Archive for December, 2007
JAKARTA, 13 December 2007 (IRIN) - Local officials took action in September 2007 when Mt Kelud in the province of East Java, Indonesia, began showing signs it might erupt. They put into practice lessons learned from the December 2004 tsunami and from 1990, when Mt Kelud last erupted, killing 35 residents, destroying houses and cropland and covering much of the immediate area in up to 70 centimetres of ash.
“This time Mt Kelud was like a slow moving disaster,” Teguh Sylvaranto, vice-director of medical services for the East Java Provincial Hospital in Surabaya city, told IRIN.
“As the volcano gradually built up in pressure during September and October, our medical team and other agencies had time to identify strategies to deal with mass casualties, including the best routes for transporting the injured, and the potential needs of evacuees for food, water, sanitation and primary health care,” he said. “Much of our strategising was based on lessons learned in Aceh with the tsunami and more recent disasters.”
Several million people live in the vicinity of Mt Kelud and local disaster officials estimated that as many as 40,000 people would need to be evacuated from their rice, pineapple, sugarcane and vegetable farms near the summit of Mt Kelud if a modest eruption occurred. Thousands more would be displaced if it was a large-scale eruption and lava and debris started flowing down the long riverbeds and valleys to more populated areas.
On 16 October the Directorate for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Management alerted people to an imminent eruption. Some 22,000 were evacuated over subsequent days, according to BAKORNAS, the national coordinating agency for disaster management, although all but 10,000 or so soon returned home.
Sylvaranto’s medical response team was dispatched to Kediri District on 17 October and stayed until 11 November. It included 15 doctors, four-wheel drive ambulances to cope with potential muddy conditions, and stockpiles of medical supplies. It was part of a much larger medical response that included over 50 doctors and public health personnel and the Indonesian Red Cross.
On-the-job trainingĂ‚Â
“We worked closely with the local regional and national organisations there,” he said. “In our down time, we even helped train primary health care staff, strengthening their capacities to manage and care for the evacuees.”
Deddy Sadria, head of SATLAK PB, the Disaster Operational Management Division for Kediri District, told IRIN: “We had long been planning for an eruption and were well prepared.” SATLAK PB also holds a yearly disaster preparedness drill with local organisations and their national and regional counterparts.
In his command centre in Kediri, the walls of which are covered with maps charting volcanic activity, giving evacuation routes and temporary shelter locations, Sadria shows IRIN his disaster bible, a blue booklet entitled The Guidebook for Procedures and Alert Activities. He said it was developed in conjunction with BAKORNAS and regional and local organisations after the 2004 tsunami. “It defines the roles each organisation plays, with one person in control for each response activity. It worked well!”
“Most of us probably wouldn’t have left the mountain until it blew,” said 45-year-old Tomo, a regional government officer and farmer who lives in the area evacuated. “But then the police came around with sirens and loudspeakers. No problems, everyone came down the mountain as told.”
Improved monitoringĂ‚Â
“People know more about the dangers of the volcano now,” said Tomo, “and the monitoring of it has improved.” He said that in 1990 a system of land cables was used to convey information from the heart of the volcano and it did not work. “Now the detection equipment is much better and the information is sent by satellite.”
Boyrah, a 42-year-old shopkeeper, told IRIN: “The government took all the right precautions, particularly as the volcano was spouting fire.” She also said she was pleased transport was provided for the evacuation.
Sadria of Kediri District’s disaster centre, told IRIN: “We now have access to 285 trucks and buses that can each hold 30 or so people. And we also have military support if needed.”
Boyrah was evacuated to a mosque. “It was OK,” she said. “We were given enough food and I even had a mat on which to sleep.” Most evacuees stayed in tents, mosques, schools or public buildings. Local agencies provided non-food items and a stockpile of 100 tonnes of rice was provided by the Department of Social Affairs, a more-than-adequate supply for the 21-day evacuation.Ă‚Â
Animist beliefsĂ‚Â
Most residents of Mt Kelud’s hillsides are Muslim but animism still plays a powerful role in their lives. According to Tomo, some residents continue to hold mixed religious ceremonies at the volcano, much of them animist in content. “We pray, give thanks and pay our respects,” he said, adding “I am nothing compared to the size of the volcano.”
But such animist beliefs created a small hitch in the well-coordinated evacuation plans.
Mbah Ronggo, a 64-year-old rice farmer from Sugih Waras village, is what is known as the “keyholder” of the volcano. Selected to the position by 42 village elders, he is given great power to determine whether villagers should evacuate or not.
