Lens Flare and the Media Hype

June 2010 also saw a rather interesting 'thread' in the BETA UFO mailing list. This time it was taken from another thread on one of the country's 'biggest' online forum, Kaskus. A member of the said forum uploaded two photographs allegedly taken on June 12 at the newly built Suramadu bridge, that connect the city of Surabaya with the island of Madura. In the photos, are seen several 'UFO-like' shapes in the sky near the bridge which -according to the photographer- were not seen before the photographs were taken. The original photos themselves were not very clear until another forum member helped to 'emphasize' the objects in question as can be seen below.

The photos has since attracted quite a lot of attention, particularly on the grounds of the photographer's belief that he those objects are indeed UFO, and sparked a lot of discussion both on the original Kaskus forum as well as in BETA UFO's mailing-list. One of the primary conclusion reached in the BETA UFO discussions is that the photo is nothing more than a lens flare effect.

Strangely enough, the photo then sparked the media's ongoing interest and hype over anything 'mysterious' or 'uncanny'. BETA UFO was contacted to state its conclusion on the said photos in August, for a Jakarta-based TV station's afternoon program. Guess what? Not long after that, someone finally came to the Kaskus forum to show, with two very clear photos seen below, that it is INDEED a simple lens flare effect.

I guess the interest on UFO's has indeed grown by leaps and bounds in the country, but the media's 'warped' approach to it all (most interest in the UFO-related phenomena are currently shown by celebrity gossip programs, for crying out loud) hardly promised a better understanding of the phenomena.

The Oldest UFO Photograph in Indonesia?

BETA UFO researcher and former chairman, Nur Agustinus contacted me about this intriguing photograph that he seemed to have found October last year. I have since been unable to verify the possibility of it being a genuine UFO photograph as those I have contacted –with presumably better understanding of photographic analysis- has never replied to my query. The object in question is the small, oval-shaped speck somewhat halfway to the center of the photograph.

If it is indeed so, then this photograph, which was shot in 1935 during the emplacement of the Dutch colonial administration’s state railway to Padang city, West Sumatra and found as part of a collection of old Indonesian photographs owned by KITLV, is definitely the oldest UFO photograph to date in the country.

The KITLV data showed that the photo was part of a collection of photographs which are featured in a book titled “Stations and Bridges in Sumatra: 1876-1941” by Michiel de Jong Ballegoijen that was published in Amsterdam in 2001. The photo itself was originally part of an album presented to C.L. de Voogt at his departure as head of the Dutch East Indies’ State Railways Operation in Sumatra's west coast, from April 1933 to August 1935. More data could be seen in the KITLV document entry of the said photograph presented below (google translated from Dutch to English).

Dutch to English translation

Collection: KITLV

Description / Description: Emplacement of the State Railways to Padang in

Sumatra's West Coast

Signature / Image Code: 52711

Album Number / Album Number: 610

Detailed Description / Detailed description: Left behind the station

Keyword / Keyword: Padang, railway stations, railways

Format / Size: 12x17cm

Physical form / Property type: Photo

Date / Date: 1935

Specialties / Additional: stations and bridges in Sumatra: 1876-1941 / by Michiel

de Jong Ballegoijen. - Amsterdam, 2001 Album presented to ir C.L. de Voogt at his

departure as head of the State Railways in Operation Sumatra's west coast from

April 1933 to August 1935

Collection / Collection: Ball, F.H.J.

Origin / Provenance: Ball, F.H.J.

Strange Aerial Phenomena in Kendari

On Wednesday, June 2nd 2010, the Indonesian mainstream media was once again hyped-up with another possible UFO sighting news. This time, the news comes from the city of Kendari, in South East Sulawesi. As reported first by Okezone.com on Friday (05/06) a group of Kendari's Number 9 Public Junior High School students saw and videotaped (using a mobile phone) a strange aerial phenomena in the center of the sun, as can be seen on the photograph below.

The full video recording can be seen here, in the link provided by BETA UFO.



Some, including researchers in BETA UFO, believed that this may very well be a deliberate hoax or a simple 'Black Sun' effect that can occur with certain image filtering mechanisms.

