Surabaya's Juanda International Airport has won the Culture and Tourism Ministry's 2009 toilet award, beating out 2007 winner Denpasar's Ngurah Rai Airport, which now drops to fourth. Indonesia's main gateway, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, just outside Jakarta, moves up from fourth in 2007 to second, in the biennial "Sapta Pesona Clean Public Toilet Award".
The award was first handed out in 2007, and has so far involved only international airports. Acting Culture and Tourism Minister Muhammad Nuh said he expected the award in future to also cover public toilets at tourist sites across the country.
"Granting the award to those running public toilets at tourist sites is expected to improve the quality of products and services, particularly in term of cleanliness . as part of efforts to enhance the image of national culture," Nuh said during the award presentation ceremony.
Your comments:
Maybe the public toilets in Juanda deserve the award, but try the toilets in Juanda's lounges for CC holders and frequent flyers!
They are the worst! Too small, too few, too busy and unclean. Maybe it's nice that for once the normal traveling public has better facilities than the business and frequent travelers.....but still unbelievable.
Vander
Surabaya
Obviously, this "award" is for international airports in Indonesia only! Anyone who's ever had the misfortune to have to go to the loo at Bali's Domestic Airport will know that, and I can't even bring myself to talk about Solo or Lombok airport's loos, they are so disgusting.
Thank heavens they rebuilt the ones in Yogyakarta ("Domestic") Airport after the 2006 earthquake. They should definitely introduce a "Worst Loo" award for our domestic airports. It would be hotly contested!
Actually, they may also want to consider rebuilding Solo airport completely it's such an embarrassment and what about the extension of Yogyakarta's runway, or the relocation of the airport?
The plane crash in 2007 may have been due to pilot error (gross negligence more like) but we all know the runway is too short however our memories are not.
Lindsay Flakelar
Borobudur, Central Java
Happy to see that the Ministry is on the case. I love Indonesia like my second home, but oh, those public toilets!
They give such a bad first impression that many visitors vow to never return. As they are the first impressions many arriving tourists have of the country, they are important.
Ernest E Shaffer
Texas
Telkom set to launch WiMAX wireless -- Sept. 25, p. 14
The Indonesian telecommunications industry will enter a new phase in the first quarter of next year with the deployment of the country's first WiMAX wireless services by PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom). Telkom consumer director Ermady Dahlan told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the company was in the middle of completing the administrative requirements needed in order to obtain the operational licenses.
Ministry of Communications and Information spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto said his ministry would issue WiMAX operational licenses by the end of October after a series of operational feasibility tests based on the completion of the administrative requirements.
WiMAX is an advanced telecommunications technology providing wireless transmission of data using portable and fully mobile Internet access.
Your comments:
I'm happy to hear that, but when WiMAX launches, many people will migrate from various ISPs such as Speedy, Smart Jump, IndosatM2, Matrix Broadband, etc., and the WiMAX speed will suck.
I can predict this will happen because as far as I know, there's still no ISP that can maintain speed quality.
Jack
Jakarta
Great! But when are they going to improve the awful service of Speedy?
Didi Karjadi
Bandung
