1. JUDI -- 1x45<\/p>\n
Joint efforts needed to shut down gambling dens<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Police cannot fight wide-spread gambling alone in the capital, an
\nexpert says, adding that state prosecutors and judges as well as
\nother government officials should also join hands.<\/p>\n
Criminolog of the University of Indonesia Adrianus Meliala
\nstressed Wednesday that the government had opted to ban gambling
\nin any form in the country and thus so law enforcers must do
\ntheir jobs accordingly.<\/p>\n
\"Police officers should close down gambling dens and arrest
\ngamblers, prosecutors should charge them with proper law, and
\njudges should convict them without considering whether or not he
\nor she is a powerful or rich people,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Rumors, however, have it that law enforcers and high-raking
\nofficials often protect certain gambling dens for financial
\ngains.<\/p>\n
Adrian said that he often heard stories that several gambling
\ndens were closed down while several others were left untouched
\nonly because they have connections with certain powerful people.<\/p>\n
He said that police could only handle one part of the process
\nand it was not fair to blame them for all gambling mess in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Adrian, who is also a personal advisor to Police Chief Gen.
\nDa'i Bachtiar, alleged that often legislative members and
\nministers, who publicly attack gambling practices, ask police to
\nfree certain suspected gambler or operators.<\/p>\n
\"So, stop being hypocrite if we want to see the capital clear
\nfrom gambling activities. Inconsistency makes gamblers think that
\nthe government is not serious in fighting against gambling,\" said
\nAdrian. He did not reveal the names of legislative members and
\nministers who often asked police to release gambling suspects.<\/p>\n
Gambling, which takes many forms in the capital and continues
\nto thrive despite a ban, is allegedly backed by some well-known
\nfigures and certain police officers.<\/p>\n
According to Article 303 of the Criminal Code and Article 2 of
\nLaw No. 7\/1974, gambling operators and gamblers could face up to
\n10 years imprisonment and a Rp 25,000 fine if found guilty.<\/p>\n
Former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin had recently renewed his
\ncall to legalize gambling.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) edict commission head
\nMuarif Amin said that the public could also help police in
\ncontrolling gambling.<\/p>\n
\"Organized groups can take part in efforts to slash down the
\nnumber of gambling dens. For example, they can submit to police
\ndata of gambling locations in the capital,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Muarif warned, however, that police's continued failure to
\nfollow up their report could initiate mass action.<\/p>\n
\"These organized groups can take over police's job to close
\ndown gambling dens, and can cause conflict. Gambling supporters
\nwill fight back as they will question the authority of the groups
\nto take action. Mass riots and clashes will be unavoidable,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Several organized groups or paramilitary groups, including the
\nNative Jakarta Brotherhood Forum (FBR), the Banten Big Family
\nDevelopment Committee (BPPKB), and the Islamic Defender Front
\n(FPI), have often conducted raids on bars and discotheque across
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
Clashes between groups, often triggered by struggle for
\ninfluence and areas, have been common since after the fall of
\nSuharto in May 1998, while countless victims have been recorded.<\/p>\n
Saman Subekti of the National Mandate Party's youth movement
\nsaid that he and his friends had submitted to police data on
\ngambling dens in the capital, including gambling a house in
\nKelapa Gading in North Jakarta and a casino in a hotel on Gunung
\nSahari, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We will wait for a week. If we don't see any action from the
\npolice then we will do it ourselves. We have grounds for our