Strange aerial phenomena in Ancol, North Jakarta

The photos displayed are taken by a photo hobbyist in Ancol beach, North Jakarta on November 1 at around 06:49 AM. The photo of the strange aerial phenomena was first reported to the BETA UFO group on November 3 while the photos (including the cropped ones) were e-mailed a few days later.

According to the photographer, the photos were made while he was out hunting for good scenery to photograph, using a Canon EOS 400D camera with a shutter speed of 1/100 seconds. The photographer said he was also standing with the sun at his back when the photos were taken.


Out of the many photos he had taken, only two frames showed the strange aerial phenomena. The photographer also didn’t notice it until he uploaded the photos days later.


So far, BETA UFO’s analysis of the photos is that the object captured in the photos is probably not a UFO. The group’s experts in photographic analysis suggest it might be a bug or even a speck of dust that flew right in front of the camera and reflected the blitz light. It is, however, still open to other analyses.

Indonesian Ufology Timeline – Part 2 (1971 – 1979)

This is the second part of the Indonesian ufology timeline articles that I have started back in May. As can be seen many details are added to expand the original timeline featured in the BETA UFO 2007 book, including the expansion of the article length into a three-part series. Time has been and will always be the major constraint in doing these articles yet hopefully there is enough interest to be triggered by it to bring about better documentation in the future.

January 1970
A popular science magazine in Jakarta, Intisari, published an article written by S. Kamah about a series of strange phenomena that had been taking place around lake Poso, Sulawesi island since 1965. The article dealt with a series of possible USO/UFO phenomena observed by multiple witnesses encompassing both local villagers as well as government officials. The phenomena involved sightings of unidentified glowing objects seen both underwater and on air around the lake.

Note: This entry, not included in the original timeline presented in BETA UFO’s book, was added for the subjective assessment that it highlighted a significant ‘international’ attention/recognition for the country’s UFO phenomena. The case was published in the Flying saucers Review case Histories (Vol. 1-18) in April 1971. First reference to it was found in the voluminous archives of waterufo.net

1971-1972
Senior politician/diplomat, Adam Malik was elected president of the UN General Assembly. During his term Malik was supposedly assisted by a ufologist named Farida Iskiovet in the investigations of the Mojave desert UFO sightings. A certain ‘obscured’ document found in the archives of bibliotecapleyades.net stated that the two had actually supported the setting up of a diplomatic relation with the extraterrestrials contacted by Iskiovet in Mojave desert.
Note: The authenticity of the document is still a mystery. Most of the searches I have done on the net for UN related UFO deliberations usually focus more on the November 27 1978 UN special hearing of the UFO phenomena, during its 33rd General Assembly. On the other hand, nothing else has so far been found about Malik and Iskiovet’s alleged involvement with the Mojave desert sightings or EBEs.

1974
Suara Karya newspaper published a series of articles deliberating the works of Erich von Daniken on ancient extraterrestrials/astronauts. This might well marked the first newspaper coverage on topics related to the UFO phenomena.

December 1976
Renown American ufologist, Prof. J. Allen Hynek visited Indonesia in response to an invitation extended by Foreign Minister Adam Malik. On December 16 the national television network (TVRI) reported a speech given by Hynek to the country’s Armed Forces top brass. On December 20 TVRI aired a special talk show discussing the UFO phenomena in Indonesia. The show featured Hynek accompanied by the country’s pioneering ufologist J. Salatun and engineer Tony Hartono Rusman -- the person who had sighted and photographed an unknown aerial object in the Cilamaya coastal region, West Java back in September 1975.
The show seemed to be quite successful in stirring up public interest and attention to the subject of ufology as later described by Salatun in his letter to Hynek a year after the televised show. During the show Salatun also supposedly encourage viewers to report any UFO related phenomena to the National Space and Aviation Agency (LAPAN) that he was heading.
Note: It is not known whether TVRI’s archive still carries the documentation for this talkshow. Such footage would definitely be an invaluable documentation to preserve regarding the development of ufology in the country.

February 1977
J. Salatun wrote a lengthy letter to Prof. Hynek, elaborating on the then current development of UFO sightings in the country. The letter, titled J. Salatun communiqué # 1, is available as a pdf file from The Sign Historical Group. Among others, the letter disclosed some intriguing cases such as the sighting and close encounter case in Alor and Pantar islands, East Nusa Tenggara, in 1959 and the discovery of physical traces from a reported UFO landing site in Mount Lawu, Central Java, in 1971.

