply crumbling away. Elsewhere trees and shrubs grow from ledges or cornices on upper levels of buildings, stark evidence of how terribly the buildings are simply being left to the elements.

This truly sorry sight represents a terrible waste and lack of foresight and investment. The quality of the buildings here could allow the area to be a real center of attraction. It is not too difficult to imagine stylish restaurants and trendy boutiques taking up residence in these fine buildings but this would require will and investment from city planners and developers.

It is impossible to walk through the narrow streets that are created by some fine buildings in Semarang's old city and not think "if only. if only". There are such appealing and even delightful architectural details to be seen here that their gradual loss to the elements really is a great loss. Vines and moss creep and crawl all over buildings and ferns grow remarkably well where they really should not be growing - in holes and damage to the brickwork of these buildings.

With just a modicum of imagination and effort, eye-catching shutters on windows could be repaired and painted again. Blackened white walls could be cleaned and repainted so that they shimmer and shine again in Semarang's brilliant sunlight. The damage here is considerable and time may be running out for some of these buildings, although it is not yet too late.