President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono underlined the importance of dialogue and communication to solve the problems in the Korean peninsula when he met with North Korea’s Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly Kim Yong Nam on Tuesday in Jakarta.

“Yudhoyono underlined that for whatever the problem is, misunderstandings should be avoided through dialogue and communication,” Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday in a press conference regarding the visit.

Marty said Kim Yong Nam had explained to Yudhoyono that there were misconceptions about the launch of its communications satellite.

“In response to that information, Yudhoyono underlined that all parties should communicate to avoid misunderstandings,” he said. “Indonesia thinks there should be transparency and communication related to all problems in the Korean peninsula.”

Marty said the two leaders did not further discuss the satellite launch or human rights violations.

North Korea launched what they insisted was a satellite in early April, but the US and its allies said it was a barely disguised missile test.

Regarding the UN’s resolution concerning North Korea’s satellite launch, Marty said Indonesia respected it but did not consider isolating the country a solution.

“Indonesia respects the UN resolution on North Korea,” he said. “But aside from the resolution, we want to establish communication, we are not justifying what happened in North Korea, but we see the possibility to fix it with communication instead of isolation.”

Indonesia is one of the few countries that maintains good relations between the two Koreas. It has repeatedly sought to assist international efforts to establish peace in the Korean peninsula, but has so far not been involved in formal discussions.

“Our relations are good and have a long history. The visit of your Excellency President Kim this time marks a new milestone in efforts to enhance our cooperation and the partnership between the two countries in the future,” Yudhoyono said.

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/yudhoyono-tells-north-koreas-kim-yong-nam-to-be-transparent-on-satellite-issue/518062

Indonesia’s National Committee for Transportation Safety said it could take up to a year to investigate the flight recorder of the ill-fated Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed on Mount Salak in West Java last week.

Tatang Kurniadi, head of the committee known as KNKT, said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the long wait time was business as usual for investigating flight recorders of crashed planes.

“Four months is the fastest, but you can’t even expect [the probe] to be completed that fast, otherwise Indonesia’s reputation will be damaged [because the results might be unreliable],” Tatang said.

He added that the search and rescue team was still looking for the flight recorder, known as a “black box,” among the debris of the plane on the slopes of Mount Salak.

The black box contains recordings of in-flight conversations between the Sukhoi’s crew members and air traffic control officers, which are expected to illuminate the cause of the accident.

Russian officials have requested that the black box, once found, be sent to Russia. Indonesian authorities, however, turned down the request, saying the black box will be probed in Indonesia to ensure “transparency” and “credibility,” according to vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat.

The ill-fated Sukhoi Superjet 100, manufactured by Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, was on a demonstrational flight in Jakarta last week when it suddenly went missing from radars. The flight was part of a six-country Asian road show meant to showcase the plane’s capabilities to prospective buyers.

The plane’s debris was spotted the next day on the slopes of Mount Salak. At least 45 people were reportedly aboard the plane when it crashed. None survived.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the search and rescue team has sent 27 bodybags from the crash site to National Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta.

BeritaSatu/JG

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/sukhoi-black-box-probe-could-take-a-year-indonesia/518076?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jgnewsletter

Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono didampingi Ibu Negara Ani Yudhoyono, Menko Polhukam Djoko Suyanto dan Menpora Andi Malarangeng secara mendadak menemui para keluarga korban jatuhnya pesawat Sukhoi Super Jet 100, di Bandara Halim Perdana Kusuma, Jakarta, Jumat (11/5) siang. Presiden berbicara satu persatu dengan keluarga korban untuk menyampaikan dukacita, dan menguatkan hati mereka.

Dalam keterangan pers sesuai menemui seluruh keluarga korban, Presiden meminta kepada Kepala Badan SAR Nasional (Basarnas) Marsekal Madya Darjatmo dan pejabat-pejabat yang sah untuk memberikan penjelasan terkait musibah tersebut, termasuk perkembangan evakuasi, dan investigasi atas jatuhnya pesawat penumpang dari Rusia itu.

“Upaya terus dilakukan sampai sekarang ini, saya sendiri dan semua juga ikut terus memantau, mengendalikan, mendapatkan laporan karena bagi saya harus sampai tuntas pencarian ini. Kalau masih ada yang bisa diselamatkan, diselamatkan, krn kita tidak tahu rencana Tuhan dan kuasa Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa,” jelas Presiden.

