Back from ‘Hibernation’

Yes, I’m back (I don’t suppose anybody miss my ranting here anyway?). After another horrible ‘hiatus’, something that is supposed to be familiar with most blogger, this is the latest post for 2012. And I think there is no better way to make a comeback than with a good compiled bulk of information.

So let us start this over with a rather interesting announcement: the BETA UFO Compiled Sightings Review report for 2011 is finally finished and available for reading here. 

Belated Obituary - R.J. Salatun

This is a shamefully belated obituary to the pioneer of Indonesian Ufology, J. Salatun. I can’t believe I didn’t try harder to spare time making this post earlier. Anyway, here I am now and hopefully this late posting will still be able to provide useful information for those who might not know of the event yet.

News of R.J. Salatun’s death in KOMPAS national newspaper

The first information received by BETA UFO through its mailing list group was from a member who actually forwarded the news of J. Salatun’s death from another mailing list named after the national Air Force’s old abbreviation (AURI).

Raden Jacob Salatun

Vice Air-Marshall (Ret.) Raden Jacob Salatun (R.J. Salatun), reportedly passed away on Friday 3 February 2012 in Jakarta, at the age of 84 years old, after suffering from a complication of stroke and diabetes. The former founder and first chairman of the National Space and Aviation Agency (LAPAN) had been hospitalized since 17 December 2011 prior to the formal announcement of his passing away by his eldest son, Adi Sadewo Salatun.

“Ke Udara”, a pioneering book on aviation written by R.J. Salatun in 1950

Serving 38 years in the national air force, R.J. Salatun was given a formal military burial held on 4 February 2012 at the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery, Jakarta, leaving behind his wife and a family of 5 children, 12 grand children and 2 great-grandchildren.

As revealed in Salatun’s tribute page here, the man is not only noted for his pioneering work in the national air force (TNI AU), particularly in the development of military aerospace (airplane design and rocketry) programs, but also for his active promotion of a localized and scientific approach to the UFO phenomena since the 1950s.

The cover of "Ke Udara", a pioneering book on aviation written by R.J. Salatun in 1950

Following the pioneer’s passing away, BETA UFO (through Bayu Amus, the current chairman) has published an open letter of condolences to the family, which I think best reflect the lost felt by many researchers of the UFO phenomenon in Indonesia:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Family members of the late Raden Jacob Salatun

As supporters of the study of UFO phenomena in Indonesia affiliated with the BETA-UFO Indonesia group, we would like to hereby extend our condolences for the passing away of Raden Jacob Salatun, which we have always hold in high esteem as the figurehead of Indonesian Ufology studies.

His contribution is immense in terms of developing the world of aviation in Indonesia and in pioneering the study of Ufology, which has in turn assisted those intrigued by the phenomena to research it more deeply. It was also in respect of his pioneering effort that we choose the name “BETA” for our own group, which Raden Jacob Salatun coined as the Indonesian language term for UFO.

We hope that God will grant Raden Jacob Salatun a place of comfort by His side for all the contributions that the man has made during the course of his life, and to grant the family left behind strength and perseverance in facing the ordeal.

We as supporters of UFO studies in Indonesia will always remember the late Raden Jacob Salatun for his contributions, and continue the study of UFO phenomena in Indonesia that he has pionereed.

His name will always be remembered dearly in our heart as the father of Indonesian Ufology.

Denpasar, 8 February 2012

Sincerely yours,

Bayu Amus

Director

BETA-UFO Indonesia

Time To Relax?

The holidays are coming aren’t they? So maybe it’s time to relax the curious, ever intrigued mind and have a bit of fun. Let emotions runs free, like this silly cat does for example...

Enjoy the holidays. Let’s hope for tons of intriguing sightings around the globe this New Year’s Eve.

Changes

I suppose anybody could clearly see, whether they have been checking up on this blog regularly or not, that not much new things have been posted all along 2011. The main issue has been the lack of time (and not lack of reports or interest). I guess every blogger in the world has that problem or at least has cited it often.

Nevertheless, I have updated the blog format and added the 'label index' somewhere down below to hopefully give anyone blog walking here a decently pleasant experience. I have also prepared new stuffs to live up to what I said in a 2010 post about getting new posts up.

Lastly, I don't know how informative or useful this blog has been so please do drop a few line in this post's comment box or the shoutbox somewhere at the bottom if you have something to say about that or the blog in general. I don't like e-mails so let's just stick to the commentary/shout boxes shall we?

So, some changes have been made. Hopefully for the better.

Things To Come in 2011

A lot of things were left un-posted, as the saying doesn’t go, in late 2010. Some of these things have to do with the general increase of reported UFO sightings across Indonesia. Some others have to do with the finishing of the BETA UFO’s Case Review for 2010 and the fact that a link for the 2009 report hasn’t been provided yet in this blog. These are the things that are going to be corrected now, in 2011. It’s always better late than never, isn’t it? To start off, the BETA UFO Case Review Reports for 2009 and 2010 can now be downloaded here and here.

Posts of sighting reports that basically stopped in October will be continued after this posting. Along with that, I will also be posting BETA UFO’s analysis of the much publicized Crop Circle phenomena in Central Java that occurred in January 2011.