While the scientists said Mt Kelud was about to erupt, Ronggo believed otherwise. “My feeling from God was that it was not going to erupt,” he told IRIN. He said he gets a sign if it is serious. “I get this compulsion to sell the rice harvest if the volcano is actually going to erupt,” he said.
For a day or so after the evacuation order was given, Ronggo refused to leave the mountain and a large group of his followers refused as well, according to Sugih Waras villagers. Officials in Blitar District also acknowledged that many people were initially reluctant to evacuate.
Negotiating with the “keyholder”ÂÂ
| Disaster officials and the police came to negotiate with Ronggo, pleading that he and his followers leave. Only after two days did he agree. “I did not want to be seen as a provocateur,” he said.
Ronggo told IRIN that his concerns were not exclusively spiritual: “If the people evacuate,” he said, “our farm productivity drops and our livelihoods are affected.” He says no amount of temporary assistance can make up for that. “I’m also concerned that most of the assistance won’t even reach the people who need it,” he said.
A powerful eruption of ash and hot gases did ultimately occur on 3 November by which time locals were safely out of harm’s way, though all the trees and other vegetation were burned away at the top of the mountain. The volcano continues to smoulder.
When asked about their capacity to deal with a truly large-scale eruption, Sylvaranto said: “It’s not always a problem that can be solved by us alone on the district or provincial level, but we now have the coordination to get national departments and agencies to respond effectively and that will make a difference.” In any event, he said: “The response system is certainly far better now than three years ago.”
bj/cb |
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Source: http://www.irinnews.org/
December 14th, 2007
Mengagumkan. Itulah kesan yang acap dirasakan siapa pun yang menyaksikan keindahan panorama Kawah Gunung Ijen, Kabupaten Bondowoso, Jawa Timur. Obyek wisata yang berada di kawasan pegunungan Ijen-Merapi, ujung timur Pulau Jawa, ini memang menawarkan banyak hal. Semakin lama dipandang, kesan ganas yang melekat pada nganga kawah ini berangsur sirna. Bayangan kengerian pada gunung berapi yang biasanya mampu melumatkan semua makhluk hidup saat menyemburkan lava panas dari perut bumi pun hilang. Kesan menakutkan itu berganti dengan rasa takjub dan decak kagum tiada habisnya.
Kawah yang luasnya sekitar 5.466 hektar ini menyimpan eksotisme kawah gunung berapi. Ketenangan air kawah yang berwarna hijau kebiru-biruan itu mengesankan keanggunan. Pemandangan di sana akan lebih menakjubkan bila dinikmati di pagi hari. Air kawah yang volumenya sekitar 200 juta meter kubik dengan panas mencapai 200 derajat celcius itu memancarkan kemilau hijau keemasan saat sinar mentari menerpa dari balik Gunung Merapi — saudara kembar Gunung Ijen.
Keindahan itu dijaga oleh dinding kawah yang terdiri dari bebatuan solfatra dan lapili. Kedua bebatuan itu merupakan endapan erupsi yang berwarna hitam legam. Sesekali asap putih tebal menutup permukaan kawah saat angin berhembus dari arah Gunung Merapi. Sekejap kemudian, bau belerang menyengat menyeruak tatkala angin naik dari dasar kawah. Aroma khas itu berasal dari lokasi penambangan batu belerang yang ada di sisi tenggara kawah yang berukuran 1.160 meter x 1.160 meter itu.
Dari sekitar 300 gunung api yang tersebar di kepulauan Indonesia, Ijen yang berada di ketinggian 2.368 dari permukaan laut memang punya keunikkan yang tiada duanya. Selain eksotisme kawah yang menakjubkan, dataran tinggi yang masuk area Taman Nasional Alas Purwo (TNAP) ini cocok dijadikan tujuan pendakian untuk keluarga. Khususnya, bagi mereka yang gila akan petualangan di alam bebas. Ini didukung dengan fasilitas pendukung seperti jalan menuju lokasi, camping ground, penginapan, serta pondok wisata sudah tersedia cukup memadai.
Selain eksotisme kawah, kesejukkan alam pegunungan yang masih perawan juga dimiliki Ijen. Di sini, padang savana dan hutan stepa dengan rumput liar setinggi rata-rata satu meter juga bisa kita dapati. Savana dan stepa yang luasnya mencapai 10 ribu hektar itu berada di antara deretan gunung-gunung yang puncaknya berketinggian rata-rata 2.000 meter. Deretan gunung yang membentang dari Banyuwangi hingga Bondowoso ini tampak hijau kebiruan.