Oleh karena itu, lanjut SBY, kalau dirinya ditanya, jelasnya bagaimana. Karena sekarang masih dalam proses pencarian, dan penyelamatan masih terus dilakukan, tentu ia tidak bisa menjelaskan seperti apa keadaan di tempat jatuhnya pesawat itu.

Presiden menegaskan, jangan sampai ada informasi yang simpang-siur, jangan sampai ada berita-berita yang menyesatkan terkait jatuhnya pesawat Sukhoi di lereng Gunung Salak itu. “Itu tidak baik, Tuhan tidak suka ketika kita harus bersatu dan berdoa, dan mencari dimana tempat jatuhnya pesawat, serta seperti apa keadaannya. Justru kita harus melaksanakan misi itu dengan sebaik-baiknya,” ujar SBY.

Presiden meminta kepada pihak keluarga agar mendengarkan informasi dan penjelasan yang benar. Ia pun berharap agar wartawan melakukan hal yang sama, menjelaskan agar rakyat tahu duduk persoalan yang sebenarnya, serta situasi yang ada di lapangan, di lereng gunung salak tersebut.

“Ada yang bertanya kalau pesawat itu memang mengalami kecelakaan penyebabnya apa? Saya juga sampai sekarang masih mempersilahkan investigasi, penyelidikan, dilakukan dengan benar sebagaimana yang berlaku di waktu yang lalu sebagaimana yang terjadi di negara manapun,” kata SBY.

Kepala Negara meminta masyarakat untuk memberikan kesempatan, dorongan, dan dukungan terhadap pelaksanaan investigasi tentang kecelakaan yang menimpa pesawat Sukhoi Super Jet 100 itu.

Selain itu, Presiden mengajak semua pihak untuk mendorong dan memberikan kesempatan  upaya untuk SAR, pencarian dan penyelamatan, sambil memohon kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa untuk dibeirkan yang terbaik. (ES)

sources : http://www.setkab.go.id/mobile/berita-4392-presiden-minta-hindari-informasi-simpang-siur-soal-musibah-sukhoi.html

Due to the remoteness of the crash site, the bodies will need to be placed in nets and lifted by ropes to a hovering chopper, national search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said. The bodies from Wednesday’s crash were to be flown to the capital, Jakarta, for identification by family members.

“So far we haven’t found any survivors, but we are still searching,” he said. “I cannot say anything about the condition of the bodies,” Prakoso said, but he added that: “A high speed jet plane hit the cliff, exploded and tore apart.”

Authorities had lost contact with the Sukhoi Superjet-100 shortly after it took off from a Jakarta airfield carrying mostly representatives from Indonesian airlines. Family members, many of whom spent a long, sleepless night at the airport, broke down in tears on hearing news of the wreckage. Others stared blankly ahead in disbelief.

The plane, Russia’s first new passenger jet since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago, hit a jagged ridge on top of Mount Salak, a long-dormant volcano, leaving a giant earthy gash along the steep slope as it stripped trees.

The Superjet — a 75- to 95-seater — has been touted as a challenger to similar-sized aircrafts from Canada’s Bombardier Inc. and Brazil’s Embraer SA.

Potential buyers will scrutinize the crash investigation for signs of flaws in the aircraft.

“If it’s a technical fault … then obviously that will be very serious for them,” said Tom Ballantyne, a Sydney-based aviation expert. “But if it’s pilot error or the fault of air traffic control, it won’t be quite so bad because they’ll be able to say, ‘Well, it’s not the airplane’.”

The plane took off early on Wednesday afternoon for what was supposed to be a quick demonstration flight — the second of the day.

Just 21 minutes later, the Russian pilot and co-pilot sought permission to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet (3,000 meters to 1,800 meters), said Daryatmo, chief of the national search and rescue agency.

The plane then fell off the radar. It was not clear why the crew asked for the shift in course, he said, especially when they were so close to the 7,000-foot (2,200-meter) volcano, or if they got the OK.

Communication between pilots and air traffic control are being reviewed, said Tatang Kurniadi, chief of the National Commission on Safety Transportation, but the tapes will not be made public any time soon.

More than 1,000 people, including soldiers and police, took part in the search and rescue efforts. Eventually, helicopters carrying out aerial surveys near the crater and northern slope spotted the wreck.

The Superjet — developed by the civil aircraft division of Sukhoi with the co-operation with Western partners — has been widely considered Russia’s chance to regain a foothold in the international passenger plane market. The country’s aerospace industry was badly undermined in the economic turmoil following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

It was on a “Welcome Asia!” tour, which included stops in Pakistan, Myanmar and Kazakhstan, and was supposed to head next to Vietnam and Laos.

