23 November 2000

Brunei bag 7 bronze medals

Brunei silat exponents made the country proud at the World Silat Championship in Taman Mini Indah, Jakarta from November 14-19 by bagging seven bronze medals.

Umi Kalthum Abd. Karim, Ak Khairul Alimin Pg Hj Mohammad, Rudy Hj Adinin, Ramlee Hj Jaludin and Norhayati Hj Othman all struck bronze in one-to-one combat competition, while Rosida Hj Lamit, Noraisah Hj Ali and Dk Rosmawati Pg Hj Badaruddin won the bronze medal in the women's (seni) team event.

Rosida Hj Lamit won two bronze medals in the individual women's (seni) event and in the women's team event.

Most of the Brunei silat exponents were seasoned campaigners, representing the country in numerous international tournaments as well as the SEA Games last year. However, a few were new faces but they lived up to their billings and they did not disappoint the selectors' faith in them.

One of the new faces, Norhayati Hj Othman, managed to fight her way into the semis but unfortunately was beaten by her opponent from Thailand. Nonetheless she did remarkably well, considering her opponent is far more superior in technique.

Md Nazri, coach of the Brunei silat team, said this championship was a warm-up for the exponents for the SEA Games in Malaysia next year.

"Brunei silat exponents are now a force to be reckoned with and are destined for more glory in international tournaments," added Md Nazri.

"This is the first time Brunei had won so many medals and it's quite a pleasant surprise and an achievement especially with the two newcomers, Norhayati and Rudy. It was quite an achievement and it will be a moral booster for the exponents when they take on the best at the upcoming SEA Games," concluded Md Nazri.

However, Brunei's golden girl Umi Kalthum could only managed a bronze when she had to retire in the second round due to a knee injury.

She was winning on points in the first round against her Malaysian opponent but in the second round, Umi was forced to retire when her opponent fell on her already injured knee.

The tournament saw exponents from Asia, Europe and even Africa vying for honours. Brunei were represented by 17 exponents.

Written by AM ZUKARNAEN
Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67289617/sports-brunei-bag-7.html

21 November 2000

Vietnam poses a new threat in pencak silat

JAKARTA (JP): Vietnam has emerged as a threat to neighboring countries at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games including the event's powerhouses Indonesia and Thailand specially in Indonesia's traditional martial art pencak silat.

Claiming seven of the 21 golds at stake in the 1999 SEA Games in Brunei Darussalam -- higher than Indonesia's achievement of only five golds -- Vietnam proved that hard work helped the country to become a strong contender specially in the women's side.

At the just-concluded Pencak Silat World Championships at the Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta, Vietnam showed its great skills by grabbing a total of five golds, six silvers and two bronzes. Four golds, a silver and a bronze of the medals were claimed by the country's women's fighters.

"One of Vietnam's keys to success is the strong disciplines of the athletes during training. They always follow the coach's instructions, unlike Indonesian athletes who sometimes go against our orders," Vietnam's coach Zulman of Indonesia said.

"The Vietnamese never complain if we slap them for their mistakes, while most of our fighters can't take any strong disciplinary action or warnings."

Zulman gave credit to the Vietnamese eagerness to train and their speed of learning.

"Vietnam also has a unique recruitment system. Juniors first are focused on the martial arts events to develop their power."

"Then, they will be transferred to fighting events when they are older and have more power."

Indonesia's head coach Suhartono, who just ended his five-year coaching contract in Vietnam, confirmed that currently Vietnam has the best women fighters.

"Vietnam has shown improvement especially in the women's division. On the contrary, Indonesia has been neglecting the youngsters as we have always relied on old hands in previous SEA Games."

"We must be very careful with Vietnam because they have the best women fighters now."

Indonesia's women's coach Dahliana said Vietnam gave high priority to the sport.

"Pencak silat is a priority sport in Vietnam. It has a centralized and long-term training center just like our badminton training center." Similar warnings were also expressed by coaches from other countries such as Japan and Malaysia.

"Vietnam definitely dominates the women's division now thanks to their high spirit," said Japan's coach Susilo of Indonesia, who brought the sport to both Vietnam and Japan.

"But Indonesia must also be aware of women fighters from Thailand and the Philippines who are currently regenerating their players. They can pose some threat in the future."

Malaysian head coach Bahrain Ibrahim said Vietnam would still dominate the women's fighting events at next year's Games.

"We have to admit that Vietnam's women's fighters are still too strong for us as they trained very hard," he said. "But it doesn't mean that we'll just sit down and do nothing. I expect to get two or three gold medals in the women's events," he added.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67210944/vietnam-poses-new-threat.html

20 November 2000

Pencak silat to tie Indonesia - England

JAKARTA (JP): Pencak silat is more than just a sport as it is also regarded as a way to strengthen relations between two countries of different cultures, like Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

"We have to admit there are differences of views between both countries. This is where pencak silat can play its role to bind the people," vice president of the Pencak Silat Federation of the United Kingdom (PSFUK), Otto Soeharjono, told The Jakarta Post on Friday on the sidelines of the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championships at the Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

"We have conducted several activities to introduce pencak silat which also involve local residents. Most of them will join silat on a long term basis."