Ada belasan gunung di sana. Di antaranya, Gunung Kendeng, Ringgih, Merapi, Ijen, Papak, Widodaren, Pawenan, Rante, Jampit, Raung dan Suket, Kukusan, Deleman, Pendil, Kenteng, Panduan, Anyar, dan Gunung Lingker. Kesemua gunung yang meliputi dataran tinggi seluas 300 km persegi itu menantang siapa pun untuk melakukan pendakian.
Pesona alam pegunungan kian lengkap di bulan Agustus dan September. Di kawasan pegunungan Ijen dan Merapi, pengunjung akan menjumpai bunga edelweiss. Bunga berwarna kuning dan putih itu tumbuh di lereng-lereng pegunungan. Hamparan edelweiss itu bak permadani berhiaskan lautan bunga tatkala sedang mekar.
Untuk menjangkau Kawah Ijen tidaklah sulit. Ada dua rute yang bisa ditempuh, yakni lewat kota Bondowoso (210 km dari Surabaya) atau melewati kota Banyuwangi (sekitar 290 km dari Surabaya). Kedua jalur itu menjanjikan pemandangan alam pegunungan yang sejuk dan asri. Di sepanjang jalan beraspal mulus, hamparan kebun kopi, padang ilalang, dan hutan perdu yang luas menyapa siapa pun yang lewat.
Dari Bondowoso, jarak yang harus ditempuh sejauh 72 kilometer. Kendaraan umum akan siap mengantar pengunjung hingga Desa Sempol (57 km dari Bondowoso). Dari sini perjalanan dilanjutkan menuju Pos Paltuding sejauh 15 km. Rute Sempol-Paltuding ini adalah trek menanjak yang bisa ditempuh dengan kendaraan sewa khusus karena tak ada lagi kendaraan umum.
Pilihan kedua, Ijen ditempuh dari arah timur (Banyuwangi). Jalur ini lebih disukai oleh wisatawan asing yang menyempatkan diri mampir dari Bali. Selain jaraknya lebih dekat (30 km), di sepanjang perjalanan banyak alternatif obyek wisata lain yang bisa dikunjungi. Di antaranya agrowisata kebun kopi Kaliklatak dan wisata budaya Osing di Desa Kemiren, Kecamatan Glagah. Lewat jalur ini wisatawan hanya membutuhkan waktu sekitar satu jam perjalanan dengan naik truk milik PT Candi Arimbi.
Usai Paltuding, pengunjung harus berjalan kaki melewati hutan cemara dan perdu sejauh empat km sampai ke puncak kawah Ijen. Rute ini juga rute tetap para buruh pengangkut belerang. Kondisi jalan tanah yang selalu basah ini relatif lebar dan dilengkapi dengan pos-pos peristirahatan sementara.
Di sela-sela hutan pinus dan cemara sepanjang jalan dari Pos PHPA Paltuding hingga Pondok Seng, pengunjung bisa menikmati sepuasnya aroma harum bunga edelweiss (Anaphalis Javanica). Dengan seabreg pesona yang dimilikinya, tidak heran jika Ijen sudah menjadi obyek wisata tujuan utama kedua di Jatim setelah Gunung Bromo di Probolinggo. Bahkan saking banyaknya wisatawan yang datang ke Ijen, antara Pemerintah Kabupaten Bondowoso dan Banyuwangi sering bertengkar untuk memperebutkannya. (rn)
Source: http://www.perempuan.com/
December 13th, 2007
Indonesia’s largest cement producer PT Semen Gresik won shareholder approval Monday to press ahead with a plan to build two new cement plants and 10 coal-fired power plants next year.
Speaking to reporters following an extraordinary meeting of shareholders, chief commissioner Rizal Ramli said one of the new cement plants would be built near the company’s existing plant in Tonasa, South Sulawesi, and the other one in Java, although the exact location was still under discussion.
The cement plants, each with a capacity of 2.5 million tons a year, are expected to begin commercial operation by the end of 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Semen Gresik’s total production is expected to reach 14 million tons this year, an increase of about 3 percent from 13.5 million tons in 2006. The company controls about 45 percent of the country’s cement market.
Rizal said the construction of the new plants, which would cost about US$670 million, was a part of Gresik’s efforts to take advantage of a government emphasis on infrastructure development projects and also aimed at maintaining the company’s position as market leader.
“We will invest US$670 million in the construction of the two plants,” said Rizal, who is also former coordinating minister for the economy.