1978
Mekatronika, a popular science magazine based in Bandung city, West Java, published a special edition (#5, 1978) dedicated to the UFO phenomena. This particular event mark the beginning of a much more intense local media attention to the subject of ufology.

December 18, 1978
Indonesian engineer Ahmad Padang, working as one of the UN’s Space Application expert, attended the 33rd General Assembly that discussed the subject of global UFO sightings and measures to coordinate efforts to monitor it.

1979
Popular Jakarta-based youth magazine, Hai published a special issue on ufology while Mekatronika magazine published a special issue on exobiology. In the same year, Desmond Leslie and George Adamski classical book “The Flying saucers Have Landed” was translated into Indonesian by Bandung-based publisher Harapan Baru. Also published was Daniken’s seminal “Chariots of The Gods” by another Bandung-based publisher Yayasan Tanadi under the title “Adakah Mahluk Lain dari Angkasa Luar?”.

1979
Painter maestro, Sudjana Kerton was allegedly abducted by UFO at his home in Dago Pakar, Bandung city, West Java.
Note: The story has never been thoroughly investigated although there are claims that UFO sightings have continued in the area.

June 30 1979
Publisher Yayasan Idayu held a special event in Jakarta’s National Awakening building where J. Salatun presented his paper on the current global UFO problem. The material would later be published as a book by Yayasan Idayu.

The Salatun Files - A Brief Background

As a fellow Indonesian, Air Vice Marshall (Ret.) J. Salatun's book - 'Menyingkap Rahasia Piring Terbang' (Unveiling the Flying Saucer's Secret) published in 1960, is truly an intriguing literature to behold. On the one hand, it is the first ever 'indigenous' literature on ufology to be published in Indonesia. Furthermore it is also written in a highly serious manner pertaining to the most sophisticated 'scientific' efforts of the time to explain the UFO phenomena. It wasn't just a catalogue of 'western' UFO-related cases, from someone who simply believed in everything others' have to say about the phenomena. It was more likely a quite meticulous analysis done by an active Air Force officer (still a Lt. Col. by then) who is concerned about the potential security threat as well as technological edge connected to the UFO phenomena.

On the other hand, Salatun's monumental work has (strangely enough) never stirred up a widespread interest on ufology in Indonesia. At least not until quite recently. One could even say that the book practically remained in relative obscurity for the past 4 decades. Was it because political turmoils has pretty much predominate Indonesians' life in the 1960's? Did the book itself simply fail to hold any interest for the majority of Indonesians at the time? Whatever it is, decades after it was published, the majority of Indonesians still consider the UFO phenomena as an exclusively 'western' (if not 'American') issue. At times, it even seemed easier for Indonesians to accept the possibility of UFO cases when it happens elsewhere rather in their own homeland.

One could speculate that Salatun's book and its relative 'alienation' from the local public up until now might also account for the somewhat slow development of ufology in Indonesia. Perhaps, providing an online repository of the book's excerpts as well as some personal analysis regarding its most intriguing contents would change the situation for the better. Such an effort has actually been done by the country's most active group in ufology : BETA UFO, through their website (although the focus is more to collecting and analyzing cases). In light of that one does believe that an online English data base, focusing on Salatun's original book/writtings, is the logical next step to take.

This is the reason for starting this series of writting entitled "The Salatun Files". How much will this effort actually affect the development of ufology in Indonesia? One could only hope it will not be diminutive nor futile.

The BETA UFO Gathering, December 2008 (An Outsider's View)

First Impressions

I had only made contact with BETA UFO's director - Nur Agustinus for about 2 or 3 months when I found out about the group's planned gathering in Jakarta. The venue was quite conviniently accessible for me so I asked Nur Agustinus if it would be OK for me to drop in on their meeting. To cut a long story short, he gave me the green light and granted me a very intriguing up close look at the group's members & activity.

To be fair & square I didn't exactly get to the venue (in ITC Senayan shopping mall, downtown Jakarta) on time & missed most of the scheduled events. I only learned more about it a few weeks later from an article (journal?) written by Nur Agustinus (links on Reference, below). It was also quite surprising to know that he made a special note of my visit in that article. Nevertheless, disgression aside, I did manage to see some interesting aspects & details from the gathering which I don't think I would've otherwise paid attention to if I hadn't been late.