\naction as the law has clearly prohibited gambling,\" he told the
\nPost last Monday.<\/p>\n
2. HOSPITAL -- 3x17<\/p>\n
City to go ahead
\nwith hospital
\nconstruction<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Unedited
\nDespite objection from city councillors, the city administration
\nwould go ahead with its plan to build a Rp 15.1 billion (US$1.6
\nmillion) two-storey hospital in Thousands Island regency.<\/p>\n
\"The presence of a hospital in the regency is of paramount
\nimportance to give immediate and cheaper medical treatments to
\npatients with relatively milder complaints,\" City Health Agency
\nhead Abdul Chalik Masulili said in a hearing with City Council's
\nCommission E on people's welfare on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
According to Chalik, patients in need of hospital treatment
\nwould be no need to dig deeper into their pockets to pay between
\nRp 2.5 million (US$263) and Rp 3 million for ambulance boats to
\nreach nearby hospitals.<\/p>\n
\"However, patients with more chronic health complaints will
\nhave no other choice than going to nearby hospitals for better
\ntreatments as the new hospital would not be equipped with
\ncomplete medical devices,\" he admitted.<\/p>\n
The construction of hospital worth Rp 15.1 billion (US$1.6
\nmillion) in the Thousand Islands regency was not urgent and it
\nwould only put another burden to the city administration, the
\nCity Health Agency said Wednesday that it would go ahead with the
\nplan.<\/p>\n
The regency only has six public health centers, which all have
\nno rooms for in-patients.<\/p>\n
Residents, who want to be hospitalized, must take costly
\nambulance boats to enjoy medical treatment at the city-run Koja
\nhospital in North Jakarta or the Cengkareng hospital in West
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
He added that the hospital was also necessary to provide
\nimmediate help for divers and fishermen who suffer decompression
\nsickness after their diving or snorkeling activities with
\nhyperbaric chambers available in the hospital.<\/p>\n
Decompression sickness is a dangerous and occasionally lethal
\ncondition caused by nitrogen bubbles that form in the blood and
\nother tissues of divers who goes up to surface too quickly. One
\nwho suffers the sickness needs immediate treatment in hyperbaric
\nchamber in which air pressure is gradually increased and
\ndecreased to allow nitrogen bubbles to shrink and safely diffuse
\nout of the blood and body tissues.<\/p>\n
The plan to develop the two-story hospital occupying 2,447
\nsquare meters land at Pramuka islet has been opposed by the city
\ncouncillors who urged the administration to delay its
\nconstruction, arguing that the presence of hospital was not
\nurgent in the resort islands since the six public health centers
\nin the regency would be able to accommodate the residents' need
\nof health services.<\/p>\n
\"The relevant issue, I think, is how to upgrade services in
\nthose centers instead of building new hospital,\" the commission E
\nchairman Dani Anwar asserted.<\/p>\n
Dani referred to a prevailing regulation issued by the
\nMinistry of Health, which stipulates that the development of a
\nhospital requires minimum populations of 25,000, far higher than
\nthe current population in the regency of only 19,200 residents.<\/p>\n
Another councillor Achmad Husin Alaydrus criticized that the
\noperation of the hospital would only burden the administration
\nthat has to provide the subsidy for it.<\/p>\n
\"It is easy to develop new hospital, but please keep in mind
\nhow much money the administration has to provide for subsidizing
\nthe operation of the new hospital,\" Alaydrus said.<\/p>\n
3. TEACHER -- 2x24<\/p>\n
Former SMP 56 principal
\nfights to be reinstated<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The former principal of State Junior Highschool SMP 56, Nurlaila,
\nis planning to sue Governor Sutiyoso in the State Administrative
\nCourt next Monday for discharging her as a civil servant.<\/p>\n
\"The letter, which meant to discharge me, was issued on Dec.