Rizal said that around 30 percent of the funds for the plants would come from the company’s retained profits, while the remaining 70 percent would come from bank loans and issuance of bonds.
Simultaneous with the construction of the cement plants, Gresik will build 10 coal-fired power plants, four of them to be constructed near the new plants, and the other six to be constructed in three different locations — Tuban, East Java, Indarung, West Sumatra and Biringere Pangkep, South Sulawesi.
Semen Gresik’s President Director Dwi Soetjipto, who also attended the meeting, said the construction of the power plants would produce between 35 and 65 megawatts.
The company which at present relies on state-owned electricity PLN’s power supply will receive a total power supply of up to 100 megawatts.
He said the new plants would help the company improve efficiency and avoid continuous price increases by PLN.
“The power plants will provide an uninterrupted electricity supply for cement production which, according to our calculations, will save up to 15 percent of the cost of electricity as a part of total production costs,” he said.
Semen Gresik, which also owns PT Semen Padang in West Sumatra and PT Semen Tonasa in South Sulawesi, is controlled by the Indonesian government, which holds a 51.01 percent stake. Blue Valley Pte Ltd holds a 24.9 percent stake, with the investing public holding the remainder.
The company booked Rp 572 billion in net profit during the third quarter of this year, an increase of 48 percent from the same period last year.
The company’s net profit rose by 23.8 percent to Rp 1.27 trillion in 2007 from Rp 1.02 trillion in the previous year.(dic)
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 12th, 2007
BUDAYA daerah masih menjadi salah satu alternatif utama tata rias. Itu tampak dalam lomba Make-Up Competition Inez 2007 di Royal Plasa kemarin (10/12). Unsur warna daerah masih menjadi pilihan utama untuk make-up pengantin maupun pesta.
Nuniek Silalahi, salah seorang juri, mengatakan, untuk pengantin atau tamu yang menghadiri pesta, tata rias tradisional yang mengandalkan warna mencolok masih jadi pilihan utama. “Meskipun ada modifikasi, warna merah dan hijau sebagai dasar eye shadow dan perona pipi tetap dipakai,” katanya.
Lomba make-up modifikasi tradisional tersebut diikuti oleh 25 peserta dari Surabaya, Malang, Kediri, dan Blitar. Peserta harus memadankan kebaya modern dengan riasan tradisional. “Yang terpenting, warna riasan sesuai dengan gaun yang dipakai. Tapi, unsur warna tradisional jangan ditinggalkan,” tuturnya.
Pemilik Citra Ratna Wedding itu mengatakan, modifikasi pengantin tradisional mampu mendongkrak apresiasi generasi muda terhadap budaya pengantin daerah. “Mereka tidak ragu-ragu lagi untuk memilih riasan tradisional atau modern. Biasanya, saat ijab, pakai tradisional. Baru, resepsinya pakai modifikasi tradisional,” ujarnya.
Lea Carla Bastarani, promotion staff Inez kosmetik, menyatakan bahwa ajang tahunan yang diadakan di kota-kota besar seperti Surabaya, Malang, Semarang, Solo, dan Depok tersebut diharapkan dapat memacu kreativitas penata rias pengantin. Selain lomba make-up modifikasi tradisional, Inez melombakan make-up gaun malam dan pemilihan Inez model 2007. (uji/dos)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
December 11th, 2007
SUMENEP, East Java: State insurance company PT Jamsostek is planning to develop 100 more low-cost apartments for workers on industrial estates on Batam Island, Riau Islands province, in the next five years.
“Housing is urgently needed in Batam since hundreds of thousands of low-income workers have occupied illegal huts which have raised serious problems for the Batam authorities,” Jamsostek president Hotbonar Sinaga said here Saturday.
The construction of the new apartments will start next year.
So far Jamsostek has built two apartment blocks to accommodate some 6,000 workers on the island.
Sinaga said the government has agreed to issue a special regulation on the housing project, worth Rp 300 billion (US$32.37. Jamsostek will put aside Rp 100 billion from its 2007 and 2008 profits to finance the project.
He added that the apartments will be built on 60 hectares of land near the Muka Kuning industrial zone on the island. –JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 11th, 2007
SUMENEP, East Java: The government has spent a total of Rp 51 trillion (US$5.5 billion) to finance the National Movement for Unemployment Reduction (GNPP) to generate almost 1.5 million job opportunities this year.
Manpower Minister Erman Suparno said the money was disbursed to 318 regencies and municipalities in all 33 provinces, with four main programs on small-scale businesses, resettlement, employment and training and apprenticeships.
“Recipients form small groups to run small businesses, each with three to 10 workers, or open their own businesses in new resettlement areas. Another group of recipients joined the training and apprenticeship programs at state training centers and major companies before they were employed,” he told a ceremony to conclude the 2007 GNPP here Saturday.
Despite the 1.5 million new job opportunities, he said, the unemployment rate remained high, reaching 10.5 million early this year, while the number of poor families has reached almost 40 million.
“This data is not from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry but is based on the latest survey conducted by the Central Statistics Agency,” he added.– JP
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 10th, 2007
SURABAYA - Kemeriahan Natal sudah mulai terasa di berbagai tempat. Kemarin (9/12), ITC Mega Grosir Surabaya mengadakan acara Wonderful Christmas. Acara itu menampilkan Sinterklas dalam versi Eropa.
Sinterklas yang diperankan Dedianto, arsitek yang bermukim di Surabaya, tersebut memang tampak lain. Janggutnya pirang, tidak putih. Dia juga tidak memakai topi hangat dan mantel merah. Yang dia pakai adalah jubah uskup berwarna merah. Sebagai penutup kepala, digunakan mitra, topi kebesaran seorang uskup. Sinterklas itu juga memakai tongkat gembala yang juga biasa dipakai uskup.
Seorang anak sempat nyeletuk di depan panggung. “Kok sinterklasnya kaya gitu?” ujarnya sembari menunjuk Dedianto.
Sinterklas ala Eropa tersebut memang sudah lama tidak dipertunjukkan di Indonesia. Yang beken sekarang adalah Sinterklas dalam sosok pria gendut, bermantel merah, dan berjanggut putih. Padahal, sejatinya sosok seperti itu adalah ciptaan Haddon Sundbloom untuk iklan Coca-Cola pada 1931. Di Amerika, Sinterklas dalam sosok seperti itu disebut sebagai Santa Claus. Ternyata, sosok tersebut lebih beken dan mengalahkan tradisi asli Sinterklas yang berkembang di banyak negara.
Tokoh Sinterklas muncul dari kisah Santo Nikolas, uskup di Myra (sekarang Turki) pada abad ke-4. Dia dikenal dermawan. Kedermawanannya itu akhirnya melegenda. Dalam perjalanan waktu, legenda tersebut bercampur dengan mitos yang diturunkan dari mulut ke mulut.
Berbeda dari Santa Claus yang selalu didampingi peri, Sinterklas didampingi Zwarshte Piet atau Piet Hitam. Orang Belanda percaya, Piet Hitam itu bertugas menghukum anak-anak nakal. Kemarin, ada tiga Piet Hitam yang mendampingi Sinterklas. Namun, alih-alih menghukum, tiga Piet Hitam tersebut justru membagi-bagikan hadiah untuk anak-anak. Ada ratusan permen dan cokelat yang dibagikan.
Pesta Natal itu dimeriahkan artis cilik Gio Asisi, putra Dedianto. Dia menyanyikan lagu Lima Desember. Itu adalah lagu tentang kelahiran Sinterklas.
Raut muka bahagia tampak di wajah anak-anak saat menerima kado istimewa dari Sinterklas. Namun, tidak sedikit yang ketakutan. Devano, misalnya, merasa sangat bahagia saat mendapatkan kado sepeda baru dari Sinterklas. Dia juga diberi nasihat agar rajin belajar supaya pintar dan jangan malas. “Kami memang ingin menampilkan sesuatu yang baru,” ujar Promotion Manager Yenni Sampoerno.
Di tempat yang sama, pada acara yang berbeda, sesosok Sinterklas ala Amerika (Santa Claus) mengelilingi ITC dalam rangka Natal. Karena itu, kemarin banyak anak-anak yang menyaksikan dua versi Sinterklas yang juga sama-sama beken di negara asal masing-masing tersebut. (top/dos)Ă‚Â
Source: Jawa Pos Online
December 10th, 2007
Residents in the district of Ponorogo in East Java, especially the Reog cultural activitists, are relieved with Malaysia’s explanation on the Reog dance.
This followed an explanation by Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamed Zain that Malaysia had neither claimed the Reog dance as its own nor that it originated from the country.
Ponorogo district officer, Muhadi Suyono, said the explanation had cleared the misunderstanding two months ago over a report in the local media which accused Malaysia of claiming that the Reog dance was one of its own culture.