The first positive impression I got is from the venue itself. It was a relatively small food court place, somewhere on the mall's upper floors, highlighted by BETA UFO's banner & merchandises. All and all, it didn't tingle my suspicious nature for most money-making scams n' hoaxes. Despite the well prepared banners & merchandises I can immediately feel the informal atmosphere of an honest, grass-root kind of community effort that is more concerned about sharing a common interest on the subject of ufology rather than about cashing-in from people's gulibilities.

Almost everyone present was dressed casually with the BETA UFO 'managing' crew all clad in black T-shirts that quickly brought back fond memories of some late 90's underground headbanger gathering. There were no seating 'arrangements' and -as I later found out- no protocols whatsoever when it comes to approaching the director - Nur Agustinus, for a friendly chit-chat.

Meeting The Man
After signing up the guest book & getting some free brochures in return I asked the lady sitting over the guest book table to help point me to Nur's whereabouts. It turned pout to be a quite easy process. The man was obviously busy talking with some other people, including some journalist, and yet he immediately approached & welcomed me with open arms. Soon enough, we end up sitting down together with some other members of the BETA UFO community joining us later on.
As the discussion lingers on I quickly noted an interesting fact of the director's personality. He never tried to speculate beyond what he really knows nor tried to dominate a conversation even when he actually knows more about the subject. Even when sharing his personal experience of a possible sighting the first thing he stressed was the fact that it could simply be the ISS (International Space Station) passing on its orbit around the earth. As subjective as it is, experience has thought me that such down to earth humility hardly ever goes hand in hand with shallow motives for fame & money. Of course, people do change with time & circumstances but I still have high hopes that BETA UFO & Nur Agustinus in particular will not degenerate should they ever be in the limelight.

All photos are taken from Nur Agustinus' personal recount (in pdf file).

Indonesian Sightings 2008 : The Photographic Evidence Case Files

Jakarta, Cipinang Baru road, East Jakarta district, January 5th 2008. A reddish star-like object, seen flying a west-northeast course by 3 witnesses. The long arrow is supposed to point out the object's flight path as well as the object itself (at the end of the arrow) while the smaller arrow points out an electrical pole. Unfortunately, the low quality of the photo does make it problematic to see anything peculiar.

Jakarta, Kembangan Utara Sub-District, West Jakarta region, January 19th 2008. Seen by 3 witnesses (husband, wife & their 8 year old child). No actual photos were taken (artist sketch is provided by BETA UFO) but all 3 witnesses testify that the strange craft was box-shaped and moving slowly overhead when they saw it.

Photographed by 'EA', a commercial flight pilot that (according to BETA UFO) wished to stay anonymous, during a drive to Pacitan city, East Java Province, on March 23rd 2008. The photo shown here has been cropped and enhanced by BETA UFO for analysis. Original size photo can be seen on the BETA UFO website (under sightings, 2008).

The area around Darma dam, West Java Province, on April 5th 2008. The object (originally three in number) which is highlighted by a red arrrow in the photo, was witnesses by 2 youth doing a cross country tracking around the area. Witnesses also claimed that 2 of the 3 UFO's seemed to have landed in a nearby hill.

Photographed with an old Sony Ericsson S 700 HP, on April 12th 2008. The object was seen & photographed by a single witness, in the Karawaci area, which is part of the Tangerang Regency, Banten Province, Java island.

Photo taken in the Ponorogo, East Java Province area, on April 13th 2008, at around 9 in the morning. Photo taken by the same 'EA' that took the photo in Pacitan, on March 23rd 2008. He believed that it is actually the same object.

This photo was taken by 2 brothers in the Pondok Kelapa residential area, east Jakarta, on October 3rd 2008. The object was seen as 4 blinking red spots, that stayed together in a vertical formation, for about 15 to 20 minutes.

This remarkable photo was taken around 6 in the evening, near the city of Tuban, East Java Province, on October 5th 2008. The photo was taken by a Jakartan, on the way home from a traditional Ramadhan family-gathering (mudik), in the ever busy northern Java coastal road (Pantura). The sketch below is made later on as part of the photo's analysis by BETA UFO.