\n6, 2004, but it said that I was fired since February (2004). Such
\na letter could not be retroactive, that's why I am going to State
\nAdministrative Court,\" she told The Jakarta Post Monday in
\nsidelines of an education seminar held at the National Library,
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Nurlaila said she was the only teacher who still rejected the
\nland-swap deal between the Ministry of National Education and PT
\nTata Disantara, a company owned by former minister of manpower
\nAbdul Latif in 2000, which forced the school to move out from the
\nstrategic business area in Melawai to Jeruk Purut, both in South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Fear that they would get fired, all of her fellow SMPN 56
\nteachers chose to move to designated replacement schools in Jeruk
\nPurut, South Jakarta. The schools were State Junior Highschools
\nSMP 11, 12, 13, 19, which all located in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The reason why I'm still fighting for my right is because
\nthere is no legal verdict on the status of my school. The judge
\nat the South Jakarta District Court said that the school is in
\nstatus quo,\" the 48-year old said.<\/p>\n
She said that the administration had also stopped paying her
\nsalary since last year and denied her rights as a civil servant
\nto receive any other facilities, including pension. The city
\nadministration downgraded her civil servant rank from IV-A to
\nIII-D.<\/p>\n
The case of a land-swap itself is now in the Supreme Court,
\nafter both South Jakarta District Court and High Court threw out
\na civil suit against the Ministry of National Education and PT
\nTata Disantara.<\/p>\n
Aside from administrative problems, Nurlaila believed that the
\nland-swap deal indicated a corruption because the land was only
\nsold at a price of Rp 2.5 million per square meter, while the
\nreal tax valuation of the land was Rp 9.65 million per square
\nmeter.<\/p>\n
Nurlaila, who was supported by lawyers from by Legal Aid LBH
\nAPIK and the Human Rights Lawyers Association (APHI), said she
\nwas convinced that if the judges at the State Administrative
\nCourt were fair, she would win the case.<\/p>\n
\"Unless the judges take side in favor of powerful persons that
\nI'm against, I will win the case. But, win or loose I already
\ngathered support to continue struggling for my rights,\" said the
\nwoman, who had taught at the SMP 56 since 1990. (006)<\/p>\n
4. EMISI -- 1x30<\/p>\n
Police offer free emission testing<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
In an effort to raise public awareness on clean air, Jakarta
\npolice together with the Clean Emission Foundation will conduct
\nfree emission tests for cars passing through the police
\nheadquarters on Jl. Gatot Subroto every Friday.<\/p>\n
Traffic police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo said on Wednesday
\nthat not all of vehicles entering the headquarters could be
\ntested as they have limited personnel and equipments.<\/p>\n
\"However, we will try to test as many cars as possible to be
\nable to reach out to wider motorists. We want them to know the
\nactual condition of their cars. We will also gradually increase
\nthe frequency of the test,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Djoko said that the police would tell the car owners whether
\ntheir car's emision was below or above standard, hence the source
\nof air pollution in the city.<\/p>\n
He added that upon knowing that their cars cause pollution,
\ncar owners were expected to immediately make adjustment to their
\ncars.<\/p>\n
\"We want people to know that their main concerns are not only
\ncar engine or body but also the emission their car produced as
\nstipulated in regulation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He referred to Law No. 14\/1992 on traffic, which regulates
\nthat cargo vehicles and public transportation vehicles should
\npass emission test to be declared roadworthy.<\/p>\n
City Bylaw No. 2\/2005 on air pollution control, in addition,
\nrequires all vehicles in the city to undergo emission tests while
\nGubernatorial Decree No. 1041\/2000 on emission standards for
\nvehicles regulates that the standards vary among vehicles
\ndepending on age and type of fuel system.<\/p>\n
Violators of emission standards could face up to six months in
\nprison or Rp 5 million (US$555.56) fine.<\/p>\n
Environmental activist Achmad Safrudin welcomed the police
\nprogram but expressed concerns on the lack of law enforcement
\ndespite clear existing laws.<\/p>\n
\"It is good that police promote emission awareness among
\nJakartans. However, what we want to see is that they start
\npunishing violators,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, which is the third most polluted city in the world,
\nhas about four million cars. About 70 percent of the hazardous
\nsubstances in Jakarta's air comes from vehicular emission.<\/p>\n
5. DRUGS -- 2x28<\/p>\n
Four drug dealers nabbed,
\n8,500 ecstasy pills seized<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta police arrested over the weekend four suspected drug
\ndealers and confiscated 8,500 ecstasy pills plus 100 grams of
\nshabu-shabu, or crystal methampetamine, in three separate
\nlocations.<\/p>\n
Two suspected drug dealers identified as Ray Angela, 27, alias