"We always keep good relations with the Indonesian Embassy in London and also take part in ceremonies and events held by ASEAN and other Asian countries," said Otto, a master of the Perisai Diri school.

"For example, we hold special training sessions for mentally challenged children every Christmas in Governor's Square Hotel. The children then perform the styles taught to them."

"The program is attended not only by celebrities but also the Royal families," continued Otto, who has been living in London since 1983.

The United Kingdom sent three athletes to the championships. Tony Shergill is competing in the H class (80-85kgs), Arief Kozkkoz in the I class (85-90kgs) and Suresh Vagjiani in the J class (90-95kgs). Kozkoz also takes part in the single men's martial events.

"We don't expect to get any medals now as our three fighters have very limited competition experience. It's their first step to meet and train with other pesilat," said Otto.

"After this championship, we'll prepare the fighters for the 2001 European championship in the Netherlands."

Otto admitted that he did not know exactly who brought pencak silat to the country.

"But one of the most noted pioneers is Aidinal al-Rasid who studied in London in 1975. He introduced the Silat Gerak Ilham school which has Bugis roots. His father is the grand master of the school," he said.

"Pak Aidinal is the oldest and first master in the UK so we appointed him as our federation president."

"Silat, however, has yet to be acknowledged as an imported martial arts, such as karate and kungfu, but it has attracted Londoners' interests."

"For example, my school has been appointed by the borough of Camden to provide compulsory pencak silat training sessions for the borough's children," said Otto.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67158535/pencak-silat-tie-indonesia.html

Japan clinches bronze in pencak silat

JAKARTA (JP): Japan is widely known for its traditional martial arts which includes karate, judo, aikido and jiu jitsu. So the presence of Japanese fighters at the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championships surprised many people.

It was even more surprising when Japanese Mamiko Hirota reached the semifinals of the women's B (50kgs-55kgs) class and secured the bronze medal, its sole medal at the event.

How did pencak silat gain popularity in Japan? It was the hard work of three Indonesian coaches sent by the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) to Japan to promote the sport.

"I introduced pencak silat to Japan in 1996 with Yuli Purwanto and Jaja. Currently there are 15 active members and about 50 graduates," Susilo, who is the Japanese team's pencak silat coach, told The Jakarta Post at the sidelines of the championships at the Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah on Sunday.

"We launched several campaigns to introduce pencak silat to the Japanese public, including holding demonstrations in universities and a TV interview with our ambassador."

Susilo -- who had earlier introduced the sport in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam -- established pencak silat schools at Tokyo's Washington University and the Tokodai Institute of Technology.

He urged the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) to hold more official events to develop the sport in Japan.

"Persilat should approach Japan's National Sport Council to establish a national pencak silat team. To support them, Persilat can send more coaches to train the team," he said.

"So far, Persilat has yet to officially call the Japanese council to set up a national team. But I'm sure they have heard of us."

Susilo said it was important to approach prospective countries as pencak silat had been recognized as an Asian sport and had the chance to be staged in the quadrennial Asian Games.

Japan sent four fighters to the championships. They were Naohiro Shimade in the men's D (60kgs-65kgs) class, Akiko Asami in the women's A (45kgs-50kgs) class, Mamiko Hirota in the women's B (50kgs-55kgs) class and Kyoko Soda in the women's martial arts single.

Hirota, who clinched a bronze, failed to overcome the eventual champion Nguyen Ngoc Anh of Vietnam in the semifinals.

In her quarterfinals, Hirota outclassed Anita Musadi of Singapore with her throwing technics, a clear influence of Japan's own judo.

"Actually, Mamiko was a judoka before she learnt pencak silat about one and a half years ago. Despite having good throwing skills, she still has to improve her punching and kicking skills," said Susilo.

"But her judo experience is very useful as she is mentally tough. She had no difficulties in the championships."

Susilo said Japan failed to send more fighters as they could not take leave from work.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67162898/japan-clinches-bronze-pencak.html

Indonesia dominates Pencak Silat c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Southeast Asian countries dominated the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championships which ended on Sunday by claiming the three top spots at the biennial event.

Host Indonesia maintained its domination by grabbing 14 of 22 golds at stake and adding two silvers to reclaim the overall title.

Vietnam finished second after collecting five golds, six silvers and two bronzes followed by Malaysia with two golds, six silvers and four bronzes.

Men's fighter Abas Akbar, competing in the D (60kgs-65kgs) class, managed to defeat Vietnamese Le Van Long 5-0 in a dull match where both fighters were booed by nearly 5,000 disappointed spectators.

Coach Maryanto even had to slap Abas face three times after the first round, asking him to be more aggressive.

"I asked him to launch more attacks but it seemed Abas decided to play safely," he said after the match.

"Le also played carefully, avoiding any speculations of direct attacks. I have to admit it wasn't enjoyable to watch."

Meanwhile, Abas told reporters that his passivity was part of his strategy to win the match.

"Most fighters in my class have seen my matches and can read my strategy. That's why I played carefully. I need to have a new strategy for the Kuala Lumpur 2001 SEA Games," he said.

Indonesian Tri Widodo took the gold after beating Nguyen That Tam of Vietnam 5-0 in men's the B (50kgs-55kgs) class. Yamadi Putra also eliminated another Vietnamese Nguyen Thanh Bach Nhut 5-0 in the I (85kgs-90kgs) class.

