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The Star
14-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Indonesian province dangles cash for men to get vasectomy, in bid to slow population growth
SUBANG, West Java (The Straits Times/ANN): In a first for the country, the authorities in Indonesia's most populous province of West Java have introduced a new incentive to slow population growth by offering 500,000 rupiah (S$40 - RM132) in cash to men who undergo vasectomies. The men must be aged 35 and above, are healthy, have fathered at least two children, and have the consent of their wives for the procedure. In West Java, a person is defined as living below the poverty line if he lives on 535,000 rupiah, or lower, a month. 'Response has been way above expectations,' said Enda Suganda, a senior official at West Java's population control and family planning department in Subang regency. 'We had more than 200 men coming forward but we could only do 60. We will budget again for further vasectomies later this year,' he told The Straits Times at his office on June 12. The sterilisation programme, which is the brainchild of West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, will be rolled out in other regencies including Purwakarta, Cirebon and Indramayu in the coming months. A small but undisclosed amount for the programme will come from the province's social assistance fund for 2025, which is earmarked at 14 trillion rupiah, according to Enda. 'There are always pros and cons, but I believe vasectomy gives a lot of benefits,' goods trader Asep Dadi, 50, who has three children, told ST. 'It does not do harm to us men,' added Mr Asep, one of the 60 who underwent the minor surgical procedure in Subang regency, saying he planned to use the money for household expenses. Indonesia's population of nearly 286 million makes it the world's fourth most populous country. West Java alone has a population of 49.9 million – about the same as South Korea's. Since Jakarta launched its family planning programme in the 1970s, Indonesia's total fertility rate, or births per woman, has fallen from 5.6 to around 2 today. To date, efforts to slow population growth had focused mainly on birth control for women, with commonly used methods such as oral contraceptive pills taken daily or regular injections every quarter. Some feel more could be done. In April, governor Dedi made headlines for his proposal requiring men to undergo sterilisation in exchange for access to the government's social assistance programme, known locally as bansos. Recently, he also proposed military-style boot camps to instill discipline among delinquent youth. Vasectomy is a sterilisation procedure for males, in which the tubes that carry sperm are cut or blocked. It is considered a simple and permanent form of birth control. Although it can be reversed in some cases, success is not guaranteed. 'Stop having children if you can't provide for them well,' he told reporters, suggesting funds used to subsidise hospital births for underprivileged women be redirected towards building simple housing. Dedi's proposal went further, outlining that vasectomy would also be a requirement for poor families seeking new electricity connections, food aid, scholarships or public housing. 'We now expect the husband to join the programme, as a form of responsibility for himself and his family. Don't always place the responsibility on women,' he said. Dedi argued that vasectomies would help reduce the poverty rate as 'poor families generally have many children'. Some 7 per cent of West Java's population live below the province's poverty line. The regional governor's controversial vasectomy-for-aid proposal has raised eyebrows, drawing backlash from rights and religious groups. His idea did not go down well with the West Java Ulema Council of Islamic leaders, whose chairman Mr Rahmat Syafei said vasectomy could only be used as an incentive, not a prerequisite for social aid. 'If it is for an incentive, that is acceptable, but still it must comply with religious teachings,' he told local news agency Antara on May 1. Chairperson of the National Commission on Human Rights for Indonesia, Atnike Nova Sigiro, who spoke to reporters in May, said: 'Whatever is medically being done to your body is (a matter of) privacy and... human rights. It should not be linked to social aid.' That same month, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said that Dedi's idea was 'not relevant' to solving the poverty issue and would 'be difficult (to implement).' Pangeran Khairul Saleh, a member of a Parliamentary group that oversees human rights issues, stressed that sterilisation cannot be made mandatory or conditional. 'Social assistance fund is a citizen's constitutional right and cannot be linked to any medical procedure, which is a private matter,' he said in a statement to local media on June 5. In the digital public sphere, reaction was divided. One social media user who backed the proposal, in principle, expressed hopes that men 'will make more effort to improve their standard of living, and that the family planning programme doesn't only burden women'. Others gave the idea a flat thumbs down, likening birth control as a population control tool, particularly for the poor, to eugenics. 'Reproductive rights or reproductive abuse?' posted an Instagram user. But for freelance electrician Nana Suryana, who was among the first batch of 60 to be vasectomised, the cash payout will come in handy. 'Any further social aid linked to my vasectomy will be very welcome,' the 46-year-old father of six told ST. - The Straits Times/ANN


DW
30-05-2025
- General
- DW
Indonesia: Several killed in quarry collapse – DW – 05/30/2025
The mine has been closed following the incident, with the local governor blaming a lack of safety standards. Mine collapses are a common occurrence in Indonesia. A rock collapse at a limestone quarry in Indonesia on Friday resulted in the deaths of at least eight people, with another 10 missing, according to police. The incident took place in the city of Cirebon in West Java province at around 9:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT). "We are now focusing on evacuating victims. Until now, eight people have been found dead, and 12 others were injured and have been taken to hospitals," a local police chief told AFP. Television footage showed excavators at the site moving large rocks while rescuers continued to look under debris for survivors. Mining operations in Indonesia pollute waters To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Why are mines so dangerous in Indonesia? West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi said that the company operating the mine had been doing so illegally but that safety standards had been lacking. He said he had ordered the closure of the mine. "I decided to shut down the pit permanently, not just this pit but also other pits nearby," Dedi told Metro TV. A similar incident happened at the same mine in February, although no casualties were reported at the time. Mining accidents are common in Indonesia with safety protocols often being ignored. Last July, at least 23 people were killed and another 35 were reported missing after a landslide hit a remote village close to an illegal gold mine on the island of Sulawesi. Edited by: Wesley Dockery