All but 10 of the 45 people on board were potential buyers and journalists, said Sunaryo from PT. Trimarga Rekatama, the company that helped organize Wednesday’s event.

The others were Russians, all from Sukhoi companies, an American consultant with a local airline and a Frenchman with aircraft engine-maker Snecma.

The Superjet made its inaugural commercial flight last year.

“It is their big hope that they will somehow get into the jet aircraft passenger market in a bigger way than they have,” Ballantyne said.

“We all know that the Russians have had a dreadful record in the past with their aircraft, so this was vitally important to their industry.”

With a relatively low price tag of around $35 million, the plane has garnered around 170 orders. And Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 240 million people with a fast-growing middle class, is already one of the biggest customers.

Kartika Airlines and Sky Aviation — among dozens of airlines to have popped up in Indonesia in the last decade to meet the growing demand for cheap air travel — had ordered at least 42.

Associated Press

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/rescue-teams-find-bodies-near-wreckage-of-russian-jet/517126

Tadi pagi ketika kepala Badan SAR Nasional  (Basarnas) Marsekal Madya TNI Daryatmo mengatakan bahwa pencarian terus dilakukan kembali mengerahkan satuan-satuan helikopter maupun satuan darat. Baru saja Basarnas, wakasal, dan pimpinan jajaran TNI angkatan udara melaporkan kepada saya kemajuan dari upaya SAR ini, kurang lebih dari sepuluh menit yang lalu kami dapatkan keterangan bahwa kemungkinan besar bahwa pesawat itu jatuh di sebuah lereng gunung Cisalak, saya bicara langsung dengan petugas kita yang berada didepan kurang lebih sekitar satu setengah kilo dari tempat yang diinformasikan pesawat itu jatuh. Saya sudah menginstruksikan agar semua upaya dilakukan untuk SAR ini dan kita tidak tahu apa yang terjadi. Oleh karena itu penyelamatan korban jiwa kalau masih ada yang bisa diselamatkan prioritas dan tentunya tugas-tugas yang lain.

Saya berharap investigasi segera dilakukan dengan seksama dan terus terang bahwa saya tidak bisa mengatakan apa yang menyebabkan hilangnya atau barang kali jatuhnya pesawat itu, investigasilah yang akan menjelaskan nantinya. Saya juga prihatin kalau ini musibah karena lebih dari 40 orang yang ikut dalam penerbangan kemarin, sebagian besar adalah sodara-sodara kita, warga negara Indonesia termasuk para wartawan. Oleh karena itu marilah kita mendoakan yang terbaik, yang kedua kita berikan kesempatan kita bantu SAR dengan semua  unsur yang sedang melaksanakan tugas pencarian pesawat beserta penumpangnya itu.

Itulah sodara-sodara penjelasan saya dan kalau ada hal-hal yang sifatnya operasional maupun tekhnis silahkan nanti ditanyakan ke Basarnas langsung atau jajaran perwira angkatan udara, terimakasih.

Bogor. The search for the Russian civil airliner Sukhoi Super Jet 100 that went missing around the Salak mountains in West Java on Wednesday afternoon has resumed.

“The aerial team will be combing around a search point and coordinating using a helicopter, while the ground search team will be done by three groups consisting of 25 persons,” Jakarta Search and Rescue Agency head Putut Parwa said on Thursday.

The search point centers around Ratu crater, Cidahu in Sukabumi, which was the last known location of the plane on Wednesday.

The ground search crew is a joint team consisting of Indonesian airforce, police, forest police and a search and rescue team.

“[We] will also do location mapping, and if it is possible we’ll make a post at the searching point coordinate,” Putut said. “We haven’t set up the radius of the search as we’re still searching randomly.”

At least 40 people reportedly aboard the plane, including eight Russian crew members, Indonesian journalists and officials from Indonesian airline companies.

The plane took off from Halim Airport, which is used for some commercial and military flights, shortly after 2 p.m. on Wednesday. It was expected to return in less than an hour, but it lost contact around 3:30 p.m.

Herry Bakti, head of the transport ministry’s aviation division, said the aircraft was on the second of two demonstration flights, and those on board were invited guests.

The flight was part of a promotional road show for the Sukhoi jet planned for six Asian countries. It was scheduled to go to Laos after Indonesia.