In the G (75kgs-80kgs) class, Rony Syaifulah outclassed Azhar bin Ahmad of Malaysia for a 5-0 victory.

Two of Indonesia's 14 golds were obtained due to Vietnamese walkouts. Haris Nugroho was scheduled to meet Dinh Cong Son in the E (65kgs-70kgs) class while Fentje Roike Maengkom was to take on Bui Phu Sao in the F (70kgs-75kgs) class.

No official statement was released due to the walkover. Reports said Vietnam's manager Nguyen Ngoc Anh banned his athletes from competing due to their health condition.

Nakin Kamsri of Thailand won the gold for his country after ousting Singaporean Mohammad Zulfakar 3-2 in a tough C (55kgs-60kgs) class match.

Vietnam earned the H (80-85kgs) class gold after Nguyen Van Hung comfortably defeated Malaysian Ahmad Faisal 5-0.

Vietnam showed domination the women's division by grabbing five of six golds on offer. Another gold was grabbed by Indonesia.

Le Thi Hang eliminated Jatuporn Lamsa-ad of Thailand in the A (45kgs- 50kgs) class and Nguyen Ngoc Anh defeated Hadizah binte Buang of Malaysia in the B (50-55kgs) class.

Trinh Thi Muy clinched another victory after beating Hamidah binte Jafaar of Malaysia in the C class.

Indonesia dominated the martial arts events by clean sweeping all six gold medals at stake. Indonesia had won four golds Saturday.

In women's single, Tuti Winarni won the gold with 466 points. Ulla Britt Lutze of Austria took the silver with 444 and Rosidah binte Haji Lamit of Brunei Darussalam took the bronze with 443.

Le Kim Chinh of Vietnam could have won the silver until her machete fell and was penalized 15 points. Her score was 442.

Iyus Yusuf Hidayat and Asep Solihin maintained Indonesia's domination in the martial arts by winning the men's double with 568 points.

Twins Pitzevan and Pitzedgar Landicho of the Philippines were second with 551. Ibon Perez Fernandex and Txema Goiri Sanchoyerto of Spain took the bronze with 548.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67162875/indonesia-dominates-pencak-silat.html

Indonesia grabs six gold medals at silat c'ships

JAKARTA (JP): Host Indonesia harvested six golds -- two from fighting events and four from martial arts events -- in the final round of the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championships at Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah on Friday.

Neighboring countries Malaysia grabbed two golds while Vietnam brought home one.

Indonesia's first gold was won by Abdul Karim in the men's A class (45-50kgs) by defeating Abang Erdie Fauzerul Abang Fauzan of Malaysia 4- 1.

"I was motivated because Malaysia has won two golds already. I promised myself that Malaysia wouldn't get the third one," Abdul told reporters after the match. "Before my final, I was confident of winning the gold."

Both pesilat (fighters) showed equal skills but Abdul managed to find Erdie's weaknesses and capitalize on them.

"I attacked Erdie with T-kicks, usually I use straight-forward kicks, because his footing was weak and open," said Abdul.

Abdul, however, criticized the referee for not paying attention to the fact that Erdie committed several foot-sweeping violations in the third round.

Khairul Almin bin Pengiran Haji Mohammad of Brunei Darussalam and Vigot Anot of the Philippines shared the bronze medals.

While Indonesian Septi Hariandja captured the second gold in the women's E class (65-70kgs) by defeating Len Nguyet Minh of Vietnam 3-2 in a close fight.

"I fought without any worry. But I was nervous as I was the last hope to get the gold in the women's division," she said.

"I had led some points in the first round but my rival managed to thwart my tactics and counter my attacks. In the third round, we fought really close."

Magdalena Sofia of Spain and Suryati Azlinda binte Jack of Malaysia shared the bronze medals.

Indonesia women's coach, Dahliana, said she had expected two golds from both Septi and Dwi in the women's side.

"Our women fighters are facing tough competition from other countries, very different from the past. Besides, we are also short of local competitions. We used to have the Kartini Cup tournament for women fighters but it was discontinued."

"Vietnam is our main threat. They are very serious because pencak silat is a priority sport there. They offered two options to their athletes, whether to study or have a career in silat."

Unfortunately, two other Indonesians had to succumb to their opponents.

In the men's J class (90-95kgs), Samuel Mallo was defeated by Malaysian Zakri bin Ibrahim 3-2. While Malaysian Azlinda binte Ahmad overcame Dwi Damayanti 4-1 in the women's F class (70-75kgs).

Vietnam won its first gold medal through Dang Thi Thuy in the women's D class (60-65kgs) after defeating Malaysian Mastura binte Sapuan 5-0.

In the martial arts, men's singles Kusnajaya, women's doubles Widya Astuti and Heni Mahendrawati, women's team of Ami Lutiasari, Irma Nilawati and Suhartini and men's team of Anugrah Joko Laksono, Achmad Rizanu Wahyudi and Yunanto Chandra Wijaya contributed one gold medal each.

Fighters will rest on Saturday as delegates of the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) are holding a conference.