\nSherly, and Purwanto Nugroho, 31, alias Kiki, were apprehended in
\nSunter Hijau, North Jakarta, while Lie Jie Tek, 44, was arrested
\nin Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
City police narcotics unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sugeng IR said
\nthat Sherly and Kiki caught red handed during a drug transaction,
\nwhile Lie was arrested while he was waiting for Sherly to deliver
\nhim the illegal substance.<\/p>\n
He said that his officers found 7,300 ecstasy pills and 100
\ngrams of shabu shabu in Sunter Hijau and 200 ecstasy pills in
\nGunung Sahari.<\/p>\n
\"We suspect Sherly is a member of a international drug
\nsyndicate. We still interrogate her if she was the supplier for
\nmany drug agents in Jakarta,\" Sugeng said.<\/p>\n
Based on the information from the three suspects, the police
\nthen moved to Jl. Kewenangan in Glodok, West Jakarta, to pick up
\nAndrianto Agung, 30, alias Ayung.<\/p>\n
\"We arrested him also as we found another 1,000 ecstasy pills
\nin his house,\" Sugeng said.<\/p>\n
He said that all four suspects were now being detained in the
\nCity Police headquarters for further questioning.<\/p>\n
The police are in the battle against drug trafficking in the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
In the last two weeks, around 90 drug dealers were nabbed by
\nEast Jakarta police in several locations across the municipality,
\nwhile last week Jakarta police arrested four suspected members of
\na drug syndicate and confiscated 176 kilograms of marijuana.<\/p>\n
A Nepalese, a suspected international drug supplier identified
\nas Man Sing Gale, 40, was shot dead last April after he
\napparently resisted arrest in Bekasi, West Java.<\/p>\n
Police said that they seized 1.25 kilograms of heroin, 276
\ngrams of cocaine, 500 ecstasy pills and a firearm from his house.<\/p>\n
Earlier, City Police arrested 761 people, including five
\nforeigners and several active military and police personnel,
\nseizing over 100 kg of drugs in raids conducted in dozens of
\nplaces across the capital.<\/p>\n
\"Each police precinct chief were ordered since last month to
\narrest at least 32 drug traffickers each month in their
\nrespective area as we find the traffickers have penetrated into
\nneighborhood,\" said City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono.<\/p>\n
6. SPEAK -- 1x40<\/p>\n
'All parents complain about high education fees'<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono complained recently about the
\ngrowing number of private schools, many of which, he said, put
\nprofit before quality education. However, the government has not
\nyet been able to place a high priority on education, especially
\nfor the poor, as stipulated in the Constitution. The Jakarta Post
\nasked residents their thoughts on this important issue.<\/p>\n
Parjo, 45, is a security guard at Tanah Abang market in
\nCentral Jakarta. He lives with his wife and three children in
\nKebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:<\/p>\n
I have three children, the eldest is now in high school, while
\nthe other two in are junior high school.<\/p>\n
Thank God they were able to pass the admission requirements to
\nenter state schools, as the tuition fees are cheaper than private
\nschools.<\/p>\n
But still the amount of the school fees and other related
\nexpenditures for their education is a big burden on me, because
\nit costs around a third of my monthly salary of Rp 1 million
\n(US$105).<\/p>\n
My second child will enter high school next July. It gives me
\nheadache just thinking about the expensive entrance fee.<\/p>\n
I heard that the Jakarta administration prohibits schools from
\ncollecting entrance fees from the parents, but I don't think it
\nis stopping the schools from taking something from us, legal or
\nnot. Such practices are common here.<\/p>\n
I could never dream of sending my children to a high-quality
\nprivate school.<\/p>\n
For me, it is enough to see my children go to a state school
\nso that they can continue studying without worrying too much
\nabout the fees.<\/p>\n
Burhana, 40, works at a bank on Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta.
\nHe lives in Kebon Melati in Central Jakarta. He has two children,
\nboth are studying in elementary school:<\/p>\n
All parents, especially from the low-income bracket, of
\ncourse, complain about the high education fees, although I have
\nnot experienced it yet because my two children are still in
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
Several of my neighbors, whose children are studying at junior
\nhigh and high schools, said that they had to pay some Rp 2
\nmillion in entrance fees to state schools.<\/p>\n
I wonder what the politicians have done after getting what
\nthey want?<\/p>\n
During the election campaigns last year, they promised to
\nfight for free education.<\/p>\n
I hope when it's time for my children to enter junior high
\nschool over the next several years, the government is able to
\nprovide free education for all.<\/p>\n
I'm not sure whether my children are now at a quality school
\nor not. Moreover, I don't think state schools are so bad, many of
\ntheir graduates later go to university.<\/p>\n
--The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/1-judi-1x45-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }