24,000 RI workers to be sent home<\/p>\n
MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: As a war in Iraq and the threat of a
\nmysterious virus spread by travelers cast a pall over the labor
\nmarket, 24,255 workers from East Nusa Tenggara will be sent home
\nas their contracts expire this year, a local official said on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Most of the 16,478 workers will be returning from Malaysia,
\nsaid the head of the provincial manpower and transmigration
\noffice, Sirojul Munir.<\/p>\n
Another 7,382 workers will return from Saudi Arabia, 212
\nworkers from Brunei Darussalam, 128 workers from the United Arab
\nEmirates, 54 workers from Kuwait and one from Hong Kong, Sirojul
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear whether these countries might renew the
\nworkers' contracts. In Malaysia, the massive departure of workers
\ncould affect labor-intensive business sectors, such as
\nconstruction.<\/p>\n
Sirojul said West Nusa Tenggara sent a total of 40,000 workers
\noverseas this year, most of whom found employment in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Workers are being sent home as the market for overseas work is
\nin a slump. Last week, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration
\nJacob Nua Wea suspended the dispatch of some 8,000 workers due to
\nthe global spread of the flu-like virus known as the Severe Acute
\nRespiratory Syndrome (SARS).<\/p>\n
Security jitters in the Middle East are also holding back the
\nsupply of workers. Indonesia has over 64,000 workers in the
\nregion, almost all of whom have remained there despite the war in
\nIraq. -- Antara<\/p>\n
;JP:bkm;
\nANPAa..r..
\nWKalimantan-women-council
\nWomen wanted for councillorship
\nJP\/ \/<\/p>\n
Women wanted for councillorship<\/p>\n
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan: A group called Gemawan has collected
\nthe names of 256 women in West Kalimantan that it considers
\nqualified to contest the membership of the provincial legislature
\nduring the 2004 general election.<\/p>\n
Gemawan said its survey was in response to the new election
\nlaw, which sets aside a 30 percent quota for women in the
\nlegislature.<\/p>\n
The 256 women have backgrounds that represent the province's
\ndifferent religions, communities and organizations, the
\ncoordinator of Gemawan's women's division, Laili Khainur, said on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
She said Gemawan sent out interviewers to various cities and
\ntowns in West Kalimantan to screen potential candidates from
\nacross the province.<\/p>\n
Next, she said, was to obtain the women's detailed profiles
\nand make them available on the Internet. Political parties could
\nthen access the information to aid in their recruitment.<\/p>\n
Laili said that the survey was a project led by the Center for
\nElectoral Reform (Cetro), a civil group that seeks to improve the
\nquality of Indonesia's elections. Cetro held similar surveys in
\nMedan, Makassar, Surabaya and Jakarta, she added. -- Antara<\/p>\n
;JP;bkm;
\nANPAa..r..
\nSeastSulawesi-forests-protected
\nSaving forests need concerted efforts
\nJP\/ \/Across<\/p>\n
Saving forests needs concerted efforts: Govt<\/p>\n
KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi
\ncalled on Monday for tighter cooperation between the government,
\ncivil groups and other organizations to save the province's
\nprotected forests from illegal logging.<\/p>\n
Ali urged universities, non-governmental organizations and
\nlocal communities to join hands with the government to save the
\nforests.<\/p>\n
He said the government could not fight illegal logging by
\nitself. Overlapping authority due to regional autonomy had led to
\npoor law enforcement against illegal loggers, Ali said.<\/p>\n
Some people often took the law into their own hands and
\nclaimed ownership of protected forests, he said urging people to
\nexercise what he called their \"ecological wisdom\", which would
\nhelp protect their forests for generations.<\/p>\n
\"But this wisdom gradually fades when people are made sky-high
\noffers from outsiders who are seeking to exploit the forests,\"
\nthe governor said.<\/p>\n
Timber, mining and plantation companies also impinge on
\nefforts to protect the forest from overexploitation, he said.<\/p>\n
Provinces across the country face similar problems with
\nillegal loggers. Environmental watchdogs largely blame this on
\npoor law enforcement since the authorities are either bribed to
\nignore illegal logging or a lack of funding has rendered their
\nefforts ineffective. -- Antara<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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