One item on the agenda is to elect a new president, currently held by Eddie Nalapraya of Indonesia. Another item is to ask members' opinions on staging pencak silat as an exhibition event in the Pusan 2002 Asian Games.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67158537/indonesia-grabs-six-gold.html

17 November 2000

Umi Khaltum calls it quits after 10 years

JAKARTA (JP): After representing Brunei Darussalam for 10 years in many pencak silat events, Umi Khaltum binte Abdul Karim has decided to retire and concentrate more on her personal life.

"I've been practicing pencak silat since 1989 and I started playing in international tournaments in 1990. I think it's time for me to retire," she said on the sidelines of the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championship at Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

"But I'm not sure whether to retire after this championship or after the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. I have to think about it first," she added.

Umi received her bachelor's degree from the Sreitchleid University in Scotland.

"I graduated in sports in the community department in July. Currently, I'm working for the Ministry of Education," said Umi.

"I think it's time for me to start a new life outside pencak silat. It's quite boring to spend most of your time in practice sessions," said Umi.

Born on Nov. 6, 1972, Umi won gold medals in the B class (50kg to 55kg) in various events, such as the 1990 Merdeka Games, 1992 Silver Jubilee, both in her native Brunei, and the Singapore 1993 SEA Games. In the 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan Darussalam SEA Games she won a silver.

She was more concerned, however, on the lack of youngsters in Brunei to replace her.

"First of all, Brunei has a lack of pencak silat tournaments. There is only one annual tournament during the festivities to celebrate the sultan's birthday. I don't think it's enough for our pesilat (fighters) to compete," she said.

"Another reason is that pencak silat schools back home aren't developing very well. Besides, we only have about 10 active schools."

She also said Brunei emphasized more on martial arts events instead of fighting events which inhibited fighters' development.

"We brought an Indonesian coach, Pak Nasri, to improve our fighting skills," she said.

Commenting on competition in the championship, Umi acknowledged that skills had been evenly distributed among participants.

"I think the participants now have more or less equal skills. At least the gap is not as wide as before. We can't say that this country is stronger than the other," she said.

"It depends on our mental concentration now since our skills are equalized. Players who have better mental concentration will be the winners," she added.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-67048438/umi-khaltum-calls-quits.html

15 November 2000

Spain aims to win gold to boost pencak silat back at home

JAKARTA (JP): Spain is known in athletic circles for its soccer team and tennis players, so it is a bit strange to see the country competing in the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championship being held at the Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesian Indah in East Jakarta.

However, Spain has set a target of bringing home a gold medal from the biennial event, being held from Tuesday to Monday.

"Txema Goiri Sanchoyerto and Ibon Perez Fernandez are expected to grab gold in the men's martial arts doubles event. We also hope for another gold, but I'm still not sure from which event," Spain's team manager, Hector Bordegarai, told The Jakarta Post.

"We are concentrating more on the martial arts because we rarely practice the fighting events back home. However, we are expecting one bronze from the fighting events."

Spain has sent 18 athletes and three officials to the championship.

Bordegarai said Spain first encountered pencak silat some 20 years ago.

"Pencak silat was brought to Spain by Bapak Juan some 20 years ago. He is a master of the Pendekar Suci school who learned silat some 40 years ago," he said, referring to Juan Ignacio Barrenechea, the current president of the Spanish Pencak Silat Federation.

"Currently we have about 2,000 people practicing pencak silat and the number is increasing every day. Most of our members are university students, and mainly are in northern Spain," he said.

Bordegarai said most people in Spain who encountered pencak silat ended up as long-term adherents of the discipline.

"For us, pencak silat is more than just a sport. It's more like a cultural movement where we can develop not only our physical, but also our spiritual sides.

"That's why we concentrate on martial arts because we can fully explore the skills and techniques of pencak silat," he said.

For the Spaniards, coming to Indonesia is an achievement as the trip allows them to practice pencak silat in the sport's home.

"Pencak silat allows us to have a cultural exchange by practicing it together with people here. We trained together with local fighters in Surakarta and Yogyakarta before the championship.

"We even visited Prince Mangkunegoro X because his father, Mangkunegoro IX, was a friend of Bapak Juan," Bordegarai said.

In a country known for soccer, bull fighting and the flamenco, pencak silat is less well known, but the federation has taken up a campaign to spread the word about the sport.

"The team had a television interview before coming here and are slated for radio talk shows upon its return home. We hope it will boost the popularity of pencak silat back home," Bordegarai said.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66969156/spain-aims-win-gold.html

14 November 2000

Silat still recognized as an Asian sport

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's desire to see its traditional martial arts, pencak silat, featured in the Asian Games (Asiad) received encouragement from Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) official in charge of foreign affairs Oyong Karmayudha on Tuesday.

Despite the bad news conveyed Monday by IPSI chairman Eddy Nalapraya that Asiad would replace pencak silat with snooker and squash, Oyong denied the news.

"In fact, pencak silat is still recognized as an Asian sport that can be held in any Asian Games. The recognition is truly an achievement," Oyong told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the 2000 Pencak Silat World Championship final preparation at Pencak Silat Center in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

"Whether a host will stage pencak silat or not is a different matter. It's the host's right to do so. We have to argue the issue."

Local media quoted Eddy as saying that pencak silat failed to make its debut in Asiad following the election of Qatar capital of Doha as host. Reports also said that snooker and squash would replace pencak silat in the quadrennial event in Pusan, South Korea, in 2002.

"The news is totally false and misleading. There is no connection between Doha being elected the host and the chance for pencak silat to be recognized as an Asian sport," said Oyong.

"As for snooker and squash, both sports were recognized as Asiad sports during previous Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) meetings. Pusan, as the host, has the right to have the sports for the 2002 Asiad."

Oyong said Pusan organizers were having financial problems and the governing bodies of both sports would be required to cover all related expenses.

"If we want to have pencak silat to be featured as an exhibition event in Pusan, we have to cover all the expenses. The host will only provide the venue."

"I will explain to members of the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) in our Saturday conference the possibility of demonstrating the sport in Pusan at our own expense."

Oyong also said Qatar and several other Middle East countries have mentioned their interest to learn pencak silat and had requested Indonesia to send coaches.

"Currently, there are pencak silat schools in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine. Kuwait has also asked for coaches."

"If we can develop pencak silat in the Gulf, we will find no difficulties to stage the sport in Doha. We still have six years to prepare."

The championships were officially opened by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri. The first round matches start Wednesday.

In the men's side first round, Abdul Karim will meet Nguyen Thant Thuy of Vietnam in A class (45-50kgs) and compatriot Abas Akbar will see Rico Rodriguez of Spain in D class (60-65kgs).

Haris Nugroho will face Jan van Houten of the Netherlands in E division (65-70kgs) and Fentje Roike Maengkom will meet another Dutchman Martijn Houwerzyl in F class (70-75kgs).

Rony Syaifullah will challenge Verdun Jan of Belgium in G class (75- 80kgs) and Sigit Infantoro will meet Roberto Chiong of the Phillipines in H division (80-85kgs). Samuel Mallo will see Landajo Echavarria of Spain in the heaviest J class (90-95kgs).

In the women's section, Tina Martina will face Trinh Thi Muy of Vietnam in C class (55-60kgs) while Alfana will meet Mastura binte Sapuan of Malaysia in D class.

Other matches will include Septi Hariandja who will see Pieters Wendy of Belgium in E class and Dwi Damayanti, who will face Norsharina of Brunei Darussalam in F class.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66931494/silat-still-recognized-asian.html

12 November 2000

Brunei pesilats for World Senior tourney

Brunei Darussalam National Pencak Silat Association (PERSIB) will participate in the World Senior Pencak Silat 2000 to be held in Jakarta mid November.

Eighteen pesilats will compete in the championship in two categories, seni and tanding. Most of them are experienced pesilats in national and international games except one new comer, Awang Ruddy Mas-Sharhain Haji Sarbini. They will compete against 30 other Asia-Pacific and Europe countries.

Ak. Md. Shahepol Radin, the toast of Brunei during the last SEA Games, will compete in Tunggal category together with Rasidah Lamit. While in Gandas, Hamidon Haji Othman with Seruji Haji Matyassin and Noraishah Haji Aji with Dk. Rosmahwati Pg. Haji Badaruddin will vie for honour.

Ak. Md Shahepol will team up with Ak Haji Md. Rudi Wasni Pg Haji Mohd. Daud and Ruddy Mas Sharhain in the male

Regu, while Rasidah will team up with Noraishah and Dk Rosmahwati in the female Regu.

The Golden Girl, Umi Kalthum Haji Abd. Karim will be competing in Class B Tanding. She said Brunei is going to face a hard time in Jakarta especially against Vietnam and host Indonesia.

Together with Umi in the Tanding category are Ak. Md. Khairul Alimin Pg. Haji Mohammad, Irwan Haji Ibrahim, Saiful Alwi Haji Budin, Rudy Haji Adini, Norhayati Haji Osman, Norshahrina Haji Affende and Dk.Nani Suryati Pg Haji Hussein.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66863200/sports-brunei-pesilats-world.html

07 November 2000

Athletes arrive for pencak silat championships

JAKARTA (JP): Pencak silat athletes from Belgium, Great Britain and Spain touched down in Jakarta seven days prior to the Pencak Silat World Championships.

The European fighters arrived a week ahead of the competition in order to adjust to the climate in Jakarta. The championships will take place at the Pencak Silat Hall at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in East Jakarta from Nov. 14 to Nov. 19.

Participating countries are not only sending their athletes, but also officials, who will attend the International Pencak Silat Association congress to elect a new president, a position currently filled by Indonesian Eddy Nalapraya.

Indonesian coach Puji Handoko was quoted by Antara as saying 28 national athletes had spent a month training for the event.

Sixteen athletes, 10 men and six women, will compete in the fighting category. Another 12 athletes will perform in the single, double and team arts categories.

The championships, where 22 gold medals will be at stake, is scheduled to be opened by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66703731/athletes-arrive-pencak-silat.html

22 October 2000

Eddy Nalapraya decides to quit as chairman of Persilat

JAKARTA (JP): Incumbent chairman of the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) Eddy Nalapraya said he had no intention of running for a fifth successive term.

"I've been the chairman for four periods and I believe it's time for me to resign. Besides, I will be 70 years old next year, and I want to spend more time with my family," he said during a media conference in the lead-up to the 10th World Pencak Silat Championship to be held here in mid-November.

He said he would help Persilat country members find a fit and proper candidate to fill in his shoes.