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/update-search-for-missing-russian-plane-continues/517060

A Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft on a demonstration flight with 46 passengers aboard went missing around Mount Salak in Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday, a search and rescue official said.

“The plane disappeared from the radar around the Bogor area. We are still looking for it and we are uncertain whether it crashed,” National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) spokesman Gagah Prakoso told AFP on Wednesday.

The plane took off from East Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusumah Airport, which is used for some commercial and military flights, in East Jakarta at 2.20 p.m. It was expected to return in less than an hour, but it lost contact at around 3.30 p.m.

The plane, Gagah added, manufactured by Russia’s Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, was flying at the altitude of 10,000 feet when suddenly it dropped to the altitude of 6,000 feet and lost contacts with earth.

Herry Bakti, head of the transport ministry’s aviation division, said the aircraft was on the second of two demonstration flights, and those on board were invited guests.

The Russian Embassy had said in a statement earlier this week that a Sukhoi Superjet 100 demonstrationwould take place in Jakarta on Wednesday. The embassy could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Sukhoi Superjet, a mid-range airliner that carries up to 100 people, has been presented as Russia’s contender to compete in the international civil aviation industry.

After its maiden flight in 2008 deliveries were delayed several times, but the planes are already in use with Russia’s largest carrier Aeroflot and have been ordered by smaller airlines in Russia and abroad.

It claims to offer lower operating costs than rival aircraft made by Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier.

Sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/breaking-news-russian-jet-carrying-46-people-goes-missing-near-bogor/516919

The Superjet only made its first commercial flight last year and if a major accident is confirmed it would be the first disaster to involve the aircraft, which is made by legendary Russian planemakers Sukhoi.

The plane is crucial to Russia’s hopes of becoming a major player in the modern aviation market and improving its image in an industry scarred by frequent crashes of aging Soviet-era jets.

The mid-range Superjet airliner is designed to carry up to 98 passengers and is a direct rival of similar aircraft produced by Brazil’s Embraer and Canada’s Bombardier.

So far it is being flown by two airlines, Russia’s Aeroflot and Armenia’s Armavia, although orders have been confirmed with several more. Its first commercial flight was operated by Armavia in April 2011 and Aeroflot followed later that year.

The demonstration flight in Indonesia was part of a tour called Asian Roadshow aimed at promoting the aircraft abroad that started May 3 and earlier took in Kazakhstan and Pakistan. It was due to go on to Laos and Vietnam.

In August last year, Indonesian regional carrier Sky Aviation agreed to buy 12 of the planes, with deliveries due to begin in 2012.

The Superjet project is a joint venture between Sukhoi and Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica, which is part of the aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica.

Alenia owns 25 percent plus one share of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, the Sukhoi unit developing the jet, as well as 51 percent of Superjet International, which is handling sales of the aircraft.

However the plane has experienced problems while being flown by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, which has been under heavy pressure from the government to add more Russian planes to its fleet.

In March, a plane had to cut short a scheduled flight after it encountered problems with its undercarriage. Aeroflot’s first Superjet plane also spent several weeks grounded upon delivery because of an air conditioning problem.

Sukhoi is a giant holding with a history going back to the 1930s in the Soviet Union. It employs 26,000 people and based in the remote Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and also makes military fighter jets.

Agence France-Presse

sources: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/missing-sukhoi-superjet-is-russias-great-aviation-hope/516938

In a press conference on the missing Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner on Wednesday night, the official Indonesian agent for Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi, PT Trimarga Rekatama, announced that the ill-fated plane was carrying 50 passengers.

“The plane is carrying 42 invitees and eight crew members,” PT Trimarga Rekatama chairman Sunaryo said.

However he did not announce names of the passengers.

“We have the passengers’ list, but we have to double check since some of the invitees failed to go on board and some others, who are on board, are not listed in the invitee list,” Sunaryo said.

He added that his company was continuing to coordinate with the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to gain information on the missing plane.

Basarnas chief Vice Marshal Daryatmo said they would continue the aerial search tomorrow due to bad weather.

He added the Sukhoi Superjet 100 departed from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport at 2 p.m. to Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java.

It arrived back in Halim at around 2:20 p.m. for refreshment before departing again to Pelabuhan Ratu.

The last contact with the plane was made at 2:33 p.m., at 06 43’ 08” South and 106 43’ 15” East, located near Mt Salak, said Daryatmo.

sources: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/09/50-people-board-missing-sukhoi-airliner.html