He said the report had created anxiety among Reog activitists in Ponorogo and the situation had prompted him to get the Indonesian Culture and Tourism Ministry to seek clarification from Malaysia.
“With the explanation by the Malaysian ambassador (Zainal Abidin), we, the community at Ponorogo, feel relieved,” he said after a tea reception hosted by Zainal Abidin at the Malaysian embassy here yesterday.
Muhadi said the explanation by Zainal Abidin was in tandem with that given by Indonesian Culture, Arts and Film Director General Dr Mukhlis Paeni that the Reog dance was brought by Indonesian emigrants from Java who settled in Malaysia.
Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor, in a statement a few days ago, said that cultural performances originating from Indonesia, such as the Reog and Endang, would not be performed in Malaysian tourism promotion activities.
Source: http://www.nst.com.my/
December 7th, 2007
The National Commission on Human Rights is organizing a caricature exhibition and competition as part of events ahead of World Human Rights Day, which falls on Dec. 10.
Sixty caricatures, from 278 entries, have been short-listed for the competition, titled “Human Rights in Indonesia: Now, Then and Future”, which was officially opened Tuesday.
Yosep Adi Prasetyo, the commission member responsible for organizing the event, said they began accepting caricatures in September.
The 60 short-listed caricatures touch on a variety of topics, including gender justice, domestic violence and child exploitation.
They were selected by a panel of judges made up of prominent caricaturists, political observers and journalists.
“Their drawings reflect the way the competitors perceive the problems of human rights violations in Indonesia and how they invite viewers to get the implied message,” Yosep said.
In a brief speech at the event on Tuesday, Ridha Saleh, deputy director of the rights commission, said Indonesia had yet to deal with numerous human rights violations.
These unresolved cases date back as far as 1984 when soldiers shot hundreds of protesters in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.
Ridha said the commission had recently noticed a shift in the type of rights violations taking place in the country.
“Before the 1998 reform movement, human rights violations were dominated by the kidnapping and physical abuse of activists. The current trend is dominated by corporate environmental, social and economic violations that affect communities.”
He pointed to mining company PT Lapindo Brantas, which is at the center of the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, that has forced thousands of people from their homes.
In addition to the caricature exhibition, which ends Monday, the commission also organizes a book bazaar, talk shows, movie screenings and discussions to mark the global rights day. (lln)
Source: The Jakarta Post
December 6th, 2007
SURABAYA - Suasana atrium Tunjungan Plaza 3 Surabaya tadi malam (5/12) begitu meriah. Dentuman musik mengiringi lenggak-lenggok 12 model cantik dari ibu kota yang memeragakan koleksi label busana asal Amerika Serikat, Banana Republic.
Peragaan busana itu menjadi pembuka acara grand opening butik Banana Republic di TP 3. Para model membawakan 40 baju koleksi holiday season dan musim dingin bertema smart casual. Tema itu dipilih karena busana-busana yang ditampilkan tidak terbatas pada satu model saja. “Koleksi yang kami tampilkan ini bisa dipakai untuk aktivitas resmi maupun informal,” jelas Manajer Marketing Komunikasi Banana Republic Tiara Natasha Sjahrir.
Koleksi musim dinginnya pun disesuaikan dengan cuaca di Indonesia. Di antaranya material bahannya tidak terlalu tebal seperti di Amerika Serikat. Pilihannya lebih ke sutra dan wool.
Yang istimewa dua diantara para model didatangkan khusus dari Australia. Menurut Tiara dibawanya dua model “bule” itu untuk mendukung karakter yang hendak diperkenalkan Banana Republic. “Ini mengentalkan karakter kami yang sophisticated dan elegan,” tutur Tiara.
Peragaan busana yang dipandu peragawati dan pembawa acara Caroline Zahri itu dihadiri selebriti ibukota seperti Karina Suwandi dan Alexandra Gotardo. Selain itu hadir juga komunitas sosialita Surabaya. Penonton bahkan rela berdiri demi menyaksikan peragaan busana tersebut. “Saya suka koleksi klasik, membuat karakter saya lebih terbentuk dan elegan,” ucap Karina Suwandi yang telah lama menjadi penyuka koleksi Banana Republic.
Acara makin menarik minat pengunjung begitu para model turun panggung dan menggiring undangan serta mereka yang hadir menaiki eskalator menuju outlet Banana Republic di Upper Ground. Pada grand launching kali ini, Banana Republic menawarkan diskon 15 persen. Untuk duaratus pembeli pertama mendapat goodie bag menarik. (ign/nay)
Source: Jawa Pos Online
December 6th, 2007
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