"I understand that the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) will nominate me for the position. Let's see if we can find someone else to replace me," added Eddy, who is also chairman of IPSI.

He said it was quite difficult to choose a Persilat chairman because according to its statutes, candidates must come from one of Persilat's four founding countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore.

"The regulation is meant to preserve the martial art as a tradition that is rooted in this region of Malay culture. Pencak silat isn't all about sports. It also contains cultural values," he said.

Established in 1980, currently Persilat has 40 country members which are divided into five regions: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Eddy was speaking at the Pencak Silat Center in the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah complex, East Jakarta.

The championship will be held at the center from Nov. 14 through Nov. 19. Persilat will hold its congress to elect a chairman for the next five-year term on Nov. 18.

Meanwhile, in order to attract more spectators to watch the championship, the championship organizing committee has decided to mix it with entertainment.

"We were inspired by the Sydney Olympics, where the organizers managed to blend sporting events with entertainment," said one of the committee members, Rachmat Gobel, also a businessman. He would not elaborate, however.

Noted singers Iis Dahlia, Trio Libels and Yuni Shara will perform in the opening ceremony on Nov. 14

RCTI TV station will broadcast the ceremony and each of the finals live.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66259718/eddy-nalapraya-decides-quit.html

12 October 2000

One more vote for silat in Asiad

SEMARANG (JP): Indonesia's traditional martial art and sport needed only one more vote to be staged in the Asian Games after its exhibition session in the Pusan 2002 Asian Games, an official revealed on Wednesday.

"We need 10 votes to secure pencak silat's appearance in the Asiad and we have secured nine votes. Most members of ASEAN have given their votes," chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) Eddy Nalapraya told reporters here.

"We can get one more vote from Vietnam or another country which has pencak silat fighters," he added.

The Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) sent observers from China, South Korea and Thailand to the June Surabaya National Games (PON) to assess the inclusion of pencak silat. The result was pencak silat to be exhibited in Pusan.

Eddy also revealed that Indonesia will host the world championship in mid November.

"There are 19 countries which have registered for the world championship," he said.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-66009705/one-more-vote-silat.html

04 October 2000

Sabah silat exponents champs for fourth time

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah were crowned overall champions for the fourth consecutive time in the Malaysian Schools Sport Council Seni Silat (Malay Martial Arts) Championships that ended in Malacca over the weekend.

Sabah bagged six gold medals and two bronzes in the eight categories competed at the four-day tournament held at SM Teknik Jasin.

Sabah's gold medals came in the Seni Tari event through Erma Bakar in the girl's categories, Mohd Shamree Shariansah and Mohd Katta Shariff in the Seni Tempur (boy's categories), Seni Jurus and Seni Gerak events - both in boys and girls.

The Seni Jurus squad comprised Sofian Mijal, Ardiansyah Ibrahim, Mohd Shah Mohd Hatta, Abdul Ahmad Thian (boys) and Sairaheati Mohd Arun, Haryanti Damir, Suraiha Sulaiman and Norseela Abin (girls).

Mohd Fauzan Junaidin (Seni Tari) and the pairs of Siti Norlina Timan and Celestina Kentubong in the Seni Tempur contributed the bronze.

Sabah were led by head of contingent Abdullah bin Hj Ahmad while Kassim bin Putih and Engku Juana Engku Alias acted as team managers for the boys and girls respectively.

Misran bin Mohd Ali and Asmah Paidi were the team coaches while Jinli Ramli and Amir Taba were on the trip as umpire.

Sabah School Sports Council (SSSC) Secretary Tham Yen Fook when met congratulated the team for the job well done.

He also expressed his sincere thanks to all parties concerned such as the school principals, teachers as well as coaches of the athletes for their involvement in the sport.

He urged especially the school principals to give their support to any sporting activities being held in schools.

The first time Sabah walked home with the overall crown was back in 1996 in Kelantan.

They repeated their feat the following year in Pahang. But in 1998, the tournament was put to a halt temporarily due to economic down turn.

Last year, after a one-year lay off, Sabah maintained their supremacy when they lifted the title for the third consecutive years in Sarawak.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-65732586/sports-sabah-silat-exponents.html

25 September 2000

Malaysia to demonstrate Silat Lincah in South Korea

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Silat Lincah Association (PSSLM) have been invited to demonstrate the sport in the The Third World Martial Arts Festival in Chungju, South Korea on Sept 28-Oct 4.

PSSLM president Datuk Abdul Fatah Iskandar said 11 exponents have been picked to give the demonstration.

"PSSLM are fortunate as the organisers' choice is Malaysia even though there are other countries especially Indonesia who are good in silat," he said at the function to hand over the national flag to the silat exponents bound for South Korea here today.

He said the exponents should utilise this opportunity in order to show the world that silat lincah was on par with the other forms of martial arts.

Thirty countries will be taking part in the biennial festival which has demonstrations of 60 various martial arts disciplines.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-65466974/sports-msia-demonstrate-silat.html

31 July 2000

DON'T LINK US TO AL-MA'UNA, SAYS SILAT FEDERATION LEADER

ALOR SETAR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Kedah branch of the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) today expressed regret that certain quarters are linking the federation to the Al-Ma'unah deviationist group.