New Straits Times
29-05-2025
- New Straits Times
Migrant smugling syndicate dismantled, alleged leader nabbed in Johor raids
JOHOR BARU: Malaysian authorities dismantled a cross-border migrant smuggling syndicate in a major night-time operation, arresting its suspected leader — a 38-year-old Indonesian man known as "Dedi," a senior immigration official said. He was among 11 individuals detained during a series of coordinated night-time raids across Kukup, Skudai, and Batu Pahat on May 27. The suspects were aged between 25 and 47. The syndicate, believed to have been operating for at least six months, was smuggling undocumented Indonesians in and out of Johor using sea routes. Backed by anti-trafficking and anti-money laundering units, immigration officers seized key evidence including passports, cash, mobile phones, a multi-purpose vehicle, and a boat — effectively crippling the group's operations. A three-week intelligence-led operation culminated in the successful dismantling of the syndicate. Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the syndicate had been active for at least six months and charged each migrant RM2,100 for transport into or out of Malaysia by boat. "Our officers also detained five Indonesian men and one woman, most of whom had no valid travel documents, while one was found to have overstayed," he said in a statement today. These suspects were among the 11 arrested during the operation. Investigations revealed that migrants were temporarily housed in a hotel, believed used as a holding location to avoid suspicion before they were transported by sea between Indonesia and Johor, Zakaria said. Five suspects — three Indonesian men and two Malaysian women — are being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007, while the remaining Indonesians face charges under Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. All detainees were taken to the Immigration Department's depot in Setia Tropika for further action. Zakaria said the department will intensify efforts to clamp down on migrant smuggling operations to protect the country's border sovereignty.


The Sun
28-05-2025
- The Sun
Immigration Dept busts Dedi syndicate, nabs 11 in Johor for migrant smuggling
PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department busted the Dedi syndicate involved in migrant smuggling activities in a special operation conducted around Johor yesterday Its director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said nine Indonesians and two locals, aged between 25 and 47, were detained during a 10 pm operation in several areas, including Kukup, Skudai and Batu Pahat. He said that after three weeks of intelligence gathering, authorities detained an Indonesian man suspected of being the mastermind, known as Dedi, along with two other Indonesian men believed to be tekongs (smuggling agents). 'The operations team also arrested two local women suspected of being 'transporters' and premises caretakers. Also detained were five Indonesian men and one Indonesian woman,' he said in a statement today. He said that preliminary checks found that one Indonesian man had overstayed his visa, while the others lacked valid travel documents or permits to be in the country. The operations team seized eight mobile phones, two Indonesian passports, RM1,173 in cash, a Naza Citra vehicle, and a boat believed to have been used for transporting illegal immigrants. 'The syndicate's modus operandi was to smuggle Indonesians in and out via sea routes to Johor or Indonesia, charging each migrant RM2,100 for the journey,' he said. He said that the illegal immigrants brought in would be housed in a hotel used as a safe house to avoid detection by authorities before moving in or out of Malaysia. 'This syndicate is believed to have been operating for the past six months. 'The department is committed to combating human smuggling syndicates, to enforce the law, and safeguard the nation's security and sovereignty,' he also said. Zakaria added that all those nabbed were sent to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot here or further action. The case is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007 and Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.


The Sun
28-05-2025
- The Sun
Dedi syndicate busted in Johor, 11 nabbed for smuggling
PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department busted the Dedi syndicate involved in migrant smuggling activities in a special operation conducted around Johor yesterday Its director-general, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said nine Indonesians and two locals, aged between 25 and 47, were detained during a 10 pm operation in several areas, including Kukup, Skudai and Batu Pahat. He said that after three weeks of intelligence gathering, authorities detained an Indonesian man suspected of being the mastermind, known as Dedi, along with two other Indonesian men believed to be tekongs (smuggling agents). 'The operations team also arrested two local women suspected of being 'transporters' and premises caretakers. Also detained were five Indonesian men and one Indonesian woman,' he said in a statement today. He said that preliminary checks found that one Indonesian man had overstayed his visa, while the others lacked valid travel documents or permits to be in the country. The operations team seized eight mobile phones, two Indonesian passports, RM1,173 in cash, a Naza Citra vehicle, and a boat believed to have been used for transporting illegal immigrants. 'The syndicate's modus operandi was to smuggle Indonesians in and out via sea routes to Johor or Indonesia, charging each migrant RM2,100 for the journey,' he said. He said that the illegal immigrants brought in would be housed in a hotel used as a safe house to avoid detection by authorities before moving in or out of Malaysia. 'This syndicate is believed to have been operating for the past six months. 'The department is committed to combating human smuggling syndicates, to enforce the law, and safeguard the nation's security and sovereignty,' he also said. Zakaria added that all those nabbed were sent to the Setia Tropika Immigration Depot here or further action. The case is being investigated under Section 26A of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007 and Section 6(3) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.