Branch president Mohamed Hussain Mohamed Salleh said this had been happening since the July 2 arms heist and the subsequent hostage drama in Perak involving the Al-Ma'unah group.

"Some are even spreading the rumour that I have been caught for involvement in the arms robbery by the group," he told reporters.

Mohamed Hussain said the Al-Ma'unah group was not among the 18 silat associations affiliated to Pesaka.

The 18 associations, with a total membership of 30,000, are also all registered with the Registrar of Societies, he said.

On Monday, Kedah police said that five of the 27 Al-Ma'unah arrested in Sauk after the incident were from Kedah.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63754062/dont-link-us-al.html

28 July 2000

Brunei-Muara District silat champions

The Brunei-Muara District emerged as the overall champions of the National Pencak Silat competition held in conjunction with His Majesty's 54th birthday celebrations.

The final was held at the Multipurpose Hall of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium last night.

Yong Cheng Meng from Kuala Belait won in both the Cerkap Asli and Kuntau categories for adults. Abdul Karim Hj Kulap from Brunei-Muara District and Mohamad Harunizam Mohd Shamin fromTemburong emerged respective winners in the Silat Cerkap Asli and Kuntau of the Kuntau sections for teenagers.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63749456/sports-brunei-muara-district.html

26 July 2000

Ministry: University students not involved

KUALA LUMPUR, Mon. - The Education Ministry today said public university undergraduates are not involved in deviationist activities and that the various forms of silat they learn in the campuses are purely for self-defence.

The Ministry's higher education division director Professor Hassan Said said there had been no reports of undergraduates being involved in deviationist groups in or outside campuses.

"I would like to assure parents that they have nothing to worry about.

Co-curricular activities on campus are monitored by a special unit, headed by an academician.

"All silat activities at universities do not focus on ilmu batin (inner power) but on self-defence. It is like karate and kung fu, there is no such thing as invincibility," he said during a break at a meeting between State Education Exco members and Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad at a hotel here.

On a recent student demonstration at Universiti Malaya, Hassan said the Vice-Chancellor had been directed to submit a report on the incident to the Ministry.

"If the university finds that there are students who have contravened the University and University Colleges Act, it can take action against them."

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63700798/ministry-university-students-not.html

17 July 2000

11 deviant movements detected in Kedah

KUALA NERANG, Thurs. - Religious authorities here have detected 11 groups actively involved in deviant Islamic practices in Kedah.

State Islamic Affairs committee chairman Fadzil Hanafi identified the groups as Tarikat Qadiani Ahmadiah, Anti Hadis, Syiah, Nasrulhaq, Taslim, Ismailiah, Silat Abdjad, Arqam, Silat Hussain Janggut and Amalan Perbomohan Puan Roziah.

He said the group with the largest number of followers had been detected in Gurun.

Initial investigations showed there were more than 500 members actively involved in the group.

"They are taught that it is unnecessary to pray five times a day (as required in Islam) because the prophets had done it for all mankind during their lifetime," he told reporters here today.

Fadzil said the religious authorities had banned all 11 groups over the years but their followers had revived them using different names.

He said some had re-registered their groups as Silat Associations or other religious associations.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63504854/11-deviant-movements-detected.html

13 July 2000

Registrar wary of 'religious' silat bodies

KOTA KINABALU - The Registrar of Societies (ROS) said it will not entertain any application for registration by Silat bodies formed with religion connotations.

ROS Acting director here Alan Christopher Simmons said those bodies adopting religion terms, particularly Islam, as official names would require a supporting letter or declaration by the Islamic Religion Council of the respective state.

Alan said a group had once approached the department seeking to register a Silat body with religious connotations.

"They never returned after being told of the requirement," he said.

He disclosed that of the 3,000 organisations registered with ROS in Sabah, only 14 were Silat associations. He said none of them had contravened the regulations.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63377868/borneo-registrar-wary-religious.html

10 July 2000

JAIS ordered to probe students' involvement in cult

THE Selangor Government has ordered the State Islamic Religious Department or JAIS, to conduct a thorough investigation into the Al-Ma'unah cult, especially the involvement of schoolchildren and youths of institutions of higher learning.

Selangor Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad said today: "We have yet to ascertain the legality of the cult which is allegedly involved in the teaching of spiritual martial arts or known among many, as ilmu batin, and silat."

He was speaking to reporters after a closed-door meeting between the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah and the Regent of Selangor Tengku Idris Shah, with Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Abu Hassan Omar, State senior officers and heads of department at Dewan Jubli Perak.

Zainal Abidin, who is also State Islamic Affairs Committee chairman, said the cult did not fall under JAIS' portfolio as it dealt with the teachings of silat and thus, should be registered with Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (Pesaka). However, checks with Pesaka revealed that the movement under the name of Persaudaraan Ilmu Dalam Al' Ma'unah (sumber Kekuatan Bathin) was not in the Pesaka list.

The movement's headquarters is based at No 192-E3, Tingkat 2, Jalan Sungai Putus, off Jalan Batu Belah, in Klang, Selangor.

It is learnt the police from Bukit Aman and Selangor police contingent raided the premises, early this week, and detained 12 members of the cult under the Internal Security Act. Police also seized knives, parang and training manuals.

Zainal Abidin also warned parents to be wary of silat groups or silat centres.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63272974/jais-ordered-probe-students.html

09 July 2000

WANITA UMNO CALLS FOR SILAT GROUPS TO BE MONITORED

KUALA KANGSAR, July 8 (Bernama) -- Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz wants the government to monitor the activities of silat groups to ensure they do not deviate from their original aims.

"We don't want (a situation where) they first learn the art of self-defence and then deviate as what happened in the incident in Gerik," she told reporters after visiting detective Kpl Mohamed Shah Ahmad at the Kuala Kangsar Hospital

Mohamed Shah was one of the four people held captive by members of a deviationist group who staged an arms heist in two army camps in Gerik last Sunday and holed up at a secondary jungle near Sauk being being forced to surrender on Thursday. Two of the captives were brutually killed by the group.

Rafidah, who is the MP for Kuala Kangsar, said Wanita Umno would launch education and information programmes nationwide to remind parents to kep track of the children's activities in silat groups.

She said the activities of religious groups too must be monitored to ensure they did not deviate.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63247661/wanita-umno-calls-silat.html

30 June 2000

Pencak silat fit for exhibition in 2002 Asiad

SURABAYA (JP): After struggling for several years, traditional martial arts pencak silat finally has a great chance to be featured as an exhibition event at the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

Sakchye Tapsuwan, a sports commission official of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA), said the sport would likely be officially featured at the 2006 Asiad.

Tapsuwan told reporters Thursday after attending pencak silat finals at the 15th National Games (PON) at Pantjasila sports hall here the sport has received support from other Asian countries including Malaysia, South Korea, China and India.

"I am assigned here by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In my opinion, pencak silat is eligible to be exhibited and featured in Asian Games. This sport has received mounting support from Asian countries representatives, who are also here for observation," he said.

"We also hope to promote cultural sports so they can be as popular as other martial arts like karate of Japan."

The decision to feature pencak silat will be made at an OCA meeting in Bangladesh but he failed to mention the date.

"We have to discuss the possibility of exhibiting the sport in the 2002 Asiad. If the exhibition is successful, pencak silat might be officially included in the 2006 Asian Games," said Tapsuwan, who is also vice president of the Thailand National Olympic Committee.

Tapsuwan was accompanied by secretary general of the National Sports Council (KONI) Rudolf S. Warouw and chairman of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSI) Eddie M. Nalapraya.

Deputy President of the Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (Malaysian Silat Association) Dato Dr. Ibrahim Saad said his country has cooperated with other Southeast Asian countries to include the sport in Asiad.

"In Kuala Lumpur, pencak silat has been featured in our National Games (Sukma). We also exhibited the sport during the 1998 Commonwealth Games," he said.

Ibrahim said that should Malaysia be appointed as host of the 2006 Asiad, he pledged to include pencak silat in the quadrennial event.

"If we know for sure who will host the 2006 Asiad, we will try to feature this sport," said Saad, who is also the Deputy President at the International Pencak Silat Federation (Persilat) which is chaired by Eddie.

For the first time in pencak silat competition, there are twin champions in the men's B class. Tri Widodo of Jakarta was originally announced as the winner against Lalu Budi Ariawan of West Nusa Tenggara. But Lalu's protest was accepted by the referees who later presented golds to both fighters. There was no silver medalists but Suwandi of Lampung and Solihin of West Java also shared bronzes.

The 1999 SEA Games gold medalist Permata Kumalasari of Southeast Sulawesi unexpectedly bowed out to Nelyana Dumallang of North Sulawesi in the women's A (45-50kgs) class. The bronze medals were shared by Endah Indah Riswari of Jakarta and Ni Ketut Susanti of West Java.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-63071457/pencak-silat-fit-exhibition.html

27 June 2000

300 expected to compete in Terengganu Silat Championship

KUALA TERENGGANU, June 27 (Bernama) -- Three hundred exponents are expected to take part in the five-day Terengganu silat championship at the Youth and Sports Complex here from Thursday.

Terengganu Silat Association (Pesilat) secretary Rani Mustaffa said the competitors were from 22 silat bodies in the state.

He said the championship would be used to pick the state representatives for the national silat championship in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 1-10.

Sourced from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-62990149/sports-300-expected-compete.html 

02 January 2000

Silat Tua - The Malay Dance of Life

Silattua_small.jpg


Silat Tua - The Malay Dance of Life is a 120 page book published by Living Tradition Sdn Bhd in 2007 in English. Written by Zainal Abidin Shaikh Awab and Nigel Sutton, Silat Tua expounds on the philosophies, maxims and techniques of this ancient northern silat style.

Originally from Patani, Silat Tua has spread silently throughout the peninsula, especially in Pulau Pinang where guru Zainal, the author, now resides. Information kept secret for many years including practical meditation methods, animal and elemental (Fire, Air, Water, Earth) style silat and more are described in detail for the first time ever in this book.

Part of a trilogy, this is the first in the series which will provide the basics to learn before the next book Weapons of Silat Tua - Senjata Bangsa Jawi is published soon.

To preview the book, download the ebook here

For Malaysian buyers only
RM35.00 + RM10.00 (postage) =RM45.00
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Ebook Version (Coming Soon) - USD30.00